33 pages • 1 hour read
Carter WoodsonThe Mis-Education of the Negro
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1933A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapter 17-AppendixChapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 17 Summary: “Higher Strivings in the Service of the Country”
In Chapter 17, Woodson makes one of his final arguments regarding the need for new Black professionals, which is to say that there needs to be a “new figure in politics, one who will not concern himself so much with what others can do for him as with what he can do for himself” (94). This confidence is necessary if Black politicians are to begin shifting “the economic foundation of the social order” (95) and lift the Black community out of poverty. If, Woodson argues, a Black person goes into office, it must be “as a sacrifice” (95).
Though Woodson does, at several points, reference the need for a shift to a communist political structure, he cautions that it is critical for the Black community not to wait for such a change. Instead, the Black politician “will be better prepared to take care of himself in the subsequent reconstruction if he develops the power to ascend to a position higher up” (96) in the immediate sense. To this point, Woodson believes that “the Negro needs to become radical […] but this radicalism should come from within” (96). The kind of politician needed by the Black community is one who can individually assert themselves and work towards the uplift of their community as a sacrifice to it.
Chapter 18 Summary: “The Study of the Negro”
In the concluding chapter, Woodson summarizes his central points. He restates his claim that little has been done to study Black people or their contributions because of the racist and colonialist context that Black people are forced to live in. Woodson argues that “the oppressor has always indoctrinated the weak with this interpretation of the crimes of the strong” (98) and that this indoctrination takes place primarily in the schoolroom.
Woodson argues that Black people “will aspire to equality and justice” (99) if provided with better, and more accurate educational opportunities. Woodson cautions that Black people should not “remain content with taking over what others set aside for [them]” (101) and work to radically change their vision of what the community can be and achieve.
Appendix Summary
In a brief Appendix to his text, Woodson articulates his choice to utilize the word “Negro,” arguing that “the Negro would not cease to be what he is by calling him something else” (102) but that perhaps the name will cease to be if the Black community achieves the uplift outlined in the rest of the book. Woodson also comments on the strangeness that “while the Negro feels ashamed of his name, persons abroad do not usually think of it in this sense” (103). Woodson concludes the chapter with several anecdotes from other countries where “race-conscious people can think” (103), arguing that in the context of the United States, Black people do not permit themselves this luxury, permitting “other people to determine for [them] the attitude that [they have] toward[s their] own people” (103).
Chapter 17-Appendix Analysis
Though Woodson’s text closes on a more formal, fierce note, his closing arguments have a subtlety to them that invites a larger range of readers into his main point. Woodson indicts US schools and institutions for their racist outcomes; at several points, it seems likely that Woodson will call for a complete undoing and revolutionary shift to the social order. Yet despite his call for this in his concluding chapters, Woodson complicates things by acknowledging that he does not believe that the Black community should wait for that larger change to begin taking smaller actions. This is a critical nuance because it invites the more moderate reader, both Black and White, who might hesitate at calls for socialism (especially at the time the text was written), into the possibility that some things about US education could change without a different political system.
Woodson’s choice to soften the blow of his argument is a calculated one and is reflected in the humility of his language: Despite using “we” frequently, he never refers to his own perspective but uses “the author” or “an observer.” By decentralizing himself and remaining hyper-aware of his audience, Woodson crafts a text that is in turn strident and soft. This careful rhetorical strategy is also reflected in the title, which implies the critique of the educational system without naming it explicitly. Overall, Woodson is thoughtful about arguing his point in a way that doesn’t necessarily shut out readers who don’t initially see things in his perspective.
