...During a time when blacks were considered less than equals to whites, Jack Johnson refused to be oppressed by racist America. He was both unafraid and uncompromising. He went wherever he chose, did whatever he wanted, and controversially had sexual relations with whichever race of women he wanted. As a boxer, Johnson went from being an unknown to the first African American heavyweight champion of the world. With little regard for his safety, he destroyed white fighters when blacks were expected to submit to whites. Johnson saw himself as an equal amongst whites; therefore he paid little attention to the chaos he caused throughout his professional career. Jack Johnson was born on March 31, 1878 in Galveston, Texas. He was one of seven children born to former slaves. Although he only had five years of schooling, he had big dreams of being famous. Growing up in Texas, he realized there was very little opportunity. Some of his earlier jobs included sweeping floors in a barber shop, carrying bags at a hotel, and loading bales of cotton on the waterfront. While working these dead-end jobs, Johnson continuously searched for a way out. It is unclear of just how he got into boxing, because he told various stories concerning this issue. His stories included everything from beating up the neighborhood bully to winning battle royals. Battle royals consisted of six to ten boys fighting blind-folded until the last man was standing. This was done is the presence of drunk white...
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...“Compare and contrast the ideas and positions of Booker T. Washington, Ida B. Wells-Barnett and W.E.B. DuBois. Critically evaluate the strength and weaknesses of each.” Black History 140B Professor Katungi 3-12-03 Booker Taliaferro Washington was born a slave on a plantation in Franklin Country, Virginia in 1856. One of our nations most powerful black educators; he illustrated his belief in the dignity of work. He was very skilled in politics and influential for both black and white communities. “There was no period of my life that was devoted to play.” He expressed his concept of hard work was the cornerstone of his social philosophy. Booker T. became a principle and guiding force behind Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institution in Hampton, Alabama during 1881. He felt that industrial education was a way out from the horrible sharecropping and debt. His plan also wanted to achieve self-employment, land ownership and small businesses. “Yet one has the hand in all things essential to mutual progress”, being a personal quote from Booker T. at the Atlanta Compromise address in 1895. His major role was to influence the area of race relations and black leadership. He attacked racism and secretly founder of many anti-segregationist activities. Booker T. wanted to help black Americans rise up from the economic slavery, that had held them down long after they were legally free citizens. As being a dominant figure in black public affairs from 1895 until his death, he spoke...
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...to bring to the fore the brutal acts of racial segregation and the horrors of a people struggle for self-recognition and identity. The agonizing plight of the young black man, point to the psychological torment that the black race had to endure as he tries to impress the white folks, despite his grandfather’s counsel that their lives was a perpetual war that he has to fight. The story depicts a nameless protagonist trying to define his place among his people and acceptance from the white people. The story if full of symbolism through use of imagery and satire allowing the reader appreciate the magnitude of a class-based society. The cultural differences are played out in the story depicting the superiority of the white people as opposed to the black race. For instance, the young man is invited to give a speech to an all-white audience, but first he is forced into a ‘battle royal’ with his classmates who all happen to be black. The fight is not for accolades for the winner but purely for the amusement and entertainment for the white folks in the audience. Though he is intellectually capable and he is invited to give a well received valedictory speech for his graduation, he is first humiliated in a bloody fight and then electrified to the amusement of the white people. The inferiority complex afflicting the black people is also played out when the protagonist opponent,...
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...Writers W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington can both be considered two of the greatest leaders of the 19th and the 20th century to the African American community, depending on whom you agree with. Though, these two were considered leaders they had a large disagreement for which we like to call the “great debate” for the lack of better words. This debate between the two men were over strategies for blacks as it related to social and economic progress. Many have heard that there are two ways to skin a cat. This will describe Washington’s approach to achieving the better life for blacks and W.E.B. Du Bois as well. I think they wanted similar things for African Americans, they just went about it in two different ways. In order to truly understand them we must examine the differences of the two men, as I believe the ways for which we live, what we have experienced, and how we grow up does affect our decisions, thought process, and over all beliefs and goals....
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...A TEACHER’S GUIDE TO THE SIGNET CLASSIC EDITION OF BOOKER T. WASHINGTON’S UP FROM SLAVERY By VIRGINIA L. SHEPHARD, Ph.D., Florida State University S E R I E S E D I T O R S : W. GEIGER ELLIS, ED.D., ARTHEA J. S. REED, PH.D., UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, EMERITUS and UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, RETIRED A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classic Edition of Booker T. Washington’s Up from Slavery 2 INTRODUCTION Booker T. Washington’s commanding presence and oratory deeply moved his contemporaries. His writings continue to influence readers today. Although Washington claimed his autobiography was “a simple, straightforward story, with no attempt at embellishment,” readers for nearly a century have found it richly rewarding. Today, Up From Slavery appeals to a wide audience from early adolescence through adulthood. More important, however, is the inspiration his story of hard work and positive goals gives to all readers. His life is an example providing hope to all. The complexity and contradictions of his life make his autobiography intellectually intriguing for advanced readers. To some he was known as the Sage of Tuskegee or the Black Moses. One of his prominent biographers, Louis R. Harlan, called him the “Wizard of the Tuskegee Machine.” Others acknowledged him to be a complicated person and public figure. Students of American social and political history have come to see that Washington lived a double life. Publicly he appeased the white establishment...
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...with both high-minded strategy and primordial blood thirst. Most importantly, however, the boxer exists within the ring in solitude. It is in boxing, above all sports, where the individual proves his worth. In early 20th century America, there were two undisputed truths about boxing: the Heavyweight Champion was the most prestigious title in sports, and a white man would hold it. Although slavery no long existed de jure, blacks were in no way free and by no means were they equal. Jack Johnson, a son of slaves, emerged from obscurity in the Jim Crow South to become the first black man to hold the most prestigious title in American sports. But, like the sport of boxing, Jack Johnson was a contradiction himself: although seen as a champion of the black race and enemy of whites, Jack Johnson himself was decidedly race-neutral. His hesitation to join the black community in complete solidarity made him an extremely complicated figure: he was feared by the white community and disliked by his own race. Underpinning this dynamic was his insistence on marrying white women, which made him a traitor in the eyes of the black community and a menace to the natural order of things. Jack Johnson was unique because of his unflagging individualism and his capacity to eschew any restrictions created by his race. This paper will sketch Jack Johnson’s career from his humble beginnings in Galveston to his victory over Jim Jeffries. For the sake of convenience, it will not deal with the events...
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...Civil War and the reorganizing of the Southern states, Black Americans inaugurated a crusade and difficult journey for sanctioned racial equality. Members of the Radical G.O.P. assisted Blacks by bringing forth legislations such as the Civil Rights Act of 1866, the Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendment; however, White anti-Black supremacists in the Southern States ignored these laws and made certain that Blacks remained fearful, and away from the voting booths. Several strategies employed by the Whites hindered and kept Black Americans from acting upon their newfound Civil Rights laws. Some of these tactics included: poll taxes, testing Blacks for their ability to read, and write and that also familiar, public lynching’s were employed by the Black Codes. Even though the Civil War ended, racial disapproval, and destruction in the Southern States continued (Bowles, 2011). The Compromise of 1877 ruined the chances of Blacks to depart from a life of farmers and inferior citizenship. Along with many injustices Black Americans faced following the Civil War, only strengthen their efforts, and never once consider giving up the fight for equality. After Black Americans battled in the war between the North and South, the social and racial environment was very crucial in America, and insisted upon immediate attention. Blacks were thought of as contraband of war before they were authorized to contribute to the war effort; however, Black soldiers attained the legal right to take part in the...
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...the basis of their skin color. Disfranchisement, legalized segregation, discrimination, and exploitation had become a part of the American way of life. But, through vehicles as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, migrations to the North, several activists including Nat Turner, Fredrick Douglas, Richard Allen, and Booker T. Washington just to name a few, rose from the depths of slavery and the terror of lynching to win an equal place in American democracy. How African-Americans Worked to End Segregation and Discrimination Segregation is defined as “the practice that divides people in terms of color, religion, and even wealth” (Student Notebook, Webster’s Dictionary). African Americans went through a rough period where segregation laws and practices were in place to encourage racial separation. They were forced to ride in separate railroad cars, have their own hotels and courthouses, and even get water out of their own drinking fountains. Also voting regulations eliminated the political voice of African Americans. The N.A.A.C.P. from 1945 to 1954 attacked legalized segregation and devices for denying blacks the right to vote, bias in transportation and segregation in recreation and educational facilities....
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...Ralph Ellison’s Influential Life and Works Ralph Ellison has become one of the most influential American writers of the twentieth century. His most famous novel, “Invisible Man” has be a great influence on many Americans, and continues to grow in popularity. Ellison found inspiration for the book from his own life, which makes it important to learn more about him, to help see the brilliance behind his National Book Award winning novel. Ellison’s life is the source of much of his inspiration, and analyzing the Invisible Man in depth while comparing the novel to his life can show where his brilliance comes from. Who is Ralph Ellison and where did he come from? He was born in Oklahoma City where he was raised by his mother and father, Alfred Ellison and Ida Millsap. (“Ralph (Waldo) Ellison” 1) His father, Alfred Ellison, passed away when he was thirty-nine leaving the Ida, Ellison, and Herbert, Ellison’s brother, alone to fend for themselves. This brought an immense change on Ellison’s life as this left the family with little money and resources to survive. At 19 years of age Ellison moved away from his home in Oklahoma and enrolled in the Tuskegee Institute, an institute founded by Booker T. Washington, where he studied music for three years. Due to the lack of financial resources, Ellison was never able to graduate from Tuskegee Institute and left after his third year. Hoping to find work and return to school, Ellison moved to New York in 1936 where he continued to live...
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...see the story through their eyes, put ourselves in their shoes, feel their pain, and celebrate their victory. Good literature fully explores the depths and aspects of humanity through empathy, morality, madness, vulnerability, and pride. The White Troops Had Their Orders, but the Negros Looked Like Men by Gwendolyn Brooks exemplifies empathy through the white troop meeting the black troops, likely slaves, for the first time. The poem starts us off by showing how the white men had been trained to look at the black men. They had been given the formula on how to treat them until their empathy sets in after seeing the black troops for the first time. “But when the Negros came they were perplexed. These Negros looked like men” (Brooks, 2495). In fact, they appreciated the similarities so much, they didn't have the time or frame of mind to worry about the differences they were trained to look down upon. “Besides, it taxed Time and the temper to remember those Congenital iniquities that cause Disfavor of the darkness” (Brooks, 2495). There were also two different boxes, or coffins, for the white and black troops if they were killed in battle. Obviously the white troops were to get the nicer coffins, but they ended...
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...Booker T. Washington was an emancipated slave in the deep south during the Reconstruction era of America. He was well educated and well-spoken with promising views for the future. His vision for the future was to give African Americans a chance at an education in trade jobs. He made his vision a reality in 1881 when he founded the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. Providing African Americans with an opportunity at an education would drastically change the economy in the south and would empower the civil rights movement. This was important because even though the African American slaves of the south had been freed, they had still been facing severe segregation and discrimination from whites. Many were uneducated and unable to find work, and...
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...Ever since the Reconstruction era after the Civil War there has been the issue of race and equality and rights. A movement occurred and two men gained power and influence the African American community. Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X two men having experienced different things in their lives held different beliefs and morals and influenced people based upon those things. Martin Luther King Jr., came from a Baptist home with a fairly easy childhood, he was educated when he was younger and attended Morehouse College, an all black college, where he had several role models that shaped his beliefs. Malcolm X, on the other hand, experienced a hard childhood and used drugs and committed other crimes in his early adult years. While in prison he found a father figure in Elijah Muhammad and joined the Nation of Islam. There are many differences between Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X in the way they acted and influenced the African American community. This paper will look to describe their differing views and analyze their actions and their lives. In most cases a person’s childhood has a lasting affect on the rest of a person’s life. In comparing Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X this seems to be the case. Martin Luther King Jr., was born January 19, 1929 and was raised by a strong supportive family. He had a somewhat privileged life and “never experienced the feeling of not having the basic necessities of life.”[1] His father “was a community leader in Atlanta...
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...African American Studies Final Question Answers M5Q1 NOTES: 1. Which of the following best describes Henry David Thoreau's response to Brown's raid? |1.|Thoreau praises Brown and seeks to defend his memory against those who viewed him as a murderer or insane man| |2.|Thoreau is horrified by the violent methods Brown used, arguing that violence will turn many Americans who oppose the extension of slavery against the abolitionists| |3.|Thoreau argues that Brown should not be put to death as this would cause sectional strife and lead to a civil war| |4.|Thoreau is one of many abolitionists who plea for Brown's life to be saved| 3 points Question 2 1. Which of the following best summarizes the letters John Brown wrote to his family while in prison? |1.|Brown is very hopeful that his wife and remaining children will come visit him| |2.|Brown calls upon his sons to continue his work. Although he speaks in very vague terms, it is clear that he hopes they will launch another slave uprising so that his death will not be in vain| |3.|Brown is upset at the fact that some of his children are ashamed to be sons and daughters of the man who planed the raid at Harper's Ferry| |4.|Brown does not write any letters to his family members while in prison, a fact John Earle makes plain in his introduction| |5.|Brown is upbeat and speaks in mostly religious terms about how there is no need to grieve for their father| Question 3 1. Which of the following is TRUE regarding John...
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...references, including Darlene Clark Hine, ed. Black Women in America: An Historical Encyclopedia 2nd ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004); Evelyn Brooks Higgingbotham, ed., Harvard Guide to African American History (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2001); Arvarh E. Strickland and Robert E. Weems, Jr., eds., The African American Experience: An Historiographical and Bibliographical Guide (Westport: Greenwood Press, 2001); and Randall M. Miller and John David Smith, eds., Dictionary of Afro- American Slavery (Westport: Greenwood Press, 1988), provide informative narratives along with expansive bibliographies. General texts covering major historical events with attention to chronology include John Hope Franklin and Alfred A. Moss, Jr., From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans (Boston: McGraw Hill, 2000), considered a classic; along with Joe William Trotter, Jr., The African American 1  Experience (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001); and, Darlene Clark Hine, William C. Hine, and Stanley Harrold, The African American Odyssey (Upper Saddle River: Printice-Hall, Inc., 2000). Other general texts not to be overlooked are Colin A. Palmer’s Passageways: An Interpretive History of Black America Vol. I: 1619-1863 and Vol. II (Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1998), which emphasizes culture; and, Darlene Clark Hine and Kathleen Thompson’s Shining Thread of Hope: The History of Black...
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...William Wells Brown and His Contributions to Society William Wells Brown and His Contributions to Society Martin Luther King, Jr. Booker T. Washington. Harriet Tubman. These African-Americans have become household names and their contributions to our nation cannot be overestimated. However, there are many other African-Americans who made important contributions to society whose names are often overlooked in the history books. For example, William Wells Brown was an African American writer, reformer, and abolitionist. William Wells Brown was born near Lexington, Kentucky in 1814. His father was George Higgins, a white plantation owner, but his mother was a black slave. "My mother's name was Elizabeth. She had seven children, Solomon, Leander, Benjamin, Joseph, Millford, Elizabeth, and myself. No two of us were children of the same father" (Brown 13). George Higgins was a physician who owned a large farming plantation. His plantation primarily focused on the milling, selling, and farming of hemp and tobacco. Of the forty slaves Higgins owned, twenty-five were field-hands and were overseen by a man named Grove Cook (Farrison 298-314). Brown served his master as a house slave essentially from the time he was born until the day he escaped. As a house slave, he was treated marginally better than the field workers in ways such as being better fed and clothed, not to mention that a house slave did not endure nearly as much grueling physical labor as a field worker (Osofsky 175-...
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