The 1960s was a time of a cultural revolution in America, resulting in many new ideas and texts. One example of these new cultural texts that come out of the Civil Rights Movement is the song “Which Side Are You On?” by the SNCC Freedom Singers. SNCC is the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which was made of students supporting the Civil Rights Movement. The song symbolizes the change undergoing in America and set the stage for the two sides—one supporting the movement and one against it. During the same year this song was sung, Martin Luther King, Jr. made his famous “I Have A Dream” speech at Washington D.C., indicating the coming turmoil of civil reform. “Which Side Are You On?” focuses on the part of the movement in Albany, Georgia to express the views of the supporters for the Civil Rights Movement by giving off a persuasive air to support the movement, using notable people opposing the movement in Albany such as Mayor Kelly and Chief Pritchett, the issue of morality from Christianity, and phrases such as “Uncle Tom,” to serve as an example for the entire campaign.
The mention of Mayor Kelly in the lyrics refers to the mayor of Albany at the time, who opposed the Civil Rights Movement, and shows how SNCC feels about him. The words “Where is your heart? We are all children, of the almighty God” conveys a sense that Mayor Kelly is heartless, and questions why he opposes the movement, saying “we are all children, of the almighty God.” If everyone is a child of God, then they are all brothers and sisters, meaning that everyone should treat each other fairly and equally as if they are siblings, and must not discriminate against each other. Mayor Kelly represents the “other” side of what the SNCC Freedom Singers support....
... middle of paper ...
... passion while still encompassing an air of morality. In the end, the Civil Rights Movement eventually prevails, marking a victory for the message the SNCC Freedom Singers wanted to convey to the public.
Works Cited
Heller, Joseph. “The Soldier Who Saw Everything Twice”. Catch-22. c. 1955. Rpt. in Dimensions of Culture 3: Imagination. Ed. Cancel, Rouse, and Serlin. San Diego: University Readers, 2010. 223. Print.
Newton, Huey and Seale Bobby. “The Black Panther Platform: What We Want, What We Believe”. C. 1966. Rpt. in Dimensions of Culture 3: Imagination. Ed. Cancel, Rouse, and Serlin. San Diego: University Readers, 2010. 183. Print.
SNCC. “Which Side Are You On?”. SNCC Freedom Singers. Internet. c. 1963.
Takaki, Ronald. A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Back Bay Books/Little, Brown and Company, 1993. 375. Print.
The ability for people to look at a situation from a different perspective is vital in today’s globalized society. Diversity is the most important core attribute we share that gives us a new perspective to assess situations differently through our diverse backgrounds and upbringings. Unlike Patrick J. Buchanan’s argument in his essay titled “Deconstructing America,” diversity is not a burden, but rather a necessity in America’s culture. Conversely, Fredrickson 's essay titled, “Models of American Ethnic Relations: A Historical Perspective,” illustrated a more precise version of American history that disproves Buchanan’s ethnocentric ideologies. Buchanan speaks of diversity as a narrow, one-way street. The imprecise interpretations of history
1. What is the argument of Ronald Takaki’s A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America? How does Takaki make that argument?
Islas, Arturo. From Migrant Souls. American Mosaic: Multicultural Readings in Context. Eds. Gabriele Rico, Barbara Roche and Sandra Mano. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1995. 483-491.
In A Different Mirror, Ronald Takaki told a story that linked together multiracial groups in which there are many sides to the story more than just domination and conquest in America, where immigrants did not come by choice and natives who lived on the lands before the Americans came were forced to leave or sell their lands because either it was for survival. Even when choice was available, it was limited. America was a new country compared to other countries, in which the people were still wondering who goes to which hierarchal level because it was not yet stratified. It took a great deal of work to create a norm of white superiority and minority insubordination and inferiority. Race played an important role in making the modern United States
The Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnics Literature of the United States. Spring 2000
Ronald Takaki is one of the foremost-recognized scholars of multicultural studies and holds a PhD. in American History from the University of California, Berkeley. As a professor of Ethnic Studies at the same university, he wrote A Different Mirror: a History of Multicultural America as a fantastic new telling of our nation’s history. The book narrates the composition of the many different people of the United States of America.
...Multiculturalism: Essential Primary Sources. Ed. K. Lee Lerner, Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, and Adrienne Wilmoth Lerner. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 353-355. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 11 Apr. 2014
Joan Baez, a famous folk singer, sang her most famous song “Oh Freedom” during the civil rights movement. She expressed her want and need for equality and freedom f...
Wise, T. (2012). Dear white America: Letter to a new minority. San Francisco, CA: City
Takaki, Ronald T. A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. Boston: Little, Brown &, 1993. Print.
Following the 1890’s, the world began to undergo the first stages of globalization. Countries and peoples, who, until now, were barely connected, now found themselves neighbors in a planet vastly resembling a global village. Despite the idealized image of camaraderie and brotherhood this may seem to suggest, the reality was only discrimination and distrust. Immigration to new lands became a far more difficult affair, as emigrants from different nations came to be viewed as increasingly foreign. In the white-dominated society of the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the only way to truly count oneself as American was to become “white”. For this reason, the idea of race, a socially constructed issue with no real physical basis, has become one of the most defining factors which shape immigration and assimilation in the United States.
Daniels, Roger. Coming to America: A History of Immigration and Ethnicity in American Life. New York: Perennial, 2002. Print.
Takaki, R. T. (1993). A different mirror: A history of multicultural America. Boston: Little, Brown & Co.
A Different Mirror by Ronald Takaki provides an insight of America’s multicultural nation. He shares the history of the non-European minorities who have settled and contributed to the growth in America. However, many do not view them as Americans today because they still follow the Master Narrative. This teaching only focuses on the European settlement and their history in America, therefore, causing no acknowledgement to the minorities. Takaki challenges the Master Narrative as an incorrect teaching because it does not reflect America’s full history. America has always been racially and ethnically diverse. Thus, he hopes to move them away from the Master Narrative and learn from his teachings that non-Europeans are Americans despite their
" Sing for freedom : the story of the Civil Rights Movement through its songs. Montgomery, Ala.: NewSouth Books. Kirk, J. (2007). The 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secon Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement: Controversies and Debates. Basingstoke, New York: Palgrave Macmillan.