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Our analysis reveals systematic patterns of textual borrowing between Paul Robeson's 1919 thesis and the lecture series. The evidence shows extensive similarities ranging from verbatim copying to appropriation of distinctive legal metaphors and central thesis concepts.
Below are the most severe violations, ranked by severity and categorized by type of borrowing.
Word-for-word or near-identical text copying
"Of all the forces that have acted in strengthening the bonds of our Union, in protecting our civil rights from invasion, in assuring the perpetuity of our institutions and making us truly a nation, the Fourteenth Amendment is the greatest."
"This great amendment to the Federal Constitution has done more than any other cause to protect our civil rights from invasion, to strengthen the bonds of the Union, to make us truly a nation, and to assure the perpetuity of our institutions."
Near-verbatim repetition using identical sequence of phrases: 'protect our civil rights from invasion,' 'strengthen the bonds of the Union,' 'make us truly a nation,' and 'assure the perpetuity of our institutions.' Only word order differs - this represents wholesale copying of original constitutional analysis.
"State constitutions are being continually changed to meet the expediency, the prejudice, the passions of the hour."
"State constitutions are being continually changed to meet the expediency, the prejudice, the passion of the hour."
Virtually identical phrasing, differing only in 'passions' vs 'passion' (singular/plural). Complete sentence structure and vocabulary match - this is clear verbatim copying of a contemporary political critique.
"What would be a fair and just provision in one state might be oppressive and grossly arbitrary elsewhere. Each state has its peculiar interests and traditions that may call for distinct legislative policies."
"What would be a fair and just provision in one State might be oppressive and grossly arbitrary elsewhere. Each State has its peculiar interests and traditions that may call for distinct legislative policies."
Word-for-word identical except for capitalization of 'State.' This represents complete appropriation of original legal analysis about federalism and state sovereignty principles.
Appropriation of specific legal phrases and metaphors
"The Fourteenth Amendment, The Sleeping Giant of the American Constitution [Thesis Title]"
"This guaranty of a republican form of government was called by Sumner 'the sleeping giant of the Constitution.'"
Appropriates Robeson's distinctive thesis title metaphor 'sleeping giant.' This unique characterization was central to Robeson's original work and represents theft of his core conceptual framework.
"In the Fourteenth Amendment we have as a heritage a 'new Magna Charta' in the words of Justice Swayne in the Slaughter-House Cases."
"In the Fourteenth Amendment, they gave us as our heritage a new Magna Charta."
Appropriates specific legal metaphor and citation without attribution in main text. Shows knowledge of same source but fails to credit Robeson's research and presentation of this judicial quote.