A Red Day In Selma: An Alternate History Of The Civil Rights Era And Cold War
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Chapter 7
Chapter 7: Meeting commitments
The announcement of the martial law order was a shock to the entire nation despite the preceding events. This was the largest domestic deployment of military forces on American soil since the Civil War and the Reconstruction period. This fact was latched onto by pro-segregationist groups who announced that the federal government intended to give the coups de grace to Southern culture. A pamphlet circulated by the Ku Klux Klan proclaimed that the Southern people faced a 'time of great trial with our unique culture at stake.' It also went on to appeal to young Southern women, telling them to resist the 'pernicious influence of the yankee soldier and alway think of preserving your honor.'
Another pamphlet circulated within areas with large black populations on the eve of the deployed units arriving warned that there would be consequences for cooperating with military authorities. "Our eyes are on you," it said. "We will not hesitate to swat down any opportunistic negro who seeks to sell out respectable citizens." The implication was clear: collaborate at your peril.
This warning went largely unheeded, as the chance to rid themselves of the Klan and similar groups was seized by many African Americans early into the martial law period. Muhammad Ali gave a statement to CBS in which he said that the Klan's warning was born of their own fear that their targets would have the chance to get rid of them. This was especially the case in Alabama where black men who were formerly interned for a month gave information about Klan members they knew of at the earliest possible chance. More than a few publicly stated that it was time to finish what Reconstruction started.
The martial law order was met with some unease by US allies. The amount of forces it would require made Taipei and Seoul among those governments who had questions about America's ability to meet foreign obligations especially with the war in Vietnam heating up. Chiang Ching Kuo spoke with the heads of the American forces in Taiwan as well as top brass and the Pentagon on the issue of Mao taking advantage of the situation. His queries were echoed by Park Chung Hee. South Korea sent a large number of troops to South Vietnam and America's ability to replenish its forces on the peninsula was a major cause for concern in the Blue House. North Korea had already increased the number of infiltrators it sent into the ROK, both special forces and propagandists. There were already several soldiers and civilians killed during confrontations with infiltrators. Park was trying to cement his support base with economic buildup and was afraid that the current situation in the US would cause awkward questions to be asked.
Misgivings about American support caused South Korea and Taiwan to partner up much more closely. Chiang's government began planning for a defensive war and developed a scheme to make large supply dumps within mountainous areas of Taiwan. The aim was to stockpile supplies, ammunition and vehicles in case of a potential invasion by the PRC. Early warning outposts were also planned to be built on islands near the coast of mainland China. Saigon was hoping to further strengthen ties with the two as well while staying on Washington's good side. All of them sought to purchase more oil from Indonesia and Iran, with mixed results.
The announcement of the martial law order was a shock to the entire nation despite the preceding events. This was the largest domestic deployment of military forces on American soil since the Civil War and the Reconstruction period. This fact was latched onto by pro-segregationist groups who announced that the federal government intended to give the coups de grace to Southern culture. A pamphlet circulated by the Ku Klux Klan proclaimed that the Southern people faced a 'time of great trial with our unique culture at stake.' It also went on to appeal to young Southern women, telling them to resist the 'pernicious influence of the yankee soldier and alway think of preserving your honor.'
Another pamphlet circulated within areas with large black populations on the eve of the deployed units arriving warned that there would be consequences for cooperating with military authorities. "Our eyes are on you," it said. "We will not hesitate to swat down any opportunistic negro who seeks to sell out respectable citizens." The implication was clear: collaborate at your peril.
This warning went largely unheeded, as the chance to rid themselves of the Klan and similar groups was seized by many African Americans early into the martial law period. Muhammad Ali gave a statement to CBS in which he said that the Klan's warning was born of their own fear that their targets would have the chance to get rid of them. This was especially the case in Alabama where black men who were formerly interned for a month gave information about Klan members they knew of at the earliest possible chance. More than a few publicly stated that it was time to finish what Reconstruction started.
The martial law order was met with some unease by US allies. The amount of forces it would require made Taipei and Seoul among those governments who had questions about America's ability to meet foreign obligations especially with the war in Vietnam heating up. Chiang Ching Kuo spoke with the heads of the American forces in Taiwan as well as top brass and the Pentagon on the issue of Mao taking advantage of the situation. His queries were echoed by Park Chung Hee. South Korea sent a large number of troops to South Vietnam and America's ability to replenish its forces on the peninsula was a major cause for concern in the Blue House. North Korea had already increased the number of infiltrators it sent into the ROK, both special forces and propagandists. There were already several soldiers and civilians killed during confrontations with infiltrators. Park was trying to cement his support base with economic buildup and was afraid that the current situation in the US would cause awkward questions to be asked.
Misgivings about American support caused South Korea and Taiwan to partner up much more closely. Chiang's government began planning for a defensive war and developed a scheme to make large supply dumps within mountainous areas of Taiwan. The aim was to stockpile supplies, ammunition and vehicles in case of a potential invasion by the PRC. Early warning outposts were also planned to be built on islands near the coast of mainland China. Saigon was hoping to further strengthen ties with the two as well while staying on Washington's good side. All of them sought to purchase more oil from Indonesia and Iran, with mixed results.
I suspect I may be a little off here, but seeing the KKK gun down the President after segregationists kill Dr. King is likely to cause a LOT of rage, bellicose rage, among black Americans across the country. Dr. King's death caused several rounds of riots in 1968, and that was after Los Angeles in 1965 and Detroit and Newark in 1967 and the mayhem around Chicago during the Democratic National Convention. You're still gonna see a lot of that, I suspect, but if black Americans want to make a point they should avoid that as much as possible and focus it on the southern rednecks. With Washington ready to play hardball and the KKK (and surely groups like the White Citizens' Councils and other such racist trash) about to learn that fucking with Uncle Sam is a very bad idea, the best thing they can do is make a statement that they are better men than the southern bigots.
Humphrey is going to have one hell of a mess to clean up, but if he plays rough I suspect a lot of Americans will be only too willing to tell the Dixiecrats "alright, you've had a century to start treating men of color as equals, you won't do it, so now its time for the rest of us to fix the mess your lot has created." It'll be interesting to see what comes out of this....
Humphrey is going to have one hell of a mess to clean up, but if he plays rough I suspect a lot of Americans will be only too willing to tell the Dixiecrats "alright, you've had a century to start treating men of color as equals, you won't do it, so now its time for the rest of us to fix the mess your lot has created." It'll be interesting to see what comes out of this....
Congratulations, racist mofos. In your efforts to stop integration, you created 2 martyrs. The death of LBJ so close to MLK's death ties them together, basically serves to unify America from a common problem. That the segregation and continued racial discrimination is not just a problem for minorities, but is a problem for America as a whole. The Average american before probably only viewed the death of MLK with detached sympathy towards african americans. But with the death of LBJ, the average american now views desegregation as a necessity for the continued survival of America as a nation. The only way to make the American people even more motivated at this point would be if they found evidence of communists supporting the KKK.
Chapter 8
Chapter 8: Money Matters
The campaign against the Klan was not merely being waged by arresting members. The organization's moniker of the 'invisible empire' was not only fitting in terms of its geographical reach but the amount of money it brought in. The Klan's coffers weren't only filled by membership fees. Throughout its history the Klan had men with considerable means in its ranks who often donated and supported the businesses of fell members. Their second iteration in the 1920s, which reached five million members, ran much like a business and many officials used them as a platform to attain high positions but the arrest of the Grand Dragon and ensuing scandal led to a massive membership drop off.*
Nevertheless, the Klan still maintained a considerably sized network of businesses that helped the organization keep its hold on territories where it was highly active. The financial activities of arrested Klansmen were looked over in order to find links to other Klan controlled businesses. Forensic accountants put together a growing picture of the places where the Klan made and hide their money in order to keep them from reforming.
In the meantime, while the Klan's financial network was being targeted for disassembly, one meant to uplift African Americans was being formulated. After a match in Kansas City, Muhammad Ali received a letter from a man named George Markley. The letter itself has become one of the most important documents of 20th century America. It was a blueprint for the creation of an African American Business Association with branches nationwide whose job it was to economically uplift as many African Americans as possible through collective investment in their communities. The plan entailed creating connections with sympathetic businessmen and business professors who would help draft financial education courses. Members of AABA could be both blue and white collar workers, who would be part of a support network that would also allow them to invest in each other's businesses.
AABA's plans were long term, with an emphasis on sending as large a number of young African Americans to college as possible in order to increase the rate of upward mobility. Markley's letter stressed that the more African Americans in the field of law and business, the safer the community's collective wealth would be. He also explained that while these two fields were very important, he would not neglect encouraging African Americans to enter medicine, engineering or any other field of work. The key to success, Markley explained, was ensuring that intergeneration wealth was not just built up but protected.
The letter, known today as the 'Markley Memorandum,' had a tremendous impact on the socioeconomic status of African Americans within years of Ali being given the letter, though the exact circumstances that made it possible had yet to appear. The ideas outlined within it did not escape the notice of other minority groups.
Reader's Note: In the mid 1920s, the Indiana Grand Dragon D.C. Stephenson abducted, raped, and murdered a schoolteacher. The story was a massive PR nightmare for the Klan.
The campaign against the Klan was not merely being waged by arresting members. The organization's moniker of the 'invisible empire' was not only fitting in terms of its geographical reach but the amount of money it brought in. The Klan's coffers weren't only filled by membership fees. Throughout its history the Klan had men with considerable means in its ranks who often donated and supported the businesses of fell members. Their second iteration in the 1920s, which reached five million members, ran much like a business and many officials used them as a platform to attain high positions but the arrest of the Grand Dragon and ensuing scandal led to a massive membership drop off.*
Nevertheless, the Klan still maintained a considerably sized network of businesses that helped the organization keep its hold on territories where it was highly active. The financial activities of arrested Klansmen were looked over in order to find links to other Klan controlled businesses. Forensic accountants put together a growing picture of the places where the Klan made and hide their money in order to keep them from reforming.
In the meantime, while the Klan's financial network was being targeted for disassembly, one meant to uplift African Americans was being formulated. After a match in Kansas City, Muhammad Ali received a letter from a man named George Markley. The letter itself has become one of the most important documents of 20th century America. It was a blueprint for the creation of an African American Business Association with branches nationwide whose job it was to economically uplift as many African Americans as possible through collective investment in their communities. The plan entailed creating connections with sympathetic businessmen and business professors who would help draft financial education courses. Members of AABA could be both blue and white collar workers, who would be part of a support network that would also allow them to invest in each other's businesses.
AABA's plans were long term, with an emphasis on sending as large a number of young African Americans to college as possible in order to increase the rate of upward mobility. Markley's letter stressed that the more African Americans in the field of law and business, the safer the community's collective wealth would be. He also explained that while these two fields were very important, he would not neglect encouraging African Americans to enter medicine, engineering or any other field of work. The key to success, Markley explained, was ensuring that intergeneration wealth was not just built up but protected.
The letter, known today as the 'Markley Memorandum,' had a tremendous impact on the socioeconomic status of African Americans within years of Ali being given the letter, though the exact circumstances that made it possible had yet to appear. The ideas outlined within it did not escape the notice of other minority groups.
Reader's Note: In the mid 1920s, the Indiana Grand Dragon D.C. Stephenson abducted, raped, and murdered a schoolteacher. The story was a massive PR nightmare for the Klan.
Maybe this would be the right zeitgeist to revive the memory of the Tulsa Massacre. It's such a shame that it took so long to properly come to light.
That subject will be touched upon. The revival of Black Wall Street in some form is one of AABA's goals.
Chapter 9
Chapter 9: Going somewhere?
The declaration of martial law and the Klan's new status as a terrorist organization greatly weakened segregationist institutions in the South, but many African American still didn't feel safe. The fear of reprisals for their support of the federal intervention led many who had the means to flee north. A second great migration was underway by the summer of 1965, with hundreds of thousands leaving the region. The migrant's destinations depended on their states of origin. Blacks from Texas often headed into New Mexico, Oklahoma and Colorado. Illinois was a destination of those leaving Tennessee through Kentucky and Maryland saw a significant number of migrants from Virginia.
The journey was not without its perils. Despite the efforts of federal forces, hundreds of black families were killed on the road by white supremacist groups watching areas of high migrant traffic. East Texas was one area where black migrants faced a heightened risk of encountering such groups. Members who were arrested by federal forces voiced frustration at the fact that blacks were seemingly free to leave the state whenever they so chose in spite of martial law. The border region between Tennessee and Missouri was another high risk are for black migrants, with families moving in convoys in order to make sure they weren't ambushed and overwhelmed.
Attacks by white supremacist groups on black residential areas were still carried out in spite of military personnel being present. Bombing and shootings were carried out, though they often met with a response by garrisoned military units and blacks who had access to weapons of their own. One shootout in Knoxville resulted in the arrest of fifteen Klansmen by military police. The increase in violence was especially the case in Alabama when news broke of a massive class action lawsuit being filed against the state government for the month long internment of black men at the order of ex-governor Wallace. The lawsuit was backed by the ACLU, NAACP and similar groups.
The Alabama state government was accused of illegally detaining over a hundred thousand black men, housing them in shoddily created detention areas or cramming them into prisons with substandard housing conditions and access to necessities. The class action suit was supported by Japanese-American groups who sought restitution for the internment their community was made to endure during World War Two and used their support of the lawsuit to draw awareness to what they'd been subjected to.
Mississippi was also feeling the heat, with the State Sovereignty Commission drawing the attention of the federal government. It was the only state in the South to create a full on intelligence agency dedicated to suppressing the Civil Rights Movement. It was funded by state taxes and had filed on tens of thousands of suspected and confirmed supporters of integration. The organization also tried to put a positive face on the state through its influence on the press as well as materials it distributed directly.
Despite the presence of US military forces in the region, the Southern Troubles were in their early stages and the summer of 1965 would see the first clashes of the period. One of the first skirmishes occurred at Latta Place in North Carolina, where federal forces surrounded and overwhelmed a white supremacist group that had been coordinating bombings in the area. The plantation itself was razed during the engagement.
In the meantime, the 'Markley Memorandum' was disseminated to other Civil Rights Movement leaders such as Rosa Parks and Jesse Jackson. Robert F. Kennedy also received a copy of the memo and began helping Markley get into contact with business experts who would later become crucial to the formation of AABA.
The declaration of martial law and the Klan's new status as a terrorist organization greatly weakened segregationist institutions in the South, but many African American still didn't feel safe. The fear of reprisals for their support of the federal intervention led many who had the means to flee north. A second great migration was underway by the summer of 1965, with hundreds of thousands leaving the region. The migrant's destinations depended on their states of origin. Blacks from Texas often headed into New Mexico, Oklahoma and Colorado. Illinois was a destination of those leaving Tennessee through Kentucky and Maryland saw a significant number of migrants from Virginia.
The journey was not without its perils. Despite the efforts of federal forces, hundreds of black families were killed on the road by white supremacist groups watching areas of high migrant traffic. East Texas was one area where black migrants faced a heightened risk of encountering such groups. Members who were arrested by federal forces voiced frustration at the fact that blacks were seemingly free to leave the state whenever they so chose in spite of martial law. The border region between Tennessee and Missouri was another high risk are for black migrants, with families moving in convoys in order to make sure they weren't ambushed and overwhelmed.
Attacks by white supremacist groups on black residential areas were still carried out in spite of military personnel being present. Bombing and shootings were carried out, though they often met with a response by garrisoned military units and blacks who had access to weapons of their own. One shootout in Knoxville resulted in the arrest of fifteen Klansmen by military police. The increase in violence was especially the case in Alabama when news broke of a massive class action lawsuit being filed against the state government for the month long internment of black men at the order of ex-governor Wallace. The lawsuit was backed by the ACLU, NAACP and similar groups.
The Alabama state government was accused of illegally detaining over a hundred thousand black men, housing them in shoddily created detention areas or cramming them into prisons with substandard housing conditions and access to necessities. The class action suit was supported by Japanese-American groups who sought restitution for the internment their community was made to endure during World War Two and used their support of the lawsuit to draw awareness to what they'd been subjected to.
Mississippi was also feeling the heat, with the State Sovereignty Commission drawing the attention of the federal government. It was the only state in the South to create a full on intelligence agency dedicated to suppressing the Civil Rights Movement. It was funded by state taxes and had filed on tens of thousands of suspected and confirmed supporters of integration. The organization also tried to put a positive face on the state through its influence on the press as well as materials it distributed directly.
Despite the presence of US military forces in the region, the Southern Troubles were in their early stages and the summer of 1965 would see the first clashes of the period. One of the first skirmishes occurred at Latta Place in North Carolina, where federal forces surrounded and overwhelmed a white supremacist group that had been coordinating bombings in the area. The plantation itself was razed during the engagement.
In the meantime, the 'Markley Memorandum' was disseminated to other Civil Rights Movement leaders such as Rosa Parks and Jesse Jackson. Robert F. Kennedy also received a copy of the memo and began helping Markley get into contact with business experts who would later become crucial to the formation of AABA.
i feel torn here, kind of happy to see a local site near me mentioned (latta place) but sad to see it a place of violence. Enjoying the story though, keep it up!
I originally chose Rocky Hill Castle in Alabama but it was demolished in 1961. That was supposed to be where the group were hiding out.
It feels like every action they do only draws in more wolves. Like a fly that’s been caught in a web, the last thing it should do is wiggle. Stupid, in fact bordering insanity. Hopefully we also get a proper ban on the teaching of glamorized southern civil war. Drill it into their heads that they fought to preserve their rights to own slaves.
Better if all schools and homes in the South are required to have portraits of Abraham Lincoln.
Painted Union Blue with the flag he carried to the sea on the roof and flames on the hood. 🔥🇺🇸
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What are the Birchers going to do? Despite being anti ciivl rights, they have a large african american membership.