Mauro Espinosa S.

- 00107099
ENG 0235
Scott Gibson
23rd February 2016
Short Assignment #1: Anna J. Cooper, The Uprising of African American Pride
Anna Julia Cooper, the daughter of a slave and her white master from North Carolina,
knew from experience, that slavery was an atrocious act for her race. However, Cooper
truly believe that happiness will be achieved at the end of progress as a result of the
determination on hard circumstances, which will conclude in the achievement of a goal,
which in the case of African American people, is a worthy place in their country
(Cooper 9).
With this, Cooper supports that some failures were done in slavery times that echoed in
the present, resulting in social difficulties for her race, who hoped in the future, the
situation will change; nonetheless, the change was upon womanhoods shoulders, in the
frame of Christianity. She clearly knew how black people had to suffer for many years
by being degraded by slavery, but Cooper gave more importance to black women whom
she believed that both, black and white people hadnt given any importance in those
times. She mentioned: Coloured girls of the south [are] so full of promise and
possibilities, yet so sure of destruction; often without a father to whom they dare apply
the loving term, often without a stronger brother to espouse their cause and defend their
honour (Cooper 9). Also, Cooper thought that if black women were appraised by men
in general, the significance of what a family is, could growth. The atmosphere of
homes is no rarer and purer and sweeter than are the mothers in those homes. A race is
but a total of families (Cooper 11). It is clear that affectionate and strong mothers will

be the base to raise leading men who in the future, could defend and uplift African
American race.
Likewise, it is imperative to mention that since 1868 to the early twentieth century, the
Institution of the Church in the South has graduated only five black women as clergies,
opposed to the young black men, which were numerous. Black women, instead were
taken as the last option to preach Gods gospel throughout the south region. Cooper
strongly claims that education of this kind should be more dynamic. The Church must
prepare black woman and await to become intelligent wives and mothers who could
help heightening the race, in the frame of Christianity (Cooper 16).
In a nutshell, Anna Julia Cooper made strong references to the disinterest of men
towards the black women, during slavery times. She believed that black women, wives
and mothers are the base to create a strong African American society. She also
mentioned that this uplifting must be inside Gods gospel and that Church must stop
limiting women from preaching it. As Cooper said: Black women is the re-training of
the race, as well as the ground work and starting point of its progress upward (10).

Works Cited
Cooper, Anne J. Womanhood: A Vital Element in the Regeneration and Progress of a
Race African American Literature Compendium, Vol II. Ed. Scott Thomas
Gibson. Quito: Universidad San Francisco de Quito, 2016. 10.