Restless @ 5:00am

As you can tell by my title it's 5:00am, and I can't sleep. Mostly because I'm sick, but I have a blog post due tonight and I might as well get something productive done. After class on Monday Professor Singer recommended a book by Thomas Sugrue “The Origins of the Urban Crisis”, which he thought would be helpful in giving me background on the factors that contributed to the riots. While the book deals primarily with Detroit, I believe there are elements from Detroit's urban crisis that are very similar to those that Baltimore experienced. My research thus far has confirmed this thesis: Baltimore's riots were more than just citizens being irresponsible. I believe Baltimore's riots were a dramatic expression of the frustration, and fears of this cities black community.

Honestly, my only goals this week are simple get over this cold, and get a copy of Segrues book.

Research Proposal

The event I will be focusing on is the 1968 Civil Disturbance in Baltimore. When Lyndon Johnson took office, he followed in the steps of JFK by rolling out a plan to bridge the gap between Americans and revitalize urban communities. Johnson recognized that the country he was elected to lead, was being pulled in different directions. One America for whites, and another for blacks. Johnson rolled out an ambitious plan to bring both sides together, and to create an America where everyone had a chance to succeed.

Meanwhile, in Baltimore unemployment and infant mortality in the black community was at an all time high. White Baltimore city residents moved westward towards the suburbs, and blacks were restricted to urban areas due to public policies that encouraged “racial zoning” and racial covenants. President Johnsons fears and worst nightmares, were a reality for blacks living in Baltimore city. These problems had been brewing since the turn of the century, and while blacks and whites worked together remove the unfair legacy that Jim Crow laws left. The tension in Baltimore was escalating, and it wouldn't take much tear the fragile peace apart. Many people credit the cause of the 68 riots as the assignation of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, but my research project will show the social, economical, and political climate of Baltimore and the nation set the tone for an uprising of the Baltimores black community.

So much information

So I'm trying to narrow the focus of my project, since a paper about the 68 riots could turn into a doctoral thesis. And I'm finding a wealth of information about the political and racial climate prior to the riots of the 60's, and a lot of great information about the Kerner Commissions findings. Its believe by some that the Kerner Commission outlined huge rift between black Americans and white Americans. And as a result of those rifts the country was inevitably going to have civil disturbances, and unless remedied would prove disastrous for the country. Now those ideas can be debated, but my research so far is showing that much of the problems other cities faced Baltimore was also dealing with. So the fact that there was a riot here, should not have surprised anyone.

I think it would be wise to write my paper proposal while these ideas are fresh.