Summary Of Letter To African American History Dbq

Analysis of Document II The end of the 19th century marked an era filled with political and economic chaos in Americas history. This letter was written during the meeting of black citizens in New Orleans in 1888. Written as a result of the “reign of terror” against black citizens during the Gilded Age and the massacre of Thibodaux. This letter is a primary source, since it was written during the New Orleans Mass Meeting at Geddes Hall in August 1888. This source was written by Reverend Ernest Lyon and others, as a way to call attention to the merciless discrimination that African Americans faced each day fighting for their civil and political rights. This source isn’t bias, because these individuals are writing factual statement of their cruel

The tone of the letter in the beginning was sadness. The letter narrates the ages of discrimination against African Americans through visually descriptive language. “They go out on nightly raids, order peaceable citizens away never to return, whip some, fire into the houses of others-endangering the defenseless lives of women and children.” This imagery brings forth sadness, imaging innocent life (especially women and children) would make the reader become sadden and instantly appeal to the American’s sense of pity. The authors also talk about events of the reign of terror as “unblushing outrages and murders of inoffensive colored citizens.” The authors use words such as unblushing showing that those who did these heinous acts showed no shame or embarrassment. Another way the authors use imagery is when they compared those monstrous acts against black citizens to deeds that occurred in the medieval age “who shed innocent blood and commit deeds of savagery unsurpassed in the dark ages of mankind.” Basically saying that there is no difference between American society and the “dark ages” society, the people of that time were also punished brutally and lawlessly. There was no progression between then (dark ages) and now (time when source was

“To our people we advise calmness and a strict regard for law and order.” Even while fighting for equal rights they did it in a manner where they would follow the law and keep calm. They were advised if they felt unsafe to leave their town. They basically told them to surrender to the whites, who were the planned readers of the letter. The letter objective was to present the African American community not as a race determined by the desire for control and violence but rather by peace and obedience to the law. This argument debunked the discriminatory myth of African Americans as a merciless and power-crazy race. It is amazing how the writers as black citizens, who are branded by their enemies(whites) as lowly unruly savages, successfully made their enemies appear as the lawless and savage