What America Would Be Like Without Black By Ralph Ellison Analysis

Before reading What America Would Be Like Without Blacks, by Ralph Ellison, I asked myself how would the author explain the title and what point would he argue from. He starts with questioning the “concept of race” and speak on the fantasies of a “blackless America.” Ellison goes on to talk about the history of the time period where blacks were almost removed. My favorite example of this removal was the quote from President Abraham Lincoln in 1862, “Your race suffers greatly, many of them by living among us, while ours suffers from your presence. If this is admitted, it affords a reason why we should be separated.” (80) This reminds me when the Indian Removal Act where a group of individuals are being forced out of their respective territories