KKD: Civil Rights at The 1960 Republican National Convention

Source:KKD- President Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican, Texas) at the 1960 Republican National Convention.

Source:The Daily Times

Nelson Rockefeller, was a politician without a national political party in the 1960s and 70s, because he was an  Right-Progressive (Center-Right Progressive) in a party that was moving right on economic policy. And Republicans were moving far away from progressive programs. Especially ones that were centralized at the Federal level. And we're looking for politicians that were in favor shrinking the Federal Government and decentralizing power at the Federal level and giving more power to the states and individuals.

Nelson, was essentially a Theodore Roosevelt Progressive Republican, but who was also a Federalist and someone who believed in public infrastructure, public education, aid to the poor, but who was also a Federalist and wanted these social investments run at the state and local levels. Who was also a big believer in a strong defense and law enforcement and tough law enforcement, as well as equal rights. 

Nelson was Progressive on economic policy and equal rights and even national defense. Who was able to win as a Republican, because he was a Northeastern Republican that had a strong Progressive faction, even into the 1960s.

And this debate or discussion about civil rights in the Republican Party in 1960s, is the perfect example of what type of party they were back then. You had the Progressive-Federalists, led by Nelson and others, but you also had a growing Conservative-Libertarian wing, led by Senator Barry Goldwater and other Republicans in Congress. That were strong economic Conservatives and didn’t want big government in people’s personal lives either. But we're such believers in property rights that they believed that individuals had the right to deny service people even based on race. And Vice President Richard Nixon, trying to please both factions.

RBG Street Scholar: James Baldwin and Dick Gregory- 'Baldwin's Nigger (1969)'

Source:RBG Street Scholar- about James Baldwin's 1969 documentary.

Source:The Daily Times 

"RBG-James Baldwin and Dick Gregory Baldwin's Nigger (1969)" 

From RBG Street Scholar

James Baldwin’s message seems to be about individual empowerment and individual freedom, that African-Americans should empower themselves and standup for their own lives and take charge of their own lives. And perhaps even stop complaining. Not forget about all the injustices that came to this community before, but for this community to move forward, they need to take control of their own lives and build their own lives and communities.

James Baldwin, who what I’ve heard from him, sounds more like Martin King, then Malcolm X, when it came to the civil rights movement, or the Black Power movement. Someone who not only believes in non-violence, but believes in social democracy and democratic socialism when it comes to solving the problems of the African-American community. In this speech, sounds more like Malcolm X. Talking about personal responsibility, to go along with individual freedom and empowerment.

In this Baldwin speech he seems to be arguing that African-Americans, should stand up and take their freedom and build their own community. And not expect others to do that for them. Sounds very much like Malcolm X. Fighting violence with violence, which is essentially what Malcolm X preached when it came to racist Caucasians who abuse African-Americans, would’ve not of accomplished what was needed to end racist laws and state-sponsored racism. Because it wouldn’t have brought other communities to support the African-American freedom fighters. 

But individual freedom through education and economic development and infrastructure in underserved communities, would give African-Americans the tools that they need to live in freedom.

BBC: The Civil Rights Era

Source:BBC- covering the American civil rights movement in the 1960s.

"The footage you are about to see is unforgettable, even unimaginable. Both BBC News and CBS News extensively covered the American Civil Rights movement, from the 1955-1956 Montgomery bus boycott to the student-led sit-ins of the 1960s to the huge March on Washington in 1963. Rare footage includes Freedom Summer, Malcolm X and Black Power, and the death of Martin Luther King, Jr.

With a far-ranging selection of powerful, often wrenching images, our footage captures the danger, drama, and bravery of the civil rights movement. Visit www.bbcmotiongallery.com for more of this dramatic footage.

From BBC

Foreign news coverage of one of the most important periods in American history. Which is the power of BBC especially BBC News which is basically the CNN of Britain as far as their reach in their own country, but also in Europe and around the world.

I believe one of the reasons why the civil rights era and movement was covered not just so heavily in America where of course it should have been covered heavily, but around the world as well, was because America has always been at least since post-World War II as the beacon and spokesperson for liberal democracy. Not just in America, but around the world as well. 

But if you were African-American, or form another non-European group, or weren't Anglo-Saxon-Protestant, America was basically an authoritarian state for you just because of your race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or all of those factors. 

America was aa country back then that was denying roughly 1-10 of its own Americans their constitutional and equal rights under law. Laws prohibiting African-Americans from even getting an education, as well as voting and even getting employment or even bank loans. 

America's government-sponsored racism, was used by Russia and Cuba, used against America during the Cold War and saying that we were hypocritical to speak out against authoritarianism around the world when we were subsidizing authoritarianism against one race of Americans in their own country.