Discussion Thread- Reconstruction Period Idea Development

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Discussion Thread: Reconstruction Period Idea Development When discussing the postbellum racial philosophies that affected African Americans during the Reconstruction period, which immediately followed the Civil War, it is crucial to know what the antebellum racial philosophies were. Antebellum racial philosophies continued racial discrimination by reinforcing stereotypes rooted in slavery. Examples of these are that African Americans were not people but objects to be treated as poorly as their owners chose, they were not as intelligent as their white counterparts, and they did not feel pain, which many used to justify the brutal beatings given to African Americans. The idea of the postbellum racial philosophies was to reclaim the narrative of American history and make amends for the appalling thoughts and actions that took place during the previous era. The postbellum racial philosophies sought to fight for civil and social rights by using advocacy to push these ideas into the spotlight of American society. Unlike writers like Frederick Douglass, Olaudah Equiano, and Harriet Jacobs the authors that appeared during this time chose to use their personal narratives to capture the attention of readers. Although these emerging authors were writing such personal stories there was the common theme of the American Dream; however, in their writing was also the strong sense of community and religious undertones that they tried to keep hold of in postwar America (Gates and Smith 514-15). When studying the writing that came from the two eras it is clear to see that they have the same goal. Not only are they trying to share their varying stories, whether they be fictional or not, but they are trying to bridge a gap in society. Many hoped that this gap would be less when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, but that was not the case for many years. During all of this, it is vital to note that African Americans were going through their own Renaissance like that of 17th-century Europe. Now that they did not have to spend all day working for someone else and were not being kept from gaining an education many African Americans sought the exposure of any and all types of literature. While this can be seen as irrelevant to gaining the civil and social rights that many postbellum racial philosophies sought it is a prime example of how driven African Americans were for these rights. At the time education was not a legal requirement for all minors and these people, many fully grown adults, were jumping at the chance to be educated, an idea that would baffle many of my students. A prime example of one such author is Phillis Wheatley who often alluded to Greek mythology in her writings. In this hunger to learn it should be no surprise that many authors found their voice.

The African American authors who were finally allowed to put their pens to paper helped show the world that there was a changing happening, whether society was prepared for it or not. It is imperative to realize that just because African American authors now had the means to have their stories told did not mean that they could. As noted by Gates and Smith publishing the work of African American authors was almost impossible (517). The inability to get these works published was due to people not wanting to change their ways. This change did not come easily it took groups like The Women’s Christian Temperance Union and the Unitarian Church to stand alongside the African Americans and help make real social change. An important point to note is, “Not all African Americans had been slaves, nor was slavery the only way in which former slaves defined their lives or shaped their narratives” (Gates and Smith 515). While this seems self- explanatory even today people tend to talk about African Americans of the Reconstruction period as all having been slaves. This shows the overwhelming importance of discussing and understanding postbellum racial philosophies because their goals have not been fully accomplished if people still have thoughts like this. Works Cited Gates, Henry Louis, and Valerie Smith. The Norton Anthology of African American Literature. 3rd ed., vol. 1, W.W. Norton & Company, 2014. Hi Kayla, The topic of the American Dream is a hard one to tackle and I think you did an excellent job at looking at examining it. I think that when the American Dream is discussed as a society, we sometimes forget what the original version of it was and what it means now. Additionally, I think it is important that the dream changes because we do not live the same lives as those who first settled in America. In your first body paragraph, you go straight into the Three-Fifths Compromise but there is no clear transition to this. So, I would work on that because it made me go back and reread that section a couple of times to see if I missed something. Your information in this paragraph I think was important and helped strengthen your point which is why I believe a more apparent transition would benefit your paper. Additionally, I think that your example of Booker T.

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