John and Jean Rosenburg Oral History Interview: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

The oral history consists of ten digital files: 2011.174.100.1a, 2011.174.100.1b, 2011.174.100.1c, 2011.174.100.1d, 2011.174.100.1e, 2011.174.100.1f, 2011.174.100.1g, 2011.174.100.1h, 2011.174.100.1i, and 2011.174.100.1j.

Jean and John Rosenberg, J. D. begin this interview with recollections of their families' backgrounds. Jean learned about social issues as she was raised by a Quaker family in Pennsylvania, and John's family fled Germany under threat from the Nazis. Jean attended Wilmington College and became a research analyst for the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division. John grew up in Gastonia, North Carolina, where FBI agents kept tabs on his family, attended Duke University, served in the Air Force, and attended the University of North Carolina School of Law. He became an attorney with the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, which became effective after reorganization by John Doar. Much of this interview concerns Jean and John's work with the Civil Rights Division, including support for voter registration efforts in Georgia and Alabama, the investigation of the Hartman Turnbow case, in which a black activist was arrested for an arson attempt on his own home, and an effort to address a murder in Mississippi. John also addresses the effects of the Voting Rights Act in the South, the role of the lawyers in the Civil Rights Division in relation to the FBI and local law enforcement, and a variety of other cases and issues he dealt with. After retirement, the Rosenbergs founded the Appalachian Citizens Law Center.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: August 15, 2013
• Created by: Civil Rights History Project, American, founded 2009
• Interview of: John Rosenburg J. D., born 1931
• Interview of: Jean Rosenburg, American
• Interviewed by: David P. Cline Ph. D., American, born 1969
• Subject of: Wilmington College, American, founded 1870
• Subject of: United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, American, founded 1957
• Subject of: Federal Bureau of Investigation, American, founded 1908
• Subject of: Duke University, American, founded 1838
• Type: video recordings
• Type: oral histories
• Type: digital media - born digital
• Medium: digital
• Dimensions: Duration: 2 hr., 36 min., 57 sec.
• Dimensions: Total: 242.94 GB
• Place collected: Prestonburg, Floyd County, Kentucky, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: Germany, Europe
• Place depicted: Gastonia, Gaston County, North Carolina, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: Georgia, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: Alabama, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: Mississippi, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Activism
• Topic: American South
• Topic: Associations and institutions
• Topic: Civil Rights
• Topic: Education
• Topic: Law
• Topic: Military
• Object number: 2011.174.100.1a-j
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in partnership with the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture and The American Folklife Center, Library of Congress Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.