Browsing by Subject "African American history"
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Item A city afire: The Baltimore City riot of 1968. Antecedents, causes and impact.(2006-06-07) Law-Womack, Medrika; Robinson, Jo Ann O.; Master of ArtsItem A historical analysis of the civil rights movement in Windsor, Bertie County, North Carolina, 1963--1968.(2011-05-18) Watson, Chelsea R.; Robinson, Jo Ann O.; Master of ArtsItem A man with a mission: Rev. Dr. Matthew Marcus, Sr., 1904-1989.(2004-09-23) Owens, Shelhea C.; Ham, Debra Newman; Master of ArtsItem An indigenous Civil Rights Movement: Charlotte, North Carolina, 1940-1963.(2006-09-25) Griffin, Willie J.; Dibua, Jeremiah I.; Master of ArtsItem "Artful, Smart, And Of A Smiling Countenance": Delaware's Enslaved Women, 1760-1820(2009) Antezana, Darlene Spitzer; Terborg-Penn, Rosalyn; History and Geography; Doctor of PhilosophyThis dissertation analyzed the lives of Delaware's enslaved women from 1760-1820. Delaware's slavery history received little scholarly attention and its enslaved women received even less. During the sixty years examined, Delaware created a body of law that separated it from the rest of slave-owning America. These laws prohibited slave owners from importing or exporting slaves in or out of the state without an act of the legislature. Enslaved women seized the opportunity to petition for freedom if they were illegally moved from or into the state, an opportunity unavailable to enslaved women elsewhere. De facto gradual emancipation separated enslaved women and children, hindering stable marital relations and family security. Delaware's small size and the nearness of free Pennsylvania encouraged enslaved women to escape; however, Delaware's enslaved women fled with large amounts of clothing, personal property, husbands or other men, and children. Some fled while pregnant. They engaged in several forms of resistance, embraced the new Methodist religion, and participated in dance and song. Delaware's enslaved women bore children when young, had large families, and were victims of nonconsenual interracial relationships. Enslaved women performed both domestic and agricultural work; gender lines were blurred or nonexistent. They endured floggings or sometimes death for perceived non-performance in assigned work.Delaware's enslaved women were human beings who persevered to maintain families and, possibly, attain freedom. Primary data include: deed and will books of Delaware's three counties, Quaker manumission records, coroner's inquests, court cases, legislative papers, and county slavery files, all in the Delaware Public Archives. Other data include runaway and sale advertisements in contemporary newspapers, slave narratives, and memoirs of white Delawareans. Analysis of the sources created a narrative of the lives of Delaware's enslaved women.Item Black Awareness And Social Unrest In The U.S. Virgin Islands: A Case Study Of Black Nationalism, 1968-1986(2009) Hendricks, Derick Antony; Terborg-Penn, Rosalyn; History and Geography; Doctor of PhilosophyFrom 1968 to 1986, the influences of black nationalism--primarily self-determination in place of white hegemony--impacted the U.S. Virgin Islands politically, socially, and economically. This dissertation uses a black nationalist theoretical approach to examine the reaction of black Virgin Islanders to their status in the islands during the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Power Movement. During the 1960s, the U.S. Virgin Islands experienced a transformation from an impoverished and mainly agricultural society to one that was tourist oriented and industrial based. Thus, the local politicians abandoned the territory's agriculture economy and implemented a developmental program, which focused heavily on tourism, as well as light industry. As a result of this policy, the territory was enhanced financially and materially. However, the islands were also overwhelmed with serious social problems. Many native-born Virgin Islanders felt displaced and marginalized because of an influx of Puerto Ricans, white U.S. mainlanders, and British West Indian immigrants. From 1968 to 1986, Black Virgin Islanders used the principles of black nationalism as a framework for protest against their exploitation. The marginalized masses' activities created political and civic organizations and conducted demonstrations. Some of the most effective methods of protest were the attempts to educate the people about their black heritage and culture, to increase their race consciousness, and educating them regarding the need to improve their socio-economic status. During this period, black nationalist thought and ideas influenced the U.S. Virgin Islands politically, socially, and economically. For the most part, the Virgin Islands Government officials responded negatively to the protesters. However, there were instances when the government was forced to respond in a manner, which met the demands of the black activists. Primary data include: manuscript papers from Morgan State University, the University of Maryland, College Park, and oral testimony. Other data include Federal Bureau of Investigation memorandums, Virgin Islands Government annual reports, and newspaper reports, editorials, and commentaries.Item Commercial poultry production on Maryland's Lower Eastern Shore and the involvement of African Americans, 1930s to 1990s.(2011-05-18) Omo-Osagie, Solomon Iyobosa, II; Dibua, Jeremiah I.; Doctor of PhilosophyItem Discrimination deferred: How the Kerr V. Pratt (1945) case contributed to the end of segregation.(2011-05-18) Jackson, Damian A.; Phillips, Glenn O.; Master of ArtsItem Dying to vote: The Negroes' struggle to secure the right to vote in Upcountry South Carolina 1868--1898.(2011-05-18) Smith, Rosemunde Goode; Robinson, Jo Ann O.; Master of ArtsItem Emancipated But Not Free: African Americans Under The Post-Emancipation Apprenticeship System In Frederick County, Maryland 1864-1870(2009) Gartrell, John Bryan; Phillips, Glenn O.; History and Geography; Master of ArtsAfter declaring emancipation on 1 November 1864, many of Maryland's former slaveholders petitioned their county Orphans' Courts to keep freed children bound as apprentices. The focus of this work is to uncover and analyze the social conditions of those freed persons directly affected by apprenticeships in Frederick County, Maryland, from 1864-1870. This study uses an Afrocentric and subaltern theoretical approach to analyze the 111 cases of African American apprenticeship, focusing on the lives of both children and parents from the Frederick County's Orphans' Court records. Important demographics on these children are reaped from these records, including the names, ages and the assignment of menial labor like farming and domestic duties. Some nineteen sets of siblings were apprenticed. Forty-five signified the role freed parents played in apprenticing their children and another fifty-seven children had no parent on record. All of this meant that freed children were indeed the most vulnerable people in the wake of Emancipation. They were left in the hands of a white master before freedom was fully realized. The immediate legacy of Frederick County's post-Emancipation apprenticeship system is also assessed through locating apprenticed children in 1870 US Federal Census and analyzing their social condition. Seven children were found in the household of family or kin. Their return represented the successful efforts of freed parents to protest apprenticeship through appeals in the Orphans' Court. But even with successful revocations of apprenticeships reconnecting families, forty-seven children remained in households headed by whites. The children in white households were left without family or education and continued working in the unskilled occupations designated in their apprenticeship. The overall impact of apprenticeship was the implementation of a system that allowed white owners to maintain social and economic hegemony after the demise of slavery while limiting opportunities for familial development, economic sovereignty, and social independence among this group of the first emancipated generation in Frederick County.Item "Eyes of the world": Racial discrimination against African dignitaries along Maryland Route 40 during the Kennedy Administration.(2011-05-18) Erdman, Jennifer Lynn; Robinson, Jo Ann O.; Master of ArtsItem Eyewitnesses of Briggs v. Elliott school desegregation in Clarendon County, South Carolina from 1947--1960.(2011-05-18) Brunson, Patrick; Ham, Debra Newman; Master of ArtsItem Family, Faith And Feminism: The Murphy Women, 1896-2000(2014) Corbett, Toya G.; Newman-Ham, Debra Newman; History and Geography; Doctor of PhilosophyIn 1897, John H. Murphy, Sr. purchased the equipment and naming rights for the Afro-American newspaper in Baltimore, Maryland, for $200. Since that time, the Afro has served as a voice for the Black community, local, nationally and abroad and has been owned and operated by descendants of Murphy; establishing it as the oldest African American family owned publication in the country. The story that is not widely known is that John H. Murphy, Sr. received the money to acquire the paper from his wife, Martha Murphy. Family, Faith and Feminism: The Murphy Women, 1896-2000 focuses on Martha and four other women within the family who have not received the same recognition as their male counterparts for their contributions to society. Subsequently, this dissertation explores the impact of racism, sexism and classism on the social activism of the female members of the Murphy family, their participation in women's organizations, role in the newspaper business, and involvement in religious work. Utilizing a Black feminist lens, an analysis was conducted on the duel effects of race and gender by framing how women within the family attempted to resist systematic oppressive behaviors by defying traditional gender roles and combating racist elements imposed by the dominant hegemonic forces. Recognizing that the Murphy family is deeply rooted in the historiography of Black Baltimore, research was narrowed to focus on five specific women for this study: Martha Murphy, the wife of John H. Murphy, Sr.; Francis Louise Murphy, who established the Afro Clean Block Campaign; Vashti Turley Murphy, a founder of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated; Sister Constance Murphy, an Anglican nun; and Vashti Murphy McKenzie, the first elected female bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Their activism and everyday life experiences were placed within a historical context of the social conditions and circumstances present during certain political shifts such as the women's suffrage, clubwomen's and feminist movements which demonstrate how the intersection of race, class and gender specifically influenced the Murphy women's involvement in uplift activities, breaking down barriers within religious institutions, and civil rights.Item From Humble Beginnings To A Profound Impact: A Brief History Of Lovely Lane United Methodist Church And Its Effect On The African American Community Of Baltimore, Maryland(2010) Barrett, Simone Renee; Hill, Erness A.; Fine Arts; Master of ArtsThe first Methodist Episcopal Church (ME Church) of Baltimore, Maryland was founded in 1772 by Reverend Joseph Pilmoor, an English missionary and disciple of the founder of Methodism, John Wesley. Pilmoor was sent to America from England by Wesley in 1769, to teach the Methodist faith. He landed in Philadelphia and made his way to Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina, preaching the Methodist religion. While preaching in Baltimore, he was granted use of Otterbein Chapel also known as the Old Dutch Church. The people of Baltimore responded favorably to Methodism, so that in 1774 the Lovely Lane Meeting House was constructed at Redwood and South streets. In 1784, this became the site of the Christmas Conference which organized the American ME Church. The church moved several times from the Redwood and South Streets location to Light Street (two locations), Charles and Fayette Streets and was known as First Methodist Episcopal Church. Outpost churches known as The Baltimore City Station were established divided by race. The "Colored Methodist Society" was initiated in 1785. "The Colored Methodist Society" produced two of the oldest African American Methodist Churches in the country, Sharp Street Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church (1797) and Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church (1815). The present location of Lovely Lane United Methodist Church is at 2200 North Calvert Street. It was erected as a centennial memorial of the 1784 Christmas Conference. In 1954, it assumed the name of Lovely Lane United Methodist Church after being named First Methodist Church for a number of years. It is known as the "Mother Church" of American Methodism. The Church currently serves as a place of worship for approximately two hundred members. It is also the home of the Methodist Historical Society and houses an active museum and archive. Additionally, it has initiated several institutions of higher education which include the Centenary Biblical Institute, now known as Morgan State University (MSU), which was established in 1867. MSU was the first institution of higher education for African Americans in Baltimore, Maryland and for the first seventy-two years it was partially funded and fully managed by Lovely Lane Methodist Church. Morgan State University is still in existence today and has conferred thousand of degrees since its inception in 1867. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the role that Lovely Lane United Methodist Church had in "birthing" the African American Methodist Community of Baltimore, Maryland, and its surrounding environs. The time period examined in this thesis includes the founding of Methodism in America in 1772, the establishment of First Methodist Church (Lovely Lane) from its beginning in 1774, founding of the "Colored Methodist Society" in 1784, Sharp Street Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church in 1797, Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1816, and the Centenary Bible Institute (Morgan College)1867.Item From Mosque Six To Masjid Al Haqq: A History Of An African American Muslim Community In Baltimore, Maryland, 1956 To 1996(2014) EL-Amin, Dawan Basil; Dibua, Jeremiah I.; History and Geography; Master of ArtsScholarly research on African American based Mosques in Baltimore City is minute when compared to scholarly works done on African American based Churches. Masjid Al Haqq, which was previously called Mosque Six, has been a mainstay for African Americans seeking Islamic guidance in Baltimore City since 1956. The Mosque and its members had significant impact on economic, social, and political activities in Baltimore City. Adopting a narrative approach; this research investigates the ideological, economical, educational, political, and social activities of the Mosque and its members from 1956 to 1996. This thesis states that the change in ideology when the Mosque transitioned from Mosque Six to Masjid Al Haqq after the death of Elijah Muhammad significantly changed the daily operations of the Mosque. Warith Deen Muhammad, who took over the leadership of the NOI in 1975 after the death of Elijah Muhammad, wanted to change the direction of the NOI toward Orthodox Islam while some NOI members wanted to continue the teachings of Elijah Muhammad resulting in a split in the movement. The economical, educational, political, and social activities of the Mosque and its members were dictated by the Islamic doctrine adhered to by the national leader of the Islamic movement. Mosque members in the 1950s to 1970s were guided by the doctrines of Nation of Islam (NOI) while in the 1980s they were guided by the doctrines of the World Community of Al-Islam in the West (WCIW) under the leadership of Warith Deen Muhammad.Item "I Am Miami": Black Student Activism At Miami University, 1968-1978(2010) White, Antonio Jaquis; Berliner, Brett; History and Geography; Master of ArtsThe Black Student Movement is an important aspect of the Civil Rights struggle of the 1960s. This movement not only demonstrates how students reified the Black Power Movement's ideas on their respective campuses, but also is critical to our understanding of diversity initiatives at universities across the nation. This thesis explores the Black Student Movement at Miami University and the conditions that gave rise to the formation of the Black Student Action Association (BSAA), which served as the chief political platform for black students at the time. This study will highlight the BSAA's grievances, political activities, struggles and achievements at Miami University. Through examining the BSAA's fight for cultural spaces, intentional recruitment efforts for black students and faculty, Black Studies programs and Affirmative Action policies, I hope to illuminate how black students at predominately white universities negotiate their sense of identity within a racially exclusive dominant culture.Item In search of Baltimore's black Dominguan immigrant community, 1793-1844.(2006-09-28) Ricks, Dana LaShea; Phillips, Glenn O.; Master of ArtsItem Indispensable to Their community: An Examination of Black Undertakers in Baltimore, Maryland(2019-03-19) Jackson, Edwin Bryan; Ham, Debra Newman; Peskin, Lawrence A.; Terry, David T.; History and Geography; Master of ArtsAfrican American involvement in the death trade has been present in American history since Africans were forced through slavery to come to America. The conclusion of the Civil War ushered in the long-desired emancipation of countless enslaved blacks and the professionalization of the undertaker trade. In Baltimore, Maryland there was a thriving free black population that gave birth to a number of successful black professionals and businesses. One of the most successful businesses was that of undertaking. The business of undertaking and the undertakers themselves provided an indispensable service to their community, while satisfying important cultural and traditional needs of African Americans and their deceased loved ones. Research concerning the black undertaker’s role in the African American narrative is in its embryonic stages. It is clear however that these undertakers embodied the spirit of selfhelp and uplift. The oldest of these black undertaking firms was Joseph G. Locks, Jr. Funeral Home, which served the East Baltimore black community for over 150 years and five generations. Through the lens of several funeral homes, this thesis reveals how they and other undertakers answer the call of self-help and service to their community. This thesis also explores the records of the Board of Undertakers of Maryland, 1902 to 1935, and the impact of Jim Crow laws on undertaking. The Board of Undertakers professionalized the undertaking trade, consequently transforming black undertakers into funeral professionals. Lastly this thesis explores the role of women in these black undertaking businesses, bringing to light their history as wives, daughters, and business women. These women took over the businesses they built with their husbands, continuing to grow their business into successful enterprises that thrived for years following their succession. These women laid the foundation for the black female funeral directors of today who still face many of the same issues as their predecessors.Item Langston Hughes and his ego defense mechanisms.(2006-09-28) Thomas, Wendell O., Jr.; Carter, Linda M.; Master of ArtsItem Leading From Behind: The Role Of Women In Sharp Street United Methodist Church, 1898-1921(2010) Jamison, Felicia Lorraine; Newman-Ham, Debra Newman; History and Geography; Master of ArtsThis thesis will demonstrate the monumental role that African-American women played in Sharp Street United Methodist Church from 1898 to 1921. It was not until 1898 that women began to form independent organizations to assist in defraying the newly acquired $70,000 debt for the new edifice. Gaining a sense of autonomy, they began to assert themselves in their community and nation by participating in the Women's Club Movement and the Progressive Movement. The study concludes with the erection of the Community House in 1921. Using minutes from the Sharp Street Trustees Reports, the Afro-American newspaper, and the church newspapers, The Appeal and The Messenger, this case study will recount the story of how ordinary church women socially and financially impacted their church, community, and nation through service.