‘The Color Purple’ - Key Context
Historical.
● American civil war (1861-1865)
- The American Civil War was between the Union (the North) and the
Confederacy (the South). The central cause of the war was the status of
slavery.
● Civil rights (1954-1968)
- Abolish institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and
disenfranchisement throughout the United States.
● Jim Crow laws
- State and local laws which enforced racial segregation in the Southern
States. (1877-1950)
● Colonialism in Africa (1881-1914)
- Domination, control and economic exploitation of Africa. Colonists imposed
their language and religion upon the natives, leaving long term effects.
- Link: the British Empire holds the power in the area of West Africa where
Nettie lives. The Olinka villages were destroyed by the British to create rubber
plantations. West Africa was where most of Black people were sold into
slavery originated from.
● Post slavery (1865-1887)
- Black Code laws: laws granted legal rights for Black people e.g. right to marry,
own property, and sue in court, but the Codes also made it illegal for Black
people to serve on juries, testify against White people, or serve in state
militias.
Social.
- Patriarchal society.
- Sexism
- Racism
- Double oppression
- Deep South
- 1900’s
- Colourism
- Womanism
- Blues/Jazz
Biographical.
● Pantheism
● Womanist
- “Womanist is to feminist, as purple to lavender”
● Alice Walker views characters as a vessel for her own beliefs/experiences -
emotional connection.
● Mixed race marriage.
● “2 women feeling married to the same man” Shug Avery & Celie vs. Alice Walker &
her sister.
● 3 stages of Black women in history: suspended, assimilated, emergent.
Historical.
● American civil war (1861-1865)
- The American Civil War was between the Union (the North) and the
Confederacy (the South). The central cause of the war was the status of
slavery.
● Civil rights (1954-1968)
- Abolish institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and
disenfranchisement throughout the United States.
● Jim Crow laws
- State and local laws which enforced racial segregation in the Southern
States. (1877-1950)
● Colonialism in Africa (1881-1914)
- Domination, control and economic exploitation of Africa. Colonists imposed
their language and religion upon the natives, leaving long term effects.
- Link: the British Empire holds the power in the area of West Africa where
Nettie lives. The Olinka villages were destroyed by the British to create rubber
plantations. West Africa was where most of Black people were sold into
slavery originated from.
● Post slavery (1865-1887)
- Black Code laws: laws granted legal rights for Black people e.g. right to marry,
own property, and sue in court, but the Codes also made it illegal for Black
people to serve on juries, testify against White people, or serve in state
militias.
Social.
- Patriarchal society.
- Sexism
- Racism
- Double oppression
- Deep South
- 1900’s
- Colourism
- Womanism
- Blues/Jazz
Biographical.
● Pantheism
● Womanist
- “Womanist is to feminist, as purple to lavender”
● Alice Walker views characters as a vessel for her own beliefs/experiences -
emotional connection.
● Mixed race marriage.
● “2 women feeling married to the same man” Shug Avery & Celie vs. Alice Walker &
her sister.
● 3 stages of Black women in history: suspended, assimilated, emergent.
