Frederick Douglass addressed the graduates at Western Reserve College on July 12, 1824. Douglass speech used a formal tone with advance word choices to target his educated audience. In his speech “The Claims of the Negro Ethnology Considered”, he makes two main claims challenging the claims of white men. One, black people are humans and should be treated as humans. Douglass explains that black people possess all the qualities that qualify someone as human. He continued to explain that white and black people, in America, come from different backgrounds, they both share the same origins. Therefore, America denying black people rights granted to all humans is immoral. His second claim is that white people separate black people from humanity in
During a speech King gave in 1967 he spoke about racial and economic oppression and its negative effects on the American society, “It was sending their sons and their brothers and their husbands to fight and die in extraordinarily high proportions relative to the rest of the population.” (Doc. 4). This statement is particularly interesting considering that fourteen percent of America’s military forces consisted of African-Americans, but African-Americans only made up ten percent of the overall American
Growing up, in school all we really learned about the struggles of black people were slavery and segregation. It was glossed over and glammed up to seem as if once the Civil Rights movement was over African Americans received equal rights and then everyone held hands and sang Kumbaya. This is far from the truth, since the end of slavery in 1865 up until now in 2017, African Americans still deal with intolerance and do not receive equal rights. Carol Anderson has written a book that is extremely powerful, yet infuriating and depressing. Anderson does a fantastic job of showcasing the systematic oppression of African Americans throughout history.
The piece of writing which I felt was unsuccessful for me was the Rhetorical Analysis of an article relating to a topic from our course book The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander. This piece of writing was difficult for me to organize my ideas around. The article that I decided to use for my rhetorical analysis highlighted mass incarceration among African American and the effect of civil liberties being are taken away from these individuals. I had a lot of repetition because many of the examples I used demonstrated more than one type of appeal. I found myself repeating what the purpose of the example was and how it demonstrated proper use of ethos, pathos, and logos. This also made it difficult
In this document, James Henry Gooding writes a letter to President Abraham Lincoln in September of 1863, with a complaint regarding his mistreatment and low pay as a soldier. Gooding, as well as his fellow soldiers, believe that they are being underpaid for the work that they are doing, but he first asks forgiveness for addressing the President. “…But the earnest solicitation of my comrades in arms besides the genuine interest felt by myself in the matter is my excuse, for placing before the Executive Head of the Nation our Common Grievance” (Gooding, 221). He continues by explaining that on the 6th of August, a man from the Department of Payment was sent to inform the soldiers that he would pay them $10 per month, but everyone in the regiment knew that he would never keep his word. Gooding goes on to argue, “…are we Soldiers, or are we
African Americans were not treated fairly during slavery. African Americans are just like everyone else and deserve the same right as everyone else, no one should be treated differently by their skin color. Frederick Douglass and Paul Dunbar both talk about slaves and being treated unfair. They both use personal experience to support their ideas.
The ongoing problem of discrimination due to appearance has affected many, specifically black people. One of the most unusual things with no point or definition. This prejudice against black people has caused much unification within the United States. The lives of these black people have been severely affected, as it has affected their acts, appearances, and ways of life. As Brent Staples explains in his essay “Black Men and Public Space,” black people deal with many problems, from discrimination, and he explains these points in an orderly manner and each very thoroughly.
United States of America, a country that is known for its striving democracy and its amendment towards “freedom of speech”, made an unlawful decision by allowing many public places like libraries and schools to apply censorship and ban books. Literature and any other type of writing are all types of freedom of speech because it allows each author to express themselves and their message through their work. With the authority of censorship and banning of books in a democracy like the United States causes a danger to us because we would not have the ability to obtain certain knowledge that might help us in a significant way. Additionally, I think we would be affected if we did not read any of the short stories we read in class, for example, “Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison. If we had not read “Battle Royal, we would never have the chance to unscramble and understand his symbolism in his
Black people were and may still be, misunderstood and mistreated by white people. It’s hard to think that a race would be excluded from society and frowned upon when it isn’t any different from other races because they are also human. Black people deserve a fair place in the world and a fair chance at life and freedom just like any other race.
Phillis Wheatley has changed the world of the literature and poetry for the better with her groundbreaking advancements for women and African Americans alike, despite the many challenges she faced. By being a voice for those who can not speak for themselves, Phillis Wheatley has given life to a new era of literature for all to create and enjoy. Without Wheatley’s ingenious writing based off of her grueling and sorrowful life, many poets and writers of today’s culture may not exist. Despite all of the odds stacked against her, Phillis Wheatley prevailed and made a difference in the world that would shape the world of writing and poetry for the better.
WWII helped create what culture and society in America looks like today. In Ronald Takaki’s Double Victory, Takaki examines a narrative from the viewpoint of different individuals and societies and their experiences surrounding WWII. In 1940, the U.S. passed an act that revised the existing nationality laws more comprehensively. This revision stated that a person born in the U.S., as well as being born abroad to a parent of a U.S. citizen, was eligible for nationality. The Nationality Act of 1940 also outlined the process for which immigrants could become a citizen through naturalization. However, it did outline specifications concerning race (Pineiro-Hall). After the start of WWII, many societies
In this episode we learn about an African American hero named Robert Smalls. Smalls was a slave who acquired many skills as a slave and used it to his advantage. His will and persistence to one day be free is what gave him his courage. Robert Smalls acquired many trades but the one that set him apart was him becoming a captain on the CSS Planter. Smalls found himself fighting on the wrong side of the war when the Planter was used by the confederates to plant mines, carry ammunition and cargo. Robert strategically planned his escape one night when he and the rest of the slaves were left to watch over the planter. Many slaves were scared of the repercussions if caught. Robert had nothing to lose, his freedom meant more than his life. The mission
Dr. king talk about a lot of hardships during this speech. The way that Dr. king showed the African Americans is by discrimination, racism and not getting any rights. For example Dr. king talks about a "Promissory note" which were suppose to give every person human rights but made them suffer more. Another example is "One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination" quoted by Dr. king. This shows that even after the "Promissory note" which is the declaration of independence they were stuck in this same place and being treated different because of their color. In conclusion the hardships that African Americans went through or suffered were racism, discrimination
Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner is some of many cases which a police officer killed an unarmed black man. The racism between whites and blacks have grown heavily and it is getting out of hand and needs to stop. Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, and Lebron James are four black males that are major public figures that disagree with racism and believes it needs to be demolished. At the 2016 ESPYS them four gave a speech on their opinion on racism. In order to convince the world that racism needs to end, they used allusions, personal examples as evidence, and the organized structure of the speech.
Ellison’s main character suggests that African Americans’ hopes, dreams, and freedoms in America, are basically ideal if only kept “separate like the fingers of the hand” (para. 2). The most profound statements like this were used to describe the main character’s thoughts of insecurity during the battle and what he was up against living in a white society. Ellison’s main character claims, “I had suddenly found myself in a dark room filled with poisonous cottonmouths” (para. 11). This language added a disturbing layer of fear with a twist of uncertainty to the story showing that the African Americans were in the biggest battle of their life. In addition, prejudice, torment, and hate was an extra layer elaborated on throughout. Ellison’s main character proclaimed during the battle, “he came at me as though he meant to beat it out of me” (para. 28). We see the throughout, that violence and struggles the African Americans encountered were heightened until the very end of the story, as threats were alluded in every conversation and contact with the white man. This formation of precise verbiage Ellison offers actually helps to convey the intensity of stress and anxiety African Americans faced and still do face