The suffering of the black people Essay

Black people experienced a great deal of hardship during the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly in America. During that time, the few brave black people who were enlightened joined the movement for change. The black population's reincarnation to accept a new beginning was a major theme of the revolution that was led by the distinguished gentlemen and ladies equally. During this turbulent time, every protestor called for black people to have equal rights and economic empowerment so they could support themselves and no longer be reliant on white people. The right to vote and the respect of humanity were also among the things that the campaigners for freedom from oppression sought. The mechanisms used at the time to fight abuse did not seem to bear fruits, but the few who were committed to the course of bringing change pressed on through forming an association that would propel their agenda. Many of the protests organized against the oppressors and the regime that supported the heinous acts, were met with gunfire, lynching, and threats, to tame the revolution.

David Walker was a known contributor to the freedom’s journal, a newspaper that was popular among the African Americans. He was an astute campaigner against slavery, which was commonly practiced in America and other parts of the world at the time. In his appeal, he is calling upon the fellow black men to arise and fight the oppression that is demeaning his race (Alice, 42). Walker compares the suffering of his people to the misery that the Israelites underwent through the hands of the Egyptians, or what the Helots experienced while being held captives in Sparta. He recognizes that his appeal will not be praised by the oppressor, whose intent is to keep the black people in America under his rule and use them to amass wealth. Walker criticizes the few among the oppressed who have allied with the tyrants or slaveholders for their ignorance and greed. He hopes that God destroys the tyrants by making them turn on each other, and this he compares to the afflictions that the Almighty brought to the Egyptians after oppressing the Israelites. Further, he condemns the government for being too accommodative to the Greeks and the Irish, who according to him have not done anything to America that deserves gratitude. His view is that the appreciation should go to the black people for toiling in the quarries for centuries to enrich the white man. Though the suffering seems intolerable and unending at the moment, Walker encourages the African Americans to fight for their rights by awakening from their deep ignorance. This, he attributes to the fact that the black people have been instrumental in building America through their toils and thus have the right to live decently and honorably.

Maria Stewart was notable for her advocacy for the liberation of the black people from the bondage of slavery and poverty. Her plea to the African Americans was to rise and speak against the tyrants and to stop being too fearful of the whites. Her observation is that there are very few learned persons among the black race. The scientists, philosophers, and lawyers are countable amongst the African Americans, and those that fit this caliber are too frightened to push for change, according to Maria. She states that although the sons of the African continent are from an enlightened past, they have been continuously dishonored and their rights crushed. Maria observes a trend of gambling and dancing among the black youth and condemns it since the earnings they spend have been earned after hardships (Marilyn, 62). Her view is that such monies should be spent in educating the youth and enlightening their minds with knowledge. She urges every person of color to push for an appeal to Congress to put an end to suppression so that their rights can be reinstated since such actions are necessary if freedom is to be attained.

Henry Highland Garnet was a strong campaigner against slavery in America to the point of becoming an adviser to President Lincoln on the ways to curb this evil practice. He is known for his messages of the use of violence to curb oppression. In his speech addressed to the slaves of America, Garnet outlines the evils of slavery and its contribution to the suffering of the black people. He criticizes the church for not standing by the oppressed and its silence whereas the African Americans suffer in their land. Henry urges the black people to rise and act in their ways until they eradicate suppression and that they had rather die free that live their lives in bondage. It is his plea that the oppressed be ready to go the way of Denmark Veazie, Nathaniel Turner, Joseph Cinque and Madison Washington, who were fighters for freedom in their ways.

Frederick Douglas was very eloquent in his campaign against the persecution of the Black persons. In the speech he delivered on 4th July, a time when America celebrates its declaration of independence, he criticizes the freedom that is thought to have been won by the American people. The blessings that were brought by the emancipation seemed not common to all the citizens (Alice, 46). Douglas touches on the open discrimination brought about by the law, especially with regards to the death penalty. The law is set to suppress the African Americans, punishing them to their oblivion while the white man continuous to unleash pain according to him. He expounds on the issues that face the black people including torture and a lack of a level playing field when it comes to fundamental rights and freedoms. The 4th of July has no importance to the African American but an opportunity to remind him of the injustices that he is undergoing with the tyranny of the white man, according to Douglas.

Similarities and differences in ideologies of accommodation, Black Nationalism, and Pan Africanism

Booker T. Washington was a known figure from the period of reconstruction to the times of the civil rights movement. His influence increased after the establishment of the Tuskegee machine which oversaw the building of vocational institutions. Washington was a crusader for the economic empowerment of the blacks through training as tradesmen. He advocates for the close relations between the black people and the white men as they forge forward to a state of economic emancipation and progress. Washington urges the black people to channel their efforts to accumulating wealth and reconcile with the whites.

Ida Wells-Barnett was committed to seeing the African Americans enjoy justice through her speeches and publications and resistance meetings. She was particularly vocal on the issue of the lynching of the black people which was rampant in the south. Ida observed that for all the murders that were committed by the tyrants, only a few got heard in the courts, while the black people were subjected to stiffer penalties for committing petty crimes or for flimsy reasons. She, however, praises the women from the north for taking up action against oppression and helping the African American women despite the daily confrontations.

W.E.B. Du Bois was a learned African American of mixed ancestry, who strongly opposed the conditions that the black people were being subjected to in their day to day lives. He was more concerned about human rights, participation and economic empowerment of the black people. He was a big critic of Booker T. Washington whom he thought was a sympathizer of the oppressors. Bois accused Washington of misleading the black people to slow down their agitation for civil rights and to substitute higher education with vocational training. His view is that black people should access knowledge for their awakening to effectively compete in the various sectors of the economy with the white man.

Marcus Garvey was a campaigner for the rights of African Americans who urged them to return to Africa to avoid the oppression brought by the white prejudice. Garvey became popular for making the color black the standard of purity and belittled the white men. He was a strong campaigner of economic empowerment of the blacks. African Americans, he argued, would thrive in their motherland Africa, and build governments that would oversee their progress. Garvey saw the future of the blacks as being in countries like Liberia, Ivory Coast, and Sierra Leone among others. He was against the intermixing of races, especially the blacks and whites, and thought it was right that people live as God created them, in their pure breeds.

As an African American living in the 20th century, the biggest concern would be the freedom to enjoy the basic rights. These range from the privileges of good education, decent housing, clean water and food and security. While these rights are universal in the present times, they were enjoyed by a particular people at the time. The inability to enjoy the best traveling channels and to access exceptional facilities as the whites would be a big concern. Being deprived of voting rights to choose the preferred leaders and a lack of good employment opportunities to earn a living would surely be traumatizing.

W.E.B Du Bois presents a more rational approach to the problems faced by the black people in the 20th century by his call for the insistence of equal liberties for the African Americans. Ida Wells-Barnett also presents an excellent method to fighting oppression through making it known to the populace and organizing resistance meetings. Henry Highland Garnet, David Walker, Frederick Douglas and Maria Stewart are vocal in their writings, which is also a practical way to create resistance and to educate people on their rights and the ways to achieve freedom.

Works cited

Alice Moore, ed.,. Masterpieces of Negro Eloquence . New York: Bookery Publishing, 1914.

L.Andrews, William. Critical Essays On Fredrick Douglass. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1991.

Loggins, Vernon. The Negro Author. New York: Columbia University, 1931.

Marilyn Richardson, ed.,. Maria W. Stewart: America's First Black Woman Political Writer:Essays and Speeches. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1987.

Ofari, Earl. Let Your Motto Be Resistance: The Life and Thought of Henry Highland Garnet. Boston: Beacon Press, 1972.

Romero, Lora. Home Fronts: Domesticity and Its Critics in the Antebellum United States. Durham: Duke university Press, 1997.