Eyes on the Prize: Aint Scared of Your Jails

 

1.     What did John Lewis say about the way the students dressed and the manner in which they entered the sit-ins? Why do you think they were so particular?

• He describes them, by saying they looked like they were dressed to go to church, and they walked into the local stores in a orderly- peaceful manner, and very quietly took a seat at the lunch counters. I think they were so particular in making their presence as harmful and peacefully as possible, because they wanted to shift the attention on  how the whites would act so aggressive and violent towards them, and the only thing the Blacks had did to provoke that, was sit in a segregated area.

2.     How did Black communities support students who protested?

• Black merchants would provide food to those in jail and home owners would put up money for bail.

3.     What was the “negro buying power” in 1960? How did the African Americans in Nashville use money to create change? 

• In Nashville, in 1960, "negro buying power" was estimated at 50 million dollars a year, with 10 million spent in the downtown stores alone. This policy was basically used to put pressure on the mayor and the political side of Nashville to make their rules equal, by controlling how much the black population spent their money at white stores.

 4.     How did boycotters respond to African Americans who tried to shop at white owned stores? What are your thoughts on their methods?

• They sent down educated committees to convince them that was not the thing to do. They didn't hurt them, but they did snatch and tear things away from them so that they would hall on the ground, and they told them to stay out of town. And the word spread quickly, not to go down town.

5.     What is SNCC (pronounced Snick)? How did it start? What was Ella Baker’s advice to the students? Why?

• SNCC stands for Student Non-violence Coordinating Committee. Ella Baker advised the students to stay independent of adult organizations, because the students should set the goals and directions to maintain the control of the student movement.

6.     How did President Kennedy’s assistance to the King’s affect him politically?

• He gained more African American votes toward his presidency election, that helped him win.

7.     What was the purpose of the Freedom Riders?

• To put the pressure on President Kennedy to ban segregated interstate travel. An interracial group would ride through the South; whites sitting in the back and blacks sitting in the front, and they would remain sited even if demanded otherwise. Also when they would stop at rest stops, the white riders would use the black facilities and the black riders would use the white facilities.

8.     How did the mob react to white involvement in the Freedom Riders?

• They violently beat them up along with the black freedom riders, because they were so astonished by them willing to help blacks.

9.     How did Dr. King and the First Baptist Church respond to attacks?

•  They stood their grounds and continued to fight for their rights, despite the mobs