Eye for an Eye: The Role of Armed Resistance ... - Freedom Archives

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ABSTRACT Although, the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950's and 1960's in the American South is often characterized as a non-violent revolution, it also embodies this longstanding tradition of armed resistance . Scholarly and popular literature of the Movement rarely speaks about the significance of armed resistance in Black struggle for desegregation, political and economic rights, and basic human dignity. In dozens of Southern communities, Black people picked up arms to defend their lives, property and movement for human rights. They often relied on armed self defense, particularly in communities where Federal government officials failed to protect Movement activists and supporters from the violence of racists and segregationists, who were often supported by local law enforcement . Armed resistance played a key role in allowing Black communities to survive and the Movement to continue . The primary purpose of this project is to examine the role and efficacy of armed resistance in the Civil Rights Movement in the American South, particularly as a compliment and alternative to non-violent direct action . I will examine the post World War II Civil Rights Movement in the state of Mississippi, particularly from 1954 until 1967 to illustrate the role of armed resistance in the human rights struggle of Black people in the American South . Mississippi provided interesting political and cultural terrain for this study because of its reputation as a center of white supremacist terrorism during the period of de jute segregation . Those who resisted faced some of the most brutal violence in the country's history. This study examines the role of armed self-defense and other forms of armed resistance in the survival and success of the struggle for human and civil rights fm people of African descent in the state post-World War II Mississippi . I argue that the tradition of Black armed resistance existed in the state of Mississippi as a significant aspect of the culture prior to non-violence being formally introduced into the Black freedom movement as a tactic or strategy. The evidence presented in Eye forAn Eye will demonstrate that even after the tactic, strategy, and rhetort . of non-violence was introduced in the state in 1961, it was generally compliment ed, directly or indirectly, by armed self-defense . Finally, EyeforAn Eye will examine the internal debates over armed resistance and the shift from non-violent direct action and the rhetoric of non-violence in the Mississippi freedom movement after 1964 to a greater reliance on armed resistance .
Page 1 and 2: Eye for an Eye: The Role ofArmed Re
Page 3: This is an authorized facsimile, ma
Page 7 and 8: Light and Power on their spirits Mo
Page 9 and 10: Eye for an Eye: The Role ofArmed Re
Page 11 and 12: TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Ch
Page 13 and 14: armed resistance in Black struggle
Page 15 and 16: Review of the Literature The Litera
Page 17 and 18: from advocates of armed self-defens
Page 19 and 20: the Movement. Each of these authors
Page 21 and 22: whom were committed to and practice
Page 23 and 24: and enforced against Black humanity
Page 25 and 26: transcript" of insurgency that has
Page 27 and 28: Chapter One: Historic Armed Black R
Page 29 and 30: to Kongolese armies. The use of arm
Page 31 and 32: people who were antagonistic to the
Page 33 and 34: nation, and to promise Africans fre
Page 35 and 36: coons to chattel status. Rather tha
Page 37 and 38: South legal . The Seminoles prepare
Page 39 and 40: more than slaves or mercenaries . A
Page 41 and 42: maroons, calling themselves the "Ki
Page 43 and 44: Adams county, Mississippi, in 1861
Page 45 and 46: The same year abolitionist and fugi
Page 47 and 48: separate Black army with its own "c
Page 49 and 50: soldiers defended their sisters and
Page 51 and 52: Southern whites were not willing to
Page 53 and 54: die where they stood before they wo
Page 55 and 56:
teers throughout Hinds county. Real
Page 57 and 58:
supremacy was not secure without th
Page 59 and 60:
hours . While in each case there we
Page 61 and 62:
of Alabama, to be armed at their me
Page 63 and 64:
initiated gunfire after hearing rum
Page 65 and 66:
apists . In February of 1948, Mrs.
Page 67 and 68:
U .S . Army, was known as a sharpsh
Page 69 and 70:
11 . Kenneth Wiggins Porter, The Ne
Page 71 and 72:
31 . Edwin S. Redkey, AGrand Army o
Page 73 and 74:
North Carolina Press, 19903, 44-45
Page 75 and 76:
in the Age of Jim C,Eow, states tha
Page 77 and 78:
S 1,614 for whites . Close to two-t
Page 79 and 80:
ers his father would not allow him
Page 81 and 82:
ist mob continued their intimidatio
Page 83 and 84:
unit designed after the Mau Mau of
Page 85 and 86:
the 1954 U .S . Supreme Court decis
Page 87 and 88:
he refused to persuade the thirty r
Page 89 and 90:
Meredith to "Ole Miss." Because of
Page 91 and 92:
eturned home around midnight . Myrl
Page 93 and 94:
11 . C.O . Chinn, interview by the
Page 95 and 96:
crime . He was abducted by a mob of
Page 97 and 98:
Chapter Three: The Non-Violent Move
Page 99 and 100:
as the popular leader of this new o
Page 101 and 102:
ments for protest based on moral an
Page 103 and 104:
ticed some form of self-defense cov
Page 105 and 106:
and NAACP organizer. Moore had assi
Page 107 and 108:
On Moore's recommendation, Moses fi
Page 109 and 110:
house, under pillows, under chairs
Page 111 and 112:
lacks to challenge Amite's white po
Page 113 and 114:
including Medgar Evers and Roy Wilk
Page 115 and 116:
practice of self-defense . To warn
Page 117 and 118:
Mississippi officials, charging the
Page 119 and 120:
Anyone participating in the march h
Page 121 and 122:
and harassed, local police did not
Page 123 and 124:
Blacks alike were amazed that the g
Page 125 and 126:
ase for SNCCICOFO and the Mississip
Page 127 and 128:
with its own identity in the state
Page 129 and 130:
military soured after Chinn openly
Page 131 and 132:
Besides this group of protective gu
Page 133 and 134:
for younger activists to challenge
Page 135 and 136:
9, 1984, 1-B- 10B ; Chuck McDew int
Page 137 and 138:
47 . Ibid, 178-179 ; Dennis, interv
Page 139 and 140:
demonstrate that disenfranchised Mi
Page 141 and 142:
franchised Black voters, the organi
Page 143 and 144:
themselves and advising SNCC activi
Page 145 and 146:
massacre as implied by Hall . Other
Page 147 and 148:
to be a force in the Southern movem
Page 149 and 150:
CORE also was engaged in debate con
Page 151 and 152:
Schwerner, and one Freedom Summer v
Page 153 and 154:
Goodman . Another element of this c
Page 155 and 156:
Black history, Movement politics, a
Page 157 and 158:
Harmony school and bused Harmony's
Page 159 and 160:
economic arena was also displayed i
Page 161 and 162:
on, in Brown's words, the "organiza
Page 163 and 164:
There was a fine line . There was a
Page 165 and 166:
(formerly known as Stokley Carmicha
Page 167 and 168:
Union Baptist Church, led by its pa
Page 169 and 170:
terrorist violence was initiated by
Page 171 and 172:
Reeves family had a history of bein
Page 173 and 174:
and Movement activists of McComb .
Page 175 and 176:
friend by pretending he was only pa
Page 177 and 178:
and cohesiveness of each community.
Page 179 and 180:
lenge the credentials of the segreg
Page 181 and 182:
5 . Hollis Watkins, interviewed in
Page 183 and 184:
28 . Dovie Hudson, interviewed in B
Page 185 and 186:
56 . Bob Moses, interview by the au
Page 187 and 188:
turn followed a different posture t
Page 189 and 190:
cials were uneasy about Charles bec
Page 191 and 192:
Cooper stated " We had 30.06. We ha
Page 193 and 194:
Charles Evers's stated: He encourag
Page 195 and 196:
the boycott. Arange of coercive tac
Page 197 and 198:
thereby silenced and neutralized by
Page 199 and 200:
crushed when a police car led a Kla
Page 201 and 202:
Robert Williams . Thomas had read a
Page 203 and 204:
of the Deacons in Bogulusa. The lea
Page 205 and 206:
McKeithen also called for negotiati
Page 207 and 208:
settlers . Natchez was the hub for
Page 209 and 210:
would spark an acceleration of acti
Page 211 and 212:
Even though the police officers wer
Page 213 and 214:
U.S . Constitution [including the S
Page 215 and 216:
e known, you better figure on dying
Page 217 and 218:
situation that day: These pecker wo
Page 219 and 220:
of the Deacons capabilities, provid
Page 221 and 222:
unless City government acted favora
Page 223 and 224:
Black community to enforce its deci
Page 225 and 226:
claiming victory , announcing the m
Page 227 and 228:
teams to enforce the boyott1 In Cla
Page 229 and 230:
argument between Shields, and a whi
Page 231 and 232:
Jackson also led to near uprising b
Page 233 and 234:
implementing the Natchez model, Rud
Page 235 and 236:
Okolona, Tupelo, and Byhalia. The U
Page 237 and 238:
18 . Porter, Interview with Deacon
Page 239 and 240:
44 . Ibid ; Young, interview by aut
Page 241 and 242:
73 . Ibid. 74 . James Scott, interv
Page 243 and 244:
CONCLUSION ". . ..the armed liberat
Page 245 and 246:
existence of armed resistance in th
Page 247 and 248:
Some may argue that the evidence pr
Page 249 and 250:
ofthe Movement and doesn't apprecia
Page 251 and 252:
it was necessary for the Black comm
Page 253 and 254:
the white power structure but also
Page 255 and 256:
Significance of "Eye forAn Eye" It
Page 257 and 258:
4 . Comel West, Progb= Deliverance
Page 259 and 260:
Herman Leach, July 30,1994, Yazoo C
Page 261 and 262:
Correspondence Letter from Sundiata
Page 263 and 264:
Carson, Clayborne, et al. The Eyes
Page 265 and 266:
Jordan, Winthrop, Tumult and Silenc
Page 267 and 268:
Payne, Charles, 1've Got the Light
Page 269 and 270:
DissertationslTheses Barksdale, Mar
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