The Great Debaters Page #3

on a street fight, Mr. Burgess?

No, sir.

Then don't punch yourself

in a word fight.

You don't have to make

fun of yourself.

Use your humor against your opponent.

- Mr. Farmer.

- Yes sir.

Happy Mr. Farmer, tell us

one thing we don't know about your father.

- He is the first negro PhD.

- One thing we don't know about your father, Mr. Farmer.

He walked from Florida to Massachusetts

to go to College at Boston University.

He graduated magna cum laude.

Mr. Lowe.

Tell us about your father.

Why don't you tell us

something about your father?

I'm trying to get to know

each other, Mr. Lowe.

And I'm just trying to get to know you, Mr. Tolson.

I'm not the one on the debate team.

Are we not engaged

in the debate right now?

All right.

I'll take the affirmative.

Take the meanest, most restless n*gger.

Strip him off his clothes

in front of the remaining male n*ggers,

female n*ggers and n*ggers infants.

Tar and feather him.

Tie each leg to a horse facing

in opposite direction,

Set him on fire and beat both horses,

until they tear him apart.

In front of the male,

female and n*gger infants.

Both whip and beat the remaining

n*gger males within an inch of their life.

Do not kill them.

But put the fear

of God in them.

For they can be useful

for future breeding.

Anybody know who Willy Lynch was?

Anybody? Raise your hand?

No one?

He was a vicious slave-owner in the West Indies.

The slave-masters in the

colony of Virginia were having trouble

"controlling" their slaves,

So they sent for Mr.

Lynch to teach them his methods.

The word "lynching" came from his last name.

His methods were very simple,

but they were diabolical.

Keep the slave physically strong,

But psychologically weak

and dependent on the slave master.

Keep the body, take the mind.

I...

...and any other

professor on this campus...

...are here to help you...

...to find, take back and keep...

...your righteous mind.

Because obviously you have lost it.

That is all you need

to know about me, Mr. Lowe.

Class dismissed.

- Wanna dance?

- Yes.

Come.

You're good dancer.

Thank you, I practice in my room.

Keep it.

- Excuse me, your punch.

- Thank you.

It's better I go to get

me some punch.

Here. Take my if you want.

It's good.

All right?

You know, I can take you to a place

where's real music, right?

- I'm not living here, Henry.

- Just for a spell. I'll bring you right back.

And what would my chaperone say?

You'll be back before she ever

knows you're gone.

What's the matter, you afraid?

What's the matter, you afraid?

Mr. Tolson.

Mr. Tolson!

And tell them the

sharecroppers are just wage them

So they don't have to slip

their farms on substitute

And that's why the Southern Tenant Farmers

Union want you to organize.

To make things right.

- Well, how? Strike?

- They'll be just bringing the mexicans.

We'll organise them too.

Yes, so they could shoot us all down,

white, colored and mexicans.

That is exactly what they

want you to believe.

The farmer boys

want you to believe that...

...they'll make war, but they won't.

They may be fools but they are

smart businessman.

And once we organize, they'll see,

Even guns can't stop us.

- They stopped them in Elaine.

- Why don't you talk about that?

About how they killed 100 colored

sharecroppers for trying to organize.

- That was 1919, friend.

- There was my dad and they gunned down, friend.

We're sorry about that.

But those men stood

alone, that's my point.

This is 1935.

We got the National Labor-

Relations Board,

- We've got the A. F. of L. (American Federation of Labor).

- You ain't got sh*t.

He ain't got sh*t.

Hey they come!

Hey they come!

Get the lights!

Everybody get down.

Come on. Let's go.

This way.

Come on.

All right.

What are doing out here?

I saw you. I was walking by your

house and I saw you dressed plainly.

I'm dressed like them, son. You think they'd

listen to me if I was wearing a tuxedo?

Listen to me!

Are you listening?

You can not tell anybody what

you saw tonight. You understand?

Not even my wife knows about this.

I won't tell anybody.

I promise.

I promise on Sacred Bible

I won't tell anybody.

Jesus...

Come on.

Junior...

Are you just gonna stay in there?

No, sir.

Sorry, I'm late.

You're sorry?

Is 1 o'clock in the morning.

I've been looking

everywhere for you.

I went to Mr. Tolson's

house after dance.

I thought you might have done that.

That's why I went over there.

I talked to Ruth. She said, Tolson was

gone and that you weren't there.

Son, I give you another chance.

Where were you?

- I can't tell you, sir.

- Good Lord, boy.

We've been worried to

death about you.

Junior, where were you?

- I can't tell you sir.

- Why not?

- I don't know.

- I don't know?

I don't know is not

an acceptable answer, Junior.

- Junior.

- Silence is not an option either.

- You've been drinking?

- Honey.

Because you must have been drinking,

coming up in my house...

...talking about you don't wanna

tell me where you've been at 1:30 in the morning.

- Come on baby, tell me what's the matter.

- Mum, nothing is the matter.

Now, something is the matter,

something is wrong.

Were you with that girl,

were you with that girl?

No.

Because you're 14 years old, Junior.

You've got plenty of time for girls later.

I wasn't with Samantha.

Junior.

Then where were you?

Where were you, honey?

You don't wanna talk?

Fine.

But you're not leaving this house.

- What do you mean?

- Just what I said.

You're not leaving this house

until you tell me the truth.

- What about school?

- Don't go question on what I just said, boy.

- Mum, what about school?

- And don't raise your voice!

I'm not raising my voice.

You're gonna raising your

voice in the house?

I am not raising my voice!

You do for me the job, pay all the wages?

Are you a man, now?

- I'm not not raising my voice!

- Just apologise!

I didn't say anything

what shall I apologise.

Like you apologized

that pig farmer?

What you said, boy?

You go to your room.

Junior...

I'm not going to be weak

on this, Pearl.

I know.

Can't allow my son

to be corrupt.

You're right.

Now let's just go to bed.

I'll take him to school in the morning.

- All right?

- All right.

I will be honest with you, boys.

I'm not well.

I'm not well at all

this morning.

I'm sure sorry

to hear that, sir.

But you look well than me.

Don't he look well?

Yes, sir.

You look really good.

Now we've got some white fellows

from up north coming to our town.

These turn up trouble between

our coloreds and our whites.

They say that we need

to make a union.

The sharecroppers and the workers,

all together colored and white.

They need make a union?

How do you boys feel about that?

I don't know sir. I really

don't know much about that.

It's a bad idea.

It's bad idea. Take my word for it.

Yes, sir.

And they said that there was some kind of secret

meeting last night down near the lake.

Now, do you boys know about that?

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