During the Antebellum Period, the families of Beacon Hill were known to participate in social reforms and focused on more liberal ideas. However, the author introduced another community where it was usual for the families to also engage in social protest and community action. In Generations of Protest: Black Families and Social Reform in Antebellum Boston, the author argues that “the tradition of reform in Boston was not limited to white Bostonians” (Generations p.225). Several black leaders including their families played a major role in the establishment of separate institutions. He later argued that with interracial action, leadership then shifted to integrating the black community into society. He bases his argument on his analysis of black …show more content…
He demonstrated that the purpose of multiple actions was for the greater good of the black community. Other reasons that convinced me of his argument was the Neil family. Particularly, the example of William Cooper Nell, his experiences, his motives and his exposure to racial injustice demonstrated the differences in the actions of his father and him. I find this particularly interesting because I discovered that the establishment of separate institutions was created by the leaders of the black community. This is interesting to me because I thought society established these institutions as a way to set a barrier between communities. I was also not aware that Boston was the center for liberal ideas and gave rise to many leaders from both the Beacon Hill families and the black community. After reading and analyzing the actions of every family mentioned, I found it fascinating that many blacks tried to establish some sort of aid or education while the odds were against them. Last, I found in this article to be interesting because of the shift from establishment to integration. I was in the habit of thinking that the famous leaders (written in the history books) were responsible for the controversy of slavery and racial injustice. After reading this article, it was clear to mean there was more behind the scene events that made the integration of blacks into society