JFK library assignment - Church Bombing

One of the primary sources I chose is this letter written by James DeSane. This source stuck out to me because it was written by a thirteen year old boy! I was shocked to see someone so young so involved and interested about the issue of segregation and equal rights. I was impressed that this boy felt a strong pull at the event in Alabama when he is from New York. This source provided new insight to me because I was not aware on what the scope of the impact of this event really was. I discovered that people took notice and people of all ages were unsettled by the tragedy of the church bombing, young, old, black or white, it affect many people and the way they were seeing the people of America. 

This next source that drew my attention because it is obviously a political cartoon. The picture is captioned "No Color Line Up There, Is There Lord?" and shows a man standing at the rubble of the 16th street Baptist Church holding what we can assume to be one of the little girls who died as a cause of this bombing. I liked that this was a part of the reaction that the town had, that they were crying out for something to give them a sense of safety and piece and sort of pointing a finger at all of those who agree with segregation, making them see that this is a real and direct cause of their callousness. I gained a better understanding of how people reacted and how they were really trying to communicate with Washington to avoid instances just like the tragic bombing of 16th street baptist church.

 


The first source I decided to go with is this letter posted to the president, John Kennedy form Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  This letter goes into detail on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s disapproval of the situation in Birmingham. He conveys his disgust with the sad event of people having their lives threatened while attending Sunday school. Even more so there is the sad fact that these are children that lost their lives in a problem that is so much bigger than them. I found this interesting because King is such an influential person and there is no end to the attempts to change the outcome of this city and their history of bombing. King is calling out the President saying that this is not how America should run, there should be change happening if only to prevent more innocent lives being lost.




CONCLUSION:

These three sources span the time from the day of the bombing to the reaction and the rippling effects this had on the country. I choose this topic because I actually visited the 16th street Baptist church when I was in Birmingham and it is still an iconic peice of history for the community today. I realized through my searching on this website that history has a way of effecting people in a much wider scope. This event cause four deaths and it is not just the families of those children killed, but an entire nation mourning and asking for a change. I understand more clearly now that this event was surrounded by influential people showing concern and it was a bit of  a wake up call to the president. They seemed to understand the finality of a death and the gross level this segregation and discrimination had reached when many people thought that would soon be a thing of the past. I really enjoyed looking through this website and seeing what artifacts, and recordings revolved around this particular event. The church bombings were so exceptionally sad because negro people could not even feel safe going to church, which to me seems like a extreme breach in personal rights. John F. Kennedy was really tested throughout his presidency on how he would respond to such delicate situations and these sources help the reader to see what people were truly trying to convey. Equality should not be an issue it should simply just be the way we live.

Two Women and their work for change.

This exhibit will focus on two great women of history. The focus will be on the mighty Anna Eleanor Roosevelt and her connection for women's rights and civil rights. This will close in on the effects Marian Anderson, big time African American singer, had on the country through the workings of Eleanor. The history and brief biography can be seen through pictures of each women and will extend into the story of how their paths crossed and what was accomplished by them without either women realizing that this one event could change the way America sees human rights. The story takes root in the event of the talented Marian Anderson singing at the Lincoln Memorial. This singular event holds so much importance in both women's lives. While Eleanor and Marian never became close and did not continue to work with each other this occasion shows well how very powerful Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt is. The courage, bravery, and passion for change it took for each women to commit to the event and take the actions to change could not be done by the weak of spirit. Rather Marian is just one example of the imprint Eleanor left during her time as first lady. The year is1939, the place Washington, DC and the environment was still a racially segregated city of Washington DC. 

The "First Lady of the World"

Throughout Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency, Eleanor traveled extensively around the nation, visiting relief projects, surveying working and living conditions, and then reporting her observations to the President. She was called "the President's eyes, ears and legs" and provided objective information to her husband. She also exercised her own political and social influence; she became an advocate of the rights and needs of the poor, of minorities, and of the disadvantaged. The public was drawn in by the First Lady's exploits and adventures which she recounted in her daily syndicated column, "My Day". She began writing the column in 1935 and continued until her death in 1962.

Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt (pictured above), was First Lady for 12 years. An outspoken advocate of social justice, she became a moral force during the Roosevelt administration, using her position as First Lady to promote social causes. 

 February 26, 1939 - Was the date of resignation from the Daughters of the American Revolution. This was a direct result of the organization adhering to local racial restrictions and refusing to rent its Constitution Hall for a concert by opera singer Marian Anderson. While she was not responsible for, nor attended the ensuing public concert by Anderson on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial two months later, she strongly supported it. Two months after that, she had Anderson sing in the White House for the King and Queen of England.

Fun Fact:

Amelia Earhart was supposed to teach Eleanor Roosevelt how to fly.

Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Speech

This short video clip is a real recoding produced by the FDR library and show Mrs. Roosevelt as an independent thinker, who takes time to educate the world and share her ideals, and the importance of human rights.

Writtings and artifacts

This is a telegram sent from the first lady to John Lovell, Jr. of Howard University. February 26, 1939

Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) when it barred the world-renowned singer Marian Anderson, an African American, from performing at its Constitution Hall in Washington, DC. Following this  the federal government invited Anderson to sing at a public recital on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The DAR had adopted a rule excluding African-American artists from the Constitution Hall stage in 1932 following protests over "mixed seating," blacks and whites seated together, at concerts of black artists. On February 26, 1939, Mrs. Roosevelt submitted her letter of resignation to the DAR president. Mrs. Roosevelt told her readers of her daily column that in this situation, “To remain as a member implies approval of that action, therefore I am resigning.”

 

View of 75,000 people gathered to hear recital by Marian Anderson at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Easter Sunday, April 9, 1939
(National Archives, Still Picture Branch, 306-NT-965B-4 )

Sketch of the 1939 Lincoln Memorial Concert drawn by artist Mitchell Jamieson for his mural in the Interior Department Building, Washington, DC.

See a rough draft of Eleanor's news column speaking about the DAR here.

Who is Marian Anderson?

Marian Anderson was born in 1897 in South Philadelphia. At the heart of their community stood the Union Baptist Church. It was within these walls that Marian first began to sing. In this church was where she was soon ushered into the adult choir and her talent began to shine through at the age of 14. The church started a fund called the "Marian Anderson's Future Fund,"because they had such great faith in her ability to go far. Italian voice master, Giuseppe Boghetti remembers this first meeting as occurring "at the end of a long hard day, when I was weary of singing and singers, and when a tall calm girl poured out ‘Deep River' in the twilight and made me cry." While Philadelphia conservatories turned Marian away with the refusal, "We don't take colored," she quickly acquired influential fans who would aid her career. She went on to participate in a competition and that win prompted a European tour that brought about great fame among the people of Europe and she turned into a coveted performer. Despite the fact that she was the country's third highest concert box office draw, Marian was still subject to the racial bias of the time, especially in the United States.  The situation with the DAR brought about action by the first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and she was invited to sing at the steps of the Lincoln memorial on Easter Sunday. Feeling the meaning of the occasion, Marian had tears in her eyes when she delivered "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" and "America" with heart-breaking pathos. The event was so momentous and inspiring that the D.A.R. finally invited Marian to sing at the Hall in 1943 for a war relief concert. At that event, both black and white concert-goers attended.

Marian Anderson was the first African American invited to perform at the White House

FUN FACT: 
 In 1958 she was officially designated delegate to the United Nations, a formalization of her role as "goodwill ambassador" of the U.S. she played earlier, and in 1972 she was awarded the UN Peace Prize.

Marian Anderson Sings at Lincoln Memorial

This video show Marian Anderson on the steps of the Lincoln memorial Easter Sunday 1939. The recording allows you to hear her famous voice ring out to the ears of 75,00 people of all races gathering to hear a free concert and come together to her an African American singer preform in spite of the support against the concert.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this stroll through a little piece of history. As you may have realized these two women have been extremely influential in multiple aspects. Eleanor Roosevelt is arguably the most influential first lady in history and her efforts to expel civil injustices has had rippling effects that spill over into even today. Marian Anderson crushed cultural boundaries and united people pf all races with her melodious voice and pride in her talent. Both women effected the others cause in positive manors and the singing at the Lincoln memorial that Easter Sunday was just one small example of what can happen through a few simple decisions. The aim of this exhibit was to show how history can intertwine and effect change without people realizing it. Thank you for your interest and please feel free to further your interest through perusing some of these links and learning more aout these two amazing women of history.

Click Here to be taken to the official FDR museum website