In his essay, “The Case for Reparations,” Ta-Nehisi Coates confronts the permeation of racial discrimination throughout American history and examines its lasting legacy in modern times. Using primary accounts and historical examples, Coates traces the influence of racism from the foundation of American democracy, through the Civil War era, the inception of Jim Crow laws, the Great Migration, and continuing to modern times despite continued U.S. governmental efforts to create policy that promotes equality and eradicates racial discrimination. Coates emphasizes the discrimination, racism, and hatred African Americans have faced throughout the various periods in American history, eventually concluding that the social, economic, and political
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Coates provides a wide range of evidence, using numerous sources, to advance his claim for reparations and the need for American society to reevaluate African American suffering. Specifically, Coates uses statistics in the interactive census map, facts from various published articles, books, and expert historians, stories from witnesses who personally experienced the injustice like Clyde Ross, primary sources such as De Bow’s Review and more, to provide sufficient and convincing sources that support his conclusions about racial inequality. Building from credible evidence, Coates constructs a cogent and organized essay by dividing the piece into various parts, each focusing on a specific topic in African American discrimination. For example, in section IV entitled “The Ills that Slavery Frees Us From,” Coates explains how the formation of America as a slave society and the continual exploitation of slave labor allowed white Americans to thrive, while black Americans endured cultural, familial and personal destruction (25). By dividing the essay into various parts, each with a specific focus that relates to the overall argument, Coates leads his readers from one premise to the next in a logical fashion, culminating in a decree for reparations. Additionally, in each section, Coates uses convincing analysis to signal to the readers the connection between the evidence and the overall argument and conclusion. Evaluating section IV again, Coates includes a quote from John Calhoun who stated, “The two great divisions of society are not the rich and poor, but white and black” (27). Discussing the implications of slavery in modern times, Coates uses Calhoun’s statement with further evidence from the antebellum south to emphasize how this initial
Coates provides a wide range of evidence, using numerous sources, to advance his claim for reparations and the need for American society to reevaluate African American suffering. Specifically, Coates uses statistics in the interactive census map, facts from various published articles, books, and expert historians, stories from witnesses who personally experienced the injustice like Clyde Ross, primary sources such as De Bow’s Review and more, to provide sufficient and convincing sources that support his conclusions about racial inequality. Building from credible evidence, Coates constructs a cogent and organized essay by dividing the piece into various parts, each focusing on a specific topic in African American discrimination. For example, in section IV entitled “The Ills that Slavery Frees Us From,” Coates explains how the formation of America as a slave society and the continual exploitation of slave labor allowed white Americans to thrive, while black Americans endured cultural, familial and personal destruction (25). By dividing the essay into various parts, each with a specific focus that relates to the overall argument, Coates leads his readers from one premise to the next in a logical fashion, culminating in a decree for reparations. Additionally, in each section, Coates uses convincing analysis to signal to the readers the connection between the evidence and the overall argument and conclusion. Evaluating section IV again, Coates includes a quote from John Calhoun who stated, “The two great divisions of society are not the rich and poor, but white and black” (27). Discussing the implications of slavery in modern times, Coates uses Calhoun’s statement with further evidence from the antebellum south to emphasize how this initial