Ernest J. Gaines

1. An Introduction to Ernest J. Gaines, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, and the Civil Rights Movement

2. Ernest J. Gaines • Born in 1933 on River Lake Plantation near Oscar, Louisiana • His parents worked as laborers on the plantation • At age nine, Gaines worked the fields for 50 cents a day chopping sugar cane • Wrote his first novel at age 16 • In 1957,Graduated from San Francisco State College • In 1958, went to Stanford University on Wallace Stegner Fellowship in creative writing

3. More about Ernest J. Gaines • Spent much of his early childhood with his aunt, Augusteen Jefferson • His aunt’s strength and courage inspired the creation of some of his most memorable characters including Miss Jane Pittman

4. Some of Gaines’ Most Well-known Works: • Catherine Carmier, his first novel, was written in 1964 • The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1971) • A Gathering of Old Men (1983) • A Lesson Before Dying (1993)

5. The Works of Ernest J. Gaines:

6. The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman • Written in 1971 • NOT an autobiography • Fictional work written as the life story of Jane Pittman • An unnamed schoolteacher interviews Jane and others to tell Jane’s story Why is this novel important?

7. Why is The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman Important? • Depicts the struggle of a fictional African American woman to find her place in the world after the end of the Civil War • Illustrates 100 years of history for black Americans from the end of the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement • Depicts racial tension during that period of time • Helps to answer the question, “What is an American?”

8. The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman’s 4 Books: The War Years – Covers the period near the end of the Civil War Other sections include: Reconstruction, The Plantation, and The Quarters

9. Setting of Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman: Rural Louisiana from 1864 to 1962

10. Some Themes in the Novel: • What is freedom? • Struggle for survival • Justice • Standing up for one’s beliefs and being willing to die for one’s beliefs • What is an American? • Struggle for equality • The cost of living according to social rules

11. Important Terms/Background Information: • Freedmen’s Bureau – U.S. agency established in 1865 to provide aid to freed blacks after the Civil War • Reconstruction – Period of readjustment after the Civil War (1865 to 1877) • Frederick Douglass – Black leader who promoted social equality for Black Americans • Booker T. Washington – Black leader who promoted education and economic independence for Black Americans • Secesh – A secessionist or one who wants to secede or separate from the union.

12. More Important Terms/Background information: • Martin Luther King Jr. – An American clergyman and leader of the civil rights movement who was assassinated in 1968. • Patrollers – Poor white men who capture runaway slaves for the masters. Torture and kill slaves without remorse. • Cajuns – Group of French-speaking people in southern Louisiana who were exiled from Acadia, Canada in the 1800s. • Creole – A person from a mixed racial background who speaks a blend of French and Spanish

13. Civil Rights Movement & The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman: • Civil Rights Movement – was aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against blacks • Defined black America’s struggle for voting rights, full citizenship, and equality • Help to end segregation of Blacks • Segregation – Blacks were essentially separated by race from the rest of society

14. More on Civil Rights Movement: • Brown vs. Board of Education – 1954 U.S. Supreme Court case that declared segregation in pubic schools was unconstitutional • Civil Rights Bill – was passed in 1964 and declared that segregation in public places was illegal

15. Civil Rights Videos: • History Channel Videos: • http://www.history.com/topics/civil-rights-movement/videos • Separate but Not Equal (2:21) • King Leads the March on Washington (3:10)