Throughout these essays he weaves the larger political events of the day. Well aware that Black soldiers made important contributions in World War II, he notes that the armed forces were strongly segregated. He notes that Italy is fighting a war in Ethiopia, and sees, perhaps correctly, racial issues there.

It is clear that Baldwin's intended audience is fellow Blacks. For instance, the essay "Journey to Atlanta" opens with the sentence, "The Progressive Party has not, so far as I can gather, made any great impression in Harlem..." (p. 73). What Progressive Party? Who are they, and what do they stand for? Baldwin assumes the reader already knows the basics. His point is that Blacks had been disenfranchised from any effective political influence for so long that many were indifferent to all politics, even when those practicing them might have been looking to assist them in some way. Baldwin pointed...
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