African American Heritage Research Paper

When you look at me what do you see? To society, I’m a black female who fits the stereotypical “wanna-be” black female wanting to have white hair textures. They watch carefully as I walk past them; afraid of my “black girl capabilities” solely based off of stereotypes that have been carelessly passed down from generation to generation. They think, “She’s probably unhappy with her dark complexion”. They wonder, “Why does she look so angry, it’s probably just another angry black woman.” With my big lips, high cheek bones, angled facial structures, they deem me pretty for a dark-skinned female. They view me as uneducated “like the rest”, unhappy because of family problems, as having third-grade vocabulary; simply, incompetent. Fortunately, their

In the beginning of the 1800s, most African Americans in the South were trapped in the boom of the cotton industry under slavery. Early on, slavery was considered a “necessary evil”, but in 1831 John C. Calhoun coined slavery as the popularized “positive good”. African Americans were confined in bondage and barely had a chance at freedom. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 essentially prohibited the escape of slaves, while the decision made in Dred Scott v. Sandford practically legalized slavery everywhere in the United States. All slaves were finally freed when the 13th Amendment was passed and ratified after the Civil War. Throughout Reconstruction, the African Americans progressed to gain citizenship and suffrage. African Americans faced prejudice

African American or Black Studies is defined as “A field of study that systematically treats the past and present

Although the “free” North abolished slavery, the idea of white supremacy was dominant. ‘“...We are of another race and he is inferior. Let him know his place - and keep it.’” (Doc B) The spread of the abolition of slavery throughout the United States began in 1777 through 1865 and sparked the limits of determining a black person’s freedom. The debate is still present: How restricted were blacks in the North, regarding their social, political, and economic freedoms? Actually, free blacks did not have a significant amount of freedom in that time period, especially concerning the listed areas, as they were all severely limited.

During the early 1800’s, President Thomas Jefferson effectively doubled the size of the United States under the Louisiana Purchase. This set the way for Westward expansion, alongside an increase in industrialism and overall economic growth. In fact, many citizens were able to thrive and make a better living in the agricultural business than anywhere else. All seemed to be going well in this new and ever expanding country, except for one underlying issue; slavery. Many African Americans were treated as the lowest of the classes, even indistinguishable from livestock. To slave owners. many saw their slaves as nothing more than property. Slaves were represented as lazy and uneducated in this time period, sparking the typical Sambo stereotype.

The 1920s was a time of great change. From fashion to politics, this period is known as one of the most explosive decades in American history. After WWI, America became one of the world’s most formidable superpowers. The rise to power prompted the 1920s to become a decade of evolution for women’s rights, African American’s rights, and consumerism.

Its spring 1865 and the Civil War is finally over- costing more than 600,000 lives, and a downfall economy for the South. Although economic reasons, slavery and state’s rights led the Civil War and had caused much damaged to the South, it still gave many African Americans slaves their freedom. But now what? What should the Nation do with the free slaves besides focusing on reuniting and reconstructing the South? Just because African Americans weren’t no longer slaves, does that mean they have the same social, politic and economic life as a white American? Well, according to the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments, African Americans in the South had the same constitutional and legal rights as any other American in the United States. For example,

Staples emphasizes the tension between the white and black race through the usage of ambiguous phrases. Words such as “victim,” “stalking,” and “the ability to alter public space in ugly ways” serve to display how white people perceive the black race in a negative aspect. Through using these words, the author shows how intense interracial encounters are experienced by both parties. These situations project a sense of discomfort along with evoking fear towards the “victim” and dismay in the “suspect.” Staples advocates for these emotions

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird shows how racism affected people in the 1930’s and how terrible people were treated. Since then, things have changed and racism is not a problem. Racism has changed drastically since the 1930’s; now we do not have a big problem compared to how big of a problem it was in the 30’s. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, we learn how racism affected people, now, things have changed and racism doesn’t affect people as much, because race is a social construct, is not as relevant today and we have developed acceptance of every race. Now, race has changed, but even back in the 1930’s, race had to be taught.

Imagine being judged and looked down on because of your skin complexion. People should pay attention more to a person's character rather than the shade of his or her skin. Colorism has always been an issue for the black community. People should promote the beauty in all shades and not one over the other. The solution is for the communities that we live in to not accept the standard that society places on beauty, promote self-worth and happiness. Colorism is something that's rarely publicly addressed, it is time to take a stand. We need to come together in order for a changes to be made. It does not matter where a person falls on the spectrum of color, because their still black consider

The Native American tribe, the Cherokees have been a tribe that has been prominent for many years in American history. The Cherokee tribe is probably one of the most well-known and wide spread tribes in the United States. Originally, the Cherokees were established in the southern Appalachian Mountains, Carolinas, Northern Georgia, Alabama, Southwest Virginia, and the Cumberland Basin of Tennessee. The Cherokees also claimed different parts of land in parts of present day Kentucky. There were three different groups of the Cherokees that lived in these different parts. When congress passed the Indian removal act of 1830 the Cherokees went on a long journey to Oklahoma known as the trail of tears. The Cherokee Tribe has been through

1. What effect does the image of rivers create in African American history? Why are the rivers ancient and dusky?

The people from Africa were generally part of early American history; however, Africans had experience slavery under better conditions compared to the conditions imposed by other civilized society. From the Egyptian Empire to the Empire of Songhai, slavery was practice for the betterment of their society, however, foreigners invaded these regions and took their slave, their ports and impose these people to a life of servitude in the Caribbean islands and in the English’s colonies. Furthermore, the African American slaves were an active agent of society in the earliest period of American history; they have brought new religious practices to their community; for instance, they constructed networks of communities; they had fought in war alongside

African American Studies was a great experience. Has opened my eyes to my surrounding and the world around me. This course with Dr. Sheba Lo, was something out of me confront zone. I learned so many things from race to cultural to the importance aspect of African American. We are isolated to an environment that hide so much history that we all don’t think they are important to who we have become. I know just from being from a certain race people believe that sometimes that defines us as a whole. There is always a race being discriminated, oppressed and even treated unequally. I clearly understood that taking this course opened me up to the different events. It is really difficult to see that we live in this environment even though many whose

Back in 1991, the Iota Chi chapter of Sigma Chi at George Mason University, held a sexist, and extremely racist, “ugly woman contest”, in which members dressed as caricatures of different types of women, with one member noted as a highly stereotyped and sexualized caricature of a black woman. The man, in blackface, stuffed pillows down in his outfit to “exaggerate a woman 's breasts and buttocks” (Cehdclass.gmu.edu). This disgusting act demonstrates the unique experience of women of color of being simultaneously sexually and racially