SCRIBBLE
The Civil Rights Movement and Literature
Richard Wright
Gwendolyn Brooks
By Divya Balain
James Baldwin
Ralph Ellison
T
E
Lorraine Hansberry
he 1950s and 60s in Amercia was a time of political unrest with the Civil Rights movement on the rise - a wave of tension and discontent was sweeping the nation and forcing the white
authority to acknowledge the institutional racism that was holding African-American citizens back.
arly forms of African-American literature including slave narratives and those generated from the Harlem Renaissance paved the way for a new wave of literature that reflected the themes of struggle and liberation that was prevalent in every aspect of the civil rights movement. Literature gave a voice and platform to AfricanAmericans who felt a disconnect to the system that favoured white Americans and provided a platform for resistance. The civil rights movement marked historical changes in laws in the US, but also was a time of historical breakthroughs for black writers, political advancements reflected in
With a surge in self -pride, determination and justice came a sense of liberation and freedom for African-American authors to write literature that captured the frustration and exposes the racism and hardships they had to live.
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