African-American Studies papers

Examines how this novel by Thomas Pynchon relates to civil rights.

A review of the novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Nela Hurston.

This paper describes the nature and frequency of slave executions, which were rooted early into the social fabric of United States society.

A review of the painting "In an African Setting" by Aaron Douglas.

A critical review of the book "A Place Called Heaven: The Meaning of Being Black in Canada" by Cecil Foster.

This paper discusses the history of African-American athletes, the myths and features many individual athletes.

An overview of Maya Angelou's life with reference to her five-part autobiography and other accomplishments.

A look at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and why they are necessary.

An examination of the criminal justice system, from its beginnings until present day.

This paper examines the evolution, perception and accomplishments of women throughout history.

This paper is an essay that explores the sociological significance of the police shooting of a young West African immigrant Amadou Diallo by imagining the explanations of people from various political persuasions.

The influences of Frederick Douglass on the Civil Rights movement.

Examines a contemporary thesis that the Civil War was not an inevitable war.

Analyzes the cultural popularity of this 1971 movie directed by Gordon Parks.

Examines the rebellion of Attica prison in the United States in 1971.

A look at disparity and discrimination in the U.S. criminal justice system.

A discussion of slavery as seen in the novel "Beloved".

A study of the influences on contemporary African-American music.

An exploration of the broadening of Martin Luther King Junior's rhetorical scope between 1955 and 1967.

A brief discussion of "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Haley.

This paper examines the use and impact of language in Alice Walker's "The Color Purple" and Timberlake Wertenbaker's "Our Country's Good."

This paper discusses the poetry of Langston Hughes, the first American black to support himself as a writer.

This paper discusses the concept of taking a journey in the African-American spiritual and folk music.

This paper reviews several poems and essays by Langston Hughes, who wrote poetry, essays, novels, plays and children's books and is considered the most important African-American writer of his time.

A summary and analysis of the film "Daughters of the Dust".

A study of minorities in medical school and the medical profession, with an emphasis on analyzing affirmative action policies.

This paper discusses the pros and cons of transracial adoptions as well as the resulting impact on both children and parents.

This paper is a chapter by chapter description of Sue Eakin's book "Solomon Northup's Twelve Years a Slave".

A review of Randy Weston's African-inspired jazz album "Uhuru Africa".

This paper discusses the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-56, one of the pivotal events in U.S. history, which helped to ignite and shape the Civil Rights Movement.

Examines some of the themes in this novel by Toni Morrison.

A compare and contrast between two of America's most well-known African-American thinkers and writers, Maya Angelou and Frederick Douglass.

Examines the history of this law governing Australian ancestral land.

This paper examines the cultural context of Lorraine Hansberry's play "Raisin in the Sun".

This paper examines two books, about the phenomenon of racial inequality, "The Unsteady March" by Philip Klinkner and Rogers Smith, and "Black Like Me" by John Griffin.

Explores the origins of the form of music called hip hop.

This paper discusses the role of minorities in front of as well as behind the cameras in Hollywood's film and television industries.

A study of the lives and effects of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

This paper explores the racism and inequality African-American soldiers suffered both on the front lines, during the war and back at home.

Examines the life and career of this social reformer for American society.

This paper discusses the courage to stand-up to fight injustice as portrayed by the female African-American writers Alice Walker in "The Color Purple" and Maya Angelou in "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings".

This paper discusses the philosophy of early African-American leader Booker T. Washington that "hard work will set us free."

An analysis and discussion of the approach and technique Ishmael Reed employs in his novel, "Mumbo Jumbo".

An analysis of the debate over affirmative action.

A critique of the story of "Why the Negro is Black" by Joel Chandler Harris.

An analysis of William Blake's poem "Little Black Boy" and how it shows the damage that racism inflicts on those that are most innocent.

Examines the frustration felt by African-Americans regarding the receding of economic gains within American society.

A summary and analysis of this famous story about racism in America.

A look at the life of Frederick Douglass and his efforts in the abolitionist movement.

A biographical account of the life and career of poet, Paul Laurence Dunbar.

This paper is a rhetorical situational analysis of Martin Luther King's speech "I Have a Dream".

An analysis of a documentary about late rapper Tupac Shakur called "Tupac Resurrection".

A review of the novel "The Autobiography of an Ex-colored Man".

This paper discusses the negative stereotypes of Black Americans in the media especially television and films.

Examines the life and political career of this African-American civil rights activist.

Explores the history of slavery in the American state of New Hampshire.

A discussion of the difference between racial profiling in theory and in practice.

A comparison of the leadership skills of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X.

Examines the role of the slaves in Haiti as the force behind the revolution.

A look at issues of gender equity and stereotyping in the setting of hip hop music and culture.

An analysis of the poetry of Maya Angelou, taking specific poems into consideration as well known representatives of her work such as "Still I Rise," "On the Pulse of the Morning," "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," and "Phenomenal Woman".

A pro-affirmative action opinion paper.

This paper discusses the life and work of the African-American activist William Edward Burghardt (W.E.B.) Du Bois (1868-1963).

A paper looking at the African-American migration to Philadelphia that took place at the end of the industrial age.

A biography of the life of civil rights leader Marian Anderson.

A look at the life of African-American civil rights leader Malcolm X.

An analysis of the character of Lena Younger in Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun".

Examines the history and present state of affirmative action in California.

Examines the history and effectiveness of affirmative action in American society.

A look at how slavery in Virginia was affected by John Brown's Raid.

An analysis of the factors affecting perceptions on homosexual's right to marry.

This paper reviews the book "Black Power: The Politics of Liberation in America" by Stokely Carmichael and Charles V. Hamilton, written in 1967, at the height of the civil rights movement.

Shows how Alex Haley successfully portrayed the history of an African-American family in his book, "Roots".

A look at how the U.S. criminal justice system mistreats minorities.

A paper detailing the devastating emotional, sociological and economic effects of racism on African-American children.

A look at the philosophical influences on business by Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud and Martin Luther King

An overview of the eugenics movement which aimed to improve the human race by selective breeding in the 1920s.

A report on Anne Moody's autobiographical novel.

This paper discusses Doctorow's novel "Ragtime", which focuses on major cultural and social changes, from the creation of unions to the blacks fighting for their rights.

A look at how the characters overcome the stigma of slavery in Toni Morrisson's "Beloved" and Charles Johnson's "Middle Passage".

This paper compares slavery stories: Frederick Douglass' "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass", Harriet Jacobs' (aka Linda Brent) "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" and the film "Gone with the Wind" based on Margaret Mitchell's book.

A look at two great civil rights leaders and their use of civil disobedience.

A biographical account of American civil rights leader, Septima Clark.

An analysis of two books that deal with race as either black or white, and another that examines being mixed.

This paper discusses the controversy over the efficacy of I.Q. testing.

An overview of racial profiling in the United States.

Examining the perspectives of George S. Schuyler and Langston Hughes on African-American life and art.

A look at whether Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" should be admitted as part of the school reading syllabus.

A look at the various solutions applied in an attempt to remove the boundaries between the races in public education.

This paper argues that de facto segregation still plagues American schools even though physical segregation barriers have been removed.

Traces the history of lynching in the State of Virginia.

This paper discusses Toni Morrison's fiction "The Bluest Eye", based partially on Toni Morrison's life.

A paper discussing the situation for black people in America prior to the Civil War.

This paper reviews Toni Morrison's "Beloved", an intricate narrative expounding on the agony of guilt and the love between a mother and her daughter.

This paper discusses the song "Fight the Power" by Public Enemy released in 1989 as a part of Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" soundtrack.

Examines the relevance of the message from Paul's "The Book of Love", used by Martin Luther King in his "Letter from Birmingham Jail"

This paper examines the life and contributions of Sojourner Truth nee Isabella Van Wagener, black abolitionist and women's rights advocate.

An examination of Joseph Conrad's novel, showing that by lacking agency, Conrad's purpose is not of a racist perspective.