Literary Analysis Essay on Give Me Liberty

Introduction

The author's purpose in writing the article is having the reader comprehend the role of the press in spreading news relating to the racialization of rape in the late 18th century. From this composition, it is possible to have the reader understanding the struggles that the traditional environment went through. The author expects the reader to identify the progress made in media reporting of issues relating to rape and consequently appreciate the strides made on the same. Moreover, the author intends to have modern newspapers change their means of reporting and ensure fairness.

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Author's Main Thesis

The central thesis presented by the author is that traditional newspapers and more specifically in the later years of the 18th century saw racialization of rape. From this thesis, she expounds the topic, further explaining how the system had a lot of injustice. White men received preferential treatment at a time when racial discrimination was at its climax (Freedman 466). The author further states that despite the fact the white male was guilty of the crime, the victim, if a woman of color was painted as the criminal. Newspapers made a mockery of the matter by posting the news of rape on their front covers not to address the issue but for humor.

Author’s Challenging of Other Historical Viewpoints

The author critically challenges other historical viewpoints, and she does this effectively by incorporating the work of other historians that also identify the state of society at the time. Some historical views have it that regardless of the race, all rapists were equally punished. However, the author goes against this, stating that the state of society was rather depressing and one-side. She supports this argument by acknowledging that renowned historian, Jacquelyn Dawd Hall identified that the mass media portrayed pictures of African American men killed for allegedly raping white women (Freedman 467).

Evidence Used by the Author

As a source of evidence for the information that the author presents to the readers, the traditional dailies were very critical. The author states that she obtained primary information to support her work from newspapers published during the late 18th century. She goes further to identify that three major urban newspapers were used to spread the news of the racialization of rape. The publications she read and found to contain most of this information included the Los Angeles Times, the Atlanta Daily Constitution, and the New York Times (Freedman 468).

Personal Likes and Dislikes

The author has some personal likes and dislikes concerning the issue. The author identifies the fact that numerous other historians have focused on the topic. She is pleased by the fact that historians sought to criticize the traditional newspapers and the manner through which they portrayed African Americans (Freedman 468). In cases where white women were raped, the newspapers would report this, but when African American women were raped, they received less press coverage. The author does not like the fact that there was racial segregation society. Regardless of the case, it is essential to treat all people equally.

How the Author Could Have Their Research More Substantial

The work presented by the author is quite resourceful, but she could have incorporated some aspects to improve it. The author should have offered more primary sources to support the information she relied on the three dailies alongside other articles for information. Primary sources receive recognition as the backbone of every research. If the author got some evidence from some of the few surviving relatives of families that suffered this oppression, then the information would have more credibility. However, it is still important to note that information that she provided was of virtuous quality.

Recommended Audience

The recommended audience of the article is the modern day tabloids and the mass media in general. The report seeks to have these channels understanding the effects that poor reporting has. Many families went through difficulties both physically and emotionally during the late part of the 18th century because of the manner issues of rape were reported. Another audience of the article is racist people. The article seeks to show that racism can lead to detrimental effects, such as where some innocent African Americans were ruthlessly murdered after being accused of rape.

How the Article Contributes to the Comprehension of History

After going through the article, it is possible to note the progress that American society has seen over the past two centuries. The modern environment has people interracially marrying, and their families are supporting this. However, one gets to note that previously, this was some form of taboo for the blacks, and the whites were segmented. The present-day generation gets to appreciate the contribution of the forefathers to the current amount of freedom they currently enjoy.

Example of How the Article Supports/Contradicts “Give Me Liberty.”

Give me Liberty is a famous history book composed by Eric Foner. The article supports Eric's book in numerous means, and an example of this is by identifying that Americans have always struggled to get liberty. Americans have sought liberty in different aspects in society ranging from gender equality to racism (Foner 71). Provided that the article here discusses the issue of racism shows how it matches the struggle for racial equality similar to Eric Foner's book.

Works Cited

Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty! An American History: Seagull Fourth Edition. Vol. 1. WW Norton & Company, 2013.

Freedman, Estelle. "Crimes Which Startle And Horrify": Gender, Age, and the Racialization of Sexual Violence in White American Newspapers, 1870-1900." Journal of the History of Sexuality 20.3 (2011).