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Compare And Contrast The Prologue To Showdown And The Notes Of A Native Son

701 Words3 Pages

Although slavery ended, technically African Americans were still not free, and Thurgood Marshall, a prominent lawyer, played a key role in bringing back these rights to African Americans. Before Marshall took action, African Americans were undervalued, even though the Civil War was over, and President Lincoln had already established the Emancipation Proclamation. Though the U.S. acknowledged that all African Americans are free, not all white people were able to accept this fact and continued to commit racist actions. The prologue to Showdown by Wil Haygood and the Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin both illustrate that the injustice and unfair treatment African Americans underwent was a result of their limited rights in society.
The Notes …show more content…

Baldwin 's father suffered psychological problems as he lived for a long time in the segregated community. Some problems they encountered while they were living in the north were the lack of jobs offered, and limited positions in high paying businesses.
Although Baldwin 's father presented himself as a proud African American, inside he was filled with insecurities and humiliation. There were several communication barriers that Baldwin fathers faced. He was a bitter person who lacked the ability to establish contacts with other people. Just like any other father, he was trying to protect his children during that time.
He suffered from paranoia. He constantly thought his family was trying to poison his food and everyone was against him. Due to the unfair and the injustice treatment African Americans underwent, Baldwin 's father always questioned whether or not he would ever be accepted into the white society. QUOTE
When Baldwin 's father was in his last days, he was laid off from work. That is when he realized that white people would do anything to keep a Negro down. He suffered from tuberculosis and had no psychological strength to overcome the

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