Discussion

Chapter 3 of the text makes reference to the fact that having a new found political voice, acquired during and after the civil rights era, allows African Americans to "break the silence" of slavery and share with others the valuable contributions African Americans have made over the past 230+ years of American history. This is indeed very important, as for most of America's history, only white protestant men have had a consistent, powerful say in the way things were run in America. One of the purposes of slavery, and later the Jim Crow laws, in America was to deny a voice to a significant part of the American population, thus perpetuating the power of the ruling elite. The fact that the voice of African Americans was largely squelched for a full century after slavery ended is staggering. What institutions/political actors were responsible for keeping this "hidden" slavery running for so long? What events led to a breakdown of the status quo during the 50s and 60s? How does the remnants of slavery and discrimination in America shape African American identity today?