Write a short paragraph (at least 250 words) analyzing something that was new for you in this week’s content, or something you found particularly interesting/compelling. To earn full credit, your post should reflect on major course themes or connect what you’ve learned this week to content from previous weeks. The purpose of this post is not just to list facts you’ve learned, but to reflect on what you’ve learned and how it informs your understanding of the past. Make certain to use your own words, and write clearly and with specific examples.
week 9 conclusion:
The Cold War locked the United States into a fearful, bipolar world. Dissent was stifled, and any resistance to the status quo could be seen as a challenge to the United States’ basic values. The image above was taken at a protest rally by those opposed to the desegregation of Little Rock’s Central High School. As you can see, for those that resisted integration, “race mixing” was the work of communists trying to undermine the fabric of American life.
While segregationists raged against “outsiders” and “communists” seeking to overthrow the nation’s racial hierarchy (and the government often used the Cold War context as a pretext for investigating and undermining civil rights activists and organizations), in some ways the Cold War would advance the cause of civil rights. How long could the United States present itself as a champion of freedom and democracy abroad when Jim Crow and racism prevailed at home? For African Americans, it was clear that the hypocrisy needed to stop. A Second Reconstruction was beginning.
