This is an examination of Governor Rufus B. Bullock and his management of the state’s convict lease system between the years of 1868-187 1, a period associated with Radical Reconstruction before the introduction of the “New South” era. Georgia’s majority black convict population was leased out to private railroad companies under Bullock’s Administration. They experienced harsh and brutal treatment at times, and even death. Many were arrested for minor offenses and handed excessive sentences, which provided a consistent and dependable cheap labor force. This labor resource was exploited in rebuilding Georgia’s rail system to foster trade. The study uses primary and secondary sources to ascertain Bullock’s culpability in a penal system so heinous that it rivaled slavery itself. Bullock abandoned the ideals of the Republican Party, which advocated liberty for all men, and acquiesced to the principles of industrialism and capitalism, clinging to the tenets of “free labor” at the expense of Georgia’s newly freed slaves. The implications of this study point to why Reconstruction failed and it excavates the etiology of contemporary penitentiary trends.

This study examines both the mentality of black race heroes in American sporting history and the surrounding atmospheric influences on personality, mentality, masculinity, and global perspective on said heroes, using the case studies of iconic boxers Jack Johnson and Muhammad Au as the primary focus. This study was based on the premise that both boxers initiated a conscious effort of racial pride, black agency, and global hegemony through their consistent success both inside and outside the ring. The researcher found that in almost blind adoration, African Americans chose two unconscious, self-righteous, and raceless blacks who utilized their gifted abilities as boxers to only capture full masculinity in the forms of wealth and power. In response to their considerable inferior treatment at the hands of the majority, blacks actively sought dominant representations of success and defiance of the norms to carry their dreams of black pride. However, both Jack Johnson and Muhammad Ali repeatedly rejected their anointed statuses of “race men” for the chance at true wealth and power in the commercialization and exploitation of their masculinity. In addition, the background environments of both figures are essential to the true analysis of the mentality and perception of the boxers. The conclusions drawn from the finding suggest that both individuals rejected their hometown communities’ ideals of agency and activism and instead opted to embrace the more lucrative ideals of independence (Johnson and Galveston) and interdependence (Ali and Louisville). As the black community witnessed both Jack Johnson and Muhammad Au continuously thrive and capture success in a predominantly white and commercial environment, they also saw the potential to showcase the greatest aspects of the American black race not just nationally, but also globally to other black groups. Therefore, race consciousness would both intensify and spread if powerful, masculine icons continued to dominate in societal contests like sports. Because of these desires, blacks across the nation supplied insurmountable support and sustenance to these figures throughout their careers. In fact, to most blacks throughout the nation, both pugilists possessed superhuman qualities, or a “sixth finger.” As the twenty first century thrives, blacks continue the practice of selecting sporting representatives of the race to showcase dominance in athletics, society, and unconscious racial pride.

This study explores the idea of who was the first to foster a national movement to weaken Jim Crow laws. This study was based on the premise that Martin Luther King, Jr. was an important figure, but not the actual father of a movement to grant blacks equal rights, as many suggest. A case study analysis approach was used to analyze data gathered including primary sources, personal letters from Charles Hamilton Houston to his parents and friends, as well as court documents related to cases he argued in federal and state courts. In addition newspaper/magazine articles from Houston's time, articles focusing on him after his death, and sociological studies from that time were also utilized. The research found that Charles Hamilton Houston was the first black lawyer to challenge "separate but equal" with national success. Houston used empirical and scientific data of that time to show the facilities were not. The conclusion drawn from the findings suggests that the legal victories Houston achieved provided all Americans with a basis from which to challenge segregation and unequal treatment under the law in America.

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This study examined the phenomena of herbal contraceptives and abortives and their use among enslaved women in the United States and the Caribbean. The conclusions that can be drawn from the research are that some women did choose to use herbal birth control and abortives. There is evidence to suggest that this use may have been directly used as a uniquely female means of resistance to slavery. It is also indicated that the more African cultural retentions there were in other areas of the lives of these women, the more likely that this phenomena would be employed as well. The profession of healer as a means of gaining respect and authority in the plantation community and in reference to how they aided women seeking abortions is discussed as well. The paper uses many historical sources as well as many science texts to authenticate the availability and properties of the flora and fauna of the regions in which women were enslaved. The author also postulates that this phenomena was aided by African retentions of these methods as well as additions by Native Americans upon arriving in North America and the Caribbean. Birth and death rates from a plantation are also used with three reproductive case studies of the women who lived on the plantation. Many slave narratives as well as contemporary sources were used in the research and writing of this paper.

This thesis investigates the reaction to Maynard H. Jackson’s election as the first black mayor of a major southern city, Atlanta, through selected articles of its major newspaper, The Atlanta Constitution, covering the period of Jackson’s announcement of his candidacy through the end of his first two years in office. This particular paper was chosen because it was the dominant day-time newspaper and because of its moderate viewpoints and its emphasis on political news. While The Atlanta Constitution was aware of race as a factor, it was able to be objective in its treatment of Jackson. For example, the articles did not elaborate on Jackson’s race, but rather his qualifications and platform which made him eligible to be mayor of Atlanta. One would expect more criticism, and more emphasis on the race issue, but there was very little of such in the newspaper’s reporting of events during the Jackson era.

In this dissertation, the writer has been concerned with the life of blacks In Charleston and Greenville, South Carolina during slavery, Reconstruction and early segregation. Throughout history, the black: segment- of the pOPlJlatlon hae played an important role in the aevelopment of their cities. However, the I nst i tut Ions of s j avery ana segrega tl on createa a distinct economic, political and social order for blacks. As blacks struggled to improve their life style, they found the city government to be an avenue of change. The writer has selected city council minutes as a means of filling in a portion of the missing segment of history. It is hoped that the material in this dissertation uncovered the vital role Blacks played In shaping the communities of Charleston and GreenvilIe, South Carolina.

In his experience at Atlanta University, George Alexander Towns was present for much of the earlier history of the institution and continued as an active participant into the later period. This thesis will explore his part in this history and indicate the manner in which he assisted in the development of the University. His experience will be explored from its start when he became a student at Atlanta University and its continuation after he had become a teacher at the institution. His extracurricular activities in athletics, student affairs, school publications, and fund raising will be discussed as a part of this experience, as well as his private life. An assessment of Towns' contributions to the University will conclude this thesis. The primary sources for this profile were the collection of Towns' personal papers available at the Trevor Arnett Library of Atlanta University and the University publications made during his time there: The Bulletin of Atlanta University, the student newspaper, The Scroll, and the alumni newsletter, the Crimson and Gray. Many secondary works dealing with the University and with areas in which Towns was interested were also consulted.

The primary purpose of this research is to illustrate changing trends in white Georgians' attitudes toward lynching and mob violence in Georgia during 1930. The Dennis Hubert and S. S. Mincey cases and their results will be used as examples to reflect such trends as well as illustrate interracial cooperation among the races. During 1930, Georgia witnessed at least six terrible acts of mob violence in the form of lynchings and murder. Also this number constituted the highest number in comparison to other states that year. The Dennis Hubert and S. S. Mincey cases were different from any other lynching which occurred in Georgia in that white Georgians denounced these murders and made a considerable attempt to apprehend the guilty parties as well as aid the families of these Negro victims. The primary sources for this research were derived from the Commission on Interracial Cooperation (CIC) collection and the Association of Southern Women for the Prevention of Lynching (ASWPL) papers located at the Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library. This collection included the newspaper clippings collected by the CIC, letters, minutes, sermons and unpublished material used in pursuing this research.

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