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The dichotomy presented by these two images—a Black president presiding over a country in which a critical mass of Black people felt that their lives were deemed worthless by the state and dominant society-raises a crucial question: to what extent does the history of Black life in the 20th century-US represent a history of progress? Specifically, to what extent does this history represent an achievement of greater self-determination and freedom over time? Focus on three specific historical examples, and to use these examples to illustrate your broader

The dichotomy presented by these two images—a Black president presiding over a country in which a critical mass of Black people felt that their lives were deemed worthless by the state and dominant society-raises a crucial question: to what extent does the history of Black life in the 20th century-US represent a history of progress? Specifically, to what extent does this history represent an achievement of greater self-determination and freedom over time? Focus on three specific historical examples, and to use these examples to illustrate your broader

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1) In November of 2008, Barack Obama was elected to be the first Black American president of the United States. This was an unfathomable reality for many Americans even as it was occurring, and it represented an undeniable watershed moment in United States and African American history. During (and after) his 2008 campaign, Obama explicitly framed himself as an inheritor—and perhaps a culmination of the Black freedom movements that we have studied in our class this semester, even swearing on Martin Luther King's bible during his second inauguration. Yet, Barack Obama's presidency also saw a resurgence of Black political protest and uprising. Indeed, even as the first Black president resided in the White House, Black activists and their allies took to the streets to declare that "Black Lives Matter," a striking rebuke of a nation and a broader society that apparently did not believe that Black lives mattered. The dichotomy presented by these two images—a Black president presiding over a country in which a critical mass of Black people felt that their lives were deemed worthless by the state and dominant society-raises a crucial question: to what extent does the history of Black life in the 20th century-US represent a history of progress? Specifically, to what extent does this history represent an achievement of greater self-determination and freedom over time? Focus on three specific historical examples, and to use these examples to illustrate your broader argument. What you choose as an example may vary widely-for instance, you could focus on a particular region of the country; a particular category of analysis (i.e. political power, cultural power, economic/material power); a specific movement; or a specific era. Whatever three examples you choose, you must compare and contrast them, and from these comparisons develop your own thesis. Crucially, you need not answer this question with a simple "yes, it represents progress," or "no, it doesn't' let your analysis of your specific examples lead you to a more complex thesis.
Transcribed Image Text:1) In November of 2008, Barack Obama was elected to be the first Black American president of the United States. This was an unfathomable reality for many Americans even as it was occurring, and it represented an undeniable watershed moment in United States and African American history. During (and after) his 2008 campaign, Obama explicitly framed himself as an inheritor—and perhaps a culmination of the Black freedom movements that we have studied in our class this semester, even swearing on Martin Luther King's bible during his second inauguration. Yet, Barack Obama's presidency also saw a resurgence of Black political protest and uprising. Indeed, even as the first Black president resided in the White House, Black activists and their allies took to the streets to declare that "Black Lives Matter," a striking rebuke of a nation and a broader society that apparently did not believe that Black lives mattered. The dichotomy presented by these two images—a Black president presiding over a country in which a critical mass of Black people felt that their lives were deemed worthless by the state and dominant society-raises a crucial question: to what extent does the history of Black life in the 20th century-US represent a history of progress? Specifically, to what extent does this history represent an achievement of greater self-determination and freedom over time? Focus on three specific historical examples, and to use these examples to illustrate your broader argument. What you choose as an example may vary widely-for instance, you could focus on a particular region of the country; a particular category of analysis (i.e. political power, cultural power, economic/material power); a specific movement; or a specific era. Whatever three examples you choose, you must compare and contrast them, and from these comparisons develop your own thesis. Crucially, you need not answer this question with a simple "yes, it represents progress," or "no, it doesn't' let your analysis of your specific examples lead you to a more complex thesis.
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