In his essay An Indian’s Looking-Glass for the White Man, William Apess talks about the incompatibility of being a good Christian while still discriminating between races. He argues that this social hypocrisy is not supported by the Biblical text, or by Christian teachings. It is Apess’ belief that if God were to love white people as much as they believe, he wouldn’t have created fifteen colored people for every white one. He goes on to remind his white Christian audience, that it has been the white race the one who has committed the most terrible crimes in the history of mankind. Apess places emphasis on the fact the neither Jesus nor any of his apostles or disciples were white skinned. He also argues the right of the white man to control and subjugate the other races, more …show more content…
William Apess then asks his mostly white audience to reexamine their Christian values along with their prejudices. His essay acknowledges that unless the discrimination and prejudices that plague the white man over the other races disappear, then there won’t be peace in the Union.
The portrayal by Apess of the rampant racism that existed in America in his time is accurate and clear. He understood that the nature of racism is found both in the regular citizen as well in the ruling classes or politicians. As an example, during the time Apess wrote his essay, it interracial marriage was illegal in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He mentions this as a direct infringement of the rights of the individual by both the state and society. It is Apess’ argument that the white man doesn’t even consider other races, especially the Native Indian or the Blacks, as qualified to have rights in the first place. The dehumanization of the Indian by the white man allows the latter to oppress and murder the former, to take his land, and to
Berkhoffer, Robert F., The White Man’s Indian, 1978, Random House, Inc., New York, 261, nonfiction.
“I repeatedly forgot each of the realizations on this list until I wrote it down. For me, white privilege has turned out to be an elusive and fugitive subject. The pressure to avoid it is great, for in facing it I must give up the myth of meritocracy. If these things are true, this is not such a free country; one’s life is not what one makes it; many doors open for certain people through no virtues of their own.”
Dr. A. Charles Ware describes the recent misuse of scriptures that had been used to support and propagate racism. He brings them into the light while taking an honest look at the churches as well which reveals that racism isn’t limited to just evolutionists. The Ku Klux Klan, a group that identifies their organization as being a group of Christians with great moral and good Christian behavior, has brought terror and agony for the minority groups of the United State. An overview on genetics, natural selection, and the theory of evolution gives scientific facts while providing biblical truths that proves that we are all One Race One
When it all comes down to it, one of the greatest intellectual battles U.S. history was the legendary disagreement between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois. This intellectual debate sparked the interest of the Northerners as well as the racist whites that occupied the south. This debate was simply about how the blacks, who just gained freedom from slavery, should exist in America with the white majority. Even though Washington and DuBois stood on opposite sides of the fence they both agreed on one thing, that it was a time for a change in the treatment of African Americans. I chose his topic to write about because I strongly agree with both of the men’s ideas but there is some things about their views that I don’t agree with. Their ideas and views are the things that will be addressed in this essay.
It is his duty to fight injustice anywhere within the United States a) Prophets in eight century BCE traveled for their cause b) Apostle Paul left Tarsus to preach the gospel III. Argues against the idea that direct action is “unwise” a) Direct action is the only way once negotiations with white leaders fail. b) Direct action creates tension that forces them to negotiate.
...s be conscious of our familiarity): endogamy, affirmative action, white supremacy, and the ethics concerning the above. Regarding endogamy: does a black man have an obligation to marry a black woman strictly for the purpose of preventing & encouraging unity against white supremacy? Are we too concerned with our individual goals that we abandon communal objectives by denouncing affirmative action and failing to realize the community effect this has on our educational freedoms? To Taylor, these are not individual attacks or insults, but rather carefully constructed racial patterns and habits. (p. 176). From my view, while these issues may not always seem personal or of interest to specific individuals, Taylor emphasizes the importance of cohesive societal awareness.
Slave-owners forced a perverse form of Christianity, one that condoned slavery, upon slaves. According to this false Christianity the enslavement of “black Africans is justified because they are the descendants of Ham, one of Noah's sons; in one Biblical story, Noah cursed Ham's descendants to be slaves” (Tolson 272). Slavery was further validated by the numerous examples of it within the bible. It was reasoned that these examples were confirmation that God condoned slavery. Douglass’s master...
Slavery, the “Peculiar Institution” of the South, caused suffering among an innumerable number of human beings. Some people could argue that the life of a domestic animal would be better than being a slave; at least animals are incapable of feeling emotions. Suffering countless atrocities, including sexual assault, beatings, and murders, these slaves endured much more than we would think is humanly possible today. Yet, white southern “Christians” committed these atrocities, believing their behaviors were neither wrong nor immoral. Looking back at these atrocities, those who call themselves Christians are appalled. In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Written by Herself, Harriet A. Jacobs describes the hypocrisy of Southern, Christian slave owners in order to show that slavery and Christianity are not congruent.
concerns racial equality in America. The myth of the “Melting Pot” is a farce within American society, which hinders Americans from facing societal equality issues at hand. Only when America decides to face the truth, that society is not equal, and delve into the reasons why such equality is a dream instead of reality. Will society be able to tackle suc...
...by Charles W. Mills, the author attempts to provide an explanation for the way that race plays a role in our society, and how it has reached this particular point. Not only does Mills’ work provide some explanation in regards to this matter, but other notable texts and documents connect to his ideas as well, such as Michael Omi and Howard Winant’s, “Racial Formation in the United States,” and the remarks made by Abraham Lincoln in “The Lincoln-Douglas Debates.”
“The history of the American Negro is the history of this strife, – this longing to attain self-consciousness, manhood, to merge his double self into a better and truer self. In this merging he wishes neither of the older selves to be lost. He would not Africanize America, for America has too much to teach the world and Africa. He would not bleach his Negro soul in a flood of white Americanism, for he knows that Negro blood has a message f...
Of the many truly inspirational speeches given by African Americans, Booker T. Washington’s The Atlanta Exposition Address is one of the few that intends to achieve compromise. In his speech, Washington is trying to persuade an audience composed significantly of white men to support African Americans by granting them jobs and presenting them with opportunities. His goal is to convince his white audience that African Americans will be supplied with jobs lower than those of white men, allowing white men always to be on top. Booker T. Washington’s The Atlanta Exposition Address adopts a tone of acquiescence and compromise to persuade a predominantly white audience to accept his terms.
In this passage, William Apess uses the literary device of a rhetorical question to convict his audience of their utter disregard for “pure principles” (2). Bold language, specifically the use of the personal pronoun “you”, identifies Apess’ audience as New England’s white population. As a result of their unethical and ignorant actions, Apess artfully probes their hearts using a sequence of escalating rhetorical questions. The question “Now if they who teach are not essentially affected with pure love, the love of God, how can they teach as they ought?” reveals Apess’ core emotional and logical appeal (3). By criticizing something so dear to his audience, such as their ability to interpret and teach scripture, he aims to make known their “unrighteous,
We remember Mrs. Lithebe's words, "For what else are we born?" and we see that there are some white men who do care. We also learn of James Jarvis's suffering and fear.
The monkeys of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book are a very unique group of characters. They are viewed by the other animals of the jungle, or the Jungle People as they call themselves, as outcasts and outlaws. The most prominent chapter they occur in, “Kaa’s Hunting”, shows their lawless, shiftless, and uncivilized way of life. This image in itself does not give off any racist undertone. However, Disney’s adaption of The Jungle Book carries this view of the monkeys, while also giving them strong attributes that are commonly associated with African-Americans.