HIS 261 - Afro-American History 1865 to Present

Course Description, Course Objectives, and Goals:

This course traces the Black experience from Reconstruction to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. The rise of segregation and the ghetto and aspects of race relations are examined.

Upon completion of this course, a student should be able to

The goals of this course are:
  1. to provide students with a basic knowledge of history and politics so they can be more informed and more active citizens, and
  2. to provide students a context through which to evaluate this country's past, and to utilize that experience in analyzing future courses of action for the nation.

SAMPLE WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Journal

As we expose ourselves to our daily experiences, thoughts and questions arise. A journal is your chance to reflect on those thoughts and on the state of American-Americans in the present and the past. Discuss how you react to new information emotionally and intellectually. For instance, you might consider writing a journal entry about the on-going series on race relations in the Lexington Herald-Leader, about the failure of Reconstruction to provide land to freedmen, etc. Potential topics are endless, limited only by your willingness to think about events.

Basic rules for Journal entries:

  1. Date each entry (including time of day) and start each on a new page.
  2. Write regularly; try to do it at the same time each week, like after class. Make it part of your routine.
  3. Use an informal, comfortable style. You don't have to be flashy, just get your ideas down on paper. This is not necessarily a formal writing exercise.
  4. Keep a few sheets of paper at the end of your journal to write down book titles, ideas, questions, etc. that you come across but do not have time to look into now.
  5. At the end of the semester, number each page, title each entry, make a table of contents, and write an introduction to the journal. If you follow these basic rules you should have no problem with a journal. Again, this is informal writing. You are not looking for a "right" answer, instead you are reflecting on ideas and events and getting your thought processes moving. The key is asking questions of yourself.

    Topical Outline:

    I. Introduction
    • Expectations
    • Race
    II. Freedom: Hopes and Reality
    • Reconstruction & the New South
    • The Rise of Jim Crow
    • The Nation's Attitudes
    • The Washington-DuBois Debate
    • Exodus and Self-help
    III. The Age of Black Nationalism
    • WWI and African-Americans
    • The Harlem Renaissance
    • The Garvey Movement
    • the second Ku Klux Klan
    IV. The Great Depression, New Deal, & WWII
    • Hoovervilles and African-Americans
    • The New Deal
    • Communism, Socialism, and African-Americans
    V. Legalism and Non-violent Direct Action
    • The Courts & Integration
    • Martin Luther King in the South
    • Sit-ins, Freedom Rides, and Jail
    • Government Response
    VI. Black Power
    • Malcolm X & the Nation of Islam
    • The Black Panthers
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    Posted May 17, 1996; Revised June 17, 2003
    http://www.bluegrass.kctcs.edu/LCC/HIS/261