In the month of February, African Americans have the privilege to reminisce and honor the people that stood up for the rights and citizenship for black people. Some people take it as a time to condemn all Caucasians for the harsh treatment the African Americans received on the road to success. I am satisfied with the African American race for constantly instilling the people with information about how they had to fight for freedom, but should that be all they discuss during Black History Month? Many argue that the Caucasians should feel bad and go into hiding during Black History Month because of what their ancestors did and only talk about how they enslaved the black people and didn’t consider them as humans. I disagree, in order to fully understand black history, one must educate people on all aspects of black history.
Every year for Black History Month, the main names you hear are Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and Sojourner Truth. All of these people played a major role in black history but they are all connected to slavery. Should slavery be the chief topic during the black celebration.? Slavery should only be discussed at a minimum during Black History Month; African Americans only talk about what the “white man” did to slaves. What about how the Africans enslaved themselves? True enough, the Europeans approached the Africans with capturing their own people and trading them for weapons, but they listened and participated in the scandal now they want to complain and place liability on “the white man” for their downfall. Others refute that slavery should be discussed heavily not only during Black History Month but at any time and day. When slavery approaches the table eyes widen and mouths close. Few Caucasians try to j...
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...their roots and where they came from. African Americans knowing their roots is not all bitter and unhappiness. There are many great fortunes that African Americans experienced before and after slavery. Knowing your roots does not only mean knowing the trials and tribulations that the black people had to crawl through.
As an African American, I am delighted to see my history acknowledged but when information is not being broaden and explained correctly people are still left ignorant. If Black History Month is going to be celebrated, then present it the right way. It doesn’t have to always be about killing, depression, and what occurred fifty years ago. African Americans should continue to update their presentations on black achievements every year. Something fresh and new needs to be displayed instead of the same people and situations year after year.
David W. Blight's book Beyond the Battlefield: Race, Memory and the American Civil War, is an intriguing look back into the Civil War era which is very heavily studied but misunderstood according to Blight. Blight focuses on how memory shapes history Blight feels, while the Civil War accomplished it goal of abolishing slavery, it fell short of its ultimate potential to pave the way for equality. Blight attempts to prove that the Civil War does little to bring equality to blacks. This book is a composite of twelve essays which are spilt into three parts. The Preludes describe blacks during the era before the Civil War and their struggle to over come slavery and describes the causes, course and consequences of the war. Problems in Civil War memory describes black history and deals with how during and after the war Americans seemed to forget the true meaning of the war which was race. And the postludes describes some for the leaders of black society and how they are attempting to keep the memory and the real meaning of the Civil War alive and explains the purpose of studying historical memory.
Black history month is an observance in the United States that is celebrated in the month of February to remember all of the important African Americans in history. This observance is still celebrated annually and brings forth a debatable question such as is there still a need to celebrate black history month. I strongly believe that Black history month still should be celebrated for several reasons one being that children need to know how African Americans contributed to society. Young African American children need to know their ethnicity background. The legendary icons who fought for whom was considered “colored” people need to be acknowledged. If were not for them the children in today's society would still be faced to deal with segregation. They need to have an understanding of what our ancestors and important African Americans had to go through to get us where we are today. We should celebrate black history month because it represents African Americans as a whole. By celebrating this month it shows that we fought for our rights and never gave up. It shows that we went through ...
When exploring African-American history, the most important things to focus on are that because of the times, black people were enslaved and treated poorly. They endured it all and worked hard to rise above the boundaries of slavery and prejudice. However, the most portentous aspect of African-American history is that it's heritage; it's history; and it's over.
In conclusion, the Black History Month has been debated fiercely and the facts indicate that it should be scrapped. This is because it advocates racism and inequality. The primary reasons behind this include that it was given the shortest month and that dedicating a month to showcase their overall achievements is inequality.
The purpose of Black History Month is to observe the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom for remembering important people and events in the history of the African diaspora every year. All three nations celebrate it annually in October (Jones, 2014).
Whose fault it this? The public school system is one problem. When I was in school, if I wanted to learn anything of my heritage, I had to search it out myself. Trying to find the truth was difficult, if not at times impossible. Today it is not much better. It is a well-known fact that February is Black History Month. In all the schools, posters, special projects, and literary contests motivate students to learn the value of Black Americans. This is good. But, is it not also important that students learn about all races, including Blacks and Oriental, as well as Native Americans?
The African American race suffered one of the hardest times in American history from slavery to the Jim Crow era. They were treated like second class citizens just because they had a different color of skin. They lived most of their lives being completely segregated from the rest of their community and were beaten or killed for no reason. They fought hard to make changes and risked their lives, and even still today they continue to fight racism, but they have come a long way since the Jim Crow era and will continue to fight on.
African Americans who came to America to live the golden dream have been plagued with racism, discrimination and segregation throughout a long and complicated history of events that took place in the United States dating back to slavery to the civil rights movements. Today, African American history is celebrated annually in the United States during the month of February which is designated Black History Month. This paper will look back into history beginning in the late 1800’s through modern day America and describe specific events where African Americans have endured discrimination, segregation, racism and have progressively gained rights and freedoms by pushing civil rights movement across America.
African American history plays a huge role in history today. From decades of research we can see the process that this culture went through and how they were depressed and deculturalized. In school, we take the time to learn about African American History but, we fail to see the aspects that African Americans had to overcome to be where they are today. We also fail to view life in their shoes and fundamentally understand the hardships and processes that they went through. African Americans were treated so terribly and poor in the last century and, they still are today. As a subordinate race to the American White race, African Americans were not treated equal, fair, human, or right under any circumstances. Being in the subordinate position African Americans are controlled by the higher white group in everything that they do.
Knowledge is a primary factor in the attainment of personal freedom. This includes not only scholarly education but also awareness of historical heritage and familial legacy. The fact that African-Americans were held in human bondage cannot be forgotten; it has to be remembered and passed on through rememory. Moreover, literacy gives minority cultures a voice to reach out to others with encouragement and hope.
...ncestors and why things are different now. People can learn a lot about their ancestors and things of the past through music. Music tells the stories of what happened in the past. It exposes what people have gone through to get to where things are now. Understanding the culture and history allows the people of today to become more appreciative of the things that the past generations have done to make things better. African Americans have endured a lot of hardships throughout history and it is important to know that and realize that people today do not have it as hard as they did. African Americans no longer have to experience things such as slavery and segregation because some of the black people of past generations were courageous enough to fight for equality. Although hatred and racism still exists, it is not as prevalent and boldly shown as it was in their time.
...e time television depicts Black Americans as people who do not know how to speak proper English, live in the projects and ghettos, and procreate beyond our existence so that all we can do is rob the system and depend on welfare for our sustenance. These depictions are very stereotypical and negative. Martin R. Delany, a renowned Black American who wrote a book that discussed the attributes of a black man said that Black Americans should foster a sense of pride because of our complex and unique history. We need to bind together and “Lift up Every Voice” (Black national hymn) to make sure our past and future histories are not forgotten, not just by us but by every American. The legacy of Black History Month is an achievement we all should be proud of, but for Peace’s Sake do not let others undermine your past and accomplishments and do not forget your own history.
The aspect of African-American Studies is key to the lives of African-Americans and those involved with the welfare of the race. African-American Studies is the systematic and critical study of the multidimensional aspects of Black thought and practice in their current and historical unfolding (Karenga, 21). African-American Studies exposes students to the experiences of African-American people and others of African descent. It allows the promotion and sharing of the African-American culture. However, the concept of African-American Studies, like many other studies that focus on a specific group, gender, and/or creed, poses problems. Therefore, African-American Studies must overcome the obstacles in order to improve the state of being for African-Americans.
In 1986 President Ronald Reagan and the United States Congress passed a law 99 to 244 members, which formally established black history month as a federally designated observance. During the 1980’s the concept black history month spread internationally. The United Kingdom the greater London council and a coalition of African European leaders helped to initiate a black history month in Britain, which is observed in October. It is imperative that we continue to fight for black history month. Black History Month is an integral part of our nation’s custom in which we continue to encourage positive models of touching historical events, by showing outstanding leadership, diversity and steps towards cultural change. In 1926, Woodson stated that this remembrance is not only profoundly momentous for the African American community, but imperative for the greater understanding of national and world history. It is connected to the ironic history of this nation, and by honoring Black History Month everyone can be included in a tradition of acknowledgement, insertion and community engagement. Historical knowledge is no more than critically observing the past and carefully constructing the future. We should have more educational curricular activities related to black history
Since the 17th century, slavery helped build the United States by strengthening the economy, but also ruined many African American’s lives. Slavery especially effected the South and their economy, politics and laws, and the culture. Many whites did not see an unethical problem with the slave trade, especially if they treated their slaves well, but that is wrong. African Americans tried extremely hard to hold onto their culture and their lives before slavery. African Americans, free or not, suffered immensely because of the prejudice put upon them merely because of the color of their skin.