The Civil Rights History Project: Survey of Collections and Repositories

Constitutional law and the civil rights movement: visiting history and heroes

Repository: Stetson University. College of Law. Library

Collection Description (Extant): Constitutional Law and the Civil Rights Movement: Visiting History and Heroes: An Oral History Project of the Stetson University College of Law is an ongoing, interdisciplinary project in which law students travel throughout the South and interview participants of the civil rights movement. In particular, they focus on the relationship between the movement and its legal aspects, specifically constitutional law (1st amendment and 13th-15th amendments). Two documentary films have been produced as a result of this project, which are featured on a web site that includes 7-8 interviews of civil rights activists conducted as part of the project; these interviews serve as teaching modules. The films and web site are particularly aimed at educators and law students across the country, providing models for experiential learning. Overall, this collection includes interviews and panel discussions of 40-45 people. One-on-one interviews exist for 10-11 people; some were interviewed more than once. People interviewed include famed civil rights activist C. T. Vivian (who compares racism in the North and South), former Department of Justice official John Seigenthaler, Sr., freedom riders, and Doug Jones, who prosecuted the culprits of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama.

Access Copy Note: As mentioned above, 7-8 interviews and the two documentary films are featured on a web site. The raw materials for these items, as well as the other interviews conducted for this project, are located on a flash server of the Stetson University College of Law and deposited at the institution's law library.

Collection URL: http://www.law.stetson.edu/civilrights/

Digital Status: Born-digital

Extent: video discs (DVDs); state-of-the-art digital tape

Language: English

Interviewees: C. T. Vivian, John Seigenthaler, Sr., Doug Jones, Ernest “Rip” Patton, Martin Firestone

Rights (CRHP): Contact the repository which holds the collection for information on rights

Subjects:

16th Street Baptist Church Bombing, Birmingham, Ala., 1963
African American civil rights workers
African Americans--Civil rights
Civil rights demonstrations
Civil rights movements--Southern States
Civil rights--Cases
Constitutional law
Freedom Rides, 1961
United States--Politics and government

Genres:

Interviews
Videorecordings