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James Farmer Research Paper

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How I Had It Easy

From birth, it’s the experiences that shape who we become. James Farmer was a boy that was the first generation born out of slavery. He was born in Marshall, TX to a father who was a minister and a mother who would stay at home. My intellectual development was simpler than that of James Farmer, due to the time period in which he grew up in that affected his education, the way he was parented and because of the color of his skin.
The years that I grew intelligence were different in many aspects than the time James Farmer grew up in. It is the 1920’s and 30’s vs the 20th century. In this day and age, there is much more technology which makes growing up in my eyes easier. You might say that there was the roaring 20’s which …show more content…

That’s what James Farmer grew up hearing. Those words determined everything he could and could not do. His town, he said, “was two towns-two worlds-one black, the other white.” I live in a time where I can go anywhere I wish with no worries. James was going to the “National Negro Conference” in Richmond. He was bringing along his friend and a white kid from the University of Texas. When planning his trip there was worry about driving through the deep south. He planned around it “thus avoiding the worst part of the South.” Living in this racism must have had a large role in James intellectual growth. During his childhood, he was denied many privileges. In his words, “Educated and uneducated alike were denied the privileges of trying on clothes in most downtown stores.” To me, this would have a negative impact on my life. Going places and people don’t serve you because of the color of your skin and not knowing why would have a tremendous …show more content…

There is still racism, it is hard to find jobs, parents are getting divorced more and more, and the overall country is going downhill at the moment. This making you think, is it harder for me to grow up seeing all the corruption and greed in the country. You might think since times have changed to make families grow apart it was harder for me to grow up and become the person I am today but what is happening now can’t even compare to growing up in James Farmers shoes. When I grew up I had nothing to worry about until 18 when I picked a college. James was worrying about school, where to eat, and his life for his whole life. He lived in a time where there was a “White world” that tried oppressing you at every moment

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