“I realize that I’m black, but I like to be viewed as a person, and this is everybody’s wish”. –Michael Jordan
In this course the discussion of blacks and their efforts into progressing in society is talked about numerous times throughout this course. We realize the struggles that the black people face trying to gain their freedom and their rights to be seen as people also by the whites. We learn about the importance of certain people and what took place in our society during these historical times.
In society everyone should be heard and not mistreated and this is where the idea of equality comes from. Everyone should respect each other and also abide by the laws of society. Elizabeth Freeman was the perfect example of trying to be viewed of as a person. Many of these issues are important including the black northerners, Allen, the black leader, Rosa Parks and the Underground Railroad, and the Great Awakening.
Elizabeth Freeman was known as a slave who was born about the year of 1742 in Claverack, New York. While she was serving as a waitress in Sheffield Massachusetts, she suffered a deep wound with a shovel trying to defend someone else. This story lead to the progression of blacks in this society being viewed differently after she sued in Massachusetts for her freedom against slavery.
Another effort for blacks to be proud of themselves is when the black northerners achieved their freedom around the year 1800. Around 1810 three-quarters of them were free and by the year 1840 there were only 0.7 of them remaining.
Another important aspect was black schools that started for the backs. Richard Allen, a black leader opened a school for blacks in Philadelphia. He began to write a lot against slavery and racial prejudice; he also turned his home into a refuge for fugitive slaves, and he was also the founder of the first black church.
Another effort for blacks to be proud of themselves is due to the help of a brave woman by the name of Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks was a strong black fugitive slave that sought to help others that were enslaved. She discovered what was called the Underground Railroad which was a passage way to help the slaves escape from their misery of being enslaved by their masters. She is the perfect example of what a strong black person acted like.
Another example is the Great Awakening which was important because it showed certain new rules such as the bi-racial churches that started, the benefits that the blacks received. Blacks were ordained as priests and ministers also.
This overall is important because it shows what the blacks went through to reach where they are today in history from suing their masters to opening schools and setting a way for their own kind to make it throughout the fight for our freedom and equality. Black people have come a long way in search for a better future for themselves as well as the future generation. This shows that our ancestors fought for us to be were we are today and we should be appreciative of the fact that we also have equal rights as the whites of this country who in one point and time seeked to destroy us.
