Dr Carter G Woodson The Study Of The Negro Summary
For centuries African Americans have been indoctrinated to subsist in a cultural and historical vacuum by their oppressors who would seek to bar them from ever making the connection to their illuminating past. This systematic agenda of mis-education and lies by omission has made possible the subjugation and enslavement, in body and mind, of the African American by his oppressors. In his essay “The Study of the Negro,” Dr. Carter G. Woodson sets out to ruminate on why the African American has been misled in his ascension to human equality and dignity and how he can remedy the dismal state of his affairs. A thorough reading of Woodson’s pioneering work indicates that we should study the experiences of African-descended people to gain knowledge
…show more content…
Undoubtedly the aim of his oppressors has been to convince him that his history is unimportant so as to deprive him of the sense of pride that is so necessary to feel wholly human. By espousing that “he has no worthwile past, that his race has done nothing significant since the beginning of time, and that there is no evidence that he will ever achieve anything great” (Woodson 6), his oppressors can be sure that the African American will continue down the path of mis-education that so allows for his subservience to a system that cares nothing for him. However, “if you teach the Negro that he has accomplished as much good as any other race he will aspire to equality and justice without regard to race.” (Woodson 6) The core purpose of African American studies is to take back from obscurity that piece of the historical puzzle without which the African American would be amidst an endless identity …show more content…
Indeed, it would require them to admit their transgressions and to concede the countless meaningful contributions made by the African American to modern society. Without “a serious examination of the fundamentals of education, religion, literature, and philosophy as they have been expounded to him” (Woodson 7) by his oppressors, the “Negro joins the opposition with the objection that the study of the Negro keeps alive questions which should be forgotten.” (Woodson
Undoubtedly the aim of his oppressors has been to convince him that his history is unimportant so as to deprive him of the sense of pride that is so necessary to feel wholly human. By espousing that “he has no worthwile past, that his race has done nothing significant since the beginning of time, and that there is no evidence that he will ever achieve anything great” (Woodson 6), his oppressors can be sure that the African American will continue down the path of mis-education that so allows for his subservience to a system that cares nothing for him. However, “if you teach the Negro that he has accomplished as much good as any other race he will aspire to equality and justice without regard to race.” (Woodson 6) The core purpose of African American studies is to take back from obscurity that piece of the historical puzzle without which the African American would be amidst an endless identity …show more content…
Indeed, it would require them to admit their transgressions and to concede the countless meaningful contributions made by the African American to modern society. Without “a serious examination of the fundamentals of education, religion, literature, and philosophy as they have been expounded to him” (Woodson 7) by his oppressors, the “Negro joins the opposition with the objection that the study of the Negro keeps alive questions which should be forgotten.” (Woodson