9781422287507

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Marian Anderson, a popular opera singer of the early 20th century, performs at the Lincoln Memorial on Easter Sunday 1939. Although President Abraham Lincoln had freed the slaves nearly 75 years earlier, Anderson and other African Americans continued to suffer from racial discrimination well into the 20th century.

T he plight of black Americans seemed hopeless at the close of the 19th century. The Civil War had meant freedom from slavery for southern blacks, but in the years following the war many southern states had passed “Jim Crow laws” that prevented blacks from vot- ing and sharing in other rights guaranteed to white Americans. Blacks in the North faced discrimination as well. Few African Americans were able to win good jobs or pursue quality educations. Nevertheless, some blacks were able to excel, giving hope to others that, in America, they too would have a chance to escape poverty. For many black citizens, Marian Anderson would serve as an example that in America, a person’s talent meant far more than the color of a person’s skin. Marian Anderson

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