THE GEORGE MEANY MEMORIAL ARCHIVES

Imagine yourself living in the United States between 1941 (the year of the proposed, but postponed, March on Washington) and 1963 (the year of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom) -- a period characterized by many forms of racial discrimination in education, employment, housing, military service, and voting. To place yourself in the historical context of this period, go to your local library and begin your research by reading encyclopedia entries about the civil rights and labor movements. Then, talk to a reference librarian for direction about how to conduct a search on the Internet for reliable sites. To jumpstart your use of primary sources, selected documents are incorporated into the activities below.

After conducting your research, assume a role (e.g., parent, teacher, community activist, labor unionist, militant, etc.) and decide whether you have a responsibility to advance or hinder the cause(s) of labor and civil rights. Specifically, WHAT will you do? HOW will you achieve your goal(s)? WHO will you involve?

1. What will you do?

Analyze different methods of bringing about social change through protest: mass action (characterized as building an action that allows the greatest numbers of individuals to participate; for example, a march or rally), direct action (characterized as acting to intervene at the immediate source of the problem; for example, occupying a courthouse where voting discrimination is occurring), and lobbying (characterized by presenting government representatives with grievances; for example, letter-writing campaigns, petitions, or Capitol Hill meetings). Clearly define the objective(s) -- purpose(s) -- of your protest, then choose at least one method to further your cause. Can any of the above methods work well together? Why or why not?

Use primary sources:

• Examine the letter to George Meany from the 1959 Petition Campaign and Youth March for Integrated Schools. How were lobbying and mass action used? Could one have been successful without the other? Why or why not? Like Meany, what individuals might have signed the petition but not attended the march? Why? Is there any difference between signing a petition as opposed to marching in the street?

• Compare the 1946 Rally to the F.E.P.C. flyer with the 1940s mass meeting flyer. How does a rally differ from a mass meeting? How does a rally or a mass meeting differ from a march?

Develop a written strategy or plan on how to organize the method you selected. What are the key slogans around which to build a successful coalition that may consist of a wide variety of groups with diverse interests? What is the role of leadership -- by individual or by committee? What kinds of skills should a leader have in order to forge alliances and consensus?

Use primary sources:

• Compare and contrast the 1941 March on Washington Movement flyer and the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom flyer. Which appeals most to you? Why or why not? Is the graphic on the 1941 flyer more visually effective than the 1963 flyer, or does the text of the latter speak for itself? What are other ways to publicize mass action? How has publicity changed since 1963?

• Examine the photograph (a photograph is a snapshot that represents a mere fraction of time and, most importantly, reflects the viewpoint of the photographer) from the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. What groups can you identify? Do you see a diversity of gender, age, and racial/ethnic groups? If a picture paints a thousand words, what words do this image paint? What are the advantages or disadvantages of using photographs as publicity?

• Examine the photograph of the 1968 American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (sanitation workers) strike in Memphis, Tennessee. Why is the National Guard present? What was the role of law enforcement agencies (local, state, federal) in instigating, preventing, or responding to violence against strikers/marchers in the 1960s? How did the mass media (e.g., press, journals, radio, television) portray violence against strikers/marchers in the 1960s?

Identify the audience(s) -- i.e., participants -- you want to reach. Know your audience. Does the method you chose appeal to a particular group? Given the universe of possible participants, are some groups easier to organize than others? Why or why not? Which groups are most likely to be large and inclusive? Why? Which are likely to be most visible? Why?

Use primary sources:

• Examine the 1959 Petition for Integrated Schools flyer and the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom flyer. Identify the individuals and the organizations to which the endorsers belong. Do individuals officially represent these organizations? What does having organizational endorsement mean? What organizations are not represented on the flyers? What views conflicted with those of the endorsers? Who resolved conflicts and how?

• Examine the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom flyer. Look at the demands listed on the flyer and compare them with contemporary newspaper reports about the march. Did national newspapers treat the march differently than community newspapers? Do you see a discrepancy in reporting about the demands of the march or the number of people who attended?

• Examine American social studies or history textbooks. What year did editors begin including accounts of the march? Is textbook coverage of civil rights limited to the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom? Did textbook accounts of the march change every decade between 1960 and 2000? Have textbook editors omitted the march? If so, in what year?