Research Topics and Sources Library Research guide

HIST 498B Pacific Northwest Labor, Civil Rights, and Antiwar History Projects Prof. James Gregory Office Hours: Monday 3:15-4:30 or by appointment 118 Smith 543-7792 email: gregoryj@u.washington.edu

Students in this class will participate in a set of historical research projects that are documenting the history of social justice activism in the Seattle area. Civil rights movements, labor unions, radical organizations, and antiwar campaigns have played major roles in defining the political values of the Pacific Northwest since the late 1800s. No other region has a more vibrant history of labor and leftwing activism.

The University of Washington History Department is home to a set of online public history projects that examine this history and make it available to the public. Used by more than one million online visitors, these website projects are also taught in high school and college classrooms throughout the region. Students in earlier HIST 498 seminars have been involved in producing these projects. Some have had their research papers published, others have helped with the oral history interviews. Here are the principal projects:

· Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project

· Seattle General Strike Project

· Communism in Washington State - History and Memory Project

· Labor Press Project

Two new projects will be launched this year:

· Waterfront Workers History Project

· Pacific Northwest Antiwar and Radical History Project

General method of instruction

This seminar is a hands-on historical research project. We will not only read about the history of civil rights, labor, and antiwar movements, we will also be producing historical materials and interpretations that will be valuable to others interested in this subject. There are three major assignments: (1) help conduct at least one oral history interview with a veteran of one of Seattle's civil rights or labor organizations. (2) produce a 15 page research report on an issue, incident, organization, or individual. If the quality of the work warrants it, these interviews and research reports may be published as part of one of the project websites. (3) Participate fully in discussions and other class activities. This is very much a group research effort and I expect we will work together closely over the course of the quarter. All three elements will be graded and will be reflected in the course grade.

SCHEDULE

Please note: attendance is mandatory. I expect to be notified if you must miss a class meeting. The required readings are available for download below.

Sept 30: introductions; look over the list of Possible Topics on the hist 498b website;

Oct 7: Quintard Taylor, The Forging of a Black Community: Seattle’s Central District from 1870 through the Civil Rights Era (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994), Ch6 pp.159-240

Jonathan Dembo, Unions and Politics in Washington State 1885-1935 (New York: Garland Publishing, 1983), pp.537-622

Examine the Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project website “Research Reports” to get a sense of what students in other 498s have done. www.civilrights.washington.edu

Oct 14: Bob Santos, Humbows, Not Hot Dogs! Memoirs of a Savvy Asian American Activist (International Examiner Press, 2002), 40-86

Walt Crowley, Rites of Passage: A Memoir of the Sixties in Seattle (University of Washington Press, 1996) ch.7-9

Due in class: one page description of your research topic.

Oct 21: Locate and read two secondary sources and at least one primary source

In class: Report on project sources. What are you using?

Oct 28: In class: how to conduct interviews

Nov 4: TBA

Nov 11: TBA;

Nov 18: no class but draft of essay due

Nov 25, Dec 2: TBA

Final paper due Friday Dec 5