More Upset Than Most: Measuring and Understanding African American Responses to the Kennedy Assassination

IF 0.5 4区社会学 0 HUMANITIES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

AMERICAN QUARTERLY Pub Date : 2023-06-01 DOI:10.1353/aq.2023.a898160

Sharron Wilkins Conrad

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Abstract

Abstract:A public opinion poll conducted by the University of Chicago's National Opinion Research Center (NORC) after President John Kennedy's assassination illuminates African Americans' deep veneration of him. While Americans of every race, religion, and region grieved Kennedy's death, the Black community's anguish seemed more intense, lasted longer, and was complicated by their unique experience. Since 1964, scholars have written about Kennedy's civil rights leadership, but existing studies only touch on why African Americans mourned him so acutely and cherished his memory so conscientiously. Substantive gains in the final months of his presidency—combined with earlier, symbolic gestures—added up to an enduring affection for Kennedy among Black citizens.NORC data substantiated the unusual ways that Black mourners processed Kennedy's death. African Americans held segregationists responsible for the assassination, inducing profound gratitude for the martyred Kennedy. Appreciation inspired Black families to hang Kennedy's portrait in their homes alongside images of Jesus Christ and Martin Luther King—a tradition I term "the Trinity." Trinity memorials channeled community grief, conveyed Kennedy's significance to future generations, and remain a touchstone within Black popular culture. This study challenges scholarly assessments of Kennedy's civil rights accomplishments, documenting the genesis and resilience of his memory for African Americans.

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比大多数人更沮丧:衡量和理解非裔美国人对肯尼迪遇刺的反应

摘要:约翰·肯尼迪总统遇刺后，芝加哥大学全国民意研究中心(NORC)进行的一项民意调查显示，非裔美国人对他怀有深深的敬意。虽然各个种族、宗教和地区的美国人都为肯尼迪的死感到悲痛，但黑人社区的痛苦似乎更强烈，持续的时间更长，而且由于他们独特的经历而变得更加复杂。自1964年以来，学者们撰写了关于肯尼迪在民权运动中的领导地位的文章，但现有的研究只涉及为什么非裔美国人如此强烈地哀悼他，如此认真地缅怀他。在肯尼迪总统任期的最后几个月里，他取得了实质性的进步，加上早些时候一些象征性的举动，使得黑人公民对肯尼迪产生了持久的好感。NORC的数据证实了黑人哀悼者处理肯尼迪之死的不同寻常的方式。非裔美国人认为种族隔离主义者应对暗杀负责，对肯尼迪烈士深表感激。对肯尼迪的赞赏促使黑人家庭把他的画像和耶稣基督和马丁·路德·金的画像一起挂在家里，我把这个传统称为“三位一体”。三一纪念馆传递了社区的悲痛，向后代传达了肯尼迪的重要意义，并且仍然是黑人流行文化的试金石。这项研究挑战了对肯尼迪民权成就的学术评估，记录了他对非裔美国人记忆的起源和恢复。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

AMERICAN QUARTERLY HUMANITIES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY-

CiteScore

0.80

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： American Quarterly represents innovative interdisciplinary scholarship that engages with key issues in American Studies. The journal publishes essays that examine American societies and cultures, past and present, in global and local contexts. This includes work that contributes to our understanding of the United States in its diversity, its relations with its hemispheric neighbors, and its impact on world politics and culture. Through the publication of reviews of books, exhibitions, and diverse media, the journal seeks to make available the broad range of emergent approaches to American Studies.