HIS 100 Project Template
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Southern New Hampshire University *
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History
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Feb 20, 2024
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HIS 100 Project Template(1)HIS 100 Project Template
Use this template to address the steps in your Project Guidelines and Rubric. Replace the bracketed text with your responses. Ensure that you have considered your instructor’s feedback when revising your work. Proofread the entire document before submitting.
Part 1: Creating a Research Question
1.
Describe how your assumptions, beliefs, and values influenced your choice of topic.
Personally, I have a bias against police and police brutality and tend to view situations like the raid that led to the Stonewall Rebellion with a lot of suspicion, whereas I tend to view the riots themselves much more leniently. As a queer, nonbinary person, I am part of the LGBTQIA community so that also tends to color my assumptions about situations like the riots following the raid at the Stonewall Inn and the motivations behind the raid itself. I also would assume that
the raid itself took place because the Stonewall Inn was a gay bar during a time when homosexuality was not as mainstream and accepted as it is today during a time of great political upheaval in the US. These assumptions and beliefs made the Stonewall Rebellion the most interesting choice to me as it allowed me to challenge my biases and dig deeper into a historical event that I didn’t know that much about when I started researching it. 2.
Discuss the significance of your historical research question in relation to your current event.
When you look at the murder of George Floyd, you may not think that it has anything to do with the Stonewall Rebellion but taking a closer look at the reasons that the patrons of the Stonewall Inn were more likely to defend it can help us to understand why the murder of George Floyd sparked the Black Lives Matter movement. George Floyd was far from the first black man to be murdered while in police custody in the same way that the Stonewall Inn was not the first gay bar to be raided and shut down in New York City at the time of the raid. By looking at the bigger picture of systemic oppression that ties the two events together, we can gain a better understanding of why these exact moments, this murder and this raid, sparked the movements that they did when other similar events didn’t. My question, how did the composition of the regular clientele of the Stonewall Inn make them more likely to defend it from being raided by the police, can also help us to understand how the events that led up to and immediately followed the murder of George Floyd ended up sparking a nationwide movement against systemic racism and police brutality. By understanding how the clientele of the Stonewall Inn being made up of the outcasts within an oppressed minority group made them more likely to defend it from being raided by the police, we can better understand how the murder of an innocent man caused another oppressed minority group to feel that they had nothing left to lose and to fight back against the systemic oppression they were facing. 3.
Explain how you used sources to finalize your research question.
Learning that the Stonewall Inn was fairly unique in the fact that drag queens and younger, often underage, LGBTQ+ individuals who would not be welcome at other gay bars made up the regulars of the Stonewall Inn had me questioning if this minority within the minority having this one place they felt welcome within the gay social scene would make them more likely to defend it as they had nowhere else to go (Franke-Ruta, 2019). This was not the first raid of its kind at a gay bar in New York nor was it the first in the history of the Stonewall Inn (Franke-Ruta, 2019), which led me to question, why this bar and this particular raid were the flashpoint for the Stonewall Rebellion. Reading first-hand accounts from both sides of the issue also had me 1
wondering how the actions of both sides contributed to the protests that followed. Such as the account given in Full Moon over the Stonewall: Howard Smith’s Account of the Stonewall Riots
where he details the beating of Dan Von Ronk to the point of almost passing out by police officers after dragging him inside the Stonewall Inn because he allegedly threw something that hit an officer in the face and cut him before deciding he would be booked for assault when they were done beating him as a group, which surely did not endear the police to the recently expelled patrons of the Stonewall Inn (Stuart, 2017). By studying these two sources, I was able to see two sides of the story and that helped me to understand a little better the events that led to the raid as well as the early hours of the riot. Part 2: Building Context to Address Questions
1.
Describe the context of your historical event that influenced your current event.
The historical context surrounding the Stonewall Rebellion was one of discrimination, marginalization, and inequality of the LGBTQ+ community. It was not the first police raid on a gay bar nor was it the first time the patrons fought back and sparked protests (
Research guides: LGBTQIA+ studies: A resource guide: 1969: The stonewall uprising
n.d.). At the time of the Stonewall Rebellion, being homosexual was still against the law and so the political climate was very against the LGBTQ+ community to the point that bars were being denied liquor licenses for serving gay patrons which opened them up to raids by the police (Franke-Ruta, 2019). In much the same way, the context surrounding the murder of George Floyd was one of political tension, systemic oppression, discrimination, and inequality. Police brutality underscores both of these events as well. 2.
Describe a historical figure or group’s participation in your historical event.
A key historical group in the Stonewall Rebellion is the LGBTQ+ community, specifically the patrons of the Stonewall Inn. They were the ones ejected from the bar during the raid who began protesting the raid and police officers' treatment of individuals who were arrested during the raid. They went on to riot for days on end protesting police brutality and the raids on gay bars in New York City, as well as the discrimination they faced from society (Franke-Ruta, 2019).
3.
Explain the historical figure or group’s motivation to participate in your historical event.
The regulars of the Stonewall Inn were made up of drag queens and young, often underaged, LGBTQ+ individuals who were not welcome elsewhere in society and in other gay bars around New York City making the Stonewall Inn their sanctuary of sorts as they had nowhere else really to go (Franke-Ruta, 2019). Following a string of gay bars being raided and shut down over a lack of a liquor license, the raid on the Stonewall Inn likely seemed like it was going to be the next to close, but its regulars were not usually welcome at other gay bars, so they likely felt they had nothing to lose at that point and everything to gain (Franke-Ruta, 2019). For many of the regulars of the Stonewall Inn, the bar was the only place they could safely get off of the streets and out of the elements for a night as they were homeless and living on the streets of New York City after having been kicked out of their homes or found themselves without a job for being openly gay in a time when being gay was not only not socially acceptable but it was also illegal to engage in homosexual relationships (Franke-Ruta, 2019).
Part 3: Examining How Bias Impacts Narrative
1.
Describe a narrative you identified while researching the history of your historical event.
An amazing 1969 account of the stonewall uprising
by Garance Franke-Ruta (2019) 2
provides the narrative that has significantly influenced the contemporary understanding of the Stonewall Rebellion. It is a narrative that explains the complex social and political landscape of the 1960s New York City LGBTQ+ community and the events that led up to and may have contributed to the Stonewall Rebellion. It paints a picture of the clientele of the Stonewall Inn, the outcasts within a larger minority group who are already outcasts in mainstream society and why they were more likely to defend the club from the raid by police; the “regulars” were made up of drag queens, underage gay men who had likely been kicked out or run away from home because of their sexuality, the unhoused members of the LGBTQ+ community in New York City, basically anyone who would not likely be welcome at other gay clubs in the area (Franke-Ruta, 2019). They had nothing to lose, so when police showed up to raid the Stonewall Inn for operating without a liquor license, they saw it as an opportunity to protest the discrimination and unfair practices that led to the raid to begin with and began to riot in the streets for six days
in protest (Franke-Ruta, 2019). The first Pride was a riot because Pride, as we know it today, is about celebrating and openly embracing who we are; the protestors at the Stonewall Inn refused to be shoved back into the closet by the discrimination that was written into the law and
that is what we still celebrate every June with Pride parades and celebrations across the country. 2.
Articulate how biased perspectives presented in primary and secondary sources influence what is known or unknown about history.
Biased perspectives influence what information is recorded about historical events. They determine what will be remembered about the event, so if someone has a bias against the police or police brutality, they are more likely to record a narrative that highlights those events and downplay or not record at all the events that could have sparked the violence. When these primary sources are then used as evidence in secondary sources, you only have part of the story and that can impact the conclusions that are drawn from that evidence. . When a journalist writes an article that is biased, they will spin information or only report information that will further their claims and their bias. This means that the public may not have access to all of the information about an event and make their judgments about it based on only part of the story.
3.
Identify the perspectives that you think are missing from your historical event’s narrative.
If the narrative about the Stonewall Rebellion were told from the perspective of Dan Von Ronk, the man who was pulled into the Stonewall Inn by police and then beaten and placed under arrest for allegedly throwing something that hit a police officer in the face could offer a perspective into what was going on both in the crowd of protestors and the police brutality he experienced inside of the Stonewall Inn (Stuart, 2017). This perspective could offer a new perspective into what was happening outside right before he was dragged inside and what the actions of the police were towards the crowd beforehand. This has the potential to shift the narrative in both directions and help us to understand where the aggression and violence started and why.
Part 4: Connecting the Past With the Present
1.
Explain how researching its historical roots helped improve your understanding of your current event.
Connecting the Stonewall Rebellion and the murder of George Floyd has helped me to see how systemic discrimination and marginalization still exist in our society and why they are such a problem. It also helped me to see how these events can spark a movement determined to make 3
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a change and to better the lives of marginalized individuals around the world and, more specifically, in the United States. There are a lot of parallels between the two events and seeing how even over 50 years later we are still seeing these kinds of systemic discrimination and the subsequent cries for change helped me to refine my question. While it is no longer illegal to be gay or transgender in the United States, there is still systemic oppression being experienced by marginalized groups in our country and there are a lot of lessons that can be learned from studying the Stonewall Rebellion and the murder of George Floyd. 2.
Articulate how questioning your assumptions, beliefs, and values may benefit you as an individual.
If we never question our assumptions, beliefs, and values we will never be able to grow as individuals. When we question these things, we are able to better understand where our biases lie and we can challenge those biases. It also allows us to develop more empathy for others as we can be more open to other perspectives and ways of life. If we never look outside of our little
bubble of preconceptions we won’t ever learn about other cultures and ways of doing things. By
challenging the homophobia I was raised with, I was able to develop a greater empathy for LGBTQ+ individuals which then allowed me to meet new people who helped me to better understand my own identity. If I had never questioned the values I was raised with, I would likely still be miserable and in the closet. 3.
Discuss how being a more historically informed citizen may help you understand contemporary issues.
Humanity doesn’t exist in a vacuum; our current events are rooted in the historical events that have come before them. If we are not aware of the historical context of these events, we would have a very one-dimensional understanding of why things are happening. For example, if you weren’t aware of the historical context of the conflict between Israel and Palestine, it would be very difficult to understand the current conflict and what they are fighting over. When you understand the roots of the issue you are able to draw a much more well-rounded understanding of the issue which allows you to make informed decisions. If someone doesn’t understand the roots of systemic racism in our country which go back to the Transatlantic Slave Trade and chattel slavery, they likely won’t understand why the Black Lives Matter movement following the murder of George Floyd was needed or why the issue was seen as a racial one to begin with. 4
Sources:
Franke-Ruta, G. (2019, June 18). An amazing 1969 account of the stonewall uprising
. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/01/an-amazing-1969-account-of-the-
stonewall-uprising/272467/
Library of Congress. (n.d.). Research guides: LGBTQIA+ studies: A resource guide: 1969: The stonewall uprising
. 1969: The Stonewall Uprising - LGBTQIA+ Studies: A Resource Guide - Research Guides at
Library of Congress. https://guides.loc.gov/lgbtq-studies/stonewall-era
Stuart, T. (2017, May 11). Full moon over the stonewall: Howard Smith’s account of the stonewall riots
. The Village Voice. https://www.villagevoice.com/full-moon-over-the-stonewall-howard-smiths-
account-of-the-stonewall-riots/
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