Name: ___________________________________________

Cold War and Civil Rights

Racial discrimination furnishes grist for the Communist propaganda mills, and it raises
doubts even among friendly nations as to the intensity of our devotion to the democratic
faith.
United States Amicus Curiae Brief, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)

ACTIVATOR: Based on the quote above, how could race relations within the United
States affect the countrys image abroad?

BACKGROUND:
Though the civil rights movement may be something we learn about in history class, it still lies at the center of Americas
continuing attempt to live up to its ideals and principles. The movement is a period of American history without clear
boundaries, although generally speaking it is understood to run from the 1950s through the 1960s. The central issue of the
movement was to end the legal basis for racial segregation and the subsequent struggle to enforce this ruling. Aside from this
central goal, the civil rights movement was a social phenomenon that touched every aspect of American life for citizens of all
races. Among the best remembered leaders of this era are Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Malcolm X; Oliver Hill; Medgar Evers;
Rosa Parks; and Thurgood Marshall.

At the same time that the civil rights movement brought domestic unrest to new heights on the domestic stage, the United
States was engaged in an extended conflict known as the Cold War internationally. In the United States, especially,
politicians were increasingly sensitive to the perceived threats of communist subversion and dissidents operating within the
country. Though this threat was often exaggerated, it very much clouded the atmosphere that surrounded government affairs.

The question of race relations often came up in the context of the Cold War, and vice versa. Soviets used segregation and
mistreatment of black Americans to support the claim that communism was a more just and equitable socio-political system,
and American segregationists invoked the communist threat as a means to discredit the desegregation movement. Conversely,
the U. S. government and civil rights leaders appreciated that continued segregation was an ever more embarrassing issue in
international politics.

Focus Question: Can a document address more than one issue (race relations, Cold War)? Why or why not?

DOCUMENT ANALYSIS: For your assignment document, answer the following questions. Be prepared to share
out your findings with the rest of the class.

DOCUMENT #:____________

1. Who do you think published or produced this document?

 2. What audience do you think this document was intended to target?

3. What is the specific purpose of this document?

4. What means does this document use to accomplish its goal?

5. Would you group this with the Cold War or the civil rights movement? Explain.

DISCUSSION: TYING IT ALL TOGETHER

Focus on how we decide whether a document belongs to the civil rights movement or the Cold War. Is this distinction
meaningful? How does this distinction hinge on the readers assumptions?
The people who made some of these documents may seem to be living in different worlds. Why do these documents present
such different perspectives? How do you think political goals, assumptions, and facts interact to produce our view of the
world? What role do primary sources documents play in either supporting or challenging our views?

TICKET TO LEAVE:
1.Based on this activity, what are the PROs of periodization of historical events (models of historical periodization
that historians use to categorize events into discrete blocks and to identify turning points)?

2.Based on this activity, what are the CONS of periodization of historical events?