Module 4: Imperialism, Progressivism, and Disfranchisement
What does Woodward mean by the phrase the “magical formula of white supremacy”?
Completing the following assignment will help you outline and explain one of the most significant social, political, and economic problems of the late nineteenth century – disfranchisement – as well as the ways in which disfranchisement advocates sold these measures as “progressive” reforms.
Follow the instructions to complete the assignment:
Write a 750-1,000-word essay that addresses the following prompt:
“The only formula powerful enough” to heal the wounds between white conservatives and radicals, according to Woodward, was the “magical formula of white supremacy, applied without stint and without any of the old conservative reservations of paternalism, without deference to any lingering resistance of Northern liberalism, or any fear of further check from a defunct Southern Populism.”
What does Woodward mean by the phrase the “magical formula of white supremacy”?
How was the “formula” applied? Be specific, citing several examples.
What was the ultimate goal of this movement?
What justification for disfranchisement does Poe offer?
To what degree does Poe’s justification/need for disfranchisement match the historical explanation for disfranchisement offered by Woodward?
Note: Though terms such as “Negro” and “colored” are not technically racial pejoratives, they should be avoided in your essay, nonetheless. They have become antiquated, meaning that when Woodward used them they were acceptable, but that’s not so much the case anymore.
Note: C. Vann Woodward is (“was,” really…he’s dead now) a historian, not an advocate for the “magical formula of white supremacy,” so don’t say that in your response.
Answer preview what does Woodward mean by the phrase the “magical formula of white supremacy”?
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