Historical Progression of African Americans

Historical Progression of African Americans

In Unit One, life for African Americans was one of constant struggle and stressful despite Reconstruction. One Social/cultural issue they faced was to extricate themselves from the clutches of slave owners. In response to that issue they chose the political route to emancipation. The outcome of that did not lead to the economic freedom but it was a moral victory for the African Americans. In Unit Two, life for African Americans was fluid and dynamic. It was an experimental period in race relations. The witnessed a rise in their economic conditions with the consequence that there came about backlash against them. One political issue they faced was formal segregation. In response to those issues they chose physical mobility. The outcome of that was that they gained higher wages either by moving or threatening to move. In Unit Three, the life for African American was one of discrimination. In response to which they waged intellectual battle expressing their reactions through writing and other artistic forms of expression. The outcome of that was evident in recognition of their intellectual worth and their worth as human beings. In Unit Four, the life of African American was one of continued struggle and fight for their rights against segregation and discrimination. The outcome of their struggle under Martin Luther King Jr. led to legal recognition of civil rights under which discriminations based on race, color, religion or gender were prohibited. In Unit Five, life for African Americans was still not based on equality. Although legally and formally there exist no discrimination against them but they are discriminated against in subtle ways in social life. Moreover they face the problems in context of education, employment, health, racial profiling, police brutality and victimization. In response to this issue, they have attempted to respond politically and socially. The ongoing outcome has meant improvement in their life and social representation in key positions. Some of their major symbolic achievements include declaration of Martin Luther King Day as a national holiday in the U.S and election of Barack Obama in 2009 as the first Black president in the U.S history.

References

Carson, Clayborne (1999) American National Biography, John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes eds. New York: Oxford University Press.

Harris, Robert L & Terborg-Penn, Rosalyn (2006) The Columbia guide to African American history since 1939, New York : Columbia University Press.

Lago, Enrico Dal (2005) Agrarian elites : American slaveholders and southern Italian landowners, 1815-1861, Baton Rouge : Louisiana State University Press

Moreno,