A.J. Liebling, The Earl of Louisiana - Essay Example

Jeffrey Madderra History 3071 Long May 6, A.J. Liebling, The Earl of Louisiana Earl Long, also known as Uncle Earl, was elected as thegovernor of Louisiana thrice. With effective and persuasive stump-speaking skills, he was one of the most lively and paradoxical office-bearers of Louisiana. His election as a governor three times is illustrative of his political acumen. In the book Earl of Louisiana, written by A.J. Liebling, Earl long is portrayed as a liberal racial and a strong advocate of racial integration. From the 1930s to the 1950s, there was a significant rise in the struggle for equal rights for African Americans, propelled by Earl’s activism. In the fight for justice and the Civil Rights movement, Earl Long’s activism and support for Blacks is synonymous with the struggles of the NAACP and other Black right activists. Earl Long was gifted with political insight. He is remembered for the steps he took in ensuring the voting process becomes more smooth and accessible to the African-Americans. The legislature opposed political franchise for the Negros, but Long called on to the African-American community to unite in the name of common cause. He urged them to show full participation in the elections despite the resistance they were facing from the higher authorities. There were about 150,000 Negros registered as voters in contrast to 850,000 whites. Negros compromised about 24 percent of the state and the discrepancy between this and their 15 percent state-wide registration is reflective of the obstacles that they faced in getting themselves registered (Liebling, 205). Backed with the supporters of Hey Long, Earl Long saw the potential in having the Blacks on his side. Making this as major a part of his political campaign, Long stood up for the rights of the blacks and secured a vast majority of votes from the black community. Earl Long was a staunch believer of equal rights for everyone, and was not racially prejudiced and biased in advancing the rights of the Whites only. Besides the reformative measures Long took to provide Negros with voting rights, Negros gained significantly from his measures in education to increase the literacy level of the Blacks in the state. He held true to the belief that illiteracy was a major impediment to the progress of a state. He was of the viewpoint that there should be no discrepancy in the provision of education and other benefits between the whites and the blacks. During his tenure, he saw to the construction of over a hundred public schools, fourteen trade schools and an increase in the ratio of employment of black school teachers. This resulted in a fifty percent increase in the literacy level and a multiple time increase in funding for black educational institutions. He was able to persuade the government in having a uniform pay-scale for teachers regardless of their race. During a visit to a black college, he spent hours surveying the building and assessing the improvements required, promising a grant worth millions of dollars to the university head. He is also recognized for opening a completely desegregated university, LSU-NO. Long dealt with threats of resistance in registration of Black scholars in it by delivering a motivational speech expounding on the benefits to the community of a desegregated setup and by bringing soldiers to the building to mar any prospects of violence. Earl Long was soft on the racial issue, and compared to the opposition reeking from other Southern states against the Blacks, he was one of the few people who openly declared their support for the Blacks. Earl Long realized that Blacks were the bottom of the economic hierarchy and knew that they would not be able to manifest their full potential if they continued to be suppressed. Only a handful of senior Black citizens were receiving the benefits he had endorsed. Realizing the dearth and poor access of healthcare and welfare facilities for the Negros, Long set up a program of free healthcare and charity clinics that extended to the low class. The Blacks were offered vocational training; there were more employment opportunities. Long did not let any sort of racial barriers cloud his political policies. His reforms instilled confidence in the African-American population of Louisiana. Voting powers and the development of an educated, franchised class of Negros led to a subsequent increase in their influence amongst political circles. However, Long’s reforms received their share of criticism. Since Long used the revenues collected from the fossil fuels reserves of oil and natural gas to fund his agenda, the state found itself in a financial slump when the energy crisis started. This proved to be food for critics. In his efforts to outlaw racial discrimination, Long desegregated public transport via buses. Along with his other measures to establish racial equity, Long provided his opponents with fuel to ignite a campaign against him. DeLesseps Morrison, the mayor of New Orleans, was negatively affected by racial integration outside the state. In order to win public support, he adopted a harder stance on racial segregation. Therefore he launched a campaign against the integrationist reforms of Long. He criticized Long’s opening of the desegregationist university, LSU-NO. He concentrated his efforts in negative publicity of the university. He joined hands with segregationists in competing against Long and not letting him win. He also opposed the desegregation of recreational facilities in order to get the press and segregationist elements on his side. Therefore his policies became a hindrance in the process of eradication of racial discrimination. In the 1950s, the Civil rights movement gained momentum and many politicians abetted the cause in order to win votes. In 1954, an order passed by the Supreme Court called for desegregation of schools. There was a shift in Long’s political campaigning as well towards the approval of segregationist bills. Long’s contribution to the provision of equal rights to Negros played an integral role in fueling the struggle for African-American Civil rights movement in Louisiana. There was unanimous agreement on the fact that during the time that Long held gubernatorial office, there was an increased proportion of state benefits that were given to the Blacks. Integration of schools and the increase in Suffrage of the Negros formed a major component of the Civil Right Movement. His measures to improve the conditions of the Blacks accentuate his commitment to the cause of uplift of the Negro community. He never vouched for oppressive and discriminatory racial laws that excluded the Blacks from pursuing education, voting etc. Despite the strong opposition that Earl Long faced from the Whites, he was not undeterred and introduced a bill in the legislature to curb any sort of activity that was taking place by segregationist elements to bar Blacks from voting. In the overall review of the Civil Rights Movement, the changes in racial attitudes in the Southern States meant convincing the whites on racial equality. The Southern whites were generally more resistant to such changes. The change in the thinking of the Whites was largely brought about by the increased literacy levels and awareness amongst the Blacks, more number of Blacks who registered themselves as voters, and the development of a sound Black middle class. More awareness equipped the Negros with greater economic resources- a dispensable resource for protests- and acted as a weapon in changing the stereotypical attitude towards the Blacks. There were institutions that offered legal advice to the Blacks. Most importantly the increased suffrage for Blacks bolstered them and gave them political influence and clout. Only such dramatic improvements in the conditions of the Blacks could have been successful in eradicating racial discrimination from its roots. In the time when Blacks worked as slaves or were employed on low wages, with no political awareness and insight into their legal rights, it could never have been possible to initiate a civil rights movement. Efforts by governors like Earl Long proved instrumental in fostering political shrewdness and knowledge about right amongst the Black community. During the Civil Rights Movement, Earl Long was not the only one who took a stance for racial desegregation. The NAACP, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, played an important role during the Civil Rights period. The NAACP’s bureau in Washington, headed by the C. M. Mitchell Jr., fought for the passage of three Civil Rights Act. It was active in the elimination of segregated school settings. The Civil Right movement was on many basis, reflective of the aims and objectives of the NAACP. A.P. Tureaud was the head of the New Orleans branch of the NAACP. Tureaud, like Earl Long, worked for equality for the Blacks; as Long ensured that the Black teachers get equal pay, Tureaud too led a team which fought for the rights of Black teachers in the case of Joseph P. McKelpin v. Orleans Parish School Board. He, along with his team, managed to get an increment in the salaries of the Black teachers. Tureaud won many cases where he represented plaintiffs; these cases included the Foster, Wilson and Payne against the LSU, and by winning these cases, Tureaud was able to allow admissions of Negro students in Louisiana State University. Like Earl Long, he advocated the electoral representation and enfranchisement of the Black community. Along with NAACP, he promoted the cause of desegregation of schools, restaurants and other public places. Also, a Reverend in the New Orleans, Abraham Lincoln Davis, fought for Black issues like bus desegregation. He was involved in stimulating the public for boycotting the bus service in order to have their demands of desegregation met. Therefore, in the struggle for Civil Rights, Earl Long and NAACP, along with Civil Rights activist like Abraham Lincoln Davis, played a pivotal role in promoting and advancing the rights of the Negros. In writing the Earl of Louisiana and his stay in the state, A. J. Liebling came to the conclusion that Earl Long was the only true liberal of the Southern states. He was the only politician of that time period who openly spoke about racial discrimination. He was dedicated and committed to the cause of the poor Black population. The conditions of Black community ameliorated greatly during the tenure of Long and they gained more political awareness. in the Civil Right Movement, his reformatory measures to reduce racial discrimination, along with the NAACP and other activists advocating Black rights, went a long way in promoting Black rights. Long described himself as the last of the red hot Poppas and his death was the loss of a charismatic politician who played an integral in the upholding of African-American rights and the African-American Civil Right Movement on the whole. Read More