African Americans

African Americans

African Writers Portrayal of Slavery

Introduction:

When they think of the Civil War, we think of slavery, the Constitution, and African Americans. As stated by Frederick Douglass, 4 July is a, “celebration of the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim“. (Douglass, 134). Douglass clearly states that the constitution had nothing to do with Africans at all, but caters to the white race. It is a celebration of white people covering up what they have created for so many years, slavery. Aime Cesaire stated what should have been the first three sentences in the constitution and the truth at that time, “A civilization that proves incapable of solving the problems it creates is a decadent civilization. A civilization that chooses to close its eyes to its most crucial problems is a stricken civilization. A civilization that uses its principles for trickery and deceit is a dying civilization”. (Cesaire, pg 262).
Discrimination is very old in its origins. From the earliest periods of human existence, groups developed prejudices toward others and then discriminated against those whom they regarded as different or inferior. Many attempts were taken to maintain or increase power, prestige, or even wealth. Groups found it easy to invent or accept the idea that others were somehow inferior to them and thus not deserving of equal treatment. Among the many differences that could be used as a basis for discrimination, people quickly discovered that physical appearance was the easiest to identify. It required no subtle analysis, no careful contemplation, but only a superficial glance at those visual features that would later be used to identify "race". The shape of one's nose, color of one's hair, or even the color of one's skin describes the universal nature of what we now call racial consciousness. Slavery is a perfect example. Racial animosity grew in the North and South Americas as well as the Caribbean Islands and in many instances led to...

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