African American Studies

Eugene Brown

Week one

Souls of Black Folk Discussion

A couple events that stood out to me while reading the timeline were the events that took place in 1822 and also 1857. In 1831 Denmark Vesey, purchased his own freedom then planned a slave revolt on Charleston, South Carolina. The plot was later discovered and Vesey and 34 others were hung. Another surprising event that stood out to me was that less than a week after the Civil War ended, President Lincoln was assassinated.

In coarse module two, the Virginia Company was introduced. The Virginia Company was created by King James I in 1606, and had two divisions; The Plymouth and London Company. The Plymouth Company was established on the Kennebec River which is now in modern day Maine. On the other hand the London Company was established in Jamestown, Virginia. Jamestown was the first permanent settlement in the “New World”. To become a member of the London Company you could either be an investor or a planter. Planters were basically indentured servants. The planters would make an agreement with the London Company for a set amount of years and in return at the end of the agreement the worker would receive land and become free of obligations from the company. In 1624 the company disbanded and became a royal colony. The Virginia colony was all about making a profit and also working hand in hand with the Native Americans. The Virginia Colony offered Native Americans the right to adopt English customs and be “saved” from the savage lives. I enjoyed reading the article “A Way to get Wealth” in module two as well.

In chapter one of “The Souls of Black Folk” the author discussed his childhood, and how the white race always bragged about things they had that he didn’t around him. He seemed very resilient even though negativity was constantly surrounding him throughout his whole life. Dubois believed that African Americans should strive to learn how to become Model American citizens.

In chapter one of...