Final answer:
The referenced materials discuss the treatment of African Americans, highlighting varied attitudes from exploitation to a patronizing desire to assist and addressing how racism shaped White views, as well as examining the African American struggle for identity and freedom.
Step-by-step explanation:
The passages referenced explore various perspectives on the treatment of African Americans and their quests for freedom and equality. George Young discusses the poor treatment of African Americans and the paradox of their position due to varied attitudes and responses to their oppression, addressed in different narratives.
There is acknowledgment of the complexity within attitudes towards African Americans, ranging from hatred to exploitation, to a patronizing desire to assist in their 'upward development.' We also contend with how racism shaped White views of Black people and false notions of African American identity.
For instance, we see Thomas Jefferson holding racist views while simultaneously being a key figure in declaring independence and liberty for all. Moreover, the narratives address the common thread in African Americans' changing self-perception while confronting a reality that differs from white expectations, and also examine the experience of being enslaved, such as in Northup's narrative.