Charles W. Chesnutt (1858-1932) was an African American
who often wrote about the post-Civil War South.
from An Essay by Charles W. Chesnutt
A generation has grown to manhood and
womanhood under the great, inspiring freedom conferred
by the Constitution and protected by the right of
suffrage.... [American citizens of African descent] have
developed, in every Southern community, good citizens,
who, if sustained and encouraged by just laws and liberal
institutions, would greatly augment their number with the
passing years.... They have reduced their illiteracy nearly
50 per cent. Excluded from the institutions of higher learning
in their own States, their young men hold their own, and
occasionally carry away honors, in the universities of the
North. They have accumulated three hundred million dollars
worth of real and personal property. Individuals among
them have acquired substantial wealth, and several have
attained to something like national distinction in art, letters
and educational leadership. They are numerously
represented in the learned professions.
.
(from "The Disenfranchisement of the Negro" by Charles W. Chesnutt)
Which statement best explains how the author's style contributes to the
persuasiveness of the passage?
1. The author refers to the Constitution to emphasize that African American
Southerners had long waited for freedom.
2. The author repeats the word "institutions" to emphasize the value of a
college education for African American Southerners.
3. The author mentions Northern universities to emphasize that African
American Southerners preferred studying in the North.
4. The author uses words like "acquired" and "attained" to emphasize the
accomplishments of African American Southerners.