Coming Of Age In Mississippi By Anne Moody

Coming of Age in the Civil Rights Movement

Despite slavery coming to an end in the mid 1800’s, African Americans struggled to live a truly free life. Even in the 20th century, poverty proved to be an inescapable burden that kept them stuck on the lowest levels of society. Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody is an autobiography about the struggle of growing up on a plantation in rural Mississippi during the Civil Rights era. Sharecropping played an extensive role at keeping former slaves in poverty. Sharecropping dominated the South, but this type of job inequality was widespread throughout the entire country, making it near impossible to obtain a respectable job, even branding a college degree. The years following the civil war left

The hopes formed by the Kansas Exodus of living a normal, free life were shattered as many couldn’t afford to take up farming and resumed their role on the lowest rung of society. The North also sparked false hope, as industry expanded at an intangible rate, it also created countless jobs, but factory owners “refused to offer jobs to blacks in the expanding industrial economy, preferring to hire white immigrants” (Foner 523). Consequently, African Americans fought to obtain any job they could. Moody’s stepfather, Raymond, was tired of looking for menial work in the South and decided to head west in search of a job that could provide for his family. He had been hard set on making it as a Mississippi farmer, but continued failure left him no choice than to go see his family in Los Angeles for work. Raymond headed to California and returned only a few days later empty handed. To his surprise he found that Californians wanted his work just as much as Southerners did. This marked a very low point in the Moody’s lives that left them feeling that they were “doomed to poverty and more unhappiness than we had before” (Moody 118). Annie experienced this same issue when she went to New Orleans. She traveled there hoping to find a job waitressing at a restaurant. Unable to find a waitressing job, she ended up getting a job a chicken factory. Annie quickly realized that she only

Additionally, black schools and other organizations flourished under reconstruction. Universities for African Americans also began popping up, which inspired many to strive in academics to get out of their current position and go somewhere in life. Anne was one of these people. She was always diligent with her schoolwork and smart enough to find classes a breeze. She prospered in academics and even got involved with athletics. Her work didn’t go unnoticed as she earned a scholarship to Natchez College to play basketball. After her two years at Natchez, she transferred to Tougaloo, a prominent African American college. After graduating college Annie returned to New Orleans to find a career. To her amazement, even with a college degree she couldn’t find a job. She searched New Orleans up and down but could only use her degree to get a teaching job at black schools, which she noted as “awful, segregated, inferior Uncle Tom Schools” (Moody 381). Unable to find a career, Annie resumed her summer job as a Maple Hill waitress. Ultimately, this shows how African Americans were free, but still in bondage. They had the freedom to do whatever they wanted but lacked the opportunity to do