Question

Why do you think Hannah-Jones consistently refers to what are commonly known as "plantations," such as Monticello (Thomas Jefferson's estate), by the term "forced-labor camps" instead? B) Why does she use the term "black Americans" instead of African-Americans? C) Does any other diction she uses to describe places, people, or events surprise or stand out to you?

Answer 1

This question is about the article "Our democracy’s founding ideals were false when they were written."

Answer and Explanation:

1. Because these places had slaves to work not only in the fields, but also in the functioning of the property as a whole. However, these places prohibited slave labor and pretended that the blacks who worked there were workers, but lived under a slave system that did not pay them, nor even allowed them to be free to seek other jobs, living, literally, in a "labor field. forced".

2. Because it wants to reinforce that blacks were as American citizens as whites. This is because the word "African American" softens the concept of citizenship and belonging to the country, generating a subjunctive understanding that blacks are not part of American society when in reality they are.

3. I believe that the diction used throughout the text is impactful in its own way. The article as a whole impacted me by its simple and direct diction. No particular term caught my attention, but the author's ability to use very common words to demonstrate the reality about blacks that many of us did not know was very much appreciated by me.