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Thiscourse examines the U.S. civil rights movement from the vantage point of women,considering both women’s involvement in the legal campaigns and politicalprotests and the impact of civil rights struggles on women’s status andidentity. Taking a “long civil rightsmovement” perspective, we begin in the late nineteenth century and considerevents, organizations, and personalities through the twentieth century.
Throughoutwe will consider issues which have preoccupied historians, social movementtheorists, and historians alike: developing and sustaining political commitment, assessing the strengthsand weaknesses of various forms of political organization, maximizing influenceand securing long-range objectives. Wewill also examine competing definitions of leadership; class, race, and genderdynamics within the movement; and the cultural dynamics of political organizingand social change.
In the process, weconsider not only how the movement altered the status of African Americans inthe U.S. but the legacy of these struggles as they changed understandings ofcitizenship and rights more broadly. Our concern throughout the course will be tonot only understand the historical narrative but also to see how historianswork to make sense of the past.
Overview
