Romance with the American Dream the African American Dream
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сourse: Romance with the American Dream The African American Dream Author: I.V.Morozova Introduction “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” These famous lines from the Declaration of Independence (1776), which reflected the reason for the creation of a new state, for almost two centuries had no bearing on the lives and rights of the black population of this country, just as on the rights of women and the native population. Therefore, the main dream of African Americans is tied to the hope that these great words would become a reality for them as well. Frederick Douglass (real name Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, 1818—1895), one of the main abolitionists (from the Latin “abolitio” – to annul, abolish – the movement to free the black slaves), educator, talented orator and writer knew what he was doing in his famous speech “Fifth of July” (1852), ironically playing on the Fourth of July, the date that the Declaration of Independence was adopted and the U.S. national holiday. In that address he said that on that date the black population had nothing to celebrate. Frederick Douglass Brady-Handy © Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA The first slave ship reached the shores of the British Colony of Virginia, in North America, in 1619; in 1808 the importation of African slaves into the country was banned by the Constitution, although this did not prevent smugglers from delivering shiploads of blacks right up until 1861, when the Civil War (1861-1865) broke out. The Emancipation Proclamation, signed by President Abraham Lincoln, was published on January 1, 1863, but the Southern slave-holding states refused to accept it until the victory of the North. On February 1, 1865, the abolition of slavery on all U.S. territory was enshrined in the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. Abraham Lincoln Alexander Gardner © Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA The abolition of slavery for Southerners was, in many respects, just a formality, and for a long time they continued to exhibit (and indeed, at times still do so today) signs of racial intransigence and white supremacy (from the Latin supremus – higher, highest). The so-called “Jim Crow laws” on racial segregation (from Latin segregacio – to separate) were adopted in the American South after the abolition of slavery and were in force until the mid-1960s. There were separate schools for white and black children, separate public transport, or separate seats on transport, bans on housing blacks and whites together in hotels, separate cafés and restaurants for white and “colored,” etc. These laws got their name from a comic figure in minstrel shows, who portrayed what were thought to be ridiculous mannerisms of African Americans. The very name, therefore, signified a derogatory and dismissive attitude towards blacks. A whole series of racist organizations (the Ku Klux Klan, the White League, the Red Shirts, etc.) were active from the mid-1860s, operating almost openly in the Southern states. Until the Civil War, the attitude towards African Americans in the South had a certain patriarchal tone, where Southern ideologues tried to justify the existing order. For example, Louisa McCord (1810-1879) believed devoutly in the superiority of the white race, which she wrote about in her numerous essays on the topic. In one of them, called “Diversity of the Races: Its Bearing Upon Negro Slavery,” (1850) she maintained that Africans were representatives of an inferior race, like large children, with an underdeveloped intellect, but with immense strength, therefore needing constant oversight from those more senior. In addition, she insisted that all the blacks needed was food and clothing, the guiding reason and protection of white people, which is what slavery gives them. Freeing the black man, according to McCord, would lead to murder, rebellion and the devastation of the South. In his book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), Mark Twain (1835-1910) warned that it would be difficult to change the minds of Southerners in regard to blacks. Huck Finn, who spent a long time floating on a raft with his friend Jim, a runaway slave, at the last minute decides to write a letter to Jim’s owner and apologize. Only a few minutes later, remembering everything, he rejects his plan, even at the risk of his soul: “All right then, I’ll go to hell!” The meaning of this scene is that the Southerner Huck, who not only doesn’t own a slave, he doesn’t have a penny to his name, is convinced, nevertheless, that heavenly retribution awaits because he assisted a runaway slave. Mark Twain’s thought is clear: only by living together, working together, suffering and rejoicing, can people understand each other and see in someone with different-colored skin a person equal to oneself. To receive freedom and defend their human dignity, African Americans had to travel a long path, and pay dearly for true equality. This is the main dream of African Americans, which from the moment it arose up until the present day runs through all of African American literature. Slave narratives African American literature begins in the 18th century, with the first works being autobiographies; after all, only slaves themselves, who felt the full horror of captivity, could truthfully and reliably tell what it was to like to be a black slave. It was at this time that a series of texts appeared that are called “slave narratives.” It is worth mentioning the most famous of these, which had an influence on the tradition of black slaves talking about themselves: A Narrative of the Most Remarkable Particulars in the Life of James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, an African Prince, as Related by Himself (1772); Narrative of the Enslavement of Ottobah Cugoano, a Native of Africa; Published by Himself in the Year 1787; The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, The African, Written by Himself (1789). Olaudah Equiano © Wikimedia Commons These books contain documentary descriptions of the horrors of being captured, the agonizing journey across the ocean, the harsh reality of slavery, contrasted to idyllic remembrances of childhood in Africa, which is associated with the image of Paradise Lost. It is in these narratives that the dream of returning to native Africa was born, dreams of freedom and justice based on the Biblical rule that the former pagans had internalized: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Following generations of black slaves, however, did not remember Africa, they did not even know their own birthdays, or the birthdays of their parents. They dreamed of the restoration of human dignity, freedom and equal rights with other citizens of the U.S. To this generation of slaves, born in captivity but escaping it, Frederick Douglass was a convincing answer to the argument of Southern ideologues that the black man was backward, with a low level of intelligence. In 1847, Douglass began publishing The North Star, which became one of the leading anti-slavery organs. During the Civil War it took an active part in the formation of the first African American regiments. Douglass’ book, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself (1845), continues the tradition of “slave narratives,” but it differs from them significantly. Douglass creates an image, not of a helpless captive, whose fate is wholly in the hands of the slave owner and his desire to release his slave, but a runaway-hero, who in 1840 became the main character in African American biographies. Frederick Douglass begins his life story with the declaration that slaves do not have birthdays, so he doesn’t know his own. He doesn’t remember his parents, because he was raised by his grandmother. He worked where his master sent him – on plantations, on wharves, and, finally, after two unsuccessful attempts, he ran away to the North and became a free man. Douglass’ story, however, is not just a tale about the horrors of slavery and the acquisition of freedom, even though there are many scenes portraying the real lives of slaves and the humiliations they suffered. Slavery is depicted in all its inhumanity, not only in regard to the slave, but to the slave owner, since, according to Douglass, slavery corrupts both, leading to moral degradation. He tells of one of his mistresses who had a kind nature. She decided to teach the bright boy to read and write, but received such a stern lecture from her husband that she stopped the lessons and began to treat the slaves very severely: “That cheerful eye, under the influence of slavery, soon became red with rage; that voice, made all of sweet accord, changed to one of harsh and horrid discord; and that angelic face gave place to that of a demon.” Frederick Douglass’ book, unlike the majority of “slave narratives,” is not just a simple presentation of events. Even the most important of them, such as his successful escape, is not written about in detail. He simply states the fact, presents it as the natural result of an enormous amount of work on himself, of strength of will that allowed him to defend his human dignity. Horrified by the drunkenness that was so widespread among the slaves, Douglass once gave in to this temptation himself, but, feeling that he was losing his human dignity, he took himself in hand and began preparing even more thoroughly for his escape.