African Studies

But the weakness of the Negro which is most frequently held up to the public gaze is that of his moral character. No one who wants to be honest and at the same time benefit the race will deny that here is where the strengthening is to be done. It has become universally accepted that the family is the foundation, the bulwark, of any race. It should be remembered, sorrowfully withal, that it was the constant tendency of slavery to destroy the family life. All through two hundred and fifty years of slavery, one of the chief objects was to increase the number of slaves; and to this end almost all thought of morality was lost sight of, so that the Negro has had only about thirty years in which to develop a family life; while the Anglo-Saxon race, with which he is constantly being compared, has had thousands of years of training in home life. The Negro felt all through the years of bondage that he was being forcibly and unjustly deprived of the fruits of his labour. Hence he felt that anything he could get from the white man in return for this labour justly belonged to him. Since this was true, we must be patient in trying to teach him a different code of morals.In what year was this essay written? Why was it hard for black families to develop the strong basis for morality during slavery? Give two specific examples of practices or laws which weakened family ties prior to 1865. (4 pts.)3. From what you know about life in the South from 1865 to 1905, what other factors made it difficult for black families to remain strong? How much education could young people get? What jobs were available and what kinds of economic limitations did black families face? (10 pts.) Use sources from all the readings through Week 3 to answer this question in a brief paragraph essay (150-200 words). Cite in MLA style.