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History of african americans in america
History of african americans in america
Political changes of the reconstruction era
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W. E. B. Dubois, Of the Dawn of Freedom: A synopsis and critical discussion
William Edward Burghardt Dubois' work, The Souls of Black Folk, gave a critical discuss of the early, twentieth century through the eyes of the Negro. Although many have limited this work to Dubois' argument of, The Talented Tenth, it should be noted that Dubois' work encompasses much more than that. The purpose of the essay is to summarize and give a critical eye to W. E. B. Dubois' Of the Dawn of Freedom.
In the first line of this work Dubois, states the now famous and words that would be reiterated by most Black intellectuals and social scientist of the twentieth and now early twenty-first century, "THE PROBLEM of the twentieth century is the problem of the color-line". From here Dubois funnels into his thesis, declaring that, the aim of the "essay to study the period of history from 1861 to 1872 so far as it relates to the American Negro."[1]
From here Dubois, gives a synopsis of the civil war, partially through the eyes of the Negro, and the politics behind it. He briefly discusses, weather or not slavery was the true reason for the Civil War. After this discussion Dubois led
into the official, Dawn of Freedom, which was when slaves were officially freed.
Dubois, then leads into the affects of the Freedmen's Bureau and helped Blacks, in the beginning of this new era of their lives. He discuss how the Freedmen's Bureau and "Freedmen's Aid societies, born of the touching appeals from Pierce and from these other centers of distress. There was the American Missionary Association, sprung from the Amistad, and now full-grown for work; the various church organizations, the National Freedmen's Relief Association, the American Freedmen's Union, the Western Freedmen's Aid Commission,in all fifty or more active organizations, which sent clothes, money, school-books, and teachers southward."[2]
Dubois then discusses the facts of the Freedman's Bureau closing. One of the major factors he points is the closing, was:
"Senator Davis, of Kentucky, when he moved to entitle the act of 1866 a bill, to promote strife and conflict between the white and black races... by a grant of unconstitutional power. The argument gathered tremendous strength South and North; but its very strength was its weakness.
W.E.B. DuBois was an educator, writer, scholar, civil rights activist, Pan-Africanist, and later in his life a communist, whose life goal was to gain equal rights for all African Americans around the world. DuBois’ writings were mostly forgotten till the late 1960s, because of his involvement in communism and his absence during the civil rights movement in America. Even though his writings were temporarily forgotten because of his tarnished reputation, his legacy has since been restored allowing for his writings to be reprinted becoming a major influence for both academics and activists. DuBois’ accomplishments include his part in the creation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and his support for the civil rights movement advocating for equal social and economic rights for all African Americans. His accomplishments and efforts in order to gain equal treatment for African Americans outweigh his shortcomings and failures.
African-Americans in the 1920’s lived in a period of tension. No longer slaves, they were still not looked upon as equals by whites. However, movements such as the Harlem renaissance, as well as several African-American leaders who rose to power during this period, sought to bring the race to new heights. One of these leaders was W.E.B. DuBois, who believed that education was the solution to the race problem. The beliefs of W.E.B. DuBois, as influenced by his background, had a profound effect on his life work, including the organizations he was involved with and the type of people he attracted. His background strongly influenced the way he attacked the "Negro Problem." His influence continues to affect many people.
The role of the Freedmen Bureau in African-American development during the Reconstruction era has been a polarizing topic since the Bureau’s inception. While most concur that the Bureau was well intended, some scholars, believe that the Freedmen’s Bureau was detrimental to African-American development. One such scholar was W.E.B. Dubois, who in his book The Souls of Black Folk, expressed his discontent with the actions of the Bureau and suggested that the Bureau did more harm than good. Upon further probing, research refutes the position that the Freedmen’s Bureau was chiefly detrimental to Black development. While far from flawless in its pursuits to assist the newly freed Negroes, the actions of the Freedmen’s Bureau did not impede African-American progress; instead, these actions facilitated African-American development.
After the Civil War, African Americans encountered great discrimination and suffering. During this era, two influential leaders emerged from different philosophical camps. Brooker T. Washignton of Virginia and William Edward Burghardt Dubois of Massachusetts proposed, different means to improve African Americans’ conditions. These men had a common goal to enrich the black community. However, the methods they advocated to reach these goals significantly differed.
When it all comes down to it, one of the greatest intellectual battles U.S. history was the legendary disagreement between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois. This intellectual debate sparked the interest of the Northerners as well as the racist whites that occupied the south. This debate was simply about how the blacks, who just gained freedom from slavery, should exist in America with the white majority. Even though Washington and DuBois stood on opposite sides of the fence they both agreed on one thing, that it was a time for a change in the treatment of African Americans. I chose his topic to write about because I strongly agree with both of the men’s ideas but there is some things about their views that I don’t agree with. Their ideas and views are the things that will be addressed in this essay.
He tried to get blacks into working in agriculture. helping with industry, to accept that they get a second class status. in American society, and the world. DuBois felt that Washington's plan would cause blacks. to give up on me.
“It should come as no surprise that Washington’s historical conflict culminated as a struggle between him and DuBois” (Gibson III 66). To say the least, both men were very active in the upbringing of African-Americans, but their differences in displaying out the solution was what brought them apart. Washington wanted the education system to enforce industrial teachings that started at lower economic power, while DuBois had more abstract ideas of equality and voting for African-Americans. Washington was conservative in the matter of African-American inclusion into society, hoping that given enough time and progress, people would learn to accept them, rather than fight for social power like what DuBois stood for. Despite Washington’s program that appealed to White-Americans, he was involved in politics and spoke about the disfranchisement of African-Americans.
This statement suggests that the quality of life for colored people in this time period is worse than being dead. It is implied by Dubois in this essay that not only would the white people be happier if the black people were all killed, but also that the black people would be happier due to them not having to face the hatred and segregation that they were subject to at the time. Dubois makes a sound argument that the white people in this time period have a problem with a black man making the same amount of money as them and getting the same education as them. They do not believe the black man is their equal. He uses the colored man in the essay to bring to light an extreme solution to the apparent problem, which in turn makes the white people, and the reader, open their eyes to the glaring issues inherent in racist behaviour and
W.E.B. & C.B. Du Bois articulates the true meaning of the problem of the color-line through his vast knowledge of American history and descriptive personal scenarios. Du Bois attempts to explain why the "problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color-line" (Dubois 13). In his essay, Du Bois uses both a rational and an emotional appeal by underlining the facts of racial discrimination through Jim Crow Laws and lynching, and his personal references of childhood memories to demonstrate his perspective of the problems of African Americans. Du Bois effectively reaches his audience by earnestly convincing the people of the North and the South that African Americans are human beings of flesh and blood. They have their own cultures, beliefs, and most importantly, souls.
Many parallels can be drawn between the works of W.E.B. DuBois and those of James Weldon Johnson. Johnson was greatly influenced by many concepts created by DuBois, especially those presented in DuBois's classic work The Souls of Black Folk. Johnson was so impressed with DuBois and his ideas that he sought him out in 1904 at Atlanta University. The two men developed a strong friendship and later worked for years together in the NAACP, Johnson's diplomatic temperment often balancing DuBois's more volitile one.*
The Niagara Movement was a radical protest organization; its members were highly educated African-Americans; ‘The Talented Tenth’.This short-lived movement launched a campaign for equality for African-Americans, with an emphasis on political rights. However the movement was unsuccessful due to lack of financial support, causing its dissolution. The NAACP was a coalition of African-American and White educated radicals who sought to remove legal barriers for full citizenship of African-Americans. The NAACP was successful due to its triumph of many segregation and discrimination cases. DuBois was one of the founding members of the organization; he became known for editing it’s publication ‘The Crisis’; in which he denounced White racism and demanded that African-Americans stand up for their rights. DuBois’ publications were socially successful because they increased Black pride and confidence. These two organizations were able to conduct productive political efforts because their members were well educated, thus showing that DuBois’ ‘Gradualist Political Strategy’ was rational. DuBois’ strategy was politically efficient in the sense that it exercised the importance of political equality on the
Dubois, WEB. Comp. Henry Louis. Gates and Nellie Y. McKay. The Norton Anthology of African American Literature. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2004. 694-695. Print.
DuBois presents the question “[h]ow does it feel to be a problem?”, introducing the attitude towards African-Americans upon their emancipation (DuBois 3). The idea of freedom for slaves meant equality, but “the freedman has not yet found in freedom his promised land […] the shadow of a deep disappointment rests upon the Negro people” (6). The challenge faced during this time was how to deal with the now freed slaves who once had no rights. DuBois states that African-Americans merely wish “to make it possible for a man to be both a Negro and an American, without being cursed and spit upon by his fellows, without having the doors of Opportunity closed roughly i...
Print Moore, Jacqueline M. Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Dubois, and the struggle for racial uplift.
Over the course of the century chronicling the helm of slavery, the emancipation, and the push for civil, equal, and human rights, black literary scholars have pressed to have their voice heard in the midst a country that would dare classify a black as a second class citizen. Often, literary modes of communication were employed to accomplish just that. Black scholars used the often little education they received to produce a body of works that would seek to beckon the cause of freedom and help blacks tarry through the cruelties, inadequacies, and inconveniences of their oppressed condition. To capture the black experience in America was one of the sole aims of black literature. However, we as scholars of these bodies of works today are often unsure as to whether or not we can indeed coin the phrase “Black Literature” or, in this case, “Black poetry”. Is there such a thing? If so, how do we define the term, and what body of writing can we use to determine the validity of the definition. Such is the aim of this essay because we can indeed call a poem “Black”. We can define “Black poetry” as a body of writing written by an African-American in the United States that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of an experience or set of experiences inextricably linked to black people, characterizes a furious call or pursuit of freedom, and attempts to capture the black condition in a language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound, and rhythm. An examination of several works of poetry by various Black scholars should suffice to prove that the definition does hold and that “Black Poetry” is a term that we can use.