History of slavery and jim crow laws. In an unprecedented threehour report, nbc news presents, the American Revolution of 63, a study of s quest for negro equality. Here is nbc news correspondent frank mcgee. Frank there comes a time when man seems is life is being altered forever, that an old order is dying in a new one the new ones being born. For some, the moment arrives when a deed of new dimension sets the hour apart, for others, when words are spoken more sharply. Later, but still suddenly, it seems men are saying and doing things they have never said or done before. Then we know we are experiencing a revolution. But we cannot say, though hell store ins will try though historians will try, when it began. We know that autumn does not begin with the turning of the leaves, but earlier, on some afternoon when a shadow passes over the fields, and it is no longer in summer. So did the American Revolution in63, begin in birmingham 1955, or in montgomery, or in 1954 with the Supreme Court decision, or in 1863 with the proclamation. Some of its roots reach back to 1776, even back to the year 52, when the apostle paul said god has made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on the face of the earth. The truth is, the American Revolution 1963 began in all of those years, that those generations past along to this one a restless vision that sometimes and sometimes absent sometimes flows but moves toward freedom for all men. Our purpose now is to define this revolution. We propose to show how it began. It began in many ways, the corset is following, there are many tributaries, and its effects. This, we shall take the next three hours. We have step list no rigid form we have established no rigid form for doing this, revolutions dont fit easily into standard containers. We are confident that any strand in a fabric being woven will ultimately cross all the other stance, as in albany, georgia. There and into hundreds of southern communities, the church s privileged sanctuary. The story was covered by herbert caplow. Religious spiritual being sung] herbert music has long used as andxpression of protest, why in september 1961 albany became a target, no one is sure. The resentment showed itself in albany in song and in other forms and arenas of demonstration. Oh, freedom, my lord i will be free freedom, herbert kohl and a ban on demonstrations has brought more than 1500 arrests of desegregation us so far, most last sub when forces of Martin Luther king were prominent in the drive. Cameoutside albany ministers and rabbis to demonstrate in street prayer. Here to offer up our prayers to god. What is your purpose . Our purpose is to offer our prayers to god. I am asking you to disperse and go your normal way, go back to your normal places of livelihood, preach to your own and clear your own community of lawlessness before you come here to try to convert us. Anybody else want to be heard from . Blessed to be the lord. From this time forth, and forever more. And the clergymen, like other demonstrators, were arrested. And as albany became a bigger national story, city officials continued in their refusal to negotiate with the negroes, which brought comment from president kennedy. Why find it inexplicable the city of albany will not sit down with the citizens of albany, who may be negroes, and an attempt to negotiate with them. Cityt understand why the council of albany cant do the same for american citizens. Quiett the otherwise georgia city, 37,000 whites, 23,000 acres, remained 23,000 negroes. We are all disappointed with the recalcitrance of the city commission, and their refusal to talk with leaders of the albany movement. But in spite of this, we see something developing in this community, which is one of the most significant elements in the civil rights struggle. And i am convinced that within the next few months, we will be able to see changes in this community, and will completely change in terms of desegregation and new levels of communication. Herbert but what has resulted from 1500 arrests . Tangibly, little, negro leaders concede. Against of thed federal government and alleged retaliation against a white juror who voted against their interest in another matter. The White Community of albany has done nothing of significance, knows desegregation of stores, no committee formed. There are no demonstrations now in albany, mass meetings every monday night, but little else. The police chief says albany is it not the way it was before all this. In tangibly, there is one thing that did come out of albany for the negroes. Thein luther king learned lessons of failure here, and did not build did not repeat them in his next foray, birmingham. There are now and have always been those who wish to stand aloof from a messy struggle and utmost, to remain unemotionally involved. They are always an uncomfortable and usually an unhappy lot. An oldan 100 years ago, woman, the mother of a member of lincolns cabinet, said these words, of all these things in the world i hate slavery the most, except abolitionist. These abolitionists, scourge of the south and bane of the north, crossed the line between righteousness and selfrighteousness sent spread what many union men considered pernicious views until they enlarge toward to save the union into a war to abolish slavery. In amherst, massachusetts, buildings and trees stand guard over 100 memories. There is a doorway now known to students for over a century and a half. Here is a student name henry ward beecher, who established a church in brooklyn. Here he could read the liberator, the antislavery newspaper published by the uncompromising William Lloyd garrison. Beecher would remember, and in the years ahead he would shock cap the country by auctioning a slave girl from the pulpit of his church, a stirring protest. Greeley ollis there was Horace Greeley of the powerful new york tribune, said, are ours he security belongs to god. Julia wardhow that writing the words would be spoken at thousand times when the angry storm came. Each protesting slavery. And here is how it started. Africa, the coast of guinea, a tribesman properly subdued and but and brent did, brought a better price. Africa,hey were the coast of guinea, a tribesman properly set nude and brought a better price than rice. They were packed into ships. These are their children, names and age unknown. The price, it was a thing of supply and demand. February 5, it was a tuesday, magazine street in new york, 41 sold to the highest bidder. There was lewis, a black man, 32, good field hand and labor. Shelley, 26. Wesley. A 24yearold bricklayer and mason brought the days top price, 2700. It was the same in New Amsterdam and a score of ports and inland cities. 2700 for a bricklayer. Their women made good servants, but the babies could do nothing useful, not for long time. Sometimes, they were not made a part of the auction. It was a matter of business, or so they said. A peculiar institution was argued and debated, attacked and defended, but it was there. Different. S were events might have happened differently. And those against slavery almost won in the beginning. By the end of the revolutionary war, it was acknowledge that slavery was not only immoral, it was economically unwise. You could fire a slave. He had to be fed and clothed. The system was dying out. It might have died out completely, but for this man. He was not an evil man. His name was eli whitney. In 1793, he invented a device to separate cotton seeds from the fiber. It was brilliantly simple. Now, a girl could do the work of men. 10 could replace 100. Almost, cotton became the main crop of the south. Cotton, everywhere, replacing rice and tobacco and sorghum. For thequickly baled endless boats that waited at river thames, cotton for the hungry mills of new england, whose hunger seemed to grow when it was fed. Manmaden a stark, landscape that seemed to stretch to a horizon. Those who apologized for slavery were called back, called back to draw pictures on how the word of god was given to a happy and well loved people. Just picture an evening seen on dancing andusic, singing voices per that was the idea. But this is closer to the reality. And this. Any tried to escape, this. Appeared, new book Uncle Toms Cabin it seems hopelessly Old Fashioned now, but to its generation, it came like an avenging bolt of lightning. President lincoln would meet the author, harriet teacher style, sister of henry ward harriet , sister of the preacher henry ward beecher. We cant know what it was like in a darkened theater to sit and watch a play unfold. In 1903, Thomas Edison made a film, and it looked like this. Liza crosses the ice to freedom. Now, the beating of uncle tom. The villain is simon lou correa, harsh overseer of the slaves. Uncle tom, and here came the classic time does classic line that brought tears to a generation. You may own my body, but my soul belongs to god. and a change was coming. New york city. Lovely brownstone exists, came still a hint that the issue was moving toward a summer revolution. 60 winter of 18 to 1860 came Abraham Lincoln, a politician from illinois, relatively unknown, and he wouldnt have been invited at all if Horace Greeley at the tribute hadnt been dissatisfied with all the other republican leaders. Mr. Lincoln might have had something to say. He did. Letaid we can not afford to slavery alone where it is, but can we . Should we allow it to spread into the National Territory and overrun us here in the free states . If our sense of duty for bids this, let us stand by our duty, and fearlessly and effectively. Neither let us be slanted by our duty by for psyches asian against us, nor frightened from it by menaces of disruption to the government or of dungeons for ourselves. Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith let us to the end dared to do it. Uty as we understand it doesnt seem like a very powerful statement, not here and not to us, but it was daring and dramatic in 1860. And suddenly everyone was talking about the lean man with the sad eyes who came to new york and spoke his peace. 100yearold words that echo still. Conflicte hints of the to come. This is harpers ferry, 1850 nine, a place of no importance at all except for the presence of a government armory. And here came john brown. The plan was to capture arms and start a negro revolt, but it failed and brown was executed. I, john brown, and certain the crimes of this guilty land will not be purged away but with lot. That with blood but with blood. It came first at a place called bull run. There would be more. On september 9, 100 years ago, cool in maryland, pleasant and september, but not that night. Somewhere up ahead, many would die. Americans died, for each army about equal. Lincoln would call it a victory. Talkme to antietam to strategy with general mcclellan, but his thoughts were long and deep. Now is the time. He spoke with his cabinet. Stanton was against it. No, no. Seward, all of them doubted. Andy and single resolution and in loneliness, lincoln made the decision. But on the first day of january, 1863, all persons held as slaves within any state or designated a part of the state, the people thereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shelby then and thenceforth and forever shall be then and thenceforth and forever free. And i make known that persons of suitable condition shall be welcomed into the armed forces of the United States. Have a reckoning, perhaps it is here. He is not for sale, this man. He is a soldier, bound to his status and his job. Perhaps it began here. For men who dared to fight end dared to dream, and now, for the first time, we really saw their faces. The proclamation emancipated no slaves. Lincoln had known it would not. Pre such a decree, surely, could not be more binding than the constitution, and that cannot be enforced in the part of the country right now. The proclamation would only free the slaves after union and peace. And on august 6, 18 64, it was said that peace must come through the negotiations of grant and sherman. William tecumseh sherman, red bearded and perhaps half mad, but seeing in a way that perhaps only the half mad to see. Sherman realized hatred had become the driving force of the work. He accepted this. Thename, he said was to rip rebels, humble their pride, follow them to their recesses and make them fear and dread us. He did. Atlanta, georgia. Sherman, first to realize technology had changed the classics of warfare, was the first to strike at the source of the armed power instead of the armed power itself. 99 years ago today, he battered his way into atlanta and began the ruthless disruption of the city. Rail lines were ripped up. Bonfires were dealt with the ties and the rails were heated redhot and twisted around trees to make him furious. Foundries were wrecked, smokestacks wrecked. Arsenales spread to an and night explosions thundered against flame red skies. Sherman replied, war is cruel and you cannot refine it. When he rode out of the city, one third of atlanta lay in ashes. Today, although atlanta has not really forgotten, it has changed. Nbcs sandra van and atlanta constitution editor ralph mcgill, surveyed the city. Early asa began as 1819, with a cook 1919, with the commission dealing with interracial problems. This continued end in 1938 it was established in two a Southern Regional counsel with offices in all the Southern States but with headquarters here. This was a research organization. Well, this sort of background made it possible for interested persons to look at the city. We played ahink part here at this newspaper, the atlanta constitution. Had a lot of help, especially from mayor bill hartsfield, mayor for 23 years. I remember bill coming to see us about 16 years ago, and we began a campaign on the paper to help them put in negro police. The old story, opposition, there will be blood in the streets, well, nothing happened. It was enormously successful. We now have some of them promoted to officer status. We still have got a great deal to do with making this a better city for police. Andad a fine police chief, still have him, herbert jenkins, who trained his foleys early , well before the Eisenhower Administration or Kennedy Administration began to bring civil rights to the fore. This police chief was training officers and patrol men in the right of citizens. Luckya has not been a city, but we have worked out it, and we have worked together at this. And we have not been unaware of the problem. You have looked at this problem for a long time. Aspirationsnegro here are a reflection of something profound going on in american society. I think it is something going on in american society. Looking at it across a span of 35 years in this city, it seems to me that we were going along and making progress. Indeed, we had done most of the things in atlanta before the great out first of sitins and demonstrations. But it seems to me that what happened in birmingham, alabama, police dogs, several days of fruit allergy, several days brutality, televisions showing it a newspapers writing about it, this seemed to me to overnight. Pattern it seemed like the proclamation ending slavery, that the sparks from it fell on every state in the union. The happened in birmingham, sparks fell on every state in the union, and this is what changed things. This opened up demands for the civil rights in the north, the east end west. So i feel like north, the east and the west. So i feel like this is a national thing, and we are well on our way. But right is happening now, there is no question of national involvement. Narrator nearly a decade after the Supreme Court ended school speed, the with all annual right was the enrollment ina few negro students previously allwhite schools. Sometimes it was accompanied by howling mobs, but overwhelmingly, most white americans felt the negro was making progress. It was not until the spring of this year, 1963, delusion was shattered suddenly arrest but not fully awakened, some of us were baffled by the new character of the struggle. Schools were no longer the prime target. In baltimore, it was an amusement. And ministers and whites of all faith were arrested for joining negroes in trespassing on segregated ground. Had negro evolved so that negroes the movement had evolved so that negroes were evoking the constitution itself. Spilled his cause out of the newspapers and courtrooms into the streets. It happened in birmingham, alabama. It is reported by richard. May, water from highpressure fire hoses sent dozens of negroes sprawling here just a few blocks from downtown birmingham. Dogs, also used motorcycles, even in armed car to break up negro mobs. Fiveweekter a demonstration against racial segregation in birmingham, the most totally segregated bigcity in the south. By campaign was directed reverend Martin Luther king jr. Behind me is the 16th street baptist church, the staging area for the demonstrations. On good friday, i watched dr. King lead a small march through this part. Police commissioner Eugene Connor ordered his arrest. These men played principal roles in the drama of birmingham. [indiscernible conversations] [whistle] we preach and practice the use of nonviolent direct action progress onmmediate the middle road between complacency and violence. Birmingham movement was directed against white rum white supremacy. The Campaign Began with smallscale marches with police generally using restraint but impatience. Then, a new element, following dr. Kings campaign to go to jail deliberately to dramatize the negro protest against segregation. The supply of recruits for the nonviolent army was unlimited. About 40 of birmingham were negro. The demonstrations attracted huge crowds of onlookers, negro es who were not trained in the principles of nonviolence. A supercharged atmosphere marked the racial antagonism. In. Ce dogs were brought they had also been used against white crowds during freedom riots 10 years ago. Water spraying from fire hoses] negroes threw rocks and bottles at police and for the next five days, riots and near riots. Leaders of the Birmingham Movement joined foleys in an effort to calm the mob, to no event. But leaders insisted there would be no let up in the demonstrations. The demonstrators had aroused long feelings of bitterness and frustration negro n