Jefferson's Pillow: The Founding Fathers and the Dilemma of Black PatriotismBeacon Press, 2002 M07 12 - 180 páginas An outspoken participant in the civil rights movement, Roger Wilkins served as Assistant Attorney General during the Johnson administration. In 1972 he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize along with Bernstein and Herblock for his coverage of Watergate. Yet this black man, who has served the United States so well, feels at times an unwelcome guest here. In Jefferson's Pillow, Wilkins returns to America's beginnings and the founding fathers who preached and fought for freedom, even though they owned other human beings and legally denied them their humanity. He asserts that the mythic accounts of the American Revolution have ignored slavery and oversimplified history until the heroes, be they the founders or the slaves in their service, are denied any human complexity. Wilkins offers a thoughtful analysis of this fundamental paradox through his exploration of the lives of George Washington, George Mason, James Madison, and of course Thomas Jefferson. He discusses how class, education, and personality allowed for the institution of slavery, unravels how we as Americans tell different sides of that story, and explores the confounding ability of that narrative to limit who we are and who we can become. An important intellectual history of America's founding, Jefferson's Pillow will change the way we view our nation and ourselves. |
Contenido
INTRODUCTION | 1 |
Tainted Origins | 9 |
Bright Promises Shadows of Sin | 34 |
The Wages of Privilege | 52 |
Is a Nigger a Human Being? | 87 |
A Blood American | 112 |
NOTES | 148 |
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS | 155 |
156 | |
Otras ediciones - Ver todas
Jefferson's Pillow: The Founding Fathers and the Dilemma of Black Patriotism Roger W. Wilkins Vista previa limitada - 2002 |
Jefferson's Pillow: The Founding Fathers and the Dilemma of Black Patriotism Roger W. Wilkins Vista de fragmentos - 2001 |
Jefferson's Pillow: The Founding Fathers and the Dilemma of Black Patriotism Roger W. Wilkins Sin vista previa disponible - 2002 |
Términos y frases comunes
Absalom Jones African Allen ancestors army Bacon's Rebellion began believed Bill of Rights blacks born British Byrd century citizens colonies colonists Congress Constitution created culture Declaration of Rights deeply delegates democracy draft Dunmore England English enormous equal father force founders founding freedom Freeman George Mason George Washington ginia governor Grandfather Wilkins great-grandfather Gunston Hall Hamilton hard Holly Springs human idea ington James Madison king knew land legacy legislative liberty lives Madison Hemings master ment mind Mount Vernon nation Native Americans natural Negro Oney Judge passion patriots Philadelphia plantation planter political president privilege Quoted ibid racism rebellion Revolution revolutionary Roger Wilkins Sally Hemings slave owners slave trade slavery society soul South spirit story struggle surely things Thomas Jefferson tion took Virginia Convention Virginia Declaration Wash wealth William Byrd II Williamsburg words wrote