Part of a series of articles titled The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963.
Article
Chapter 5: Nazi Parachutes Attack America and Get Shot Down over the Flint River by Captain Byron Watson and His Flamethrower of Death
Cover, Faucett Comics, January 1952.
Momma catches Byron lighting matches for fun. She tells a sad story about how her house caught on fire when she was a little girl and warns Byron that if he plays with matches again, she will burn him! Not even a week later, Byron is in the bathroom lighting matches for his pretend movie called “Nazi Parachutes Attack America and Get Shot Down over the Flint River by Captain Byron Watson and his Flamethrower of Death.” Byron has attached toilet paper parachutes to toy soldiers, and using matches as his “flamethrower,” he lights the parachutes on fire as they fall into the toilet.
Suspicious of the constantly flushing toilet, Momma rushes into the bathroom. When she sees what Byron is up to, she grabs him by the neck and drags him down the stairs. Kenny and Joey have never seen her so mad! When Momma returns from the kitchen with matches, Vaseline, a paper towel, and a Band-Aid, Joey starts sobbing, begging her not to burn Byron. Momma explains that she must teach Byron how dangerous fire is before he burns down the whole house. Momma lights a match and holds it to Byron’s finger, but before it gets too close, Joey hurries to blow out the flame. Momma tries four more times, and each time Joey blows out the match. Ultimately, Momma gives up and lets Dad discipline Byron instead when he gets home.
Fact Check: Momma is determined to physically punish Byron. Was this common in the 1960s?
What do we know?
Corporal, or physical, punishment was widely practiced at home and at school during the 1960s and was believed to encourage obedience and respect. Many African American families viewed strict discipline as a way to correct misbehavior before the consequences of stepping out of line increased, as they automatically did when defiance (opposition) or perceived disrespect was directed at a white person. By the end of the twentieth century, parenting advice had shifted to reflect experts' changing views that corporal punishment was harmful to children, physically and mentally. But even today, people disagree about what appropriate discipline looks like.
What is the evidence?
Primary sources: Hans J. Massaquoi, "Should parents spare the rod?" Ebony 18, no. 1 (1962): 128-35.
Ebony, one of the most prominent magazines of the Black Press, published this article in 1962. After consulting both Black and white politicians, child care experts, and other leaders about the place of corporal punishment in child rearing practices, Massaquoi summarizes the findings from his interviews.
"Granted that there may be a certain amount of 'constructive [useful] defiance' in children that deserves to be preserved, the fact remains that all too often it has been overshadowed by destructive defiance that needs to be curbed. The time for parents to re-establish their home rule, it seems, is not next year, but right now. For an ounce of prevention is still worth a pound of cure, or, to quote a prominent judge: 'Crime prevention begins in the high chair—not the electric chair [a mechanism used in prisons to carry out death sentences].'"
Primary Source: Andrew Billingsley, Black Families in White America (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1968).
"If, however, the Negro people are viewed as an ethnic subsociety [a society within a society], it can be appreciated that while there are basic similarities in the requirements of all families in America, there are particular requirements for Negro families, which grow out of three factors: (a) the peculiar historical development, (b) the caste-like qualities in the American stratification system which relegates all Negroes to inferior status, and (c) the social class and economic systems which keep most Negroes in the lower social classes. For the Negro family, socialization [learning how to behave in the world] is doubly challenging, for the family must teach its young members not only how to be human, but also how to be black in a white society."
Secondary source: Krista A. Thomas and Alan J. Dettlaff, "African American families and the role of physical discipline: witnessing the past in the present," Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment 21, no. 8 (2011): 963–77, https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2011.588537.
"African American parents have had to raise their children under the most challenging of circumstances, including social, economic, and educational deprivation. They have held the unenviable job of raising their children to both take pride in their race and heritage while learning how to expect, cope with, and survive within a racist society. ...Mild disobedience or acting out, perhaps permissible within a White middle-class community, may lead to much graver ramifications [consequences] within the African American context. In addition to self-preservation, firm discipline may be utilized to foster focused and dutiful behavior from children so that they gain the skills and diligence [practice of hard work] needed to overcome the barriers to success within educational and employment sectors that have historically denied them opportunity and advancement."
Fact Check: Momma recalls that her clothing smelled like smoke years after a childhood fire in Birmingham. What may have caused the fire?
What do we know?
Momma's story implies that her family grew up without enough money to purchase new clothes after the fire. People who experience poverty are often forced to accept substandard living conditions, such as older buildings that have fallen into disrepair and present fewer protections against fire. For example, the residence might be built with flammable materials, contain outdated electrical wiring, and use riskier sources of heat that are not up to modern building codes.
Momma also grew up in the southeastern United States, a region that is prone to dry conditions (low precipitation or rainfall) and high temperatures, which increase chances for fire. Finally, white supremacist hate groups often started fires to terrorize Black people. This occurred regularly in Birmingham between the 1940 and the 1960s.
Secondary Source: U.S. Congress, House of Representatives, Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families, "Fire safety: protecting our children and families," 102nd Cong., 2nd sess., August 11, 1992.
In an opening statement before a meeting of the Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families, Representative Patricia Schroeder of Colorado detailed the relationship between the experience of poverty, minority communities, and house fire risks.
"Children in low-income families are at heightened risk of dying in a residential fire—housefire death rates are almost five time higher in areas of low per-capita income as in high-income areas. Among African-American and Native American children, housefire death rates are more than twice the rate for white children. Outmoded heating, bad wiring, dangerously hot tap water, and too few smoke detectors place low-income children at extreme risk for burns."
Primary Source: "Three Homes Bombed in New Terror Wave: Dixiecrats Wink at U. S. Ruling, War on Negroes," The Pittsburgh Courier (PA), April 2, 1949, 1; 5.
"Bitter opposition to Negroes' moving into a so-called 'white' residential area was climaxed early Friday morning by three terrific dynamite blasts which wrecked three Negro-owned homes in the Smithfield area, two of the them the property of AME Bishop Sherman L. Green. Klan-minded whites are believed to have perpetrated the vicious act… A previous attack made on the night of August 18, 1947, destroyed a five-room dwelling built by Samuel Matthews, just one block north of the homes blasted on Friday morning. Culprits responsible for that attack were never identified or apprehended by local police."
Primary Source: "Fire prevention week in county starts today," The Flint Journal (MI), October 7, 1962, 19.
"Fires represent failure—failure to keep trash and rubbish properly disposed of, failure to keep flammables in a safe storage area, failure to keep matches away from children, failure to keep trash fires under control and failure to practice fire prevention. The Genesee County Fire Association warns that fire needs only minutes to do its deadly work and that children should never be left alone. Don't assume that the babysitter knows what to do in case of fire or other emergency, but give the sitter specific verbal or written instructions, the association advises."
Photos & Multimedia
Alabama Department of Archives and History. Donated by Alabama Media Group. Photo by Ernest Hardin, Birmingham News.
Shuttlesworth was a co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an important civil rights organization, and the most prominent leader of the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham.
Alabama Department of Archives and History. Donated by the Alabama Media Group / Photo by Anthony Falletta, Birmingham News.
Writing Prompts
Opinion
Why would Momma swear she would burn Byron the next time he was caught using a match and starting fires? Do you think Momma is being too hard on Byron? Provide reasons for your opinion that are supported by facts and details. Link your opinion and reasons using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., consequently, specifically).
Informative/explanatory
Important safety protocols have been identified to protect a home from accidental fires. Research fire safety on www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/fire.html. Create a brochure to identify the steps to take for home fire safety. Present relevant information in sections including formatting (e.g., headings) and illustrations when useful to aiding comprehension.
Narrative
Byron disobeyed an important household rule. Write a narrative experience, imaginary or real, of a character disobeying a rule that could cause a dangerous situation. Use descriptive details and clear event sequences to organize your story. Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated events.
Note: Wording in italics is from the Common Core Writing Standards, Grade 5. Sometimes paraphrased.
Last updated: December 28, 2023