Question

Please review this timeline from the beginning through the Jim Crow Era; write down important observations or thoughts you have. This will help you with our African American Literature Introduction through the late 19th and early 20th century (Jim Crow era) reading below[7 pages]. Your review of the timeline is also relevant to our course readings this week, our discussion, and reading response assignments.

Please READ and ANNOTATE reading tabs with 10 annotations below (the last two are just review from last week and do not need to be annotated).
As a reminder: Annotating is writing short notes from what you are reading that are important concepts, word or term definitions, connections, questions, observations, summary, or response.
You can write your annotations in your notebook and upload a picture of your notes OR write your annotations in a textbox entry or document to upload, OR you can use the Student Annotations tool to read and write your annotations directly on the document. You can choose the assignment submission that is best for you.

Answer 1

Here are some key observations and thoughts on the timeline of African American history through the Jim Crow era:

- The institution of slavery, beginning in the early 1600s, set the stage for centuries of oppression, injustice, and violence against African Americans. The dehumanization of slavery is impossible to overstate.

- The Civil War and Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation finally brought an end to slavery, but true freedom and equality remained elusive for decades to come.

- During Reconstruction, progress was made with the election of some African Americans to political office. However, this progress was stamped out with the onset of Jim Crow laws and policies aimed at subjugating African Americans.

- The Jim Crow era locked African Americans into second-class citizenship through discriminatory laws, prejudiced social norms, economic exploitation, and racist terrorism in the form of lynchings and other violence. The trauma and injustice was immense.

- Yet throughout this dark period, African Americans showed remarkable courage, resilience, creativity, and perseverance in fighting for their rights and carving out community. The roots of the civil rights movement began taking hold.

- African American literature and arts blossomed as writers, musicians, and artists found ways to express the joys, struggles, hopes, and indignities of black lives. Even in the harshest circumstances, the human spirit managed to shine through.

- The timeline serves as an important reminder that progress is not linear or inevitable. Rights and freedoms that are hard won can be stolen away when prejudice and fear take hold. Constant vigilance and moral courage are required to bend the arc towards justice.

I look forward to learning more about how African American literature documented, reflected on, and drove forward the long struggle for freedom and equality during this tumultuous period of history. The resilience and contributions of African Americans throughout history are profound.