You will be able to find a copy of the DVD for the George Wallace documentary, Settin' the Woods on Fire, in the hopper on my door after 2:00 PM today. The only problem is that I only have 26 copies of the DVD. This means that we are about 10 copies short and some of you will have to share. If you know that you might watch it with a friend in the class, then please only take one for the both (or several) of you.
You will find a great deal of additional information at PBS's companion web site, including a full transcript.
Use this blog post for your comments.
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In the documentary, one man made a comment that after he lost the 1958 election to Patterson, George Wallace made a Faustian move in selling his soul to the devil in order to win the governorship in the 1962 election. In this exchange for power, he became a segregationist in order to win the election, but at what cost? In the end, Dr. Faustus is damned to hell in exchange for his power, but does Wallace receive the same punishment as Faustus? Do either Wallace or Faustus ever accomplish anything good with the power they gave up everything for?
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that we tend to remember the Civil Rights movement as a series of important stances and sacrifices committed by individual heroes such as King, Rosa Parks, and Medgar Evers. Yet each of these leaders was specifically chosen as the public face for a larger group with common goals (and their own personal/individual/community sacrifices). As I watched this film again, I notice that Wallace's journey as a politician mirrors this same concept, but in the interest of segregation rather than civil rights. Wallace's power comes solely from his willingness to act in the interests of segregationists, but that is no small thing. To what extent were the "leaders" of this era actually followers? Is the American public still as hung up on the idea of the individual hero today? Why or why not?
ReplyDeleteGeorge Wallace, often refereed to as the Hitler of the United States, used politics as a way to halt the Civil Rights Movement by causing directly or indirectly such events as Bloody Sunday, did anyone try to stop him either politically or forcefully? Why or Why Not?
ReplyDeleteWallace's rise to political power took many roads. The start of his career centered around aiding the poor, regardless of color, but he soon realized that Civil Rights, specifically segregation, were the issues that needed to be at the focus of his campaign. Did Wallace truly believe in his "self reinvention" as a staunch segregationist? Also, to what extent did Wallace's actions impact the Civil Rights Movement?
ReplyDeleteWhat is the significance of Lurleen Wallace running for Governor in the 1966 election?
ReplyDeleteSince the policies of the New Deal, Southern politicians often expressed populist sentiments in their political opinions. George Wallace was initially a politician concerned with bettering the plight of the poor man, both black and white, at the expense of the elite. However, with his run for governor and ultimately his run for president, he was forced to abandon those principles, launching a new conservative movement that had opposing goals than those of his origin in politics. Discuss Wallace's role in launching the conservative movement that is still a dominating faction in the political climate of the South.
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