The most powerful example of this is the pictures Perkinson put into the book is the picture of the man with a little girl on a horse. The caption under it says “Higher-ranking officers were assigned ‘houseboys’, usually African American trusties who would be used for cooking, cleaning, or even child care”(Perkinson,picture pg.2). The picture helps prove his point that the prison system was used like slavery to control african american because it has the african american prisoner working for his “master” aka his prison warden or prison guard for free. The second picture which is right under it shows prisoners all of which are African American working with some stone and axes. Underneath the picture the caption says “just as slaves built Texas’s first state capitol, leased convicts constructed its replacement”(Perkinson,picture pg.2).
The American Journey was published by Glencoe and National Geographic in multiple cities (New York, New York was the first listed). The authors are Joyce Appleby, Alan Brinkley, and James McPherson, all of whom have PhDs. Appleby was a professor and historian at UCLA before she passed away. She was also involved with the American Historical Associated, and was also a writer. Brinkley attended Harvard and Princeton and later taught history at Columbia University.
The major thesis in this book, are broken down into two components. The first is how we define racism, and the impact that definition has on how we see and understand racism. Dr. Beverly Tatum chooses to use the definition given by “David Wellman that defines racism as a system of advantages based on race” (1470). This definition of racism helps to establish Dr. Tatum’s theories of racial injustice and the advantages either willingly or unwillingly that white privilege plays in our society today. The second major thesis in this book is the significant role that a racial identity has in our society.
Name: Tutor: Course: Date: Legacy of Blackface Minstrelsy In the 19th century, the history of American entertainment had one popular and peculiar form that was referred to as the blackface minstrel act. The act was supposedly an American indigenous act that was performed by artists who were black faces.
In his essay, “In Living Color: Race and American Culture,” Michael Omi examines how racism is still a prevalent issue ingrained in American tradition. Omi uses examples of overt racism in sports and jobs to show how racism can be very clear. He also includes examples of inferential racism like stereotypes that appear in pop culture such as books, movies, and television shows. While the overt racism is more obvious, Omi argues that many instances of racism in America are inferential. Omi claims this is not only because racism has become part of “common sense,” but has also been a large part of our history as a nation.
In Slavery and the Making of America, James Oliver Horton and Lois E. Horton presented America’s slave-driven history through a series of stories that portrayed the inhumane acts that slaves suffered through. Together, the husband and wife have extensive knowledge in American studies as well as history. In fact, James Horton is considered one of the most important contemporary African-American historians. He is the current Benjamin Banneker Professor of American Studies and History as well as the director of the African American Communities Project at the National Museum of American History in the Smithsonian Institution. Along with his teaching profession, Horton was a historical consultant on various film and video productions on programs like ABC, PBS, the Discovery Channel, and the History Channel.
Carter Godwin Woodson remains a legendary figure among black scholars, especially in the field of Afro-American history. He initiated the annual celebration of the Negro history, which marked a stride in an attempt to eliminate racial based discrimination. Woodson’s commitment to scholarly work was formidable. For instance, he pioneered research work on Negro migration, history of nonprofessional’s, the mind of the Negro, and Negro’s orations. His numerous work shed light on the extent of economic exploitation, cultural isolation, and segregation that dominated the society.
These were some of my favorite readings so far that we had been required to read through. They were very enlightening and provided many great perspectives and stories from white and minority people alike. The three readings I enjoyed the most are Defining Racism: “Can We Talk?” by Beverly Daniel Tatum, Color-Blind Racism by Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, and Smells Like Racism by Rita Chaudhry Sethi. What I liked about Bonilla-Silva’s piece is the quotes taken from the white privilege.
In the article “The Hidden Racism of Young White Americans” author Sean McElwee analyzes data on white Americans. The first graph shows that white individuals in all age groups agreed in the same amount of numbers to statements like “Black people are lazy, black people are unintelligent, and blacks face a little or no discrimination at all” (McElwee 2012). McElwee mentions, “Age tells us far less about an individual’s likelihood of expressing racist sentiments than factors like education, geography and race” (McElwee 2015). Since the graph showed all age groups agreeing similarly throughout the board. The next graph shows “work ethic of whites to blacks” (McElwee 2015).
From this, derives a bond with the reader that pushes their understanding of the evil nature of slavery that society deemed appropriate therefore enhancing their understanding of history. While only glossed over in most classroom settings of the twenty-first century, students often neglect the sad but true reality that the backbone of slavery, was the dehumanization of an entire race of people. To create a group of individuals known for their extreme oppression derived from slavery, required plantation owner’s of the South to constantly embedded certain values into the lives of their slaves. To talk back means to be whipped.
In the essay, “A Genealogy of Modern Racism”, the author Dr. Cornel West discusses racism in depth, while conveying why whites feel this sense of superiority. We learn through his discussion that whites have been forced to treat black harshly due to the knowledge that was given to them about the aesthetics of beauty and civility. This knowledge that was bestowed on the whites in the modern West, taught them that they were superior to all races tat did not emulate the norms of whites. According to Dr. West the very idea that blacks were even human beings is a concept that was a “relatively new discovery of the modern West”, and that equality of beauty, culture, and intellect in blacks remains problematic and controversial in intellectual circles
The textbook did not want the readers to know the true horror in which we put slaves through in order to keep the exceptionalism mind set. By just reading the textbook, and not referring to other sources the reader is hurting himself, and missing out on other key perspectives which can change the way which we view history as well as our
As a result of its invisibility, the predominant systems of white racism operate on an unconscious level (McIntosh, 1988). White people have come to adopt certain physical and mental ways of interacting in the world that lack conscious attention and reflection which ultimately perpetuate systems of white privilege (Sullivan, 2006). White
Systemic Racism in the United States Many individuals today have different point of views on how the United States of America became what it is today. For instance, point of views such as how society learned to function the way it does, the law and order in place, and ultimately, how circumstances have developed throughout history. Unfortunately, institutional/institutionalized racism, also known as systemic racism is also a concept that has settled and is grown to be quite predominant in the United States all through times past. Systemic racism continues to take place in settings such as banks, courts of law, government organizations, school systems, and the like.
Today in class, we discussed a topic that is deeply engraved in American history yet widely avoided by many: race. More specifically, terms like “racist,” “All Lives Matter,” and “white privilege,” which may make some people uncomfortable but more than ever, need to be confronted and examined. We watched several videos containing a variety of people discussing their own personal thoughts and feelings on such terms to spark our own conversations on the same topics. After viewing the first video on the word “racist,” I began to reflect on my own actions towards other people.
