99-132

• “For the men who needed to believe themselves white, the bodies were the key to a social club, and the right to break the bodies was the mark of civilization. ‘The two great divisions of society are not the rich and poor, but white and black,’ said the great South Carolina senator John C. Calhoun. ‘And all the former, the poor as well as the rich, belong to the upper class, and are respected and treated as equals’” (104). How do you think this idea functions to establish race – and not class or wealth – as a key division in the mid-1800s in this country? Draw a relationship between Calhoun’s idea and another part of Coates’ text.

Calhoun’s idea is extremely problematic and goes back to the idea that a person needs to be above someone else to be successful. This idea relates to Dweck’s fixed mindset of finding someone you’re “better than” to affirm your own value. Calhoun sets a barrier for black people, even if a black person had more money than a white person, they would still be viewed as less than. The white person would still have more pull in society even if economically he is in a worse position. This idea relates to my chosen quote from page 120 that asserts the idea “that what they have named [black people] matters more than anything we could ever actually do.” This idea hinders black people from receiving any social gain no matter what they do. By having the separation by race instead of class, it prevents conflicts and uprising by the lower class. The poor people vastly outnumber the wealthy, so racial separation controls the lower class. 

• Freebie. Help us examine some specific part of Coates’ text by offering a Quotation, providing a 3-4 sentence Comment on it, and asking a Question that flows from the quote and/or comment.

“I saw that what divided me from the world was not anything intrinsic to us but the actual injury done by people intent on naming us, intent on believing that what they have named us matters more than anything we could ever actually do.” (120)

I found this quote interesting because this type of behavior is so common. People often discredit people’s work because of what they look like or where they’re from. This happens in racial situations and in gender situations. 

Why is this so common? How can we change this way of thinking?