jose marti

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This essay was written in order to find some relation between two great men W.E.B. Du Bois and Jose Marti, and how they strongly believed in not losing one’s self while fighting to adapt and overcome difficult yet exciting new times in the world for both of their respective cultures. Their emotions become evident in their writings, Souls of Black Folk and “Our America” respectively. Both men have the opinion that their cultures may overcome such hardships that they are facing during their respective time period but not by following the path its current leaders are leading them down. Changes must be made and these two men came forward with plans, ready to implement, if given a chance. Jose Marti was born January 28, 1853, in Havana Cuba. All of this resentment harbored towards Spain during his adolescent years, were the main factors of Mr. Marti becoming not just a Cuban Revolutionary, but an advocate for a different way of thinking for all of Central and South America to also include the Caribbean. Marti in “Our America” emphasizes the importance of Latin American Countries creating their own ideas and their own identities. He first and foremost was against any tyranny. This idea was simple yet so powerful, and has been a staple in the United States since we became our own country; only allow people that study in the Latin American Country’s university govern said country. “To know is to act with resolution. To know one’s country, and govern it based on that knowledge is the only way to free it from tyrannies” (Marti 1020). This was basically saying if one is not born here one cannot govern here, and because no self-respecting Spaniard would study in the slums of Latin America and that would mean only natural citizens of the Americas would govern countries in the Americas and Marti understood that. Marti wanted universities to teach American History even if it

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