American Studies Question

Select any of our readings that you believe reflect what your editors call “the challenge . . . to produce a society more faithful to the language and intent of the Constitution” (542). Explain why and how you see the work that you select reflecting Constitutional ideals, particularly those of the reform legislation that included the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments – the outlawing of slavery; the granting of equal legal protection to African Americans; and the granting of suffrage to black males. For example, you might focus on the ideal of equality put forth by the Constitution. As always, begin by asking questions that you will then answer in your writing. For instance, how might you summarize ideas of equality expressed by Washington or Du Bois? What strategies do they use to apply ideas of equality to blacks in a way that will appeal to both white and black readers? You might choose to consider the symbolism or figurative language employed by McKay and Toomer to analyze how it might be seen to refer to Constitutional issues. For example, why does McKay write of death in order to make a point about those who live? (You must refer to the footnote explanation if you write about this poem.) You might ask instead, how does Toomer use figurative language to evoke the importance of the past to reconstructing a future that is built on Constitutional rights? **These are only examples of questions to which you might respond. Feel free to think of your own!