Part 7 Summary and Analysis

"The Red and the Black"

Here the author develops and deepens his analysis of the relationships between Indians and blacks (for an initial, metaphoric comparison of the two see "Quotes," p. 8). Initially, the author suggests that white powers (both liberal and conservative) have lumped blacks and Indians together without a real perception of how different they actually are. He points out that while blacks were being excluded from white society, Indians were being forcibly assimilated (see "Quotes," p. 172), adding that both blacks and Indians need to have a clear understanding of their individual, societal relationship with whites and that the responsibility for resolving various racial questions lies with the so-called white man (see "Quotes," p. 174-175).

The author then traces the development of white authority through history (the Roman Empire, feudalism, the Reformation, the colonization of America), pointing out that in...