Benjamin Quarles was an African-American historian, author, professor, and civil rights activist Born in 1894, he was one of the first African-Americans to earn a Ph.D. in history, and played an active role in advancing the cause of civil rights. Quarles was also a key voice in the movement to challenge racist thought and white supremacist agendas. His influential works, such as The Negro in the Making of America and Blacks on John Brown, are still required reading in many college and university courses today.
When it comes to writing essays that explore the life and accomplishments of Benjamin Quarles, there is a wealth of topics to consider. Below are some of the best and most fascinating essay topics related to Quarles and his work.
1. The Role of Benjamin Quarles in the Civil Rights Movement: In this essay, students will explore Quarles’s role in the America civil rights movement, from his early activism in the 1940s to his work as a leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in the 1950s and 1960s.
2. The Long-Term Impact of Quarles’s Works: This essay will examine the influence of Quarles’s books and other writings on the struggle for civil rights and the progressive understanding of American history.
3. Quarles and the American Academy: Here, students will explore Quarles’s contributions to the academic community, including his role as President of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and his efforts to make African-American history a required field of study in colleges and universities.
4. Benjamin Quarles and the Black Power Movement: This essay will explore the influence Quarles had on the radical politics of the 1960s and 1970s, particularly the Black Power movement.
5. The Racial Politics of Quarles’s Writings: Through this essay, students will be asked to explore how Quarles’s writings reflected his own beliefs about race in America, and how these views shaped the civil rights movement.