Essays and Research Papers on Slavery & Civil Rights

This 5 page paper argues in support of reparations. Other groups that have received reparations are noted. Slavery is discussed in addition to the Civil Rights Movement. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

This 6 page paper provides an overview of the Civil Rights Movement. It looks at one personal account, as well as specific incidents and important aspects of the movement. An overview of the nigrescence theory is also provided. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 7 page paper looks at slave life, the significance of music and particularly the black spiritual in the lives of slaves. White and black spirituals are compared and contrasted. Slave life is discussed in general. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

8 pages in length. The writer discusses the fundamental basis of the Electoral College, the one-man theory of King’s assassination and how affirmative action is nothing more than reverse discrimination in disguise. Bibliography lists 10 sources.

A 5 page paper which examines the life and the impact of Paul Robeson, artist and political icon. Bibliography lists 1 source.

This paper compares and contrasts Wiggins and Jefferson in Ernest Gaine's novel A Lesson Before Dying. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 5 page paper which examines what life was like for the free African American in early America. The paper presents an examination of Maria Stewart’s “A Little Better Than Slavery” (1932), John Marrant’s “Account of John Marrant, a Free Black, of the Great Awakening” (1785), and The National Convention of Colored People, Report on Abolition (1847). No ...

A 5 page paper which provides a summary and analysis of Charles Joyner’s “Down by the Riverside: A South Carolina Slave Community.” No additional sources cited.

This 5 page paper discusses the book "Mill and Town in South Carolina" by David L. Carlton. This book is about the early days of the cotton mills and Carlton uses this book to describe the cotton industry, race relations, culture in the South, etc. Bibliography lists 1 source.

This 11 page paper discusses the origins of blackface in American society. This paper traces its roots to the early part of the 20th century and discusses the many implications it had on society in general. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A 5 page paper which examines W.E.B. DuBois’ critique of Booker T. Washington as perceived through his essays “The Wings of Atlanta” and “Of Our Spiritual Strivings” from his work “The Souls of Black Folks.” No additional sources cited.

This is a 5 page paper discussing myths and the acceptance of the ghost Beloved in Toni Morrison’s “Beloved”. As examination of the myths and superstitions which were believed by the American slaves were a fragment of the cultural beliefs from their African heritage and had a great effect on the psyche of the slaves. ...

5 pages in length. Langston Hughes requires very little space and even fewer words to express the social, political and economic injustice blacks have had to endure for centuries, an unfair preference that the white race fully acknowledges yet has done little to eradicate. The writer explains the poem's underlying meaning. No ...

This 5 page paper provides an overview of the book, but spends a good deal of time on Chapter IX as it is argued that this chapter provides a summary of the entire work. Broad meanings are discussed. Several quotes are included. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This paper discusses civil rights leader Malcolm X, his fight for black nationalism and his support of socialism. The paper seeks to prove that despite his "pre-Mecca" and "post-Mecca" phases, Malcolm was a staunch defender of the idea of black nationalism and socialism. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

5 pages in length. Defined as a spiritual wandering or quest, the significance of Nathan Irvin Huggins' title "Black Odyssey" speaks to the notion of struggle amidst pursuit of a life embraced by freedom. Indeed, Huggins' treatment of how African-Americans evolved from the slave trade is indicative of a much more significant challenge ...

This 5 page paper provides an overview of the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. The autobiography is evaluated and compared and contrasted with Enlightenment thought such as what emanates from Hobbes, Rousseau and Locke's works. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

5 pages in length. Discusses the statement "in dealing with the issue of slavery, when writing and adopting the U. S. Constitution during the summer of 1787, the founders arrived at several necessary compromises that were inconsistent with the ideals and principles of the Declaration of Independence." At the time of the convention ...

This 6 page paper discusses three of the many reform movements between the early and mid-1800s. The three explained and discussed are communalism, abolition and women's rights. Each one overlaps with the other and/or emerged from the other. For instance, individualism led to communalism, from which women's rights emerged. The overlap between abolition and women's ...

This 5 page paper takes a look at civil rights and the use of civil disobedience. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and David Thoreau are discussed. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 6 page paper which examines the struggle for equality from 1870 to 1970. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

This 9 page paper discusses the situation of apartheid in South Africa in relation to how this mirrored the Victorian ideas of contamination and moral degeneracy. Examples from the past are given which correlate with South African apartheid, such as when the English colonized India. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

This 5 page paper discusses the female slaves in the plantation South. Furthermore, this paper specifically examines the book, "Aren't I a Woman" by Deborah Gray. Bibliography lists 1 source.

This 24 page paper delves into the 1960s and examines the activities of Martin Luther King, Jr. and others who engaged in civil disobedience. It also looks at Malcolm X and the Black Panther movement that utilized violence instead. The two types of political activity are compared and contrasted and the paper takes the philosophical ...

This 6 page report discusses the life, times, contemporaries, and accomplishments of Booker Taliaferro Washington (1856-1915). He was fundamental in changing the perceptions of many (at least those whose vision was not clouded by racial prejudice) 19th century white and black Americans regarding the potential of “Negroes.” He was convinced that education and training was ...