Questions for a Chief Lieutenant of the Tuskegee Machine

Questions for A Chief Lieutenant of the Tuskegee Machine

1. Discuss the relationship between Charles Banks and the Clark family of Mississippi.

* The relationship between the Clark family and Charles Banks showed that not everyone in the world of a certain race acted the same way. Their relationship showed that even through the roughest times in history for some African American there were still some genuine white people that were willing to help and co-exist. Even when Charles Banks moved away from the town he still kept in touch with the Clark family. This situation probably gave Charles Banks the hope that better days would come and more Caucasian people would come around like the Clark family.

2. Define the old Negro elite.

* The old Negro elite was a group of people put together based on certain aspects of them as a person or their physical appearance. People that were a part of the old Negro elite were placed together because of their skin color, education level, wealth, and also occupation if they had any. If we were a light or fairer skinned black person and your family had wealth you were a part of the Negro elite.

3. Define the new Negro elite.

* The new Negro elite was based off of different factors than the old Negro elite. Many people believe that it was much harder to be in the old Negro elite than to be in the new Negro elite. It did not matter your skin color to be in the new Negro elite. The value of wealth and educational requirements also went down in the new Negro elite. Although they might not have been well educated, the people in the new Negro elite were much smarter than people in the old Negro elite. Charles Banks considered himself a "New Negro" because of the fact that he did not want to be held up to the standards and wanted to be distanced from the old Negro elite.