The Whining Nigger and Benjamin Banneker

It is theorized that the phrase “angry Black man” is a social construct created during America’s Colonial period. It was supposedly used to negatively describe an African-American men who spoke out against what they considered to be an incongruous and xenophobic society and more specifically the institution of slavery. The phrase’s essence had been intentionally misconstrued. The three words together were said to have been used by whites as a dismissive tool; a method of sabotaging the validity of an outspoken Black man’s claims of an unjust and oppressive system. This was done in an effort to detract from the legitimacy of the outraged Black man’s cries of injustice. Purportedly, Abolitionist and Black male orators of the time were becoming increasingly persuasive in their arguments and it was feared that their message would garner support. With this in mind, white supremacists took it upon themselves to attach a contemptuous label to those Black men that dared speak up. The word “angry,” was likely chosen because it typically evokes negative perceptions. This would have been a major factor in the promotion of the trivialization process and also the attaching of the conspiracy theorist stigma. Not only was this a manner of dismissing the Black man’s claims but it also helped to dehumanize him as well.

Subsequent to examining America’s Colonial period we concluded that the phrase “whining nigger” would best describe our phenomenon. This would be the most likely phrase used to describe an outraged, outspoken Black man who was complaining about the inhumane brutality of slavery; for this was the angry Black man of the time. In contemplation of this notion we assert that one of the more familiar “whining niggers” during America’s...

... middle of paper ...

...as nice enough to make sure that Banneker’s manuscript was brought to the attention of the French Academy of Science.

Years later, in a letter to his friend Joel Barlow, Jefferson speculated that Banneker had help in developing the calculations for his Almanac, and referred to the "long letter from Banneker, which showed him to have had a mind of very common stature indeed..." [ ]

Benjamin Banneker had made a written attempt to appeal to a White man in a position of authority to end slavery; to no avail. Banneker passed away on October 9, 1806.

Benjamin Banneker was an adult human male, with dark pigmentation of the skin, of African descent, and who was feeling extremely annoyed about a moral and social injustice, and openly expressed it. He was an angry Black man.

Works Cited

Africans in America; WGBH | PBS Online; http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2p84.html