Nikki Giovanni |
Time Period
Nikki Giovanni can clearly be defined as a influential artist of the Civil Rights Movement seeing as she rose to fame during the 1960's and late 1970's. As Giovanni was becoming the iconic poet that we know of today many historical events were occurring at the time that greatly influenced the subject matter of her poetry. Without a doubt the Civil Rights Movement, which hoped to bring equality to all races, specifically the black community, had the greatest impact on Giovanni's work. It was a part of Giovanni's personal philosophy as a poet to use her complex individual voice that was not bogged down by conventional thought to speak passionately through writing.
The Emancipation Proclamation, signed in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln, was the monumental document that outlawed slavery in the United States. However even after this proclamation had been made blacks were still segregated from whites and greatly oppressed in our country; a prime example of this would be "Jim Crow Laws." These laws that prompted a separate but equal society for blacks and whites is what fueled the Civil Rights Movement. It was during this fight for equality that Giovanni wrote so much about and because of her passion and close connection with the movement, seeing as she herself was a black women, that lifted her to fame and causes her to be renowned as influential during this time.
Thanks to movement leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and President John F. Kennedy that blacks and whites were finally seen as equal in the United States. This equality was made official with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, proposed by President Kennedy, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, both signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Annotated Bibliography
"Civil Rights Movement." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.
The website History.com is a site dedicated to the education of people on various events throughout all of history. One particular page, titled the Civil Rights Movement, is dedicated to none other than the Civil Rights movement giving information on the people involved in this movement, why it started and what the final result was. Histroy.com is a very credible source because it gives hard facts in regards to historic events and people, leaving little room for falsehoods. I intend on using this source to gather information in regards to the Civil Rights Movement, a main, if not the most important, subject matter for Nikki Giovanni’s work.
Civil Rights Movement." - John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.
The online John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum holds various information in regards to the the thirty fifth president of the United States. This online website for the Library & Museum discusses not only J.F.K. while in office but all he did before he was elected and the lasting impact his leadership had on the country. This is a credible source because it is the online home for the actual John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum. I plan on using this source to research information on J.F.K who was a great influence on the Civil Rights Movement, a recurring topic in Giovanni’s work and who was specifically the subject matter for one of Giovanni’s poems.
The Emancipation Proclamation, signed in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln, was the monumental document that outlawed slavery in the United States. However even after this proclamation had been made blacks were still segregated from whites and greatly oppressed in our country; a prime example of this would be "Jim Crow Laws." These laws that prompted a separate but equal society for blacks and whites is what fueled the Civil Rights Movement. It was during this fight for equality that Giovanni wrote so much about and because of her passion and close connection with the movement, seeing as she herself was a black women, that lifted her to fame and causes her to be renowned as influential during this time.
Thanks to movement leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and President John F. Kennedy that blacks and whites were finally seen as equal in the United States. This equality was made official with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, proposed by President Kennedy, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, both signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Annotated Bibliography
"Civil Rights Movement." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.
The website History.com is a site dedicated to the education of people on various events throughout all of history. One particular page, titled the Civil Rights Movement, is dedicated to none other than the Civil Rights movement giving information on the people involved in this movement, why it started and what the final result was. Histroy.com is a very credible source because it gives hard facts in regards to historic events and people, leaving little room for falsehoods. I intend on using this source to gather information in regards to the Civil Rights Movement, a main, if not the most important, subject matter for Nikki Giovanni’s work.
Civil Rights Movement." - John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.
The online John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum holds various information in regards to the the thirty fifth president of the United States. This online website for the Library & Museum discusses not only J.F.K. while in office but all he did before he was elected and the lasting impact his leadership had on the country. This is a credible source because it is the online home for the actual John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum. I plan on using this source to research information on J.F.K who was a great influence on the Civil Rights Movement, a recurring topic in Giovanni’s work and who was specifically the subject matter for one of Giovanni’s poems.