Professor James Gregory
312B Smith
Office hours: Tuesday 3:30-4:30 and by appointment
gregoryj@uw.edu
American Social Movements Since 1900:
from Woman Suffrage to Black Lives Matter to White Nationalism
Social movements are a key feature of American politics. Certain social movements have been highly influential, reshaping ideas and political life, achieving major changes in law and policy, in some cases rearranging rules of race, gender, and economy. Others have been much less effective. This course explores the dynamics and the history of social movements of many kinds seeking to understand how they work and how they achieve influence. Moving chronologically, we will explore Woman Suffrage movements in the early decades of the 20th century, the labor radicalism of the Industrial Workers of the World, the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s, unemployed movements in the 1930s, civil rights movements from the 1950s-1970s, ending with two recent social movements: the Black Lives Matter movement and right-wing populism/white nationalism.
Readings: You will need to obtain copies of two books: Linda Gordon, The Second Coming of the KKK: The Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s and the American Political Tradition (W.W. Norton, 2017) and Lawrence Rosenthal, Empire of Resentment: Populism’s Toxic Embrace of Nationalism (New Press, 2020 – available as Library E-book). The other readings are assembled in a course reader available from Professional Copy, 4200 University Ave. The cost is $18.99 plus tax. There are no digital copies. You must have a printed reader.
Grades will be based on discussion during our meetings, on three or four short responses to the readings, and an 8+ page research paper with oral report (with Powerpoint). The research paper will count for 40% of the course grade; oral presentation 10%. The short papers and discussion participation will account for the rest.
Schedule (subject to change)
Week 1: INTRODUCTIONS
Thursday Sept 28:
- In-class exercises
Week 2: SOCIAL MOVEMENT THEORY AND TWO EARLY 20TH CENTURY MOVEMENTS: WOMAN SUFFRAGE AND THE INDUSTRIAL WORKERS OF THE WORLD
Before Tuesday Oct 3
- Read Robert Goldberg, "Introduction," and "One Big Union: The Industrial Workers of the World" in Grassroots Resistance: Social Movements in Twentieth Century America, 1-17, 41-64 (in course reader).
- Explore the IWW History Project https://depts.washington.edu/iww/ . Examine the maps and read several essays.
Before Thursday Oct 5
- Read Lee Ann Banaszak, Why Movements Succeed or Fail: Opportunity, Culture and the Struggle for Woman Suffrage (Princeton University Press, 1996) pp. 3-43 (course reader). These two chapters are short but please read them closely to understand her arguments and theory.
Friday October 6, 11:59 pm
- Upload a 2-page response to a forthcoming question.
Week 3: KU KLUX KLAN
For Tuesday Oct 10
- Read Linda Gordon, The Second Coming of the KKK, pp.1-138. What does she say about “Structures of Freedom” and about “Recruitment, Ritual, and Profit”? What does she say about the class, race, religious, and gender dimensions of the Klan? Think comparatively about this social movement. Why was it more popular and powerful than the IWW? Find one or two provocative quotations to share during class discussion.
For Thursday Oct 12
- Read the remaining chapters of Gordon.
Friday Oct 13 by 11:59 pm
- Upload well-written 500-700 book review of The Second Coming of the KKK. This should be more than a summary. It should explain Gordon’s key arguments (claims/takeaways). Include at least one short quote to illustrate a point. Do not use the first person voice in this review: employ declarative sentences instead of “I think” statements. Paragraphs should begin with strong topic sentences.
Week 4: HOUSING SEGREGATION MOVEMENTS
Tuesday Oct 17
Read Richard Rothstein, The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America, pp.39-137 (course reader).
Thursday Oct 19
- Read Catherine Silva, “Racial Restrictive Covenants History” and explore the maps and database of neighborhood restrictions at the Segregated Seattle Project https://depts.washington.edu/civilr/segregated.htm
Friday Oct 22 11:59 pm
- Research paper proposal due Friday at midnight
Week 5: SOCIAL MOVEMENT THEORIES
Tuesday Oct 24
- Read Francis Fox Piven and Richard A. Cloward, Poor People’s Movements: Why they Succeed, How They Fail (1979), pp. xix-xxiv, 1-95 (course reader).
Thursday Oct 26
- Meet in Suzzallo 102 for research instruction from History Librarian Theresa Mudrock
Friday Oct 27, 11:59pm:
- Upload a 400-500-word response that explains and evaluates these theories of social movement success and failure. Can you suggest examples of other movements that either confirm or contradict either theory?
Week 6: BLACK FREEDOM MOVEMENTS
Tuesday Oct 31
- Read Manning Marable, Race, Reform, and Rebellion: The Second Reconstruction in Black America, 1945-1990, pp. 61-148, 220-230 (course reader).
Thursday Nov 2:
- TBA consultations/library orientation
Week 7: WHITE NATIONISM
Tuesday Nov 7
- Read Lawrence Rosenthal, Empire of Resentment: Populism’s Toxic Embrace of Nationalism, pp. 1-148
Thursday Nov 9:
- TBA or Research day; possible short assignment
Week 8: BLACK LIVES MATTER
Tuesday Nov 14
- Read Alicia Garza, The Purpose of Power pp 1-138.
Thursday Nov 16:
- TBA or Research day; Possible short assignment
Week 9: BLACK LIVES MATTER
Tuesday Nov 21
- Research day
Thursday Nov 23
- Thanksgiving
Week 10: RESEARCH PROJECT PRESENTATIONS
Tuesday Nov 28
- Presentations with PowerPoints
Thursday Nov 30
- Presentations with PowerPoints
Week 11: RESEARCH PROJECT PRESENTATIONS
Tuesday Dec 5
- Presentations with PowerPoints
Thursday Dec 7
- Presentations with PowerPoints
Week 12 FINALS WEEK:
- Papers due Dec 12 midnight
Research projects
Your research paper will focus on a social movement and should be based both on primary and secondary sources. You may choose one of the social movements we are reading about or suggest others. All topics must be approved in advance by the instructor, with that decision resting largely on the availability of sources. A research proposal is due Friday October 20.
The Encyclopedia of American Social Movements. (eBook) is a good place to start looking into potential topics. The Mapping American Social Movements Project (directed by Professor Gregory) will also be useful. In the past, some HSTRY 388 research papers have been selected for publication on that and related projects that are part of the history department’s Civil Rights and Labor History Consortium.
Encyclopedia_of_American_Social_Movements_----_(Contents).pdf
Additional information
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