Essay On Black Heritage Trail

At its most rudimentary level, The United States of America is built upon a series of institutions that are entwined with each other. The group or class that has the institutional power dictate society because they can impact how others perceive it, and how others are impacted by it. Historically, and still true today, White Anglo-Saxon Protestant Males have held the political clout in the nation, and their impact has been felt throughout American history. However, minority groups have had an equal impact, but their history is often ignored because they lack the institutional power. Thus, the reason why there is a National Park Service Boston Black Heritage Trail on Beacon Hill but no National Park Service Boston White Heritage Trail on Beacon …show more content…
George Middleton led one the few black militias that fought against the British. While John J. Smith was a Massachusetts State Representative and the Haydens hid fugitive slaves. Additionally, the trail highlights the African Meeting House, the center the African-American community on Beacon Hill, and where prominent abolitionists like Fredrick Douglass met. Though, one the more important sights on the trail is the Phillips School, because the battle for school integration in Massachusetts started there when Benjamin Roberts tried to enroll his daughter, Sarah Roberts, to the school. The battle for integration brought the African American community together to push for other initiatives as well: “The African-American Community of Beacon Hill] discovered the resolve…to force [integration of railroads and theaters] the legalization of interracial marriage…[and] the first formation of African American union regiments to fight for the end of slavery itself” (Kendrick XXI). Furthermore, the battle for legal integration culminated in 1855 when the Massachusetts Legislature abolished segregated