Three Centuries of Historical Vignettes

Contents

  • Slavery as an Institution, c 1700
  • The Slave Quarters, c 1830
  • Reconstruction, c 1875
  • The Migration, c 1910
  • Twentieth Century Wars, c 1944
  • Southern Segregation, c 1955
  • The Black Ghetto, c 1965
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    Slavery as an Institution, c 1700

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    The Slave Quarters, c 1830

    Slavery was not just a system of laws; it was also a rhetorical practice. There were ways of talking about slavery -- among the slaveowners, among the slaves, and in the interaction between owner and slave -- that kept the slaves in chains. But there was also a rhetoric which undermined slavery.

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    Reconstruction, c 1875

    After the Civil War amendments to the Constitution, no human could legally own another. The institution of slavery was dead and the fundamental relationship of slavery had to change. With it, the rhetoric which justified slavery had to change. But could the former slave owners construct an alternative rhetoric to maintain their superiority in new institutions?

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    The Migration, c 1910

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    Twentieth Century Wars, c 1944

    The twentieth century was a century of warfare. Two World Wars, a global Cold War, and many smaller conflicts marred the century. Three effects of these wars, however, helped to shape the Civil Rights Movement.

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    Southern Segregation, c 1955

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    The Black Ghetto, c 1965

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