The N-word dates back to the early 17th century, so why is it still such a big deal in literature, music and daily conversations? Joseph Henry Jackson once said, “Did you ever hear anyone say, ‘That work had better be banned because I might read it and it might be very damaging to me’?” Today s younger generation is far more comfortable with the N-word. It is often used in slang as a term of endearment or to show comfort and trust around someone. This often causes confusion in older generations and upsets them for the reason that they were raised in a time period where it was taught to use the N-word as a derogatory term to belittle someone’s humanity or social status in a community. The N-word, to some, is the ugliest racial slur created, and its purpose was to vilify African Americans. But to others, it is a reminder of the tumult their ancestors faced and how far they have come.
In 1837, the “n-word” was already considered a huge slur when Hosea Easton wrote The Condition of Colored People of the United States: and the Prejudice Exercised Towards Them. He writes that the term would be perfectly harmless in theory, but instead, it is used with the intent to deliberately make African Americans feel inferior. The word has the same definition today, and that suggests that the word itself has not evolved at all from 1837 until now. Rather, people have evolved around the word and have become aware of the word’s vindictiveness.