Kira Gonzalez

Prof. Gomez
English 1B
August 1, 2014
Black Liberation and the Civil Rights Movement
The African American Civil Rights Movement was a major event that occurred
during the 1950s and 60s. Many African Americans were being discriminated against and
they had to deal with racial segregation. Many campaigns and writings were shared
throughout the United States to help overcome the struggles that they faced. Poetry and
protests spread throughout the movement, which expressed many peoples views on how
oppression took over their lives and how they had limited opportunities. The writings and
poetry during this movement has helped develop a monumental stepping-stone for the
growth of rights not just for African Americans but also for everyone else because of the
impact from protest and literature. One person could kindle a spark that might cause
others to see light and work. (American Protest Literature 337)
There are a couple of important works and figures that have helped this
movement during protests. When we think about the African American Civil Rights
Movement it is easy to think of Martin Luther King Jr. The remarkable and famous I
Have a Dream speech was really one of the greatest demonstrations for freedom
(Martin Luther King) during this time. The protest held during this speech what to bring
together people of all color. Martin Luther King talked about how even though slavery
was abolished, the Negro still is not free. (Martin Luther King) The fight for equality
was underway.
The book To Be a Slave by Julius Lester is about the experience of slavery for
African Americans. The impact of this book as helped others see through the life of
slaves and taught us to face this painful past. This is an important novel because it is
the root of the growing problem of racism. The nineteenth-century narratives offer the
advantage of analysis of the slave experience. (Julius Lester)
Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, and Phillis Wheatley were important poets
during the Civil Rights movement. In Langston Hughes book The Dream Keeper, Hughes
shares with us some poems about segregation, racism, and the live during the 50s and
60s. An example from this book is a poem called Beggar Boy. Is not he but a shadow
in the sun bit of clay, brown, ugly, given life? (The Dream Keeper 23) This part of the
poem expresses how other people viewed blacks and made them feel like they were
different and didnt belong. Maya Angelou was a famous poet who made an impact
through her poetry. In her poem The Caged Bird Sings, there is a stanza, The caged bird
sings / with fearful trill / of the things unknown / but longed for still / and his tune is
heard / on the distant hill / for the caged bird / sings of freedom. (The Caged Bird Sings)
This is an impactful verse because the caged bird symbolizes the blacks and their
willingness to fight and protest for their freedom. Phillis Wheatley was a poet from the
1700s who was the first female African American poet to be published. Her work
inspired many others because so many belittled her and thought blacks werent capable of
being intelligent enough to right poetry. Another impact that poetry has made during the
Civil Rights Movement was through songs. Reverend Edwin King stated, Music is a
form, a poetic form of telling the truth. (Remembering Civil Rights History, PBS) There
were songs of freedom, which expressed the fears that African Americans faced.
The book A Dream of Freedom is a timeline of events that shows us the progress
that was made during the Civil Rights Movement. This text sums up how all of the
protests, sit-ins, speeches, court cases, and other monumental events built to the rights
that African Americans have earned today. It contributes to the protest literature because
it explains all of the iconic events and figures, such as Malcolm X, Martin Luther King
Jr., Rosa Parks, and other idols, which helped guide the movement.
In conclusion, these texts and important figures are important and contribute to
the field of protest literature because they give us a deeper analysis of what happened and
how people felt during this time. Each article connects with each other because they
describe the oppression towards the African Americans. The reason why I chose a few
books about slavery was because slavery is the building block towards the issue that we
have with racism in the past and a problem that we still have to face in present day. The
protests by Martin Luther King and others like Malcolm X helped the community see
what we should be doing; loving and supporting one another no matter what the color of
our skin is. This section about the Black Liberation is important for readers today because
it gives us an understanding about the struggles that people have faced throughout history
due to racism. It provides us with insight and knowledge that could help us develop a
different way to think when dealing with racism and segregation. We could learn to treat
others equal.




Works Cited
Lester, Julius, and Tom Feelings. To Be a Slave ; Thirtieth Anniversary Edition. NY:
Dial, 1998. Print.
Trodd, Zoe. "Chapter 10: Civil Rights and Black Liberation." American Protest
Literature. Cambridge, MA: Belknap of Harvard UP, 2006. N. pag. Print.
McWhorter, Diane, and Fred Shuttlesworth. A Dream of Freedom: The Civil Right
Movement from 1954 to 1968. New York: Scholastic, 2004. Print.
Bolden, Tonya. Tell All the Children Our Story: Memories and Mementos of Being
Young and Black in America. New York: Abrams, 2001. Print.
Hughes, Langston. The Dream Keeper: And Other Poems. New York: Knopf, 1959.
Print.
Remembering Civil Rights History, When 'words Meant Everything'" PBS. PBS, n.d.
Web. 22 July 2014
Maya Angelou Poems." Thousands of Poems, Poets, & Poetry Resources. N.p., n.d.
Web. 22 July 2014.
Phillis Wheatley Poems." Thousands of Poems, Poets, & Poetry Resources. N.p., n.d.
Web. 22 July 2014.