...When one thinks of education, it is common to view it as an opportunity to expand the mind and that education is used to facilitate learning new skills,values and thoughts.However, education in America is not as effectual as it should be for everyone, due to institutional racism deeply embedded within the system. As displayed in both Sherman Alexie’s “Superman & Me” and James Baldwin’s “A Talk To Teachers”, children of minority are not given the same opportunities as white children and it is almost predetermined that black or indian children cannot be successful in school. While both essays argued the same general point about education, the way each point was presented contained differed tones and styles, setting the two pieces apart. In Sherman Alexie’s “Superman & Me”, Alexie begins his story by introducing how he learned to read, by using a Superman comic. This is important because it stresses the fact that Alexie did not have the same extensive resources that privileged white children do. Alexie read whatever he could find to educate himself, because he was aware that the only key to success is through obtaining an education. Alexie’s sharing of personal experience creates a connection with the audience. When Alexie speaks about how he learned to read from a comic book, this is almost a depressing statement. However, the audience knows that Alexie was able to overcome this depressing situation to become successful, even though he was never given proper educational resources...
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...B Du Bois. The men had many ideas; however, they sharply disagreed on the approaches to black education. Washington, committed to vocational education, trained blacks on low end jobs, and Du Bois believed in academic education in favor of trade school. Both Washington and Du Bois wanted the same thing for blacks, first-class citizenship, but their contrasting views in black education required different ways of obtaining it. Booker T. Washington’s commitment to agricultural and industrial educations was the basis of his approach. He was founder and principal of Tuskegee Institute, a normal and industrial school in Alabama. Students would receive instruction in thirty-three trades and industries, including carpentry, blacksmithing, printing, and machinery to name a few. His school aimed to train African-Americans in the skills that would help them the most in everyday practical things of life. “…the policy of industrial schools- fitting students for occupations which would be open to them in their home communities (Washington, 4).” For example, in the South there was a demand for men to operate dairies in a skillful, modern manner. This resulted in Washington adding a dairy department in connection with the school that instructed a number of young men in the latest and scientific methods of dairy work. He does not agree with the notion that many think industrial education is meant to make Negroes work as they did in the days of slavery. In fact, his school consists...
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...Essay 1 Our nation pursues the ideal that what we look like or where we come from should not determine the benefits or burdens that we bear in our society. Unfortunately, for African Americans, one of the largest minority groups within the United States, this is not a reality. In fact, life has been altered from the moment their lives began as an individual of color. Today, many people tend to remember the victories of African Americans that include abolition of slavery, desegregation, the civil rights movement, and the right to vote before women. People tend to forget the centuries of ugly racism, oppression and violence. The times of slavery, Jim Crow laws, lynching and segregation along with the hardship of having no political voice. Many disregard that for every social policy throughout history with what appeared to be an open door, just became another obstacle for Blacks and step up for Whites. Social policies and government programs have neglected and shortchanged African Americans for decades. Today, African Americans continue to face economic, social and health disparities within society when compared to its white counterparts. African Americans are struggling with unemployment and poverty. According to Fletcher (2013) in 2012, the black unemployment rate was 14.0 percent, 2.1 times the white unemployment rate (6.6 percent). This rate is higher than the average national unemployment rate of 13.1 percent. For those African Americans who are employed, many are unable...
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...African American's Journey Essay Below is a free essay on "African American's Journey" from Anti Essays, your source for free research papers, essays, and term paper examples. “African American’s Journey to Freedom” Charity Johnson HIS204: American History since 1865 Instructor: Leslie Ruff February 11, 2013 “African American’s Journey to Freedom” To some African Americans it may seem ironic that The United States of America is known as “the land of the free” considering that majority of their ancestors entered the US as slaves. African Americans were brought to North America via the middle passage which originated during the fifteenth century. They were enslaved for approximately 400 hundred years until the end of the Civil War in 1865. Although African Americans were enslaved in America, they were determine to survive and one day be freed in this great country. During The African American’s journey to freedom several significant events took place which was inclusive of but not limited to: The Civil Rights Movement of 1865-1877, Separate but Equal Legislation (Plessy vs. Ferguson court case) in 1896, The Harlem Renaissance of 1920, Brown vs. Board of Education in 1954, The March on Washington Movement of 1963, and The Black Power Movement of the late 1960s and 1970. I will discuss the significance of these events in relation to the African American journey to freedom and how they have help shape American society today. THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT OF 1865-1877 Frequently when...
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...In ground and bottom, it does not matter if someone is white or black, American or Hispanic, we are all the same. Is it right to judge people by the color of their skin? Is treating people equally regardless of race somehow a paragon of inequality? Unfortunately, in today’s society we are judging people by the color of their skin, and not from their country of origin, ethnicity or biological. The American dream is based on the idea that; America where no matter who you are, no matter what you look like, no matter where you come from, no matter what your last name is, no matter who you love, you can make it here if you try. While the United States was built on this idea, it is becoming harder and harder for people to move up in social status...
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...is specified as the period of time in the U.S from 1954-1974. Jim Crow laws were intact, schools were segregated. Public accommodations and voter’s registrations In the first few paragraphs discuss the scholarship on the civil rights movement. Paragraph one we are introduced to Irene Morgan and Barbara Johns both women talked about their experiences and how they led up to the freedom rides. We also are introduced to the Brown vs. Board of education, sought to end segregation in an institutional setting and spearheaded the movement to end segregation. The inequality of education was a major issue during the modern civil rights era. These women wanted equality for their children and their resistance generated social reform. Yvonne Davis Frear’s essay “African American women in Texas Civil Rights Movement highlights the contributions of African American women in Texas such as Lula B. White, Juanita Craft, Christia Adair, Barbara Jordan and other women. The essay strengthened the theme of the book their contributions of African American women was...
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...African Americans have a dream If people want to learn about the real African-American life during the 1920s, undoubtedly, a good way is to read Langston Hughes’s works. Hughes writes lots of poetry about pursuing an American Spirit which realizes no discrimination, freedom and equality in the entire American society. Hughes hopes all African American can be respected by entire society. African Americans have relatively equal chances to compete with white people and have similar living condition as whites’ families which at least have a house and a car. The two poems of Hughes’ “I, Too” and “Theme for English B” describe Hughes’ desired American Spirit. In these two poems “ I, Too” and Theme for English B”, Hughes shares his experience as African American who lives under basic living condition, in hopes of encouraging more blacks to fight for equal rights. From the poem “I, too”, Hughes writes “I, too, sing America” (ln.1). As a common American people who learn American history and love American culture, although Hughes ’ancestry is African, he was born and grew up in the Unites States. Hughes also writes “I, too, am America” (ln.18). Although white people and black people have different skin color and background in the United States, they are all American. People can learn some idea about equality from Hughes. Hughes says when guests come to their home, white person can eat at the table but darker brother only can eat in the kitchen in the poem “I...
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...advocated to have the research and study of the African-American experience and history incorporated into our higher educational systems. In his essay “The Origin and Growth of Afro-American Literature”, Clarke presents us with a timeline of African American literature from the fourteenth century in Timbuktu to James Baldwin in the 1960’s. He describes that little known history of intellectual centers of education and culture in West Africa during the 1500’s when scholars such as Felix DuBois and Ahmed Baba were prominent during the height of the University of Sankore, and takes us through every major milestone in Afro-American literature after that. I appreciate how he shed light and emphasized that the ancestors of those who became slaves in the U.S. lived in a society where scholarship was present and appreciated. Clarke felt it necessary to emphasize and elaborate on this because of the contrary misconception that Africans at that time were uneducated and uncivilized compared to other society’s such as those in Europe. The section about petitioner Prince Hall gives us a glimpse into Afro-American history during the 1700’s. Hall’s questioning of the concept of freedom at the time lead to his great achievement of founding the first African Lodge in the U.S. in July 3, 1776. Hall’s use of the petition to fight for justice and equality shows how literature played an important role in the struggle for Afro-American civil rights. Writers such as David Walker,...
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...“Delusions of Grandeur” was originally published in Sports Illustrated (Fenton-Glass et al.101). In this essay, Gates aims to persuade readers to give less attention to African-American athletes and their athletic accomplishments and to give more attention to the educational and professional success of young African-Americans. Gates’ thesis states that, “the blind pursuit of attainment in sports is having a devastating effect on our people” (Gates, Jr. 101). Intended Audience: Gates message is intended for the African-American community, and society as a whole, especially all those who share the responsibility of educating and influencing young African-Americans. He says, “Those relatively few black athletes who do make it in the professional ranks must be prevailed upon to play a significant role in the education of all our young people (Gates, Jr. 102). He also adds, “A similar burden falls upon successful blacks in all walks of life” (Gates, Jr. 102). Purpose(s): Gates wants society to find a healthy balance between athletics and education, and for African-American children to know “that becoming a lawyer, a teacher or a doctor does more good for our people than winning the Super Bowl.” He also makes a compelling comparison when he says, “Until training a young black’s mind becomes as important as training his or her body, we will continue to perpetuate a system akin to that of the Roman gladiators, sacrificing a class of people for the entertainment of the mob (Gates...
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...of Government in Education The Evolving Role of Government in Education Kenneth Davis Grand Canyon University: EDU310 June 5, 2011 The Evolving Role of Government in Education The United States governments play an ever evolving role in education. They are responsible for many of the exceedingly particular rules and regulations that drive schools and districts to change. All of these legislative rulings are supposedly made to help America’s youth, but some of them are more idealism than realistic. This essay will describe some of the many cases and laws that have evolved or have had an impact on U.S. education. The United States educational system began on the laws and moral of the religion. In colonial times schools and religion went hand in hand. All of this country’s first schools and educational systems were the product of some particular religious sect. The first schools were used to educate the colonist children but the religious tensions and sectarian rivalries among early colonists had also used schooling to advance their ideals. Particularly the Universities such as Harvard founded in 1636, and Yale founded in 1707 were founded as seminaries to train future clergymen. Although this type of thought about how schools should be run still is around today, there has been much government involvement to change that stat quo. In cases such as Everson v. Board of Education, and Illinoisex rel. McCollum v. Board of Education the court ruled against...
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...Essay Question 1: In what ways did the character and composition of the black population and the institution of slavery in the Chesapeake change between the middle of the seventeenth century and the early decades of the eighteenth century? The early Chesapeake was characterized by a labor system heavily dependent on indentured servants, primarily young, single men from England who contracted to work for a set period of time in exchange for passage to the New World. This system, however, faced significant challenges. The mortality rate among indentured servants was high due to harsh conditions, disease, and inadequate provisions. Moreover, as the colony expanded and the demand for labor grew, the supply of indentured servants began to dwindle....
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...Rape During The Antebellum Period The first African slaves arrived in Virginia, North America in 1619. As the plantations of the antebellum south flourished, the African slave trade gained momentum. Between the 16 and 19th centuries, America had an estimated 12 million African slaves (Slavery in the United States, Junius P. Rodriguez ). Enslavement of the African Americans formally commenced in the 1630s and 1640s. By 1740, colonial America had a fully developed slavery system in place, granting slave owners an absolute and tyrannical life-and-death authority over their slaves or 'chattels' and their children (Slavery in the United States, Junius P. Rodriguez ). Stripped of any identity or rights, enslaved black men and women were considered legal non-persons, except in the event of a crime committed. Documents and research on the slave era in the antebellum south are awash with horror stories of the brutal and inhuman treatment of slaves, particularly women (Slavery in the United States, Junius P. Rodriguez). Considered 'properties' by their masters, enslaved black women endured physical and emotional abuse, torture, and sometimes even death. By the 1800s, slavery had percolated down mainly to the antebellum south. While a majority of enslaved men and women were designated as 'field servants' performing duties outside the house, a smaller percentage, particularly women were employed as domestics or 'house servants', mammies and surrogate mothers. In the absence of any security...
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...Addressing Hidden Discrimination in Public Policies. Racial inequalities from the past continue to live on in several public policies today, often concealing hidden agendas that maintain segregation and economic inequality, especially against African Americans. Kevin Kruse’s “Traffic” and Michelle Alexander’s “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” offer important perspectives on how. Historically, seemingly beneficial laws have excluded African Americans, and increased segregation and economic disparity. Kruse reveals how creating the US interstate highway system, to expand economic growth, disrupted black communities and restricted their access to better jobs, healthcare, and education. Furthermore, Alexander’s...
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...Gonsoulin, S., Zablocki, M., & Leone, P. E. (2012). Safe Schools, Staff Development, and the School-to-Prison Pipeline. Teacher Education and Special Education,35(4), 309-319. doi:10.1177/0888406412453470 This article discusses the best practices in school staff development in an attempt to change school management and discipline practices. It explains that changing school culture and replacing it with systems that supports youth development and minimizing punitive, ineffective responses to behavior problems in challenging, but not impossible. Also, the article touches base on areas discussing: The importance of providing effective staff development, professional learning communities, the Denver plan: a model for three-tiered staff development,...
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...Essay #3 Throughout history many races and cultures have been discriminated against for various reasons and there have been many different methods used to discriminate against them. To focus on one race in particular the African American race was discriminated for a long period and was discriminated in various ways throughout this time. The longest and most prominent method used was slavery, then after slavery ended segregation was another method, and lastly African Americans not being treated equally or having the same rights was another method that was used to discriminate against the African American race. To start with, the first method that was used to discriminate against was slavery which was the most prominent and abrasive method used to oppress the black race for hundred of years. Slavery caused the black race to basically be treated as property and not a person for hundred of years and even when slavery finally ended blacks still were not treated equally and were discriminated against. Slavery was also the most brutal of methods used to oppress the black race and the longest method used to discriminate the black race. During slavery blacks had no rights what so ever and and no say in what they did because there masters told them what to do and when to do it and they had to follow their orders. Also, during slavery blacks were not able to be their full potential because they were not even considered to be people and were treated as property. Also, during slavery slaves...
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