Essays and Research Papers on Slavery & Civil Rights

A 3 page review of the importance of non-violent tactics in the Montgomery bus boycott and the Nashville lunch counter sit-ins. The author of this paper concludes that while not all is equal in the U.S. today, these key movements served to level the playing field substantially. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 4 page research paper that discusses the lives of William Edward Burghardt (W.E.B.) Du Bois and Booker T. Washington, who were both leaders of African Americans in the early part of the twentieth century. Both men were distinguished educators. But their philosophies concerning black advancement and their backgrounds were very different. Du Bois ...

A 5 page paper, and outline, that examines the problems relating to Microsoft and racism. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 4 page exploration of Dr. Martin Luther King’s premise of non-violence. This paper observes the impact of this premise on the women’s movement. Biblography lists 4 sources.

This 8 page paper discusses Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois, and the conditions at the time of the debate between the two men; it argues that given the prevalent conditions, it might have been better for black leaders to follow Washington's conciliatory model, rather than DuBois's call for political activism. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A 10 page research paper that explores the relationship between the dominant white mainstream culture and African Americans as a subordinate minority. This analysis of sociological research and theory explores the ramifications of minority status for African Americans in relation to the dominant nature of Caucasian European-descended Americans. Bibliography lists 10 sources.

A 14 page paper which examines racism towards African Americans. Bibliography lists 15 sources.

An 8 page research paper that offers a brief historiography of the impact of the civil war on northern blacks. The writer offers examples of historical scholarship from the nineteenth century, but largely focuses on contemporary scholarship. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

This 3 page paper discusses the southern Slave Codes of the 19th century that were enacted to keep the "peculiar institution" of slavery in place. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This 8 page paper compares the writings of Booker T. Washington, Frederick Douglass, Langston Hughes and W.E.B. DuBois and argues that DuBois's thinking was probably the most persuasive, and should have been followed more closely. Bibliography lists 12 sources.

This 4 page paper discusses the article Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh and the book “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” and the similarities between them with regard to the concept of white privilege. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 3 page paper which examines the role of African Americans in WWI. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 4 page essay that draws upon 3 primary sources from the antebellum era. From a modern perspective, it seems incredible that the most engrossing religious topic of the antebellum era was whether or not God sanctioned slavery or prohibited it. As slavery seems to modern eyes to be completely antithetical to Christian principles, this ...

This 6 page paper looks at two opinions on this topic from scholars James McPherson and Stanley Elkins. Their works are compared and contrasted. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 4 page summary and analysis of the book The Golden Thirteen by Paul Stillwell. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 6 page research paper/essay that presents the question as to whether or not Douglass became successful because of his experience or despite it. An examination of commentary on Douglass’ life, as well as what Douglass himself writes in his Narrative of the Life of an American Slave, indicates that Douglass achieved success because of ...

This 6 page paper answers several questions about abolitionist Lucretia Mott, her work, and the era in which she lived. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

This 4 page paper begins by reporting the foods enslaved persons were given on the slave trade ships. It then discusses the types of food most slaves were given with reports about some differences between plantations. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 3 page paper which examines how Martin Luther King Jr. not only helped the African American people find more freedom but also helped whites rid themselves of some hatred and racism. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 3 pagfe paper which examines the relationship between Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved and the plantation mistress. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

7 pages in length. Racial issues abound to some extent or another in every American city and town; that certain places harbor more racial intolerance than others has more to do with the populace mindset than it does with location. Seaside, California might be considered one of the more evenly balanced communities when ...

This 8 page paper discusses Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois, and the conditions at the time of the debate between the two men; it argues that given the prevalent conditions, blacks should have followed Washington's conciliatory model, rather than DuBois's activism. It also briefly discusses some of the organization fighting for racial equality. Bibliography ...

This 7 page paper analyzes Dr. Martin Luther King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech in detail. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 3 page introduction, conclusion and outline covering the importance of the Langston Hughes’ poem in “The Crucible of Character: A Personal Account of Swarthmore’s Crisis of 1969.” Bibliography lists 1 source.

5 pages in length. Frances Kemble will long be remembered as the wealthy white woman who refused to allow skin color to stand in the way of equitable and humane treatment. As the wife of a plantation owner, the historical value of Kemble's journal describes in painful detail the realities she experienced after ...