Crystal Roby Dr.

Lavine Historiography 20 March 2013 Peer Review Assignment

Reviewer: Me Reviewed: Katherine F.

Argument and scope.

1. As I understood it, this paper wants to answer this/these question(s): What was the purpose of Miss State and other colleges in the 1960 reasonings in having speaker bans. What did the students of Miss State think of the speaker ban?

2. As I understood it, this paper is going to argue: I believe the paper is arguing that speaker bans werent really needed during the 1960s, because most of the students at Miss State and other college having speakers who were viewed as being radical who would threaten the status quo of the South during that time, from what I tell, the paper is going to focus on two speakers: Aaron Henry who was the head of the NAACP in Mississippi and Charles Evers, who was the brother of slain Civil Rights leader Medgar Evers. I really understood why MSU placed a speaker ban George Wallace was the Governor of Alabama, was a segregationist who was very popular especially in the South. I would have figured that Wallaces views would be a perfect fit at MSU. It seems that MSU wanted to distance themselves from anything that could give the school bad press. MSU didnt want to be another Ole Miss. 3. Critically evaluate the proposed thesis. Does it make logical sense? Is it too broad, too narrow, too ambitious, too inconsequential, etc.? Thesis does make sense, its not too broad it focus on a particular issue. The outline flows very well. 4. Did the paper raise any questions in your mind that werent answered? When did Miss State get rid the Speaker Ban? What were the influences that lead the schools administration to enact the ban?

Structure and evidence.

5. How is the paper going to be organized? It looks like the paper will be presented in chronological order, and the paper could compare and contrast other colleges that also had speaker bans in place during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. 6. Do you think this is the right way to approach this subject? What are some other options? I think that this is really good way to approach this topic. 7. What are some sources that the author should consider? I think she consider using primary sources, like for example interviewing the writers or the editor of the Reflector to get view of what the atmosphere of Miss State during that time or interviewing former students and get their take on the speaker ban and what they thought the administration effort to ban certain speakers from coming to the school.

8. My thoughts: My thoughts on the paper is I think Katherine is going in the right direction, I think she needs to look at other colleges that might have had speaker bans during the 1960s. I also think she should try to get in contact with the writers or students at that time, to get a better understanding of what the atmosphere was like at Miss State.