The Cold War Propaganda Analysis

Being in an unmistakably weaker bargaining position, the civil rights leaders had to concentrate their actions upon non-violent civil disobedience of southern customs and laws to produce the telegenic “clashes” that literally forced the federal government into action. Oftentimes, the pressure to intervene was more a matter of international than of domestic concern, as the world kept a close eye on the most obvious blemish of U.S. democracy, with the Soviet Union being especially eager to exploit such events for its propaganda. While Lawson briefly discusses the Cold War in his essay, he is reluctant to acknowledge the crucial role that the race for the hearts and the minds of the newly independent nations played, especially during the presidency of John F. Kennedy. A time when racial segregation in Maryland and other states led …show more content…
This focus allows him to fully develop his narrative about the fundamental role that the federal government had in gradually eradicating racial segregation, first within its own ranks and later on the national level. However, Lawson remains silent about the fact that the federal government played a central role in creating and maintaining these conditions in the first place. In bypassing these facts, Lawson prevents his readers from gaining a more comprehensive understanding of the federal government’s role with regard to the rights of African Americans and other historically marginalized groups. In addition, his use of language tends to deflect more than it reveals when it comes to the motives of the different administrations. By using the rather benign term “shape” to describe the diverse policies, Lawson essentially downplays the reluctance if not opposition that activists faced in their efforts, even when they aimed for moderate reform, not to mention the methods the government used to prevent vociferous critics of the nation’s racial policies to travel