PART 1

1. What are civil rights and civil liberties? Is there a difference? Where do they come from? Civil
Rights are the rights of citizens to political and social freedom and equality, while Civil
Liberties is the state of being subject only to laws established for the good of the
community, especially with regard to freedom of action and speech. The two are too
different, because they are both regarding the same problem of equality and the good of the
world. The majority of civil rights and liberties come from the constitution, the Bill of
Rights, and legislative decisions.
2. What were “Jim Crow Laws”? Give three examples of Jim Crow Laws. Jim Crow Laws were
state or local laws that were created to reinforce the ideas of segregation in the southern
states. Some examples are with education, where colored and white children were not
allowed to be taught at the same school, in relationships where if there was a mixed couple,
they could receive up to 12 months in jail, and in restaurants where colored and white
people were not allowed to sit in the same area.
3. What common themes or motifs do you see developing? The common themes and motifs
that I see being developed throughout the movie is the fight for civil rights from multiple
sides of the story.
4. Describe how life is like for Cecil Gaines in his early years of life, until he works for a hotel in
Washington D.C as a butler.
5. Explain who Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were, and list two differences in
philosophies between the two. Both Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X were supporters
and advocates of the civil rights movements. The difference between the two however, is
that “King is often portrayed as a nonviolent insider, while Malcolm X is characterized as a
by-any-means-necessary political renegade.” In other words, King was portrayed as a
peaceful protester, while Malcom X protested despite the means.
6. Summarize the conflict between Cecil and Louis. Cecil believed Louis was too extreme in
his involvement with protests in the Civil Rights Movement, for example with the sit-ins
and the freedom riders.
7. Why does Louis go to Fisk University, and what does he get involved in while he is there? He
gets involved with what is known as the “Love School”.
8. Why does Cecil protect the presidency and the White House like he does?
9. What was the significance of Supreme Court Case Brown v Board of Education? Why is it
important? The significance of the case was that it allowed colored people to attend all
schools instead of colored only schools. It was an important stepping stone towards the end
of the civil rights movement.
10. The Butler opens with a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, "Darkness cannot drive out
darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." How did this
movie give meaning to those words?
 
PART 2
The Butler: Scenes from the Civil Rights Movement
 

Event/Person Depicted Description of Event

   

  Eisenhower is President of the US and sends

troops to integrate a high school in Little Rock,
Dwight Eisenhower the students are “The Little Rock Nine”

 The African American community and its

  supporters went to sit-in a restaurant and sit at a
place only for whites. This led to them being
Sit-Ins/Civil Disobedience beat up by the white people in the restaurant
telling them they had to leave.

 The Freedom Riders, a bus full of supporters

  of desegregation black and white both, were
attacked by a chapter of the Ku Klux Klan in
The KKK/Freedom Riders Birmingham, Alabama. The bus was bombed
by the KKK and lit on fire.

 
 
Birmingham & JFK

 
 
Selma, LBJ, & MLK

   The Institutionalized segregation of non-white

people in South Africa and South West Africa
Apartheid during the Reagan Administration.

 
PART 3
 
1. What event is John F. Kennedy inspired by, which leads to his change of heart towards race
relations, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 before he is assassinated? The event that inspired
JFK to make changes towards race relations was his viewing of the Freedom Riders
incident and talking to Cecil about how his son was involved in it.
2. Cecil Gaines worked for 8 presidents over the course of his career, however only 5 are shown
in the film. List the five presidents they show Gaines work for. JFK, Lyndon B. Johnson,
Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, and Richard Nixon.
3. Explain the tactics Louis uses to try and get changes for African-American’s. What efforts
does he make to try and win Civil Rights? Louis used more “extreme” tactics in the eyes of
his parents, doing sit-ins and other protests to make changes to segregation against the
African American community.
4. Who were the Black Panthers? What was their approach to the Civil Rights Movement? The
Black Panthers were a group of colored people that supported the movement of “Black
Power” and trained with self-defense from white oppressors during the civil rights
movement.
5. What does Martin Luther King Jr. say about Louis’ dad being a butler? Martin Luther King
Jr. said Louis’ dad was defying the black stereotype by being hard working and
trustworthy, by showing a strong work ethic and character.
6. Why is there a struggle between the father Cecil Gaines, and his son Louis Gaines? How does
each of them approach getting Civil Rights for African-Americans? Be sure to include
similarities and differences by  comparing and contrasting the two characters.
7. In what ways did Cecil AND Louis both contribute to the civil rights movement? Louis was
involved in many civil rights movements and protests, while Cecil would influence sitting
presidents such as Eisenhower and Kennedy to make changes.