Sadie Hosler 2 hour 11/09/15 Slavery to Segregation; Civil War to Civil Rights The Glory Field is a novel by Walter Dean Myers that follows the Lewis family through racism and segregation. It starts with Muhammad Bilal being captured from Africa in 1753. It follows through to see young Lizzy escape from slavery on the live Oaks plantation in South Carolina in 1864. After the Civil War, the family is given is plot of land they refer to as the “Glory Field”, which represents hope for the family during their hardships. Lizzie’s son, Elijah, and his cousin Abby help the sheriff find a missing blind boy out on an island. After the hard journey the sheriff takes all the credit and threatens Elijah, who flees to Chicago with Uncle Joshua. Elijah’s daughter, Luvenia, struggles to get a job and into college in Chicago while her brother Richard travels back to South Carolina. Abby’s grandson, Tommy works with civil rights and protests, and tries to get into college for basketball. The story ends with Malcolm, Richard’s grandson, getting his his cousin Shep, who is struggling with drugs, to the family reunion. In reading this story one could wonder how the transition from slavery to segregation in the United States really occurred. The timeline can be split into three distinct sections, Emancipation, forming segregation, and life post-Civil War, pre-civil rights. The beginning of Emancipation starts with the Civil War ending when the Confederate army surrendered in spring of 1865
When he had arrived in Buffalo, Lewis’s first reaction to when they had finally reached his Uncle Otis’s home. “When we reached my Uncle O.C’s home and Dink’s house, I couldn’t believe it, They had white people living next door to them...on BOTH sides.” (Lewis and Aydin March Book 1: 43) Segregation in the north wasn’t a big deal to people in the north than it was in the south and from that he experienced a lot during that visit in the north. Once he had returned back home, he knew what was different now, he understood what the problem and differences were while he was up in Buffalo and at home. It came to him when school time was coming back around in the fall. “ In the fall, I started right the bus to school ,which should’ve been fun. But it was just another sad reminder of how different our lives were from those of white children.” (Lewis and Aydin March Book 1: 47) Between the black and white community, Lewis saw how “degrading” it was when it had came to school. They didn’t have the nice playground, the nicest bus, roads, and the ugly, sad sight of the prison full of black men and only black men, but he had managed to get pass all of the gloominess with a positive outlook of reading. “ I realized how old it was when we finally climbed onto the paved highway, the main road running east from Troy, and passed the white children’s buses..We drove past prison work gangs almost every day the prisoner were always
African American individuals still faced inhumane discrimination and were often not looked at as people, let alone cared for or acknowledged. To anyone else, their opinions did not matter and their lives were not valued. The 1930?s was also a time in which America was being rebuilt after the detrimental effects of the Great Depression. Furthermore, there was a greater presence of African Americans in northern states, which brought about racial tension from powerful white figures who did not want African Americans in what they believed to be ?their cities?. The struggle to find jobs was present all over, and African Americans found it even more difficult to support themselves. The narrator faced all these obstacles throughout the course of this novel.
January 1, 1836 abe Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. There for no slave will be forced to work for a white man again. After that happened a bloody civil war broke out for three years.
The Confederate States attacked Fort Sumter after the newly elected President Lincoln’s inaugural address, stating he was supporting the Union. This started the beginning of the civil war. This assault prompted President Lincoln to do something. Since the Union was losing the civil war, the emancipation was becoming
Melton McLaurin, in his book, “Separate Pasts,” recalls memories of growing up in his hometown of Wade, North Carolina. During this time, McLaurin works in his grandfather’s store in the segregated South. McLaurin writes of his interactions with the black community and observes the segregated lifestyle of black and whites. In his book “Separate Pasts,” McLaurin describes the black citizens of Wade that have influenced and changed his views of segregation and racism.
At a young age the free African-American slave faced difficult situations. He became an orphan before the age of 8. Two years later his uncle sent him off to work for a plantation owner named “Captain”. At the age of 18 he attempted to run away, but Captain found him. The author had voilated the contract by running away and was whipped. At age twenty-one he signed a contract with Captain under the circumstances that he would be treated better. He married Mandy, one of the maids. It was not until the death of Captain, five years later that things went downhill. Captain’s son, which was now a Senator that took control
In the third section the author talks about the social status of blacks living in the south. For instance, segregation was practiced by white southerners to keep away black people
The American Civil War began in 1861. This war was fought over the preservation of the Union rather than the abolition of slavery. But in 1863, Lincoln changed the course of the war and issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln figured the Emancipation Proclamation was a strong military strategy, as well as the morally correct decision. The Emancipation Proclamation also changed the Civil War into a war fought over slavery rights. The American Civil War ended in 1865 with a clear Union victory.
During the years of 1860 through 1861 some states succeeded from the union. The civil war began when the confederates attacked the union soldiers at fort Sumter April 1861. Throughout the war thousands of places felt victim to the constant battles, majority of the war was fought in Virginia to Tennessee. There were many battle fields locations that included Pennsylvania , Texas, new Mexico, Florida coast as well the Atlantic ocean, gulf of Mexico , Mississippi river etc…. During the course of the civil war between the United States and confederates states 620,000 to 850,000 soldiers died from combat. Although they were a lot of sacrifices made there was absolutely sun after storm. Then the emancipation proclamation
In the beginning chapters of the book, we get a glimpse of the typical home and community of an African American during segregation. Many Africans Americans were too adjusted to the way of living, that they felt
Separate Pasts is a novel that has won many awards that takes a look into America in the 1950s. The 1950s is a well-known time for racism in America. McLaurin explores the relationships he had with his white peers as well as his African American peers during his upbringing in the small, one mile long southern town in Wade, North Carolina. The theme of relationships between whites and blacks appears throughout the book. The relationships talked about are not only between McLaurin and his peers, but also between his grandfather and the citizens of the town. These relationships talked about throughout the book prove that the town of Wade, and the south in general, was in a segregated state based on race and social economic status.
To show first hand to the whites the inequality’s and hardships that the blacks face, the entire first section is in a narrative and a descriptive format. The use of these types of essays lets the readers feel more involved in the story and feel things for themselves. Split into two sections within itself, this first paragraph juxtaposes two stories — one about a “young Negro boy” living in Harlem, and the other about a “young Negro girl” living in Birmingham. The parallelism in the sentence structures of introducing the children likens them even more — despite the differences between them — whether it be their far away location, or their differing, yet still awful, situations. Since this section is focused more towards his white audience, King goes into a description of what it was like living as an African American in those times— a situation the black audience knew all too well. His intense word choice of describing the boy’s house as “vermin-infested” provokes a very negative reaction due to the bad
The glory field is written by walter dean myers, is based on the historical fiction genre, and has 368 pages. the author lived from 1932 to 2014. the story of this book is about racism and a family's journey from Africa to the southern united states. they were brought to America as slaves. beginning with the capture and enslavement of young Muhammad bilal in 1753, the glory field jouneys from the shores of west Africa to curry island, south Carolina. the story of the captive lewis
The life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination… the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself in exile in his own land (qtd. in W.T.L. 235).
On January 1st, 1863 an order was given by President Abraham Lincoln. This order was the so called Emancipation Proclamation, it proclaimed that all slaves in rebellious confederate states were now free-men. The purpose of the Civil War had now taken a turn, and changed entirely. The fight to preserve the Union, had now changed to the fight to end slavery. Lot's of slaves did not hear about the proclamation for several months, and therefore still considered themselves as slaves. When the slaves heard about the, many, of the now former slaves, streamed to the federal army to enlist, hoping and praying for fighting the confederate states, because they treated them so badly in years.