We have been discussing McGuire’s novel thesis that sexual violence against black women and the response by black women to have those crimes investigated and prosecuted is what spawned the civil rights movement. As the movement progressed from the rape of Recy Taylor to late 1960s, the movement learned more and more about how to use media and the justice system to obtain justice for black people. Show the progression through the various crimes and the reactions to those crimes by black people through the book that eventually led to prosecutions of and long prison sentences for white men. What were the advances made in each instance? What were the lessons learned? How did the movement reach the point of obtaining prison sentences for rapes of black women and lynchings of black men? As always, draw upon the text by quoting and citing to support your claims.

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Slavery and the effects of embracing such a practice have placed a massive dent in the United States’ history. One of the worst by-products of slavery was the emergence of racism. People from a particular racial and ethnic background got better treatment compared to others from different racial and ethnic backgrounds (McGuire, 2010)…

 

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