The Benefit of Historical Fiction
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to build a strong and thriving town just for it to be destroyed by your biggest enemy? Well if you have, you will be surprised that this actually happened. In 1905, Black Wall Street was founded as an African American community in the Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma. In the early 20th century, this area was known as Black Wall Street because of its economic prosperity. In 1921, a white mob destroyed the neighborhood during the Tulsa Race Massacre. In the novel Angel of Greenwood, it uses fictional elements to teach the reader about this true historical event that happened. Randy Pink’s Angel of Greenwood is a historical fiction novel that informs the reader
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Washington. In the novel, Angel’s favorite author is Booker T. Washington. Angel strongly believes in what Booker T. Washington says and his views on African Americans. Angel's favorite book written by Booker T. Washington is Up From Slavery. In the book, the narrator says “Black, brilliant, self-sustaining Greenwood Avenue was proof that Booker T. Washington was correct about tolerance and eventual progress” (Pink 32). According to the article “Washington, Booker T.”, “In addition to education, Washington advocated for economic self-sufficiency for blacks. His chief means of encouraging economic independence was through the National Negro Business League (NNBL), which he founded in Boston in 1900. Economic development, selfhelp, race pride, and independence were encouraged from all League members” (“Washington, Booker T.”). In addition, “Washington, Booker T.” says, “Although Booker T. Washington was not the wealthiest African American of his day, he became one of the most influential black leaders in the history of the nation” (“Washington, Booker T.”). Both of these examples show that readers can learn more about historical figures through a fiction novel. In conclusion, the figure of Booker T. Washington is one way Pink teaches the reader about the …show more content…
Washington, readers learn about the leading up to the Tulsa Race massacre. In the novel, it mentions a white woman's scream. The narrator says, “Yesterday, a white woman's scream swung the atmosphere so far that I could not catch it. Her scream lit an already angry brew, fueling and feeding a starving mob whose hunger was not for food” (Pink 206). According to the article “Tulsa Race Riot of 1921”, “On May 30, 1921, a young black shoe-shiner outside a white department store in Tulsa, Oklahoma, rode the elevator to the men's restroom. On his return, he apparently stepped on the foot of the young white female operator. She cried ‘Rape!’ and the black lad fled into the Greenwood black district on the northeast edge of town. Arrested the next day, the youth was transferred to the safer county jail as the mayor and chief of police assured the community that no assault had occurred” (“Tulsa Riot of 1921”). In addition, “Following the arrest of the shoe-shiner on May 31, 1921, the local press inflamed readers with inaccurate stories and references to a lynching. That night as hundreds of white males congregated around the courthouse, thirty to fifty armed black men marched to the jail offering their help to the besieged sheriff. He showed them that the youth was safe, and they returned to Greenwood. Later that night a larger group of black men, including World War I veterans, again marched to the jail and were again turned away by the sheriff. In an armed
Word Count: 1296 Dylan Zemlin Carroll Winn HIST 1493 - 082 The deep-rooted effects of the Tulsa Race Massacre The Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 stands to be one of the most violent and devastating attacks on the African American community in the history of the United States. The Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma, often referred to as “The Black Wall Street”, was a community of African Americans that were known for their thriving business and energetic cultures. However, starting on May 31st, 1921, the community came under attack by mobs of people that looted, burned, and killed hundreds of citizens.
The Tulsa Race Riot was the destruction of Black Wall Street in 1921, which was caused by an allegation of a white woman accusing a black man of rape. It lasted from May 31st to June 1st. The Tulsa Race Riot caused plenty of damage from “dozens of deaths [and] hundreds of injuries” to the destruction of Black Wall Street leading to unemployment of the black community (Hoberock n. pag.). An estimated property loss was over $2.3 million. This was an important event in our Nation’s history because “it teaches how far hatred [and violence] can go” (Hoberock n. pag.).
Signs of Progress Among the Negroes, by Booker T, Washington. The Century Magazine, January 1900. New York City, New York. 11 pages. Reviewed by Jozlyn Clark Booker T. Washington (April 5, 1856 – November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author and leader of the African American community.
This paper will review which method was the most productive for this time period. Booker T. Washington had a rather difficult upbringing. He was born a slave and grew up in a poor family. As
Booker T. Washington and William Edward Burghardt DuBois were radical men for their time. Each advocated for blacks in their own ways making sure the welfare of blacks was a concern. Booker T. Washington believed that educating blacks would lead to them garnering respect. William Edward Burghardt DuBois, on the other hand, felt blacks decided their own fates. He believed that whites could not dictate how they live.
Both Booker T, Washington and W.E.B Dubois had philosophies and beliefs that changed black culture. Booker T. Washington, an educator, writer and founder of now Tuskegee University had a very interesting belief. According to PBS (n.d), he supported a philosophy of self-improvement, racial solidarity and accommodation. Booker T. Washington took a different approach to racism by saying and encouraging others to accept it for that time and focus on the improvement of themselves and the race by working harder and also by having more things. He also believed in education but for crafting, farming skills and industrial skills.
Around the 20th century there has been profound leaders and speakers. The most controversial and outstanding speakers were Booker T.Washington and W.E.B Du Bois,two speakers with very different backgrounds but fighting for the same achievements:which are Black Advancement, Racial Relations,and Educational plans. Booker T.Washington a dominant figure in African American culture, he was born into slavery alongside his mother in Hale’s Ford, Virginia. Were at the age of nine he was freed from slavery,and was able to move along to West Virginia. At the young age of sixteen he was enrolled at the college at the Hampton Normal and Agriculture Institute in Hampton,Virginia.
Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois took different approaches to fight for civil rights but both fought for freedom and equality for people of color. Washington’s approach seemed
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois emerged as prominent African American leaders with distinct educational philosophies. Both Washington and Du Bois recognized the importance of education in addressing the challenges faced by the African American population. However, their approaches and visions for social change differed significantly. This essay will compare and contrast the educational philosophies of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois, exploring how these philosophies reflect their social visions and solutions for the problems confronting the African American community. Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois were two prominent African American leaders who had different educational philosophies in relation to their social visions.
Booker T. Washington is by far one of the brightest and strongest minds from his time. During his Atlanta Exposition address he displays his intellect masterfully. From Mr. Washington’s use of language he was able to seamlessly piece together a speech that we still analyse to this day. Mr. Washington use of rhetoric explains and enlightens the circumstances of freed African Americans trying to fit into communities in the south. From mistreatment and racism still present in the newly freed people.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, WEB DuBois and Booker T. Washington engaged in intellectual debates over the best way for African Americans to achieve social and economic progress. DuBois criticized Washington’s political agenda as it focused on vocational education and economic self-sufficiency, and he claimed that it ignored the importance of political and civil rights. While these two prominent black leaders had different ideologies and approaches about how to address the issues faced by African Americans, their debate continues to resonate in today’s society. One of DuBois’s main objections to Washington’s program was that it placed too much emphasis on vocational education and economic development at the expense of academic education and political rights.
Thesis statement: The two great leaders in the black community debating about the issues that face the Negro race and Du Bois gave a compelling argument by using pathos, logos and ethos to create an essay that will appear to all readers. Outline: This essay will showcase the contradicting philosophies between W.E.B Du Bois and Booker T. Washington. Also, paying close attention to the different types of leadership between the two historic leaders in the black community. Both W.E.B Du Bois and Booker T. Washington contributed to and helped shape the future of African Americans.
Washington is wise because of his experiences and is well aware that even the whites Exposition organizers and attendees that largely support him have fears and reservations about how much opportunity they truly want his fellow black Americans to have. He knows that the white leaders feel threatened by the possibility of blacks achieving economic success and expecting to be equal and fully integrated with whites. Washington soothes these fears by saying that “in all things that are purely social we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress”. Booker T. Washington understood that great progress requires great patience, and his choice of language in this speech is
However Booker T. Washington believed in having a more skillful education, consisting of learning how to trade, mastering agriculture skills and more things one would need to get a job. However, W.E.B DuBois also put many efforts to achieve equal rights towards African Americans which Booker T Washington put on hold. Booker T Washington’s plan was to make it so that “Blacks would [have to] accept segregation and discrimination but their eventual acquisition of wealth and culture would gradually win for them the respect and acceptance of whites”. This vision that Booker T Washington had “practically accepts the alleged inferiority of the Negro race”. W.E.B commented on this process saying it was an attempt, “to educate black boys and girls simply as servants and underlings.”
In an era where African Americans were caught in the middle of an awkward transition between slavery and unrestricted freedom, few voices could rise above the noise to lead Blacks to a better future. Booker T. Washington, a former slave himself, found that voice. Approaching contemporary issues through a realistic lens, Washington saw Black empowerment in the world of industry rather than in the world of politics. He saw solutions in brotherhood among diverse cultures, a necessity for a nation torn apart by extreme polarization, and understood the importance of training the first generations of free blacks for the workforce. In this sense, Washington established himself as a true visionary.