William Tyler
An Old War’s Open Wounds Continue to Fester: Civil War and Civil Rights
Summary
Within the first century of America’s independence, the enslavement of black people created nationwide division, leading to the Civil War in the 1860s. In 1955 racial issues persisted, gaining international attention through the case of Rosa Parks and the rise of the Civil Rights Movement under the charismatic leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
William Tyler
William Tyler has spent his entire professional life in adult education, beginning at Kingsgate College in 1969. He has lectured widely for many public bodies, including the University of Cambridge and the WEA, in addition to speaking to many clubs and societies. In 2009, William was awarded the MBE for services to adult education, and he has previously been a scholar in residence at the London Jewish Cultural Centre.
The precise opposite. I wouldn’t want anyone to think, who isn’t British, that Britain was or is free of racism. It isn’t. It wasn’t in the legislation, that was what was important. And increasingly in the 20th century, it was regarded as poor form to state something that was racist.
We hadn’t had slavery in the American sense at all, and slaves in Britain were banned from the 18th century onwards. We simply didn’t experience what America experienced. And it’s probably numbers too. You just accepted Black children in schools, and Black soldiers in the army. I don’t think that was ever questioned.