A356

Afro-American History II

Section C336

Mon. – Wed.  2:30 P. M. – 3:45 P. M.

Cavanaugh Hall, Rm. 215

Spring, 2002

 

 

Instructor:  M. H. Little

Office:  CA 503C

Telephone:  (317)  274-0098

E-mail:  mlittle@iupui.edu                                                                          

 

Introduction

 

Welcome to A356 Afro-American History II.  This course is designed as part two of a two course sequence dealing with the history of Africans in the United States.  This particular course examines the history of Africans in the U. S. from 1863 to the present.  The course is topical within a chronological framework.  Emphasis is placed on the struggle of Africans in the United States to achieve autonomy and self-determination during the Civil War and beyond, although additional issues related to the development of African Americans as a people in a Herrenvolk democracy will also be examined.

 

Course Requirements

 

Course work involves attending weekly lectures and participating in weekly discussions, two 6-7 page essays, and a 7-8 page take-home midterm and final examinations.  Regular and prompt attendance at all class meetings is absolutely essential for successful completion of the course.  A detailed explanation of policies concerning class absences and tardiness can be consulted at the Student Responsibilities link on this web page.  Students’ course grades will be determined on the basis of their performance in the areas of (a) attendance—15%; (b) participation in discussions—15% (c) written assignments—30%; and (d) examinations—40%.

 

Academic Dishonesty

 

It should be noted that any form of academic dishonesty committed in the course will not be tolerated.  This includes obvious types of dishonesty such cheating on examinations and plagiarism on papers/essays as well as downloading papers from the internet or submitting the same paper for credit in more than one course without the prior approval of the instructor(s).  Any student who is found guilty of such misconduct will receive an “F”on that particular assignment.  A repeated offense will result in an “F” for the course as well as having his/her dishonesty recorded as a permanent part of their academic record.  For a more detailed explanation of the different forms of academic dishonesty, please consult the IUPUI Student Responsibilities and the Student Rights and Responsibilities handbooks.

 

Required Readings

 

The following books are required reading for the course.  They may be purchased at either the IUPUI Bookstore or online at Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.com.  Readings marked with an asterisk (*) are available at the University Library thru JSTOR (electronic, online journals).

 

Colin Palmer, Passageways:  An Interpretive History of Black America, Vol. II

Thomas Holt et al. (eds.) Major Problems in African American History Vol. II

A’Lelia Bundles, On Her Own Ground:  The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker

Jules Tygiel, Baseball’s Great Experiment:  Jackie Robinson and His Legacy

 

Weekly assignments are as follows:

 

Week of:

 

Jan. 7      -  Introduction to the Course

                   Read:  Holt, pp. 3-34

 

Jan. 14    -  Emancipation

                   Lecture: Emancipation, Freedmen and the Meaning of Freedom

                   Read: Palmer, pp. 1-31; Holt, pp. 36-85; Eric Foner, “The Meaning of

       Freedom in the Age of Emancipation,” Journal of American History,” Vol. 81

       (Sep., 1994), pp. 435-460* 

 

Jan. 21    -   Post-Emancipation and the Re-emergence of White Supremacy

                    Lecture:  Jim Crow’s Domestic and Foreign Policy Implications

                    Read:  Palmer, pp. 33-45; Holt, pp. 87-124

 

Jan. 28    -   Black Leadership and Ideologies in Conflict from 1879 to 1917

                    Lecture: Washington, Turner and DuBois

                    Read: Palmer, pp. 47-64; Greg Mixon, “Henry McNeal Turner Versus the

        Tuskegee Machine:  Black Leadership in the Nineteenth Century.” Journal 

        of  Negro History, Vol. 79 (Aug., 1994), pp. 363-380.*

 

Feb. 4     -    Black Institutional and Community Development after Emancipation, I

                     Lecture:  Efforts at Self-Betterment Among Blacks from 1879 to WWI

                     Read: Palmer, pp. 66-80; Holt, pp. 126-154

 

Feb. 11   -    Black Institutional and Community Development after Emancipation, II

                     Lecture:  Efforts at Self-Betterment Among Blacks from 1879 to WWI

                     Read:  Bundles, all; Robert E. Weems, Jr., “Robert A. Cole and the

         Metropolitan Funeral System Association:  A Profile of a Civicminded

         African American Businessman,” Journal of Negro History, Vol. 78

         (Winter, 1993), pp. 1-15;* Bettye C. Thomas, “A Nineteenth Century Black

         Operated Shipyard, 1866-1884:  Reflections Upon Its Inception and

         Ownership.” Journal of Negro History, Vol. 59 (Jan., 1974), pp. 1-12;* 

                                                Written assignment # 1 due

 

Feb. 18   -    Constructing a New Identity after Emancipation

         Lecture:  Garvey, DuBois and Pan-Africanism

         Read:  Palmer, pp. 82-104; Holt, pp. 156-183

 

Feb. 25   -    Africans, African Americans and World War I

                     Lecture:  World War I and Its Impact on Africa and Africans

                     Read:  W. E. B. DuBois, “The Negro Soldier in Service Abroad During the

         First World War.” Journal of Negro Education, Vol. 12 (Summer,1943), pp.

         324-334;* James K. Matthews, “World War I and the Rise of African

         Nationalism:  Nigerian Veterans as Catalysts of Change.” The Journal of

         Modern African Studies.” Vol. 20 (Sept., 1982), pp. 493—502;* Keith

         Nelson,“The ‘Black Horror on the Rhine’:  Race as a Factor in Post-World

         War I Diplomacy.” The Journal of Modern History, Vol. 42 (Dec., 1970),

         pp. 606-627*

Take-home midterm examination due

 

Mar. 4     -     Migration, Urbanization and the Birth of Modern Black America

          Lecture:  The Harlem Renaissance and the Rise of the New Negro

          Read:  Palmer, pp. 106-127; Holt, pp. 186-218; Wilson J. Moses, “The Lost

          World of the Negro, 1895-1919:  Black Literary and Intellectual Life before

          the ‘Renaissance.’ Black American Literary Forum, Vol. 21 (Spring-

          Summer, 1987), pp. 6184*

 

Mar. 11   -     Spring Break—No class

 

Mar. 18   -     Black Political and Social Trends after 1930

          Lecture:  Black American Urbanization and Political Activism

                     Read: Palmer, pp. 156-182; Holt, pp. 220-249; Tygiel, all

                                    Written assignment #2 due

 

Mar. 25     -  Black Intellectual, Cultural and Political Life after World War I

                     Lecture:  Black Political Development and Pan-Africanism
                      Read:  Palmer, pp. 130-154, 202-217

 

April 1      -   Modern Black Political and Organizational Development

          Lecture:  Black Political Activism and the Rise of the Welfare State

                      Read:  Palmer, pp. 184-201; Holt, pp. 251-280

 

April 8      -    Blacks and the Modern Human Rights Struggle, I

                      Lecture: The Forgotten Years of the Civil Rights Movement

                      Read:  Palmer, pp. 219-237; Holt, pp. 282-311;

 

April 15    -    Blacks and the Modern Human Rights Struggle, II

          Lecture:  From Civil Rights to Black Power

                      Read:  Palmer, pp. 239-276; Holt, pp. 313-337

 

April 22    -    Postscript--Black America Since 1975

          Lecture:  The Challenge Facing African Americans in the 21st Century

          Read: Holt, pp. 338-388

 

April 29    -    Final Examination—Wednesday, May 1, 2002 1:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M. CA

           215

                                    Take-home final examination due