The book Rebellion talks about several issues that were happening at universities in South Carolina and Nashville areas. There were a lot of serious issues for students that were brought to attention. The two articles went on to talk about what specific universities had issues between the white and black race. Also, integration and segregation were portrayed in these universities in multiple ways as well as things outside of college. Starting from the admission process of selecting students to social communications of students to sit-in movements, students faced hostility. The main points analyzed to discuss are segregation, sit-in movements, and integration.
First, in chapter four, it was stated that segregation is what resulted in the chaos that was caused in Rock Hills by the marches. The article talked about how the negroes were trying to unify the campus but that didn’t go well when Dobbins decided to apply and did not receive admissions because of her skin color. In comparison, YMCA was the target to segregate all students at Fisk University, which was a failed attempt, that caused a black student to be arrested. During this time period, there were other segregations that were happening as seen in chapter five where it mentioned that even though the constant hassle of desegregation, there were places that still remained segregated.
South Carolina had some results of segregation as well as Nashville. However, Nashville wanted things to be more segregated when it came to school admissions because of white superiority and how they are supposed to be seen as better than the blacks. Segregation is what made blacks students in South Carolina and Nashville react more because they thought acting upon it would make them get what they want. In Nashville, it was seen that black students felt that they needed to use Lawson’s tactics of nonviolence while students in South Carolina felt they were not treated as humans by any whites. This shows how both the articles go on to show that segregation for college students of this time was a huge concern and the forces present to make the students act upon for a brighter future.
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Next, the articles discussed the sit-in movements where students would get together to be unified as one rather continuing the segregation. In chapter four, it was seen that the sit-in movements were bringing a lot of change in South Carolina. Most of the sit-in movements were led by negros who wanted to get rid of discrimination and be able to feel human. In Nashville, the sit-in movements played a huge role for students to have political engagements. Having these movements in public places gave more purpose of why segregation was not the right thing. For South Carolina, these movements were seen as very appealing that helped talk among other race college students at lunch counters.
At Fisk University, racial inequality was a huge thing, so along with the sit-in movements, Frisk had a committee that was challenging the Jim Crow Laws, which were laws in place for segregation. This proves that both in Nashville and in South Carolina, the sit-in movements were seen as an effective tool in trying to unify all and make the blacks feel as they are just as important as the whites. The sit-in movements in both cities show how the college students were using non-violent protest in public places as a form of student activism.
To continue with, the articles were trying to show how the college students were aiming towards integration. In South Carolina, the student council was in place within the college to help out to show that blacks deserve the same opportunities. In Nashville, Wright was trying to prove a point of how the blacks should have every right to do things to be equal to the whites. It was seen that things like the student council and the black people protesting for integration may not have been very effective at the time but as time went on, it showed how it was really beneficial. The student council was there to aid the black for tutoring, registering to vote, community development, and antipoverty programs.
Even though South Carolina was more for trying to help blacks, Vanderbilt University was against integration because it would get rid of the white superiority. However, even with Vanderbilt’s efforts to keep things segregated, it showed how that is why Vanderbilt was started to drift while cities like South Carolina and other southern cities were being more advanced in their tactics towards integration among whites and blacks. Nashville seemed to be pretty behind when it came to integration and Ray Hanson wrote an article that talked about the reason why blacks act out when they cannot have every right the whites do. Later, for both South Carolina colleges and Nashville colleges, blacks were able to get admitted through the constant tactics in place that showed it was needed, along with Elizabeth Ledeen’s guidance that gave more motivation and self-esteem for black students’ efforts in integration.
In Conclusion, the book gave a great understanding of what happening in the cities of South Carolina and Nashville during the student activism movements. It showed that no matter how hard the situation may have been for the students, they still never failed to stand up for what they believed was right. It would be similar to what Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi did during their non-violent protest to stand up for what they believed was right for their people and country.
Also, in these articles, it talked about how the students felt as if they were not being treated right, while the conservatives were seeing it as what the students were doing may not have been the most effective and they were not up for the change. In class, it is always talked about that the way the story is viewed, the feelings and attitudes can be parallel to that. The articles point out that never be afraid to stand up for what is right because at the end it will pay off just as the marches and protest of the black students at the universities did. The author did great in organizing the book in a fashion where it is seen what the issues and solutions were.
