Black Scholars and The Thirteenth Amendment - Essay Example

The thirteenth amendment of the United s Constitution, which was passed by congress in January 31, 1865 and ratified in December 6, 1865 s that slavery of any kind is not to exist in any part of the United States or in any of its jurisdictions. Furthermore, there is to be no labor that calls for involuntary servitude in any instance, accept for if the person has been prosecuted for a crime and is mandated to partake in such labor as a means of paying restitution or paying penalties for the crimes committed. Appropriate legislation is to see to it that this amendment is to continuously be enforced (constitution of the United States-Official). Because blacks were enslaved for at least two centuries, they would naturally be elated that such an amendment was made to the Constitution, so as to insure their freedom and equality. It is this particular amendment of the Constitution that began to make it possible for the blacks to be treated as free and equal citizens of the United States. Since they were able to be treated in such a fashion, they were now free to be whoever they wanted to be. Despite the fact that blacks faced harsh discrimination and mistreatment by the dominant culture, especially during the nineteenth century and during the early part of the twentieth century, there were a select few who did not allow such treatment to stop them from making something of themselves. Some even pursued higher education and became scholars. The interpretation of the thirteenth amendment by black scholars has changed over the past three centuries, as it has held different meaning depending upon the time period in which the scholars lived. One notable black scholar of the nineteenth century was Daniel Alexander Payne. Pain was born in Charleston South Carolina in 1811 to two free parents. Unfortunately, his father passed when he was four, and his mother followed five years later, leaving him to be raised by his great aunt for the remainder of his childhood. Pain was not left to chance, however, because his aunt saw to it that he would become a well accomplished man, despite the opposition that people of his time faced by the dominant culture and their efforts to marginalize blacks. Payne attended school for two years, and then he studied with Thomas S. Bunneau, who was his private tutor until the age of twelve, when he began working for a shoe merchant. Payne held two additional jobs after working for the shoe merchant-working in the field of carpentry at the age of thirteen and then as a Taylor-which then led to him opening up a school for black children at the age of nineteen. Unfortunately, an amendment to the act that was in relation to slaves and free people of color was passed, and this led to the closing of the school (Taylor). Upon closing his school, Payne went north, determined to make something of himself. While in Gettysburg PA, he studied at the Lutheran seminary. Then, in 1837, he joined the Lutheran church, where he became an ordained minister. When Payne was ordained, he delivered a speech that spoke of how slave was a form of brutality and that it had to be abolished. During his time at the Lutheran church, Payne reopened a school for black children in 1840, picking up where he had left off in South Carolina before he had to move north. He remained with the Lutheran church for two more years, and then he joined the AMME church, where he helped to better their ministry, as well as the programs that dealt with foreign affairs. It was also at this church where he set up a program that aided runaway slaves, providing them with food and shelter along their journey to Canada, where they would be free of forced servitude (Taylor). While he was successful in the north, he knew that he had to go back down south to finish where he had left off. When the 13th amendment was passed and ratified in 1865, he felt that it was possible to do such things, since there were no longer any restrictions on people of color, and this Constitutional amendment overthrew the earlier bill that was amended, which caused him to have to close down his school and take the journey north. After the passing of the 13th amendment, he established the AME Conference in South Carolina, providing aid to emancipated slaves and brought them into the congregation (Taylor). Being involved in religion, starting schools to better black children, and providing aid to the slaves were not his only achievements. He was also selected to be the first black president of a college in 1856. He also traveled overseas, as he went to London to reside over the Methodist Ecumenical Conference. Shortly after going to London, Payne spoke before the World Parliament of Religion in Chicago, which would be his last achievement because he passed away shortly after in 1893. Being that Payne lived during a time period where he met a great deal of opposition concerning slavery, and being that he was involved in the efforts that enabled slaves to attain freedom, the 13th amendment was one thing that would mean a lot to him. Before he was passed, he spoke in the church at his ordination about how slavery was brutal and injurious. He spoke of the importance of freedom. One can imagine how relieved and happy he felt when the 13th amendment was put in place because not only did his dream come true and was alive to see it, blacks during his day had a better chance of achieving whatever goals they wished, no matter what part of the country they resided in. Now, we have the scholars of the twentieth century, which is a period of time in which we all can relate. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois and Martin Luther King, Jr. were two important black scholars of the twentieth century who not only made a great number of achievements; they changed life for the black race in numerous ways. Everything that these scholars did, including their published writings, their speeches, and their lectures, was in an effort to obtain equal rights for blacks, as they were still treated as inferiors into the later part of the twentieth century. Du Bois made a number of fine achievements, which he used in an effort to better life for his people, despite the fierce opposition he faced in the process. Du Bois, who graduated top of his class from high school attended Harvard, and then went onto attending the university of Berlin, where he pursued study in history and economics. This led to him serving as a professor of Greek and Latin at the Wilberforce University, located in Ohio. After teaching there, Du Bois went back to Harvard University and obtained a doctorates in history. From this point on, he published a number of essays and books, which were not only to aid in blacks being treated as equal citizens, these writings were also a means for helping the blacks to better themselves. For instance, he published writings on how to be economically sound, how to establish a harmonious and independent community that would survive and help its members as a whole, so as to effectively deal with the discrimination that was faced on all sides, and he even published social studies that addressed the problems of the black population in his day, which placed him with the top scholars. One of his works even made first place in Harvard's historical series (Prasch, 309-324). Du Bois fought very hard to achieve the goals that he had, he had to deal with people trying to discredit his degree, not giving him credit for the fact he did receive a doctorates, due to the color of his skin. He even was charged for being a foreign spy because he filed grievances with the UN concerning the treatment of his people, which is probably one of the craziest things our government has done. He even had to deal with being denied an education at certain points in time because of his skin color. Despite all of his obstacles, this man was determined. Though this man has now since passed on, his efforts and his works are remembered and thoroughly studied (Prasch, 309-324). Then, we have martin Luther King. King played such a large role in the Civil Rights Movement that took place in the 1960's that it is impossible to forget his efforts. Right up until his assassination, he fought to see to it that blacks would have the same equal opportunities as their counterparts. He did this through his writings, as well as through his speeches. Because he has played a drastic role in shaping modern America today as we know it, an institute and an encyclopedia are now named after him in dedication. These are known as the King Research and Education Institute and the King Encyclopedia. The institute and the encyclopedia contain not only information about his life and the efforts that he expended in order to make America what it is today, all of his writings can be found here, and they are all in one place for anyone who is either fascinated about what he did or wants to study his life and works (Novotny, 312-313). Though these two scholars lived in the twentieth century, during a time that slavery had long since been abolished, they still had to deal with being treated like inferiors, just because of their skin color. No, they were not subject to involuntary servitude; yet, they were not free to be what they wanted. Because of this, the 13th amendment was still of great importance to these individuals, as they focused on that piece of positivity to fuel their efforts and desires to continue fighting for a better tomorrow. They did not focus on this amendment quite as heavily as those who lived during the century before them; they focused on it, nonetheless. Finally, for the twenty-first century, we have Condoleezza Rice and Dr. Mark Lamont Hill. Condoleezza Rice was one of the high ranking black women in our country during the time of the Bush Administration, and she was a part of the W Stands for Women campaign, which was a campaign that was designed to pioneer for the rights of women in Iraq and Afghanistan, as women were typically treated worse than third class citizens in that part of the world. Condoleezza Rice was first National Security Advisor, and then she became Secretary of State, aiding in making some of the most important decisions for our country (Han, 638-640). During her time serving as secretary of state, and even thereafter, she continues to fight for everyone, no matter their walks of life or their race or creed, to enjoy freedom and equality. Rice is passionate about everyone, man, woman, or child, all being able to be whomever they want to and do whatever they want to without having to worry about facing discrimination. She thrives to fight for what America really and truly stands for-freedom and democracy (Rice, 12-14). Then, there is Dr. Mark Lamont Hill, who is one of the leading scholars of today's generation. He works closely with black and Latino youth to insure that they know their legal rights and responsibilities. He also works closely with the ACLU's drug project, which is designed to help those suffering from addictions. Dr. Hill teaches adult literacy classes in both Philadelphia and Camden, and he joined Columbia University as an associate this year. Very soon, he will be appointed to research in African American Studies. In 2005, Ebony Magazine rated him as being among the top thirty black scholars in the US under thirty years of age (Marklamonthill.com). During our century-the twenty-first century-blacks now deal with very little discrimination. No more do they have to worry so much about being treated like they are second class. Because of this, the 13th amendment is merely a piece o history, something that is their backbone and that they are proud to stand for. This amendment can never be forgotten. When we analyze each of these black scholars and compare the time periods in which they lived, we can not only notice that they interpret the thirteenth amendment differently, we can see the attitudes towards the blacks has changed significantly compared to that of the nineteenth century, when the thirteen amendment of the Constitution was passed by Congress and ratified in 1865. Blacks today enjoy equality and freedom, just the same as everyone else. They are no longer made to go to certain places, such as restaurants, stores, clubs, or any other public places, being forced to attend certain schools, or restricted to segregated neighborhoods because of the color of their skin. As a matter of fact, a black person is able to hold any position that he or she wants, just the same as anyone else. The fact that we have our first black president is proof that anything is possible and that skin color is no longer a factor in whether or not a person will be able to achieve his or her goals and live out his or her dreams. Work Cited "About Mark Lamont Hill." Marklamonthill.com. N.p., 2009. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. . "Constitution of the United States-Official." NARA. N.p., 2009. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. . Han, L. "W Stands for Women: How the George W. Bush Presidency Shaped a New Politics of Gender." Presidential Studies Quarterly 39.3 (2009): 638-640. Research Library, ProQuest. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. Novotny, E. "The Martin Luther King, Jr., Encyclopedia." Reference & User Services Quarterly 48.3 (2009): 312-313. Research Library, ProQuest. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. Prasch, R. "W. E. B. DU BOIS'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO U.S. ECONOMICS (1893-1910)." Du Bois Review 5.2 (2008): 309-324. ProQuest Social Science Journals, ProQuest. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. Rice, C. "Why DEMOCRACY Matters." Ripon Forum 43.3 (2009): 12-14. ProQuest Social Science Journals, ProQuest. Web. 4 Dec. 2009. Taylor, Quintard. "Payne, Daniel Alexander (1811-1893) The Black Pass: Remembered and Reclaimed." Blackpass.org. University of Washington, Seattle, 2007-2009. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. . Read More