Essays and Research Papers on Slavery & Civil Rights

A 4 page research paper/essay that answers specific questions concerning Lorraine Hansberry’s classic play “A Raisin in the Sun” in essay format. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 3 page essay that draws on Armstead Robinson's essay "Plans Dat Comed From God," which addresses the question of how newly freed slaves managed the problems of self-support. Among other findings, Robinson's research shows that there was a distinct schism in the black community in Memphis during the Reconstruction era. Robinson maintains that during ...

2.5 pages in length. As much as the slave narrative of such extraordinary people as Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs became an American staple in the nineteenth century, the precursor to this particular type of literary expression was chartered by Olaudah Equiano, an African who, at age ten, was kidnapped to first serve as ...

A 3 page paper which examines the writers Frederick Douglass and Harriet E. Wilson in relationship to the anger they present towards the whites in the North through their writing. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This is a 12 page paper on the lives, accomplishments and writings of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were both visionaries in the way the dedicated their lives and writings to the pursuit of equality for African Americans. Their methods are perceived as slightly different however ...

This 7 page paper takes the form of a letter to Dr. Martin Luther King, bringing him up to date on the struggles of the black community since he wrote his Letter from Birmingham Jail in 1963. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 5 page paper analyzing five different works by slaves or former slaves (Olaudau Equiano, Harriet Jacobs, Frederick Douglass, David Walker, and Nat Turner) in the light of their reliance on literacy or the oral tradition to further their cause. The paper points out that regardless of whether the intended readership was black or white, ...

4 pages in length. A detailed analysis of Dr. Martin Luther King's infamous 'I Have a Dream' speech -- written from a communications perspective. Among other things, the report looks at King's use of language, conviction, credibility, and semantics. Numerous examples (quotations) are used to demonstrate how King's got his message across effectively. No Bibliography.

This 4 page paper examines key writings of Richard Allen, John C. Calhoun, Frederick Douglass, George Fitzhugh, A. Hogeboom and William Lloyd Garrison. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

This 5 page paper compares and contrasts Frederick Douglass's famous narrative with W.E.B. DuBois's The Souls of Black Folk. What the authors were running from, and running to, are each discussed. Bibliography lists 2 sources

A 7 page paper which examines how “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano,” written in 1789, is perhaps a very powerfully influential piece that helped many other slaves to write down their narratives for publication such as Frederick Douglass. Bibliography lists 1 additional source.

6 pages. This interesting research paper takes a look at the different writing techniques of Harriet Jacobs and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. These two women, while coming from vastly different backgrounds are both well known for their narratives on women's rights. Both women wrote compelling novels regarding the need for equality and independence, but the difference ...

This 7 page paper is written in first person as if Thurgood Marshall were writing himself about the Brown v. Board of Education decision. The life and times of Marshall is discussed with an emphasis on the case. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

A 6 page analysis of Doug McAdam's "Freedom Summer." In this one, the write emphasizes how the rallies were actually the commencement of a sociopolitical insistence on Civil Rights in this country. Bibliography lists 3 additional sources.

This paper examines a little-mentioned fact of slavery times; namely the mother slaves. Citing from sources written by former slaves, the paper examines the role of African American slave mothers in working to keep their communities together through trying times. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

(5 pp). Thoreau was revived to popular icon status in the sixties, as his messages were brought back into popularity by Martin Luther King. For King , the writings of Thoreau provided an example of the path of nonviolent resistance. In this discussion we will use a cognitive approach to see how ...

A 3 page essay that contrasts and compares the slave narratives of Olaudah Equiano and Frederick Douglass. While each of these autobiographical accounts were written in order to inform the white reading public about the horrors of slavery, examination of these books shows that Douglass’ narrative is the more radical of the two due to ...

In this 5 page paper, the writer is concerned with the historical accuracy of film & written accounts of the Jackie Robinson legend. The movie ['Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars'] is compared with the book 'Baseball's Great Experiment: --Jackie Robinson and His Legacy.'

This paper examines the comments about black people in the United States written by French politician Alexis de Tocqueville in his book, Democracy in America. The paper also compares how the 19th century words of de Toqueville are still true today. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 5 page paper which examines if issues of slavery and freedom were different for men then they were for women. 'Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass' by Frederick Douglass, 'Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl' by Harriet Jacobs, and 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' by Harriet Beecher Stowe are the works utilized to conduct this examination. No ...

This 3 page report discusses the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court of Brown Versus Board of Education which determined that it was wrong to segregate African American students from white students and schools. Facts of the case are presented along with the long-term positive impacts the court decision has had on American society. Bibliography lists ...

A 3 page essay that discusses the views of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois, two of the most renowned leaders of Black Americans in the late nineteenth/early twentieth centuries, on education for Black Americans. Washington emphasized general education and vocational/industrial studies and Du Bois favored having higher education being made more ...

A 4 page paper which looks at The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and discusses how the lack of education helped keep the slave system alive and strong. No additional sources cited.

7 pages. This paper gives an effective look at the fact that African Americans need neither segregated schools nor mixed schools. What they need is simply good education. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 3 page paper examines the theories of two prominent leaders: W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington. Their ideas are compared and contrasted. Bibliography lists 5 sources.