James Baldwin
Gage Krakower
History 228: African American History
Dr. Jennifer Oast
MWF 2:00-2:50
February 10, 2012 James A. Baldwin
James A. Baldwin, a homosexual African-American novelist, was once quoted saying that the most dangerous creation of any society is the man who has nothing to lose. What it means is that society’s chief concern should be a person who has absolutely nothing to lose by always sticking to their beliefs, yet everything to gain. James Baldwin embodies that quote to the absolute fullest. Not only did he push the boundaries with his works in novels and articles on racial and sexual matters, but he also was a key component in the civil rights movement and that’s why James Baldwin was important in shaping American history.
James A. Baldwin, born James Arthur Jones, was born on August 2, 1924 in New York City. James was one of several children that his mother had. His mother would go on to divorce his biological father because of drug-related issues and move to Harlem, New York. In Harlem his mother would meet and marry a preacher by the name of David Baldwin, hence were James got his last name. “David Baldwin became a center of conflict and understanding, hate and respect in Baldwin’s early life and in some of his best writing.” Regardless of Baldwin’s strained relationship with David, out of respect for him he would always refer to him as his “father” and not his “step-father.
Growing up in the treacherous streets of Harlem was not an easy battle for Baldwin. “The oppression he faced the oppression he overcame, and the strength he gained from the battle was enough to break a man” Every single day in Harlem was a struggle for his life. Another example of how much respect Baldwin had for the man who adopted him, was at the age of fourteen he took it upon himself to follow in his footsteps and become a preacher as a member of the Pentecostal Church.
Baldwin developed a passion for reading during his early school years and
History 228: African American History
Dr. Jennifer Oast
MWF 2:00-2:50
February 10, 2012 James A. Baldwin
James A. Baldwin, a homosexual African-American novelist, was once quoted saying that the most dangerous creation of any society is the man who has nothing to lose. What it means is that society’s chief concern should be a person who has absolutely nothing to lose by always sticking to their beliefs, yet everything to gain. James Baldwin embodies that quote to the absolute fullest. Not only did he push the boundaries with his works in novels and articles on racial and sexual matters, but he also was a key component in the civil rights movement and that’s why James Baldwin was important in shaping American history.
James A. Baldwin, born James Arthur Jones, was born on August 2, 1924 in New York City. James was one of several children that his mother had. His mother would go on to divorce his biological father because of drug-related issues and move to Harlem, New York. In Harlem his mother would meet and marry a preacher by the name of David Baldwin, hence were James got his last name. “David Baldwin became a center of conflict and understanding, hate and respect in Baldwin’s early life and in some of his best writing.” Regardless of Baldwin’s strained relationship with David, out of respect for him he would always refer to him as his “father” and not his “step-father.
Growing up in the treacherous streets of Harlem was not an easy battle for Baldwin. “The oppression he faced the oppression he overcame, and the strength he gained from the battle was enough to break a man” Every single day in Harlem was a struggle for his life. Another example of how much respect Baldwin had for the man who adopted him, was at the age of fourteen he took it upon himself to follow in his footsteps and become a preacher as a member of the Pentecostal Church.
Baldwin developed a passion for reading during his early school years and