Thomas Dorsey Research Paper

“Sonny’s Blues” is an emotional story written by an amazing author, James Baldwin, who has come to be one of my favorite writers. This particular piece talks about the troubles of African American freeing themselves from the mental bondages of their surroundings, the ghetto. The title is significant, and helped me to understand the underlining meaning of the story. The title can be divided into two main reasons, the first, “Sonny’s Blues, meaning the music he plays. Second is the reference to his life, his feelings, his style, and most importantly his way of life.

Anson Jones was an important part of the annexation of Texas. Without the help of Anson, it wouldn’t have been possible for Texas to be annexed to the U.S.

William Johnson was a slave before being freed at age 11, along with his mother, Amy, and sister, Adelia. He got his barber shop in 1830 from his half brother, James Miller. After starting his barber shop, he keeps a diary and he used it until he died. He also owned a bathhouse and bookstore.He married named Ann Battles, who was also a free african american. They had about 11 children before Johnson died. He lived in the free town of Natchez, and he almost had about three thousand dollars in 1835. Johnson was friends with other freed african americans like Robert McCary and hunted and fished with them. Johnson and Baylor Winn got into a dispute and it ended in Johnson`s favor in court. Winn was upset and shot Johnson when he was returning to

James Earl Carter Jr. born on October 1, 1924 was born in Plains, Georgia to James Earl Carter Sr. and Bessie Lillian Gordy. HIs father a peanut farmer and his mother a registered nurse. By the age of ten he started working in his dad store and enjoyed listening to baseball games and politics on the radio with his father. His parents were deeply religious and took him to church and sunday school each week. Carter attended Plains High School, an all white school, and became the first on his father's side of the family to graduate from high school. After high school, Carter went to Georgia Southwestern Junior College and studied engineering. He then went to the Georgia Institute of Technology and enrolled in the Naval ROTC program. After a while he applied and was accepted into the Naval Academy and served time in the navy. In 1962 after the Supreme Court ruling on Baker v. Carr he decided he might have a chance at running for office, so he ran for the Georgia State Senate and

Ronald Gene Simmons Sr. was born July 15, 1940. He was originally from Chicago, Illinois, but moved to Little Rock, Arkansas with his mother and stepfather. His stepfather, William D. Griffen, was a civil engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Simmon’s biological father, William Simmons, died when he was only three years old. Ronald Gene Simmons Sr. eventually dropped out of school and joined the U.S. Navy. In 1963, he left the navy. Two years later, he joined the air force for twenty two years. Simmons retired in 1979 with the rank of master sergeant.

Music is such a beautiful creation, the way the melody, rhythm, tempo, all mix together to become a masterpiece. One specific genre of music, the blues, was heavily popular in the early 20th century. The blues is a tradition-oriented music style from the rural Southern African-American origin (“Jazz in America”, n.d. ). It usually had secular content, which is disparate from how it was when it first began. Blues music originated in plantations, where slaves sung, using it as a mental escape method from their oppression. Even though it started off in a simple way, it eventually turned into a serious entertainment. Bessie Smith and Billie Holliday, two well-known blues female singers, became hit sensations.

In the case of Stanley Tookie Williams’s execution by the state of California was justified. Williams was the co-founder of the infamous Crips gang. Throughout his gang career he put his community in danger. 51-year old Williams was convicted of murder. He killed a couple along with their daughter, and a store clerk. Williams showed no remorse and according to witness he bragged about the murders. Not only was Williams a murder but he was a leader of one of the most dangerous gangs. It is known that gang leaders still have power over their people even behind bars. Williams was a very influential person for all the wrong reasons. He had followers that would agree and act upon his requests. So influential that celebrities such

There are many African American public figures, who have inspired the hearts and minds of eager Black youth. These individuals have instilled within the community a sense of purpose and promise which has carried over into following generations. Some of these persons are household names and familiar pop culture icons. Many, however, are the unsung heroes who have continued to work in the shadows, while bringing others into the light of hope. One such individual, Dr. Calvin Williams, began his journey on the concrete slabs and in the dilapidated houses of New Orleans, Louisiana's Lower Ninth Ward.

Many people believe that Tommy Douglas was the best Canadian with the most important contributions. There is an abundance of reasons as to why this opinion exists. One such reason was that Tommy Douglas began his career as a minister. Whilst practicing, Douglas supported and helped fellow community members. Douglas was a full time minister at the Cavalry Baptist Church in Weyburn Saskatchewan. His initial career choice brought him closer with the community as he provided his civil service. This put Douglas in a better position for his political career which was to follow. A second reason Douglas is thought of as the greatest Canadian is due to his hand in the solidification and support of the political party known as the CCF (Co-operative

Born in Jacksonville ,Florida,1871,James Weldon Johnson grew up in a mainly cultured and economically secure surroundings.His father was a resort hotel headwaiter,and his mother,a school teacher ,Johnson's mother allowed him to stimulate his early interest in reading,drawing,and music,he graduated at Atlanta University where he took his bachelor's degree in 1894.Johnson first became aware of the racial problems that were going on in the United States during college as race questions were going around campus,Johnson's teaching experience with the black school children wanted him to improve the lives of his people.In 1895 he became an active local spokesman on black social and political issues,and founded the Daily American the newspaper became

When the United States of America joined World War 1 in 1917 the rst of the world had been at war for three years. The U.S. deployed an estimated 4,355,000 troops to around the world. Around 204,004 of them returned home injured. Henry Johnson was one of those soldiers.

“Nothing, they never did. And heed my warning, a few years after my son disappeared, a wealthy attorney from Chicago, by the name of Wendell Gladfree, who was himself an adventur-ist, started petitioning the park fathers. Gladfree wanted them to release pertinent information about scores, I’m talking about scores of people who went missing in the park from 1920 to 1969. I met Gladfree myself and got to know him well. For a while, I thought he might be the one to crack the code of silence. And believe it or not, the fathers were court ordered to produce certain documents and things for

Born on October 4, 1822 Rutherford Bircher Hayes, called "Ruud" as a child, was named for his father and grandfather. His American roots traced back to 1680's New England. Five years before Ruud’s birth, his parents fled the poor economy there and resettled in Delaware, Ohio, just north of Columbus. They secured a farm, established a whiskey distillery, and built a house in town. But Ruud’s father died in July 1822, leaving Sophia Bircher Hayes—already mourning the recent loss of a daughter—with two children and a third on the way. The future President was born ten weeks after his father's death. He was often sick as an infant. When Ruud was only two, just as his health improved somewhat, his nine-year-old brother drowned

African American religious music is the foundation of all contemporary forms of so called “black music.” African American religious music has been a fundamental part of the black experience in this country. This common staple of the African American experience can be traced back to the cruel system of slavery. It then evolved into what we refer to today as gospel music. The goal of this paper is to answer three main questions. What are the origins of African American religious music? How did this musical expression develop into a secular form of music? What is the future of African American religious music? These questions will be answered through factual research of African American traditions, artists, and various other sources.

During the 1930's and 1940s Dorsey worked with two influential figures, Mahalia Jackson and Sallie Martin. In addition he toured the country as a performer and lecturer and wrote some 500-gospel songs including "There Will Be Peace in the Valley" and "Precious Lord, Take My Hand." By the mid -1930's, the appeal of gospel music within black culture was quite evident, and commercial record companies wishing to capitalize on its popularity soon embraced it. Radio stations and the major radio networks featured its music on their live broadcasts. These attempts at mass marketing quickly led to a sense of specialize among the performers. By the onset of World War II a small but growing cadre of people made their living singing, writing, or promoting black gospel music. (Tanner)