¶ … African-American Perspectives on Education for African-Americans Education has been an issue at the forefront of the African-American community since the first Africans were brought to the colonies hundreds of years ago. For centuries, education was forbidden to enslaved Africans in the United States with penalties such as whipping and lynching for demonstrating such skills as literacy. As the abolitionist movement gained strength and the Civil War commenced, more and more enslaved Africans saw education as a sign of freedom and a representation of the many ways in which they were held back yet simultaneously integral to American culture. Two African-American writers, scholars, and leaders, W.E.B. Du Bois and Frederick Douglass, discuss the power and the potential for education in the African-American Community. Douglass wrote his seminal work, his autobiography, in the middle of the 19th century, before the Civil War, Reconstruction, the industrial revolution, and the turn of the 20th century. Du Bois, as part of his larger work, The Souls of Black Folk, published "Of Our Spiritual Strivings" as Chapter 1 of the opus. The other works to be referenced in this paper were written by African-American Psychologists studying secondary school and undergraduate students who are African-American; they conduct their studies just before the turn of the 21st century. Therefore, the paper will offer a fairly comprehensive perspective on education in the African-American community, with more current references as a way to see how the theories of the early leaders Du Bois & Douglass impacted their progeny. The paper will argue that for any group of people in any country or society where they have suffered...
When the master of the house, Mr. Auld, caught his wife, Mrs. Auld, teaching young Douglass to read, he went on a tirade: "If you give a nigger an inch, he will take an ell. A nigger should know nothing but to obey his master -- to do as he is told to do. Learning would -- spoil -- the best nigger in the world." (Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Page 36) Douglass understood from this experience that education is valuable to the individual and lack of education is valuable for slavery to function. Slavery works better when the enslaved are kept illiterate and inarticulate. He knew that an education was essential to his survival, his escape, and his individual growth. In an indirect manner, Douglass harbors gratitude to his master for such a deleterious attitude:
African-American Immigrations African Immigration to the New World The initial immigration of Africans and people of African descent is inexorably linked to the slave trade and the institution of chattel slavery in the United States. Although immigration patterns would inevitably vary, they all tended to do so according to the relationship between this country and its regard for slavery. Due to the fact that the beginnings of these people's immigration to the
" This song is a call to fight. It notes that the English have plundered their houses and causes their families to run from their home. They refer to the villains as murderers and state that they should have no mercy because of this. The chorus of the song says, "Then chop with your swords, and constantly sing, Success to our Troop, Our Country, and King." Here the song is
In Lincoln's view, the experiment could only succeed through the preservation of the Union without secession; he resolved to restore the rebellious states to the Union and all else would fall to this goal. But the war was very hard and very long, and war by its nature lowers the status of peripheral principles and elevates the central principles in dispute." (Kleinfeld, 1997) Lincoln provided the means for emancipation from
Education Both Woodson (1933) and Howard (2001) agree that the education system in the United States is inherently biased, and that it does not serve the needs or interests of the African-American community. Blacks are systematically excluded from history and the construction of pedagogy in schools. Furthermore, Woodson (1933) points out that there have been few opportunities for African-Americans to join established professions. The message has been that blacks do not
African-American Studies Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance is a cultural movement that began during the second decade of the 20th century, also known as the "New Negro Movement." The Harlem Renaissance came about as a result of a series of changes in American society during the time. One major turning point during this period of American history was the significant changes in the American population. Reconstruction was over; the country began its
Education in the Community A major issue currently effecting culture, population, and demographics is that of wealth inequality. As the global economic downturn continues throughout the world, wealth disparity is increasing rapidly. This affects culture, population, and overall demographics in a litany of ways. First, due primarily to lower wages, families are postponing child birth. The uncertainty surrounding the future creates an atmosphere of fear. Families are now waiting until the
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now