Post-Reconstruction In August Wilson's The Piano Lesson

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Even if Dressed in Battered Clothes
If a person dressed in battered clothes collapses on a busy sidewalk, many pedestrians would ignore him. However, if that same person wore a business suit instead, they would rush over to check on his condition. Just like how these bystanders treated the man differently due to the way he dressed, white Americans treated African Americans differently due to their skin color. The end of the Reconstruction Era in 1877 may have freed the slaves and granted African Americans the right to vote, but the following period of time introduced a new set of challenges that caused disputes over racial equality. August Wilson, an American playwright, reveals the effects of Post-Reconstruction in his play, The Piano Lesson. With the characters Lymon and Wining Boy, Wilson depicts an African American …show more content…

While the 13th and 15th Amendments depict a step towards racial equality, additional laws were passed that ultimately prevented African Americans from achieving the opportunities and acknowledgement the deserved. From the convict leasing system, to the exclusively white government, white Americans were able to maintain their superiority, restraining African Americans from progressing. August Wilson’s Piano Lesson symbolizes the de facto aspect of an African American life by illustrating the discrimination African American faced due to racism. To achieve true racial equality America needs to see more development from those with less power. In order for this to happen, it is imperative for the people of America to rid of all their prior stereotypical judgements, and overcome their habit of treating people based on their appearance. By then, all pedestrians in any sidewalk would rush over to anyone, even if they were all dressed in battered

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