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John Spearman and John Brown: The Free State Identity and the Legacy of Unrest in Lawrence, KS in 1970
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Abstract
This thesis explores the connection between the prominent Free State identity within Lawrence, Kansas and the recognition and memorialization of the unrest in Lawrence in 1970. The Free State identity limited many white Lawrencians’ in their acknowledgement of racial injustices within the community, and in the modern day, the memory of the racial turmoil within Lawrence during 1970 is fading due to the lack of effort by city officials to properly rectify the memory. While much of the current historiography characterizes Lawrence’s unrest as an extension of national movements, domestic racial issues were predominant catalysts for all major instances of unrest within the year 1970. I argue that the racial origins of the unrest are a major component of the modern issue of memorialization, as the city of Lawrence is reluctant to embrace a darker chapter of their history that would contradict their proud Free State identity. This reluctance forces the families of Rick Dowdell and Nick Rice, two young men who were killed by police during the unrest, to act as advocates for memorialization and caretakers of the memory of 1970. To document this fifty year struggle, I analyzed a plethora of oral histories, personal correspondence, and prominent secondary materials, while conducting a number of original interviews. Ultimately, I hope this thesis serves to outline the events and the fight of the Dowdell and Rice families to preserve and protect the memory of those lost during racial turmoil in Lawrence, and provide fuel to their efforts to memorialize the deaths in their fight to present Lawrence’s true history.
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Submitted to the Department of History of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for departmental honors.
Date
2024-04-24
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Department of History, University of Kansas