Rosa Parks -- The "Great Woman" Theory at Work
There are two principal ways of approaching history. One is the "great man" theory. History is determined by the actions of great men. Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan, Napoleon. Without them, history would have been completely different.
Oppposed to this is the inexorable movement theory. The ancien regime in France was finished after the French Revolution and something entirely new would replace it. Napoleon was the instrument, but without him, it would have been someone else.
Following the death of Rosa Parks, we seem to be seeing the "great man" theory at work, modified slightly to accommodate a woman. I don't want to trivialize what she did. It took considerable courage in Alabama in the1950's to tell white folks that you weren't going to take it anymore. But times were changing and someone, someday was going to do it.
A much stronger argument could be made for Martin Luther King Jr.. The contribution he made to the Civil Rights movement was unequalled during his lifetime and it's hard to say names like Jesse Jackson, let alone Al Sharpton, in the same breath at Martin Luther King Jr. and not choke.
It's fascinating to watch Republican leaders paying homage to Rosa Parks. The same leaders who not long ago were feting Strom Thurmond on his retirement. It's hard to do both, but I'm always amazed at the flexibility of politicians.
Oppposed to this is the inexorable movement theory. The ancien regime in France was finished after the French Revolution and something entirely new would replace it. Napoleon was the instrument, but without him, it would have been someone else.
Following the death of Rosa Parks, we seem to be seeing the "great man" theory at work, modified slightly to accommodate a woman. I don't want to trivialize what she did. It took considerable courage in Alabama in the1950's to tell white folks that you weren't going to take it anymore. But times were changing and someone, someday was going to do it.
A much stronger argument could be made for Martin Luther King Jr.. The contribution he made to the Civil Rights movement was unequalled during his lifetime and it's hard to say names like Jesse Jackson, let alone Al Sharpton, in the same breath at Martin Luther King Jr. and not choke.
It's fascinating to watch Republican leaders paying homage to Rosa Parks. The same leaders who not long ago were feting Strom Thurmond on his retirement. It's hard to do both, but I'm always amazed at the flexibility of politicians.
posted by Rob Spooner at 6:35 AM
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