The Rise of Silas Lapham

The Jim Crow laws were local and state laws that were supposedly “separate but equal,” but instead blacks were inferior to the whites due that to the social, educational, and economical disadvantages that they caused. In Woodward’s greatly influential book, The Strange Career of Jim Crow, he shows supporters of segregation that this was not the way that it had always been, but instead segregation took time to develop after the Civil war and that the acceptance of the Jim Crow laws was not just because of race, but also included politic aspects. Woodward proves his thesis by showing how the state between the two races was right after the race the war and how slavery required interaction between blacks and whites. Woodward continues to

C. Vann Woodward illuminates one of the “ugliest” aspects of American societal history in his book The Strange Career of Jim Crow. His book is an overview of the development of the Jim Crow system, a set of racist laws put in place around the turn of the nineteenth century. Interestingly his book tracks the evolution of racism throughout American history. He not only shows where and when racism is developing but the different ways that the racism manifested itself in the North and South.

The book, The Strange Career of Jim Crow by C. Vann Woodward is an enormously influential book in history. Woodward was born in 1908 in a small town in Arkansas named Vanndale and he died at the age of 91 in December 1999. The most interesting thing about this book is not just the particular events in history, or the misconceptions and myths that Woodward discusses, but rather how badly the problem of race is in America. Since the United States introduced the slaves into their country there has always been a problems or struggles among whites and blacks trying to figure out how to comprehend each other and themselves, on how to share the same place without conflict. This history is very strange and to be able to have a better understanding of why race is still an issue today, because of this book it helps to know how racism, segregation, and civil rights changed over time.

A democratic society was on the rise and many Americans believed in equality but ignored enslaved African Americans. Government moved out of the houses of rich men and into the houses of the middle and lower- classes; education improved, suffrage laws were enacted, and newspapers were increasingly circulated. The political parties greatly changed; third parties began to rise, four candidates were chosen for one party, and Andrew Jackson lost his first election to John Adams. Adams lost his reelection to Jackson; both of whom created smear campaigns for each other, this improved voter turnout. Jackson represented the common man, throughout his presidency he served

The “social gospel” was the biggest inspiration and influence for Civil Rights leader, John Lewis. Which is prevalent throughout the first two books, of the March trilogy, written by Andrew Aydin and John Lewis himself. The Bible made its mark on Lewis when he was young, living on a farm. Leading him to the “social gospel” which started him down the path of nonviolence, and longing not just for personal reform but for social reform. As the Civil Rights movements became bigger, and as the philosophy of which John Lewis taught spread, others were inspired by the “social gospel.”

In the section, “An Untimely Death”, the author explains the key events of Deane's life and his death. Silas Deane “began his life as the son of a humble blacksmith in Groton, Connecticut” (16). He went from rags-to-riches as he graduated from Yale College and opened up a practice. Deane married, divorced, and married again. He wasn’t happy being a businessman so he entered politics. He

In 1978 Bennett Barbour was accused of a sexual assault of a 19 year old William and Mary college student. He was picked out a line up by the victim despite the fact he didn’t match the discerption given by the rape victim. Bennett Barbour was a 22 year old handy man at the time of these charges, close to his arrest he and his wife was expecting a new born child. Bennett Barbour served 5 years in prison before making parole. Even though all the evidences showed that Mr. Barbour couldn’t have committed this crime he was still convicted. In May 2012 Mr. Barbour was formally cleared of the rape charges but has not yet been compensated for it. Bennett

C. Vann Woodward’s most famous work, The Strange Career of Jim Crow, was written in 1955. It chronicles the birth, formation, and end of Jim Crow laws in the Southern states. Often, the Jim Crow laws are portrayed as having been instituted directly after the Civil War’s end, and having been solely a Southern brainchild. However, as Woodward, a native of Arkansas points out, the segregationist Jim Crow laws and policies were not fully a part of the culture until almost 1900. Because of the years of lag between the Civil War/Reconstruction eras and the integration and popularity of the Jim Crow laws, Woodward advances that these policies were not a normal reaction to the loss of the war

C. Vann Woodward’s book, The Strange Career of Jim Crow, has been hailed as a book which shaped our views of the history of the Civil Rights Movement and of the American South. Martin Luther King, Jr. described the book as “the historical Bible of the civil rights movement.” The argument presented in The Strange Career of Jim Crow is that the Jim Crow laws were relatively new introductions to the South that occurred towards the turn of the century rather than immediately after the end of Reconstruction after the Civil War. Woodward examines personal accounts, opinions, and editorials from the eras as well as the laws in place at the times. He examines the political history behind the emergence of

Prior to the 1950s, very little research had been done on the history and nature of the United States’ policies toward and relationships with African Americans, particularly in the South. To most historians, white domination and unequal treatment of Negroes were assumed to be constants of the political and social landscapes since the nation’s conception. Prominent Southern historian C. Vann Woodward, however, permanently changed history’s naïve understanding of race in America through his book entitled The Strange Career of Jim Crow. His provocative thesis explored evidence that had previously been overlooked by historians and gave a fresh foundation for more research on the topic of

Thomas Jonathan Jackson started from humble beginnings, and became one of the greatest Generals in American history. The most important reasons for this were the leadership abilities, morals, and attributes he developed throughout his life. He was born in northwestern Virginia in 1825. His father passed away along with his older sister to Typhoid Fever two years later. His Mother remarried but soon realized that she was not long for this world. She sent him to live with relatives in the frontier. The frontier taught young Jackson the importance of honor and integrity. There, a man’s word was everything. These qualities would set the foundation for the rest of his development. Thomas never finished high school but attended

The Harlem Renaissance was a period that started in the early 1920’s in which the concept of “the Negro” was intended to be changed (History.com). This period witnessed the thrive of African American art. White stereotypes had influenced not only the way African Americans were perceived in society but also their relationship between themselves and others. Participants like Gwendolyn Bennett, Langston Hughes, Paul Lawrence Dunbar and W.E.B. Du Bois were some of many authors of creative pieces that reflected their points of views. Like George Hutchinson writes in his article, The Harlem Renaissance brought many African Americans from South to North which helped the rise of literacy and the creation of organizations dedicated to promoting African American civil rights that resulted in the uplift of the race and the availability of socioeconomic opportunities (1). The distinctive expression through things like poetry and music during the Harlem Renaissance reflected the reality and experiences black people were going through. This essay is going to focus on the relationship between poetry, politics and representation while relying on the poem “We Wear the Mark” by Paul Lawrence Dunbar. At the same time, this paper will be supported with works from Langston Hughes, Alain Locke and W.E.B. Dubois.

Alain Locke was born on September 13, 1885, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Alain Locke was the son of Pliny Ishmael Locke and Mary Hawkins Locke. Locke was a philosopher, educator, and writer. He was a writer during the Harlem Renaissance. Alain Locke was very educated. He received his first bachelors degree from Philadelphia School of Pedagogy, and his second bachelors from Harvard University, which he graduated magna cum laude. Upon graduating Harvard, he was the first African American to receive the Rhodes Scholarship. He went on to study philosophy, Greek, and literature at Hertford College. He also studied at the University of Berlin, just as W.E.B Du Bois had done before him, in the 19th century. Then in 1918 Alain Locke received his

Flannery O’Connor and Nathaniel Hawthorne are two American Literature short story writers. O’Connor’s short stories focused on the southern gothic genre which consisted of painful experiences with a spiritual angle. Nathaniel Hawthorne focused his work on the dark romanticism genre. Both of their works, explored conflicts between good versus evil and contain characters who discovered epiphanies which are sudden realizations or new perspectives. But the way that these two writers portray the epiphanies of their characters are very different but in some ways are similar. Flannery O’Connor brings her characters to a point where it is no longer possible for them to continue in their same manner therefore they undergo an epiphanal experience. Nathanial Hawthorne uses epiphanies in his characters to show a moment of truth where the main character has the opportunity to change his/her way of thinking or behavior. O’Connor’s use of epiphanies in her characters gives a more intense feel to the audience such as in the story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” than Hawthorne’s approach to epiphanies in “The Birthmark”.

William James was an American philosopher and psychologist who specialized in Pragmatism and philosophy related to such. He led a philosophical revolution in the USA and would make the philosophy known as ¨Pragmatism" very well known. In his book ¨The Will to Believe and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy", William explains different philosophical beliefs while also challenging them and supporting the right to believe in a religion or even life itself. William James' style of writing is more Expository mainly due to his explanation of different philosophies/religions but showing pros and cons of many different philosophies.