Race and American Racial Identities

Objectives Contextualize understandings of gender, race, and uplift theory Understand the experience of Americans in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era as they developed newer ideas of race and belonging. Apply historical lessons to our present experience Apply the information covered by the book, documentary, and podcast to form an argument based 5-7 page paper. Directions Read Louis Moore’s, I Fight for a Living (Links to an external site.): Boxing and the Battle for Black Manhood, 1880-1915 Write a 5-7 page paper on the prompt provided in the “What to Include” section Formatting Guidelines: 12 pt – Times New Roman Font Double-spaced 1″ margins No added space between paragraphs (Go to “Paragraph” settings and set “space after” to 0pt) Citation Guidelines: Non-historians use the MLA style. Make sure all citations include specific page numbers! Submit your paper online as either a Word Document (.doc or .docx) or as a PDF What to include Answer the following prompt (including all subsections): Professional boxing gave black men the ability to make substantial earnings and escape the poor prospects of post-Reconstruction America. In what ways did these men face questions about their race, manhood, and their roles as leaders for their families and communities? What, if anything, changed over the period covered by this book? How were theories about uplift and race united by the actions of the boxers studied by Moore? How might a study on sports, like this book, give us a deeper understanding of culture, race, gender, and politics? How does the documentary add context to the book? What specific content supports or refutes the argument of the book? Is there anything in the documentary that adds complexity to the story of boxers in Moore’s book? How did the legacy of the Civil War and Reconstruction define “freedom” for African Americans? What was the target of the mob violence in Tulsa, OK, in 1921? How does this podcast episode strengthen, complicate, or change the story told in the assigned book and documentary? What are your thoughts about the memory of the Tulsa Massacre in American culture? Had you heard of it before? If so, does this telling of the history of that event add to your previous knowledge? Is there any further takeaway that you personally feel should be shared with people outside this class about the content assigned for this paper? Resources The only resources to be referenced in this assignment are provided to you below. Do NOT use outside sources for your paper or you will lose points. Book: I Fight for a Living – Louis Moore (Links to an external site.) There is a documentary The African Americans Many rivers to cross with Henry Lewis gates, Jr. and a podcast Confronting the Past Sidedoor