The Strange Career of Jim Crow by C. Vann Woodward

I actually finished this book on March 25 or 26.

In The Strange Career of Jim Crow, Woodward traces the history of Jim Crow laws, segregation, and the Civil Rights movement from Reconstruction through (in this edition) the early 1970s. It's an ambitious undertaking for a slim volume. However, rightfully so, the book is considered a classic. Woodward's writing is clear and direct. He addresses the subtleties of the historical themes and situations without drifting off into nebulous academic tangents. This is, indeed, one of the best examples of historical writing that I've ever read (and given my several years in grad school for U.S. history, I've read a lot of them).

Woodward, starts, rather naturally, with the Reconstruction Era. He demonstrates that while freedmen didn't have it great, things were certainly better than they had been in slavery and better than they would become in the Jim Crow era. African-Americans were participating in government, working alongside whites, and yes, even riding in the same train cars. This, was, unfortunately, to change. The future of the South was determined by a disputed presidential contest between a New Yorker, Samuel Tilden, and an Ohioan, Rutherford Hayes. Tilden, the Democrat, led in the popular vote and apparently the electoral college. However there were disputes about the electoral votes of several Southern states. In what was often called "the Corrupt Bargain," Hayes was awarded all of the contested electoral votes and the presidency in exchange for declaring an end to Reconstruction and withdrawing all Union troops from the south. The negative consequences of this Corrupt Bargain for African-Americans were enormous.

Woodward then takes us through the history of how the segregationist Jim Crow laws evolved from the white supremacist thoughts of the power structures in the south. Further, and perhaps more importantly, Woodward elaborates on viable alternatives to Jim Crow that while not ideal, were certainly superior. He explains how these other options gained prominence but were ultimately co-opted or outright defeated by the Jim Crow supporters. For me, this was probably the best section of the book. I think we all need to be reminded that nothing in history was inevitable. The Union didn't have to win the Civil war, the Allies didn't have to win WWII, and on and on. There are always political, military, social, and other forces at work that influence events. There is no "march of history." Oftentimes, things could have been very different. In this instance, if it hadn't been for political deal making in Washington, a real Reconstruction of the South might have happened, almost surely improving race relations and certainly would have been a better situation for African-Americans. Also, the other alternatives to the Jim Crow system may well have been better for America. We'll never know, but we should know that people had the ability to prevent this horrible system from coming into law.

The next section deals with Jim Crow laws at length. I don't see any reason to expound upon them here, but suffice it to say that these segregationist and racist laws were an abomination, especially in what is supposed to be a democratic and freedom-loving nation. Woodward also details the "great migration" of African-Americans out of the south and into northern urban centers. He demonstrates here that while segregation and racism weren't codified in the north, they certainly existed. Woodward makes a very cogent point in this section by linking Jim Crow to U.S. imperialism. Jim Crow laws at home expanded and took root as the U.S. gained in empire overseas. Woodward draws a clear connection in the attitudes that informed Jim Crow also informed the U.S. taking up the "white man's burden."

Next is the Civil Rights Movement that came about as a result of African-Americans being denied these basic rights due to Jim Crow laws and general societal racism. Woodward details the major players and events, from Brown v. the Board of Education, to MLK, SNCC, CORE, the NAACP, and seemingly all of the big actors and events. For Woodward, the success of the Civil Rights Movement culminated in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Of course, there was still more work to do, but the Voting Rights Act was certainly landmark legislation that ended Jim Crow in law, if not in "real life."

Finally, the book concludes by talking about the race riots that occurred later in the 1960s. He writes about how despite the end of Jim Crow, America was, in the words of the President's Commission on Racial Disorders in 1968, "moving toward two societies, one black, one white - separate and unequal." So despite the successes of the Civil Rights Movement and the end of Jim Crow, race problems still abounded and these American wounds have still not healed.

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

Blood Meridian puts me in the mind of the Thomas Hobbes quote about the life of man being solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. Life is cheap in this book, regardless of race, ethnicity, or national origin.

The main character remains nameless throughout the book; he's simply referred to as "the kid." The kid is born in Tennessee, and leaves home for the West in 1849 without any plan. He travels to Texas and then into Mexico, falling in with bands of soldiers of fortune and then Indian scalp hunters. The Glanton Gang (the scalp hunters) include in their midst, the strange figure of the judge. The judge is a mammoth albino who has a high intelligence and a thirst for blood to match. It's never quite clear what the role of the judge is, but he seems to be everywhere at once and have control over situations that otherwise seem untenable. I tend to think he's a stand-in for Satan (particularly after he was able to make explosives out of brimstone found in the desert). The kid manages to avoid death while with the Glanton Gang and in the immediate aftermath. The story ends with the kid's death 28 years later, when the chickens, at long last, come home to roost.

McCormac's book is not for the squeamish or faint of heart. It puts the lie to the John Wayne version of the old west. Acts of incredible violence are the norm and people aren't ever neatly scrubbed and wearing clean clothes. Just as an example, two babies are killed when the Glanton Gang raids a camp. Not killed simply and easily, but killed by a man taking hold of a heel of each and bashing their skulls together. The native Americans aren't characterized as simple victims either; they're just as brutal. In on scene, the gang comes across a group that was slaughtered by Indians. Again though, not just killed. Killed but with the flourish of chopping their genitals off and stuffing them in their mouths. McCarthy's raw prose makes you realize that the "good old days" weren't actually good at all.

On the surface, it's a book about the American Old West. At a deeper level, I think it's more about how we're all not too far removed from the beasts and that civilization is a pretty thin veneer. In fact, once you cross the paper thin meridian into the west, law and order are just words. The law of the jungle prevails in the "evening redness in the west."

In summary, I'd rate this book as excellent, but I'd say it falls short of the great or classic label.

Finished Blood Meridian Last Night

I finished reading Blood Meridian last night. Don't know when I'll get to the write up since I'm out of town this weekend.

Up next, The Strange Career of Jim Crow by C. Vann Woodward.

1st March update

About 70% of the way through Blood Meridian. Hopefully finish up by Wednesday.

So far only 4 books read. Of course, I did get a late start (Jan. 20). So 4 books in 43 days so far...roughly 1 book every 11 days. Assuming I finish Blood Meridian on Wednesday, it'll be 5 in 45 for 1 book every 9 days. On Thursday, there will be 300 days left in the year. Which means if I keep up the current pace, I'll read 33.33 more books by December 31, putting me 1.33 over the total. It'll be rough, because I've got some large books out there to read yet, but it's nice to know the game is still competitive.