The Century, America's Time: Then and Now (2 of 3)

Summary

This script recounts the Oklahoma City bombing, reflecting on the tragedy's impact and the public's initial misconception of foreign terrorism. It delves into the evolution of government's role in American life, from minimal intervention to extensive welfare and regulation, with the Great Society and President Roosevelt's New Deal as pivotal moments. The narrative also addresses racial tensions, the struggle for civil rights, and the enduring fight against racial inequality, highlighting the complexities of American society throughout the 20th century.

Takeaways

• 🏢 The Oklahoma City bombing was a devastating event that resulted in the collapse of the Federal Building's fifth floor and the tragic loss of 168 lives, including 19 children from a daycare center.
• 🚨 The aftermath of the bombing was filled with chaos and confusion, with survivors struggling to comprehend the sudden and violent event.
• 👮‍♂️ First responders like Officer Don described the scene as one of devastation, with the smell of pulverized and burned materials, and the heartbreaking sight of severely injured children.
• 🔍 Initially, many Americans suspected foreign terrorists for the Oklahoma City bombing, but it was later revealed to be the act of domestic terrorists, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, influenced by anti-government sentiments.
• 🔗 The Waco Siege, where federal agents attacked a religious cult compound, was a precursor to the Oklahoma City bombing, fueling the hatred of the perpetrators towards the government.
• 🏛 The perception of the U.S. government has evolved from a minimal presence in the early 20th century to a more expansive role, especially during the Great Depression and the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
• 💼 The New Deal and the Great Society programs significantly expanded the government's role in providing welfare and social services, shaping the modern American government's responsibility towards its citizens.
• 📉 The economic collapse of 1929 led to widespread poverty and the realization that the government needed to play a more active role in supporting its citizens, leading to the rise of social programs.
• 📊 The growth of government programs and the tax burden on the middle class led to a backlash, with figures like Ronald Reagan advocating for a reduction in the size and influence of the federal government.
• 📺 The power of television in the 1960s was instrumental in exposing the brutality of segregation and the civil rights movement, leading to a national outcry and subsequent legislative changes.
• 🌈 The civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s was a critical period in American history, with African Americans fighting for basic constitutional rights and facing violent resistance.
• 🗽 The Million Man March in 1995 highlighted the ongoing struggle for racial equality and the enduring legacy of racial tensions in America, with the event organized by the Nation of Islam leader, Louis Farrakhan.

Q & A

What event is described at the beginning of the transcript?

The Oklahoma City bombing, which caused the collapse of the Federal Building's fifth floor and resulted in 168 deaths, including 19 children under five from a daycare center on the building's second floor.

Who were the two Americans convicted for the Oklahoma City bombing?

Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, who were motivated by the government's actions against the Branch Davidians and their own extremist beliefs.

What historical event is mentioned that influenced the perception of government's role in people's lives?

The Great Depression of 1929, which led to the New Deal policies under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, expanding government's role in providing welfare and social security.

How did the government's response to the Great Depression change the perception of its role?

The New Deal policies marked a shift towards a government responsible for its citizens' welfare, which was a revolutionary idea at the time and helped to shape modern America.

What was the Great Society program, and how did it affect the perception of government?

The Great Society was a set of domestic programs launched by President Johnson aimed at eliminating poverty and racial injustice. It increased the government's size and tax burden, leading to mixed public opinion on its role.

What was the reaction to the government's growing size and influence in the 1980s?

Ronald Reagan's presidency marked a pushback against the trend started by Roosevelt, with a vow to reduce the size and influence of federal agencies, reflecting a desire for less government intervention.

What is the significance of Stone Mountain in Georgia in the context of American history?

Stone Mountain is home to a monument honoring Confederate leaders, symbolizing the legacy of the Ku Klux Klan and white supremacy in the United States.

How did the Ku Klux Klan's activities in Stone Mountain impact different communities?

The Klan's activities created a place of terror and fear for African Americans, Jewish people, Catholics, and other minority groups, representing a white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant male-dominated society.

What was the impact of television on the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s?

Television played a crucial role in the civil rights movement by broadcasting the violence and injustice faced by African Americans, which helped to galvanize national and international support for civil rights.

What event did Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lead in 1963 that was a turning point for the civil rights movement?

Dr. King led the March on Washington, where he delivered his famous 'I Have a Dream' speech to a crowd of over 200,000 people, highlighting the struggle for racial equality and justice.

What event in 1995 brought together 400,000 African American men to address racial issues in America?

The Million Man March, organized by the Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, aimed to address racial inequality and promote unity among African American men.

Outlines

00:00

💥 Oklahoma City Bombing and Its Aftermath

The first paragraph describes the harrowing experience of the Oklahoma City bombing, which resulted in the death of 168 people, including 19 children under five due to the presence of a daycare center in the building. It recounts the immediate aftermath as rescuers searched for survivors, and the emotional impact on the first responders. The narrative also touches on the initial public assumption that the attack was by foreign terrorists, only to reveal that it was perpetrated by domestic extremists, namely Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, who were motivated by anti-government sentiments stemming from previous government actions like the Waco Siege. The paragraph concludes with a reflection on the fluctuating perception of government's role in American society, from an abstract authority to a perceived intrusive 'Big Brother', and the historical context of economic crises and government response.

05:04

🏛️ The Evolution of Government's Role in American Society

The second paragraph delves into the evolution of the American government's role in the lives of its citizens, starting from the Great Depression when the government was seen as a non-entity to the introduction of social programs during President Johnson's Great Society. It highlights the shift in perception from minimal government intervention to a more active role in ensuring citizens' welfare, which was revolutionary at the time. The summary also touches on the community organizer's role in providing cultural exposure to families and the subsequent growth of government programs aimed at addressing various social needs. However, it also discusses the backlash against the growing tax burden on the middle class and the rise of figures like Ronald Reagan who advocated for reducing the size and influence of federal agencies, reflecting the cyclical nature of public opinion on government involvement.

10:06

🔄 The Struggle for Civil Rights and the Fight Against Racism

The third paragraph focuses on the long-standing issue of racial discrimination and the fight for civil rights in America. It starts with the acknowledgment of the terror and fear associated with places like Stone Mountain, which honors Confederate leaders and was a site for Ku Klux Klan rallies. The narrative moves to the struggle of African Americans for basic constitutional rights, facing violent resistance and the contradictions of segregation. The paragraph details the impact of television in bringing national attention to the civil rights movement, particularly the events of the 1960s and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s march on Washington. It concludes with a reflection on the persistence of racial issues, as evidenced by the 1995 Million Man March and the ongoing fight against white supremacy and its implications for societal harmony.

Keywords

💡Oklahoma City bombing

The Oklahoma City bombing refers to a domestic terrorist attack that took place in 1995, where a truck bomb destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. This event is central to the video's theme of violence and hatred, illustrating the destructive power of such acts and their impact on society. The script describes the immediate aftermath of the explosion and the loss of life, including children at a daycare center.

💡Federal Building

A Federal Building is a government-owned structure that houses various federal agencies. In the context of the video, the Federal Building is the target of the Oklahoma City bombing, symbolizing the attack on the government and its institutions. The script mentions the collapse of the fifth floor where a character named Priscilla worked, highlighting the personal impact of the tragedy.

💡Terrorism

Terrorism is the use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, to achieve political aims. The video discusses the initial belief that the Oklahoma City bombing was the work of foreign terrorists, but it was actually perpetrated by domestic extremists. This term is crucial in understanding the video's exploration of fear, hatred, and violence.

💡Branch Davidians

The Branch Davidians were a religious sect involved in a standoff with federal agents, which ended in a tragic fire and the deaths of more than 80 people. The video uses this incident to show how government actions can fuel resentment and extremism, as it is mentioned that the Waco siege deepened the hatred of federal authorities held by Timothy McVeigh, one of the Oklahoma City bombers.

💡Great Depression

The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression that took place during the 1930s. The video uses the Great Depression to illustrate a time when the government's role was minimal, and the lack of social safety nets led to widespread suffering. It contrasts this period with the later expansion of government programs aimed at alleviating social needs.

💡New Deal

The New Deal refers to a series of programs and projects undertaken by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to provide relief, recovery, and reform during the Great Depression. The video mentions the New Deal to highlight a shift in government responsibility towards its citizens' welfare, which was a revolutionary idea at the time and helped to shape modern America.

💡Great Society

The Great Society was a set of domestic programs launched by President Lyndon B. Johnson to eliminate poverty and racial injustice. The video uses the Great Society to discuss the expansion of government programs aimed at addressing social needs, which made people feel special and important, but also led to a significant increase in the tax burden on the middle class.

💡Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan was the 40th President of the United States, known for his conservative policies aimed at reducing the size and influence of the federal government. The video mentions Reagan to illustrate the public's desire for a smaller government and lower taxes, reflecting a pendulum swing in public opinion about the role of government.

💡White supremacy

White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to other races and should therefore dominate society. The video discusses the history of white supremacy in the United States, from the Ku Klux Klan to the Confederate leaders honored at Stone Mountain, Georgia, and its impact on minority groups, particularly African Americans.

💡Civil rights movement

The civil rights movement was a struggle for social justice and equal rights for African Americans, which gained momentum in the 1950s and 1960s. The video uses the civil rights movement to illustrate the fight against segregation and the struggle for basic constitutional rights, highlighting the role of television in bringing national attention to the cause.

💡Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a key leader in the civil rights movement, known for his advocacy of nonviolent resistance and his famous 'I Have a Dream' speech. The video mentions King to emphasize the leadership and impact of the civil rights movement, as well as the broader struggle for freedom and equality.

Highlights

The Federal Building was at the center of the blast, causing a sudden jolt and quietness.

Priscilla, working on the fifth floor, fell unconscious through to the second floor after the explosion.

168 people were killed in the Oklahoma City bombing, including 19 children under five.

A daycare center was present on the second floor of the building, contributing to the tragic loss of life.

Many initially believed the Oklahoma City bombing was the work of foreign terrorists, but it was actually carried out by Americans.

Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, both Americans, were later convicted for the Oklahoma City bombing.

The government's attack on the Branch Davidians' compound two years prior deepened the hatred held by McVeigh and Nichols.

Early 20th century Washington DC was seen as an abstract authority with minimal government intervention.

The 1929 stock market crash led to a severe economic collapse and a call for government action.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt's presidency in 1932 marked a shift towards a more involved government.

The Great Society under President Johnson aimed to address every social need with government programs.

Ronald Reagan's presidency aimed to reduce the size and influence of federal agencies.

The perception of government's role in citizens' welfare evolved significantly throughout the century.

The Ku Klux Klan announced its rebirth in Stone Mountain, Georgia in 1915, symbolizing white supremacy.

The struggle for civil rights in the 1950s was met with violent resistance, often televised.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 march on Washington was a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement.

The Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan organized a gathering of 400,000 African-American men in 1995.

The concept of white supremacy was challenged and discussed in the context of American history.

Transcripts

the Federal Building had been at the

center of the blast all of a sudden it

got very I had felt a jolt my idiot and

I felt this jolt on my my cheek and

everything got very quiet I started

falling forward and I kept fighting and

trying to sit up and I didn't know what

was happening in the force of the

explosion the fifth floor where

Priscilla worked collapsed unconscious

she fell straight through to the second

floor

[Music]

anything below on the day we heard I

heard someone say we have a live one

here I'm listening because it sound like

they were way off in the distance but

the me and actually took my hand up

police officer Don hauled was among the

first to arrive on the scene what you

smelled everything being pulverized and

burned and

you know just death

I remember carrying out one little boy

and he he didn't have a face that was it

was gone I laid him down and I told my

sorry

168 people were killed 19 of them

children under five there was a day care

center on the building second floor

many Americans believed instinctively

that the Oklahoma City bombing was the

work of foreign terrorists they were

wrong our own children know that we will

stand against the forces of fear when

there is talk of hatred let us stand up

and talk against it when there is talk

of violence let us stand up two years

before the tragedy in Oklahoma City

federal agents had attacked the armed

compound of a religious cult known as

the Branch Davidians more than 80 people

were killed in an assault which ended a

51-day standoff played out on national

television the government action

deepened the hatred of federal

authorities held by Timothy McVeigh a

Gulf War veteran and Terry Nichols the

two Americans who were later convicted

of the Oklahoma City bombing radical

extremists aside many Americans do feel

that their government has become

something of an omnipresent and

intrusive Big Brother at the beginning

of the century Washington DC represented

little more than an abstract authority

back then government levied no taxes

issued few regulations and offered no

safety nets it was survival of the

fittest but it became hard for even the

fitters to survive when the stock market

crashed in 1929 and signaled the

country's economic collapse her family

felt the depression immediately

my father couldn't get a job there was

no unemployment insurance there was no

social security there was no welfare it

was the end of everything

many people were waiting in soup lines

for a bowl of soup and a piece of bread

and whole families mother father and

children with nothing to eat and no

place to spend the night it was pitiful

[Music]

and so many people felt that we were in

danger of a revolution because there

were many people who felt the government

should do something and the government

was doing nothing strikes and protests

were spreading a revolution was averted

when Franklin Delano Roosevelt became

president in 1932

we bet money

it went to foot Navy men and women

without God to work

[Music]

my father could get a job so it was only

sixty sixty-five dollars a month all

those young men sitting around they got

more I know it is said it really didn't

cure the depression but it sure cured

the depression in our house Chanel that

revolutionized the perception of what

government owes the people and what its

role is that government should be

responsible for its citizens welfare was

a revolutionary idea but it helped to

shape modern America and it reached its

Apogee in President Johnson's Great

Society

my mother she sent me down to the table

and she laid out all of the bills in the

house and she laid out the water bill in

the gas bill and what we plan to buy

groceries and she said this is all the

money that we have

one day the community organizer came to

our door to share information about the

programs they wanted to give you some

exposure to culture we obtained a first

airplane ride or to see a play or the

Opera the Great Society and the programs

of the Great Society made you feel

special they wanted to encourage you to

let you know that you are important and

that you can make it there seem to be a

government program for every social need

many people benefited but the government

grew enormous and so did the tax burden

on the middle class those who had had

enough saw a champion in Ronald Reagan

he vowed to reverse the trend started by

President Roosevelt I believe it is

clear our federal government is

overgrown and overweight indeed it is

time our government should go on a diet

without giving up their benefits

Americans wanted to reduce the size and

influence of federal agencies similar to

the beginning of a century a time when

people had fewer taxes and government

was less obvious the pendulum swings

back and forth there's a time when

people look to the government to do a

lot and then their ties it they want the

government to get out of their lives

what people expect from their government

stayed in flux throughout the century it

is one of those constantly evolving

principles which influence President

Roosevelt when he called American

democracy a story without an end

[Music]

in 1903 the social philosopher w eb de

bois wrote the problem of the 20th

century is the problem of the color line

every decade since has proven him right

Stone Mountain Georgia has its own

version of Mount Rushmore a monument

honoring the leaders of the Confederate

side in the Civil War

[Music]

my aunt she was instrumental in that car

being being on the mountain they got up

money to start it is magnificent

and when I stand there and look at it I

didn't have tears in my eyes because

they were wonderful men and it was

something they thought they were doing

that was right

they believed in white supremist that

was that philosophy it was just a way of

life in the south in 1915 when the Ku

Klux Klan announced its rebirth it did

so in Stone Mountain Georgia my uncle

worked for the Grand Wizard of the

Knights of the Ku blanket and as a child

I had the privilege of being carried to

his home and he treated me very nice for

every year until 1990 the Ku Klux Klan

held a rally in Stone Mountain on the

Saturday before Labor Day and they were

go up and down their streets and they

would just be blowing their horn and

thus would be just everywhere and we'd

be saying all that kind of clueless here

come the cold

[Applause]

[Music]

it was fascinating and amazing to us

it's true

they was covered all in white and the

only thing that we saw his children was

these little brown things when they saw

under their eyes they used to burn

across it was just remarkable and they

had the loudspeakers turn up loud enough

and we could sit on the porch and hear

everything that they said it was

anything knit it was everything that it

was that was that thing the methods of

rule there terroristic and they are

thugs Chuck Burroughs grew up in

Louisiana Stone Mountain to people of

African descent who didn't live here but

it heard about it was a place of terror

and fear not only took people of African

descent but to Jewish people to

Catholics it basically stood for white

anglo-saxon Protestant male dominated

society every minority group in this

countries had to fight for itself but

none so long as African Americans as

they struggled for basic constitutional

rights they were faced with the terror

and the dizzying contradictions of

segregation

in the 1950s black Americans began to

push more fervently for their civil

rights the response resembled a new kind

of civil war even had the Governor of

Alabama George Wallace spewing forth the

politics of separation and dissolution

of our unity as a nation so I saw

elderly men and women and children

fire-hosed and beaten and having dogs

attack them sicked on them by the police

because they wanted to register to vote

they wanted to drink out of a water

fountain in a public park they wanted to

be able to sit in a lunch counter like

everyone else simple things in life

black kids being beaten up in the south

there was nothing new about that what

was new about it was that it was filmed

and people saw when you see the blood

running out of someone's head for no

other reason than they are asking the

United States government to obey its own

laws then it becomes a national or an

international event there there was a

very simple reason for why so many

things happened so quickly in the early

1960s and that reason was television let

freedom reign in 1963 civil rights

leader Dr Martin Luther King jr. led a

march on Washington he spoke to a crowd

of more than 200,000 people it was so

many black people there but then it was

so many white people that was going to

be part of us accomplishing this freedom

I just I was just told when to just

start flowing down because that let me

know that I was gonna be a part of that

freedom that was gonna take place the

Moses had a rise of the black people and

we were gonna be late

but more than 30 years later not much

has changed for many african-americans

on October the 16th 1995 400,000

african-american men came from every

state in the Union to the nation's

capital

Deon Warner a lawyer made the journey

from Houston Texas the gathering was

organized by the Nation of Islam leader

Louis Farrakhan the real evil in America

is called white Supremes because the

idea of white supremacy mean you should

rule because your wife that makes you

sick

[Applause]

[Music]

I'm certain that there are many people

who felt as though there would be some

negative repercussions from having all

those black males in one place at one

time

[Music]

and and I think some of that is because

what they see on the news everyday when

they see people getting arrested people

doing drugs or black men black man you

don't have to bash white people all we

gotta do is go back home and turn our

community's interpreter