African-American Studies papers

A look at inequality in the educational system for minority children.

Examines both sides of the controversial issue of affirmative action.

An opinion paper that argues against affirmative action.

Analysis of the theme of racism and prejudice in the film, "Rosewood".

Analyzes Plato's myth of the cave and how it parallels the film, "A Time to Kill".

A look at some of the causes for the achievement gap between American black children and American white children.

This paper analyzes James Baldwin's first novel, "Go Tell it on the Mountain", a classic coming-of-age novel set in New York during the Harlem Renaissance.

An overview of African-American participation in World War II.

An overview of African-American military participation in the Civil War.

A discussion of the large number of AIDS cases in African-American communities relative to other American communities.

This paper uses Owen Dodson's poem, "Black Mother Praying" (1943), and Martin Luther King's "The Importance of Vietnam" (1964), to discuss the issue of war and the African-American community.

A historical analogy of racial segregation.

Book report on Margaret Walker's novel about the daughter of a Southern plantation owner and his black mistress during the Civil War era.

A look at why black infants are twice as likely to die within the first month of life than their white counterparts.

An examination of the first and second colored regiments in the Civil War.

This paper compares two classic slavery narratives: Olaudah Equiano's "Interesting Narrative" and Harriet Jacob's "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl".

A look at black nationalism through the eyes of Booker T. Washington, W. E. B. Du Bois, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., from Reconstruction to today.

An analysis of the hurdles facing black women entering the law profession in the early 20th century in the United States.

An overview of the impact of the political views of Martin Luther King.

An analysis of the civil rights and student rights movements of the 1960s.

A look at the history of racism in America and how it persists today.

This paper describes the life of Billie Holiday and explains the impact that "Strange Fruit" had on her career and on America.

Discusses color symbology and conflict in this book by Ralph Ellison.

A review of Malcolm X's famous speech, "The Ballot of the Bullet".

Analysis and review of Ayi Armah's book about the tribal wars between African groups.

A look at the extent to which race plays a role in the different sentencing ranges applicable to different crimes.

Argues in favor of slavery within the context of an article written by 19th century Reverend Thornton Stringfellow .

A look at how Alice Walker can be considered a pioneer of 'womanism' and bastion of African-American literature through a review of "The Color Purple".

Analysis of Richard Wright's novel and short story and how they reflect the perils of modernization.

An evaluation of affirmative action's ability to provide equal educational opportunity for low-income minority students.

This paper reports on the 1999 racial profiling survey, known as the Police-Public Contact Survey (PPCS) and the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR 3151) .

An informative paper about the Harlem Renaissance.

A brief look at some of the more common forms of persecution, including sexism and racism.

A look at "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" and the contradictions it highlights regarding slavery and racial identity in the antebellum South.

An analysis of the exploitation and oppression of Africans and indigenous peoples in post-colonial Brazil and Cuba.

Examines narrative and cinematic rebellion in Melvin van Peebles' "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song".

This paper emphasizes the racial injustice that characterized the South in the 1960s. It discusses the life story of Anne Moody, the author of this autobiography, and the many hardships she encountered.

An examination of the issue of cultural diversity in the United States.

Examines the role the media plays in promoting ideas of racial harmony and stereotyping in the United States.

Examines the theme of horizons in this novel by Nora Zeale Hurston.

Examines the African-American tap dancing origins of the Irish dance production, "Riverdance".

This paper discusses the act of learning based on Malcolm X's biography, "Learning to Read".

Examines how pre-term births can be prevented by making the correct decisions during pregnancy.

A dissertation that addresses the evolution of speech patterns that have developed from black music during the past half-century, focusing on hip-hop music.

Compares Harriet E. Wilson's workon racial prejudice with similar works by Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs.

This paper argues that the federal government should end racial profiling by requiring police and law enforcement officers to keep detailed records of each individual they stop to question or search.

This paper discusses Martin Luther King's use of various rhetorical strategies in Paragraphs One through Three of King's "Letter to Birmingham".

This paper presents research designed to analyze affirmative action in California by examining the past, present, and future of African-Americans at two California, upper-tier, medical and law schools.

A comprehensive examination of the status of blacks in America today.

This paper analyzes Philip Hayes Dean's play, "The Sty of the Blind Pig" (1971), which is about an African-American family transplanted to Chicago in the 1950s as the civil rights movement was beginning in the South.

This paper examines and critiques the reviews of Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" (1884) at the time of publication and today.

A discussion of some of the major African-American players in the music industry.

An analysis of the significance of African-American writer and poet, Langston Hughes.

Analyzing the role of the sitcom in television over the years, focusing on the portrayal of African-Americans in the early 1980s.

A comparison of goal-based affirmative action and process-based affirmative action within the education system.

Reviews the discrimination suit brought against the Texaco Corporation.

An overview of the regiments after the American Civil War known as the Buffalo Soldiers.

This paper discusses the issue of slavery under the French, Spanish, and American regimes in colonial Louisiana.

This paper reviews James T. Patterson book, "Brown vs. Board of Education: A Civil Rights Milestone and its Troubled Legacy", about the aftermath and consequences of the Supreme Court ruling.

A comparative analysis of Mexican-American and African-American assimilation in the United States today.

An examination of racial discrimination in the jury selection of current American trials.

Discusses why minorities are unwilling participants in HIV vaccine trials.

An overview of President Lyndon B. Johnson's programs to fight the war on poverty, with a focus on African-Americans.

Examines issues of race and gender in the investment banking industry.

Examines the portrayal of minority groups in the media.

This paper uses Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to analyze the life of Maya Angelou, one of the most prolific contemporary writers.

Explores the cultural origins and the significance of Hip Hop.

An analysis of Mark Twain's treatment of race in "Huckleberry Finn" and "Pudd"nhead Wilson".

A look at the lives and contributions of Debra Dickerson, Maya Angelou, Richard Wright, Brent Staples, and Ralph Ellison.

A critical analysis of racial myths and fallacies in Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird".

Study of the disparity in sentencing guidelines for DUI (driving under the influence) vehicular homicide.

Looks at the sociological, political, and economic effects of racism.

An examination of the cultural issues unique to the African-American juvenile offender that may contribute to recidivism.

This paper is a research proposal to analyze education accommodation for at-risk populations, including educational opportunities, and the importance of establishing positive relationships outside of the home to continuing education.

Examines Frederick Douglass's autobiography and Amy Kolen's essay, "Fire", to examine two forms of slavery in American history.

An analysis of ideological and economic factors in the failure of the Confederacy.

Examines how African-Americans have served their country loyally during all of its wars.

Discusses the history of jazz as an off-shoot of African-American culture.

Examines how this anti-discriminatory Act is applied to the workplace.

This paper discusses that the Civil War Centennial observance, during the height of the civil rights struggle of the 1960s, further galvanized the conflict between the "black and white" racial groups, especially in the South.

This paper analyzes the conditions and major changes in the South after the Civil War in the period between 1860 -1920.

This paper discusses the New Deal, a set of federal policies targeted at welfare relief and economic development during the administration President Franklin Roosevelt, and its effect on African-Americans.

A look at the individual and societal costs of subtle sexual and racial discrimination.

Discusses the history and the impact of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act in the United States.

Examines James Baldwin's 1943 work, "Notes of a Native Son", and Spike Lee's 1989 film, "Do the Right Thing", to highlight how race relations have changed over time.

A look at the factors influencing divorce rates within the African -American community.

This paper reviews Elijah Anderson's "Code of the Street: Decency, Violence and the Moral Life of the Inner City", which describes inner city black culture.

A discussion on the importance of remembering slavery through literature and the subsequent consequences it can have.

An analysis of three books: "Their Eyes Were Watching God", by Zora Neale Hurston; "Sonny's Blues", by James Baldwin; and "Battle Royal", by Ralph Ellison.

A look at the concept of lynching as referred to in American literature.

An interpretation of Ann Petry's short story, "Like a Winding Sheet", with the focus on the similarities to slavery.

This is a paper examining why the depictions of slavery are so different in Frederick Douglass's "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass", as compared to "Up From Slavery" by Booker T. Washington.

Argues that the death penalty in the United States is a racist policy.

This paper offers a general biography of Garrison and his contribution to abolitionist activity.

A discussion of how Alice Walker portrays social issues in the rural South during the first half of the 20th century in her book, "The Color Purple".

Critique of a speech made by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to the National Bar Association.

Study of the culture of African-Americans during the Progressive Era.

A review of the article, "The Economics of the Criminal Behavior of Young Adults", by Mark Gius.