Satya sree Vedula
Hist 115
Dr. N Creary
No Black, No America
Prompt: Would America have been America without her Negro people?
America is a diverse country that accommodates a variety of people from various ethnic backgrounds. African Americans are one of a kind who are inhabiting the United States since a long time.The question “Would America have been America without her Negro people?” by W.E.B.Dubois is a strenuous one and has arisen many debates in the past. People say that the answer to this question would merely be a personal opinion, but I think the question itself reflects the right answer. The answer that the question points out is, No! America would not and could not be the America that we come to know without the imprints of these people in the culture and heritage of the country. If any of these pioneers are taken away, you can observe a big hole whether in activism, art, business, athletics, education, music, poetry, literature, politics and spirituality that no other person can fill. The imprint that each of these African Americans have made on the larger cultural landscape has helped shape our nation.The possibilities, opportunities, expectations and greatness that so many of us today have inherited is owed, in large part, to the accomplishments and sacrifices of these people who are incarnations of god. America would not be America without black labor, that has generated unprecedented wealth and helped give birth to capitalism; black resistance, that
Black people still call America their home, even though they are consistently discriminated against. Consistently hated on because of how they look like. Black people have been viewed as trouble, suspicious, no good, and will never be anything respectable (Goldberg 2). When young black children cannot be protected from this everyday, so they adapted to this way of life and was to never believe otherwise. Racism and discrimination limit not only black people, but everyone of color. People of color believe they will never be like a white man because of all the advantages a white man has. However, people like Benjamin Banneker, Kenneth Clark, and Toni Morrison are showing their skin color does not relate to their success or intelligence (Goldberg 3). These people are showing how even with all the injustice in America, they were still able to be successful. It is not about what the color of one’s skin is, it is about the mindset and perspective of each
In closing, Eric Williams brings a new perspective, while balancing consistent and thorough insight to his analysis of the origins of Negro slavery. I agree with his thesis as it is supported by factual evidence from various sources. It was a well thought out, educated and biased but analytical reading about the institution of Negro
The time has come again to celebrate the achievements of all black men and women who have chipped in to form the Black society. There are television programs about the African Queens and Kings who never set sail for America, but are acknowledged as the pillars of our identity. In addition, our black school children finally get to hear about the history of their ancestors instead of hearing about Columbus and the founding of America. The great founding of America briefly includes the slavery period and the Antebellum south, but readily excludes both black men and women, such as George Washington Carver, Langston Hughes, and Mary Bethune. These men and women have contributed greatly to American society.
The black race has faced many hardships throughout American history. The harsh treatment is apparent through the brutal slavery era, the Civil Rights movement, or even now where sparks of racial separation emerge in urbanized areas of Baltimore, Chicago, and Detroit. Black Americans must do something to defend their right as an equal American. “I Am Not Your Negro” argues that the black race will not thrive unless society stands up against the conventional racism that still appears in modern America. “The Other Wes Moore” argues an inspiring message that proves success is a product of one’s choices instead of one’s environment or expectations.
African Americans have come along way. They have proved that they are equal to whites in knowledge skills and strength. Black soldiers in the 54th regiment fought as hard as any other white soldiers yet were unable to attain any level of recognition or promotion. Like it stated in Doc E they have the will to learn, and therefore deserve to have that opportunity. When educated, they wanted to participate in government and voice their opinions though Lincoln along with many other well-respected and intelligent Union members. Through the hard fought Civil War, they were able to make advances toward someday achieving equality.
Throughout history, African Americans have encountered an overwhelming amount of obstacles for justice and equality. You can see instances of these obstacles especially during the 1800’s where there were various forms of segregation and racism such as the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan terrorism, Jim- Crow laws, voting restrictions. These negative forces asserted by societal racism were present both pre and post slavery. Although blacks were often seen as being a core foundation for the creation of society and what it is today, they never were given credit for their work although forced. This was due to the various laws and social morals that were sustained for over 100 years throughout the United States. However, what the world didn’t
African-Americans have fought on many of liberty’s battlefields from the pre-emancipated plantation to the killing fields of the Civil War. African-Americans have always been willing to fight not just for their freedom, but for their country as well. Yet, their country never lived up to its founding document that asserts that, “All men are created equal; ”instead,
African Americans have endured many trials and tribulations over the centuries. Our people have suffered from war, violence, and anguish simply because of the color of our skin. Our history has been so blatantly missing from textbooks and the K-12th grade educational atmosphere. Our educational system continues to neglect the history of our African American ancestors and fail to provide them with the educational resources to inform them of our past and allow them to learn about the true origins of our culture. We have made many significant contributions to the world but those have also been highly ignored as well.
The history of The Black Civil Rights Movement in the United States is a fascinating account of a group of human beings, forcibly taken from their homeland, brought to a strange new continent, and forced to endure countless inhuman atrocities. Forced into a life of involuntary servitude to white slave owners, African Americans were to face an uphill battle for many years to come. Who would face that battle? To say the fight for black civil rights "was a grassroots movement of ordinary people who accomplished extraordinary things" would be an understatement. Countless people made it their life's work to see the progression of civil rights in America. People like W.E.B. DuBois, Marcus Garvey, A Phillip Randolph, Eleanor Roosevelt, and many
The documentary, The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross, allows one to experience African American history through key historical sites, and interviews with living eyewitnesses such as those who fought during the well-known civil-rights movement. The documentary sheds light on the experience of African Americans, both in the past and today. The information presented in class further aids in detailing how African American history shaped the African American community in regards to support systems, crises, but most importantly, how these individuals used resiliency to overcome their trials and tribulations towards a fights for rights, freedom, and respect. During the six episodes, one will see that the road and battle to freedom for blacks in America was not linear, but rather complex and difficult- it was much like the course of a river, full of loops and turns, sometimes slow, and sometimes reversing the current of advancement. Although enslavement led to the creation of the African American people, it manifested into the multiplicity of cultural institution, beliefs, and religion and social institutions that the African American people have established- along with their strength and resiliency. From slavery, lynching’s, and the many marches and protests led by phenomenal black leaders, to the gained freedoms and the first black president in the White House, the documentary, The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross, details an engaging journey through African-American history from a perspective that thoroughly reflects the lives of African-Americans and the community in its
Lastly, the spirit and “soul” of the individual was threatened. In the Gilded Age, many workers lost a sense of their true identity, and turned to drinking or long fits of depression. In DuBois’ writings, we also here stories of the desperate slave who has had his identity stripped of him by wealthy plantation owners. However, through all the inhumane and degrading atrocities they faced, the spirit of African-American’s as a people did not die. In DuBois’ book, we read songs and stories that kept hope alive. We
With the various ways slavery was spread throughout the geography of the United States, these variations formed different cultures and conflicting laws on slavery. Due to inconsistent systems of slavery, it resulted in the Civil War, dividing the North and the South over the issues of slavery. In the end of the Civil War, many individuals with every sense of positive intentions gave opportunities and support to freed slaves developing into beneficial members for the nation. The United States came together as a nation to solve the issues of slavery, freedom, and the reorganization problems particular to African Americans. It is seen throughout our history all efforts to solve these issues but sadly African Americans still face many of the these problems today. These problems and issues of the 20th century needed to be solved by the leadership of African Americans, for their African American community. W.E.B Du Bois is a tremendous example of an African American leader for what was best for the United States at that time.
The people of this generation may not be aware of the things that assisted in shaping today’s society that we live in. There were movements, organizations and personal leaders whom paved the way of African Americans to live a life of equality in today’s world. Many people are confused or mislead on how, when and where the curing of segregation and unlawful treatment toward blacks started and ended. One of the largest epidemics in history that impacted the lives of blacks was the 1950 and 60’s Civil Rights Movement. Historically, many would say and have others to believe that Rosa Parks an African American woman from Montgomery, Alabama started the Civil Rights Movement When she was prosecuted for not getting up and moving to the back of the bus one afternoon. Although she did drive the Movement into exceptional highs, the real foundation of the movement started with the Brown vs. board of education of Topeka case. This case was the backbone for Africans American History in one piece. Even before that there was the Plessey V. Ferguson case in 1896 that basically stated that if you were to separate students and put them into different education programs rather black or white, you would be denying them of equal educational opportunities. Although there were minor issues socially and politically that the Civil Rights movement didn’t overcome, overall it was a success in the major improvement in the lives of blacks.
The aftermath resulted in a broken Black America. Black America needed to know there was hope. Mr. Du Bois
African Americans did not come to the Americas as immigrants, they did not collectively decide that they wanted a better life than the one they had in Africa by coming to be someone’s property. No African people were forced to the Americas with nothing but the clothes on their backs ripped away from their families,culture, and their traditions to go to a foreign land surrounded by people who did not speak their language. They had no way to communicate with anyone not even fellow Africans as different dialects and languages are shared all over West Africa. Yet somehow these strong human beings found a way to survive and while they were stripped of everything they owned there was something their captors could not take from them and that was their culture.