Does Oppression and Identity Define Black History

1) Do you agree or disagree on the definition of Black History presented by “Pride and Prejudice: A History of Black Culture”_ _ “Oppression and Identity?”

I agree that oppression and identity is a vivid description of Black History. The film defines oppression “as any form of injustice that attempts to crush the human spirit” . Identity can be defined as “what identifies somebody or something”. The institution of slavery is seen as a form of oppression that removes the men and women of West Africa from there homes. This act in time would strip away the black man’s identity.

Slavery is a legal system in which people are traded for goods and other people. It also can be seen as an institution that almost destroyed a single race. In the late 14th and early 15th centuries the people of West Africa began to feel the early effects of this institution known as slavery. Africans where snatched from there homes and placed on slave ships. On these ships slaves where mistreated not being properly sanitized, and also where also branded like cattle.

The institution of slavery also “fed a new language and religion to the Africans.” The newly acquired language being English and the religion being Christianity. By forcing Christianity on these people it forced them to abandon the religions of there homeland. With the abandonment of there religion the Africans began to loose a sense of there true home, Africa. Christianity was also seen as a way to help the Africans learn the new language English. Once the language barrier was removed the black man could be controlled. Carter G. Woodson once said, “The