As a society of people with different cultures, backgrounds and ideas, progress and civilization lead to development in cultural, social and intellectual advancement. Nowadays the American Vision has altered immensely from the American Vision during the 1893 Worlds fair. Since the time of the fair races and genders that did not fit into the “ideal society” have integrated making a substantial impact on our society. The transformation our nation went through shows great progress of civil obedience that was once uncanny. Consequently, many years ensuing the conversion of the American Vision has directed our nation down a more prosperous path. Looking back, we cannot help ourselves, too wonder, what would our society have been like today if …show more content…
The Fair was a representation of a “utopia” and an “ideal white society.” The Fair did not consist of any black representation other than an African group that was possibly guilty of cannibalism. The African Americans were puzzled by the fact that they were not allowed to be apart of the Fair due to their extensive contribution towards society for over 250 years. These people although granted their freedom were still facing intense forms of racism. One example of the troubles they faced comes from the reading, “The Ethics of Living Jim Crow.” As a young African man working during this time he was obligated to always talk and act less superior than his white coworkers. One day the young African man walked into his boss’s office and was told, “Richard, Mr. Morrie here tells me you called me Pease.” (The Ethics of Writing Jim Crow, pg. 4) At the time this was the worst thing a black man could say to a white man. When the young African worker was told this he was put into a situation that no matter what he said he would be punished severely for. When an African man would say this to a white man it was interpreted as the black man was just as prestigious as the white man, which was not the acceptable in this
Since they lacked certain physical and/or cultural characteristics needed to belong in the American nation, they were not considered worthy enough to receive the same rights and privileges they deserve. Therefore, Takaki hopes that with his book, people would acknowledge how America developed a society centered to benefit only white people with the creation of laws hindering these racial groups from receiving the same and equal rights they deserve.
Although the Chicago World’s fair of 1893 only lasted 6 months, it had an enormous impact on the city of Chicago, its people, and indeed the entire country. Up until that point in its history, the US had done nothing on the scale of the world’s fair, and was regarded as a country of barbarians and cowboys by much of the world, especially Old Europe. The fair was a perfect way for the US to disprove this. In building the fair, they would be placed in direct competition with France, who had built a magnificent fair only a few years before. If Chicago could at least build a fair on par with the Paris fair, it would prove to the world that the US was a cultural, military and political force to be reckoned with. Because of the fair’s gigantic scale, it became a microcosm of the conflicts and the tenor of the times. In effect, the fair was the turning point between the old Victorian days and the modern era, technologically, culturally, politically, and in the hearts of the people of the US and the world.
When the people laugh at these kids, they are exemplifying an implicit social view of the African Americans: it’s one of contemptuous amusement for the people on the bus. James plays into this negative view of African Americans by pretending to hit her and having the people laugh at them again when the girl ducks down beside her mother (232). This exchange shows how conscious James is of what White people think of him, e.g., “ I look toward the front where all the white people
The stories that the author told were very insightful to what life was like for an African American living in the south during this time period. First the author pointed out how differently blacks and whites lived. She stated “They owned the whole damn town. The majority of whites had it made in the shade. Living on easy street, they inhabited grand houses ranging from turn-of-the-century clapboards to historics”(pg 35). The blacks in the town didn’t live in these grand homes, they worked in them. Even in today’s time I can drive around, and look at the differences between the living conditions in the areas that are dominated by whites, and the areas that are dominated by blacks. Racial inequalities are still very prevalent In today’s society.
It had all taken a severe turn towards the far right, and the general American population allowed for the vast sacrifice of social reform to promote relatively stable economic growth. Throughout the process of attempting to achieve these goals the battle for racial equality was continuously lost and left with it a legacy of social sentiment that would manifest itself through several socio-cultural movements in the forthcoming years.
Hughsey’s oral history tells is a secondary source about a man who had been a sharecropper. His statement tells us that the sharecropper, who “couldn’t read or write”, was given very little to live on, after paying his sharecropping debt. This tells us that the now free African Americans were still extremely discriminated against—to a point where they were not even paid a higher amount to live off of because of these so called “sharecropping debts”. Also unveiled by Hughsey is that white superiority is still a major instrument used against blacks. For example, when the sharecropper and the “gentleman” that he worked for began an argument about who cheated whom, the “white man jumped on him, hitched the horses to him… and drug him through the street… and hung him,” making a statement in itself that says that the white man could do whatever he wanted, whether he was right or not.1 Minnie Whitney’s interview unveils how she saw that the sharecroppers were basically slaves with a different name, because they followed what “the white man would tell them” and also believed everything that was said to them by these “white m[en]”. Also displayed by Minnie’s story was that not all sharecroppers were treated badly, unless they decided that they didn’t want to do what they were told.
Because of the thirst of superiority whites had, they wanted to restructure the behaviors of blacks in ways that would make them behave inferior. This was aided by the Jim Crow Laws enacted during the Jim Crow period. “The Ethics of Living Jim Crow” in Uncle Tom’s Children explains how the natural behaviors of blacks were affected by Jim Crow laws. Wright explains how these laws affected him personally. Right from his childhood, blacks have been restricted from having anything to do with whites. Black children were brought up in ways that would make them scared of the whites. This continued even in his adulthood. Only few blacks were fortunate to work in places where whites were, but they were always treated badly. Wright got a job in an optical company, where he worked alongside two whites, Mr. Morrie and Mr. Pease. When Wright asked both of his coworkers Mr. Morrie and Mr. Pease to tell him about the work, they turned against him. One day Mr. Morrie told Mr. Pease that Richard referred to him as "Pease," so they queried him. Because he was trapped between calling one white man a liar and having referred to the other without saying "Mr." Wright promised that he would leave the factory. They warned him, while he was leaving, that he should not tell the boss about it. Blacks were made to live and grow up under conditions that made them regard whites as superior. Whites also used blacks’ natural behaviors against them by sexually abusing them. It is natural for people to have sex, but if they forced or abused sexually this means that their natural behavior is being used against them because sexual abuse is not natural. Sarah, in “Long Black Song,” is an example of a black female that was sexually abused by whites. Sarah was married and had a child but when the white man came to her house he did not hesitate to have sex with her. She resisted him initially
The lesson of whites dominance is repeated throughout "Ethics of Living Jim Crow." This attitude creates a social atmosphere that forces blacks to choose how they react in each situation carefully. This white dominant theme appears when Wright is applying for a job at a mainly white company. "I was very careful to pronounce my sirs distinctly, in order that he might know I was polite, that I knew where I was, and that I knew he was a white man." The whites demanded respect from blacks and the blacks give it to them to avoid the harsh consequences. In addition, whites expect them to know their place in society and stay there. When Wright inquired if he could learn more about the work he was met with immediate anger. "This is a white man's work around here, and you better watch yourself." Wright's employers wanted him to be the typical black man and not d...
	The narrator in Ellison’s short story suffers much. He is considered to be one of the brighter youths in his black community. The young man is given the opportunity to give a speech to some of the more prestigious white individuals. The harsh treatment that he is dealt in order to perform his task is quite symbolic. It represents the many hardships that the African American people endured while they fought to be treated equally in the United States. He expects to give his speech in a positive and normal environment. What faces him is something that he never would have imagined. The harsh conditions that the boys competing in the battle royal must face are phenomenal. At first the boys are ushered into a room where a nude woman is dancing. The white men yell at the boys for looking and not looking at the woman. It is as if they are showing them all of the good things being white can bring, and then saying that they aren’t good enough for it since they were black. Next the boys must compete in the battle royal. Blindly the boys savagely beat one another. This is symbolic of the ...
Segregation was still a large part of society during the time the story the story takes place. The South in the 1930’s was not a comforting place to be for African Americans. “African Americans have suffered discrimination on grounds of race, initially through the system of slavery, and then through a pattern of exclusion
In contemporary America, the blacks have searched for companionship, success, and freedom, both physical and mental. Even after several years of [the] abolition of slavery, the blacks were not able to see [a white=whites] eye-to-eye. They were still [a puppet=puppets] for the white men?s show. During this era, several blacks tried to achieve success and bring themselves up to the level of whites by conforming to their direct or indirect, reasonable or unreasonable, and degrading or respectful commands. [Focus more on the rebellion/conformity aspects and the specifics of the story as you explain the issue.] In this chapter (?Battle Royal?) of [the] novel [?Invisible Man,?=title format] the narrator conforms to all humiliating orders to get a chance to express his views on ?social equality? and ?social responsibility?. Good thesis statement. The first chapter is like the worst nightmare for the narrator who is a young, graduating Negro boy. He timid[ly] and obedient[ly] comes to a white men?s gathering in a Southern town, where he is to be awarded a scholarship. Together with several other Negroes he is rushed to the front of the ballroom, where a [blonde frightens them by dancing in the nude=ambiguous. They are not afraid of her. They are afraid of the white men who demand that they look at her. That could mean beatings or even death for black men in times past]. Blindfolded, the Negro boys stage a "battle royal," a brawl in which they batter each other to the drunken shouts of the whites. After such [a] humiliating and ghastly experience, the terrified boy delivers a prepared speech of gratitude to his white benefactors.
Harlem provided a source of entertainment for many people. With its Jazz Clubs and poetry readings it was the “hip” place to be. This was a shock to many African-American’s, who had never before had the opportunity to perform in such affluent surroundings. Oftentimes funding for these clubs or programs was provided by White Americans. This in itself was not a problem. However, the Harlem Renaissance became so dependant on the funding that when it stopped coming, there was no means by which to keep any of the clubs or literary cafes open. Some clubs in Harlem even discriminated against Black audience members. The popular Cotton Club, which featured solely Black performers, even went so far as to ban African-Americans’ from its audience entirely. Even in the Mecca of supposed racial equality, these sorts of discrimination were still prevalent. Advertisements for products produced by African-Americans were also skewed. Para...
America is the place of freedom and where all men are created equal. Unfortunately, the blonde and the black male are not treated as such at the Battle Royal. The African American narrator is considered an oppressed minority to the white man. “You sure that about ‘equality” was a mistake?” (234) Is the question that was asked when the narrator accidentally said the words ‘social equality’ during his speech. This upset the white men and they “shouted hostile phrases” (234) at the boy. The discomfort expressed from the crowd when the black male uttered those two words gives insight as how a black man is not allowed to be accepted as equal in their
The book to ‘To kill a mocking-bird’ was written in the 1930’s and explores prejudice against black people. The book is portrayed through the eyes of two innocent children and shows the “irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the Deep South [of America] in the thirties. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina of one mans struggle for justice.”
World Fairs can be traced back to the middle ages, but the forms of these fairs have changed since. These modern fairs are displays of technology, inventions, fine arts, entertainment, culture, and varies of architecture. They are held in temporary locations around the world. These modern fair traditions began in 1754 in Britain, where their goal was to encourage advance industry ideas to the people who visited. Then in 1798, France held a fair to distribute the countries leftover gods from revolutionary stockpiles, to demonstrate that France was standing strong. It is said that the first official modern fair was London’s 1851 Crystal Palace Exhibition. Joseph Paxton designed the ginormous, 1,851-feet long, building with an iron frame and glass walls. The importance of constructing with this system was the speed in which it was built. The materials were also self-supporting, making the cost of building less then normal. These types of fairs continued to spread throughout Europe and eventually extended over to the United States.