The Sugar Bowl Controversy

Prompt:

Historian Lane Demas argues that the debate surrounding Georgia Tech’s participation in the 1956 Sugar Bowl and “the subsequent backlash of most whites in the state—reveals tension not only between progress and Jim Crow but also among segregationists themselves” (76-77). In what ways did the Sugar Bowl controversy represent “an important politicized episode that enriches our understanding of the struggle to integrate schools, buses, and voting booths?” In your answer, be sure to discuss the importance of college football in the South and how the sport became entangled in the broader civil rights movement.

Citations:

For quotations and paraphrasing, please cite the pages from Demas’ essay, “We Play Anyone” using parenthetical references at the end of your sentences. For example, in your first citation paraphrasing or quoting the author, you will write (Demas, “We Play Anyone,” 77). For this essay, thereafter, you only have to cite the specific page number since you will only be writing using one source.

Guidelines:

• Your essay must be at least two pages long, but no longer than three pages.
• Your essay must have a thesis statement. A thesis answers the question as specifically as possible.
• Your introduction paragraph should provide the necessary and relevant background to lead into your argument.
• Your essay should follow a logical path and have clear paragraphs with strong topic sentences.
• Your essay must rely on evidence from the reading and lecture. A good essay offers specific examples to support general points.
• Use quotes judiciously. Quotations can be effective, but overuse diminishes your authority.
• Do not write sentences that start with “I” or “This essay will . . .” Instead, write in crisp, formal language.
• Proofread your work! Read your essay out loud to catch mistakes and polish your language.