From the 1880s to the 1930s, the lives of African Americans had developed drastically. The Civil War, Reconstruction, and Great Migration happened during this time period. The development of civil rights did not come along easily. New laws were created for the improvement of civil rights such as the 13th and 14th Amendment. Unfortunately Black Codes and Jim Crow Laws were also apparent during this time period. This restricted many African Americans from gaining more equality and they had many struggles in their lives because White Americans generally did not accept them as equal and on the same level. These changes were seen through the perspectives of characters in the play, “The Piano Lesson”, written by August Wilson. Although there was …show more content…
Although there was a separation of schools for the White and African American children there was an improvement because “higher education [was accessible for the] Negro youth, [so that they could] concentrate all their energies on industrial education, and accumulation of wealth, and the conciliation of the South” (The Soul of Black Folk). African Americans were able to attend schools so that they can develop skills for work to support their families. African Americans had the right to work in industries, which was an improvement for their lives because they were able to expand their social horizon. Lymon, Boy Willie’s best friend, aspired to go north in search of job opportunity and to have a new start in life. In the south, there were very few jobs in the industry. During this time in history, racism was still a large problem for African Americans living in the US during the 1900s. There were industrial jobs for African Americans in the north, but many jobs in the south still had low waged jobs such as sharecropping. Boy Willie states “See, a nigger that ain’t afraid to die is the worst kind of nigger for the white man.” (The Piano Lesson) The main character, Boy Willie, wanted to buy the land that his grandparents once worked on in the north. This shows that he was bold and determined to have advancement in his life and …show more content…
The 13th Amendment abolished slavery and the 14th Amendment promised equality, but in reality there was still discrimination that held African Americans back from progressing. There were restrictions against the African Americans, such as not being able to share the same seat on the bus or share the same restroom as White Americans. Many African Americans faced discrimination and violence from hate groups such as the KKK. Often times, the KKK would lynch African Americans. Boy Willie is tired of not having the same rights and expresses his frustration and explains; “Now that’s the difference between the coloured man and the white man. The coloured man can’t fix nothing with the law.” (The Piano Lesson) Jim Crow laws restricted African Americans from many rights that the White Americans had. Boy Willie feels restricted from doing what he wants to do. Likewise, he had little choice but to sell his family’s’ most prized possession, the piano, just so he can buy land. There was a lot of turmoil over the piano between Berniece and Boy Willie. Often times, African Americans were arrested for “vagrancy [which] was a new and flimsy concoction dredged up from legal obscurity at the end of the nineteenth century by the state legislatures of Alabama and other Southern states.”(The Bricks We Stand on) African Americans were