Jeffrey Zhang 6
Jeffrey Zhang
BIS 232
Caleb Trujillo
Aug 13 2021
Analysis of the Negro Children Enrolled in Public Schools Data Visualization
A sad reality is that before the Emancipation Proclamation and the establishment of The Freedmen’s Bureau in the United States, it was almost nonexistent for the children of African American Slaves to receive an education. Regardless of whether many are not familiar with the data visualizations that influential African American leader W. E. B. Du Bois constructed these graphics to highlight the discrimination and inequality African Americans experienced during slavery in the United States. A closer examination of the description, context, perception, interpretation, and comprehension of one particular graphic that stood out highlights the struggles children of African American slaves in the United States experienced education-wise.
A description of the chosen graphic offers insight into how uncommon it was for children of African American slaves to attend a public school before their liberation. The title of the graphic “Negro Children Enrolled in the Public Schools” is self-explanatory since it displays through rectangular bars the amount of African American children who attended public school between 1860 and 1897. Astonishingly in the year 1860, the number of slaves who could read or write was practically nonexistent since laws in the South prohibited them from doing so. As a consequence of the Civil War, substantial amounts of slaves either broke away from confinement or were unexpectedly emancipated. This led to the establishment of the first school for free slaves in North Carolina on July 23, 1863. The graphical aspect that stands out the most is the 602% increase in African American children who attended public schools between 1870 and 1878. The reason for this increase is attributed to the establishment of The Freedmen’s Bureau as the Civil War drew to a close, which aided in the education of free slaves as displayed in its feat of constructing 1,000 schools in only five years (Forrest, 2018).
When considering the context of the selected graphic, the intended audience, aim, and level of measurement are made clear. The chosen graph seeks to reach an audience of White and Black people and citizens of the United States and worldwide past and present. The central goal of the graph is to reveal the unequal treatment African American slaves experienced in the United States so that it is never forgotten or repeated. The type of measurement scale that was likely used for the data was an ordinal scale since the years represent order (“What is the Difference,” n.d.). The data source for the graphic is unknown, but it is revealed that the graphic is a part of the Library of Congress.
Analyzing how perception is used in the graph reveals what is being presented and the techniques employed to visually present information. The graph shows that in the years following 1860, African Americans gradually became more liberated, and the number of African American children who attended public school increased substantially. This is represented through pre-attentive attributes such as hue, arrangement, length, font, and angle. The black-colored font and green shaded bars stand out against the light tan background. The shaded green bars of the graph are situated directly below the title down toward the bottom of the image to illustrate that they represent what is stated in the title. They practically take up the entire image to emphasize their importance. The green shaded bars become longer as the years go on to demonstrate that more African American children were able to receive an education once they became more liberated. The title stands out since it is written in bold, black font. On the other hand, the font for the years and number of African American children who attended school is a light shade that looks as if they were written in pencil so that more focus must be given to read each of them more thoroughly. Each of the shaded green bars has straight edges, and each of the heights corresponds to how many African American children went to public school between 1860 and 1897. This is to showcase how few African American children went to public school in 1860 versus 1897 (Forrest, 2018).
It is essential to consider the dimensions and connections of the elements used in the graph when considering perception. The green shaded bars and the title are the most considerable aspects of the graph, while the labels for the years and number of African American children attending public school are small. This was done so that the green shaded bars and title serve as the focal points to showcase the length of time it took African American slaves to receive an education. All of the features of the graph tie together since it depicts the struggles African Americans endured in obtaining an education, which was directly influenced by the progress made toward their freedom (Forrest, 2018).
In terms of taking note of the pros and cons of the graph, the positives outweigh the negatives. The graph uses a contrast of colors and sizes of graphical elements to capture one’s attention. The shaded green bars take up the most space in the graph to represent African Americans’ progress in receiving an education and becoming more liberated. On the downside, the labels for the years and number of African American children who attended public schools are a small and light font that blends in with the background and is hard to see. Even though the intention was likely to cause one to take a closer look to focus and read each label, the labels would likely be more effective if they were a larger and darker font. As a whole, the visual is very significant in showcasing the inequalities African American’s faced. The graph’s patterns were as expected since African American slaves did not have hardly any freedom or rights. Overall, the color scheme, fonts, and themes have a lasting impact in terms of remembering the unequal treatment African American slaves experienced (Forrest, 2018).
The graph is vital in informing others of the hardships many African Americans faced during the times of slavery and offers insight into what life was like for them. The central argument and story the graph conveys are how African Americans were triumphant in achieving freedom over time, especially in education. The visual taught me that it is horrible to bar individuals from going to school or from other areas in society based on their race. The graph makes me want to fight for equality for all people, no matter their race (Forrest, 2018).
In conclusion, the data visualizations by W. E. B. Du Bois are powerful in revealing the difficulties African Americans experienced during the time of slavery in the United States. The graph, mainly through description, context, perception, interpretation, and comprehension, effectively emphasized that all people should be treated equally. The graph highlights that slavery was an unfortunate part of history, as demonstrated in how few African Americans were allowed to go to school in 1860. Overall, the graph serves as a lasting reminder that all people should be treated equally and fairly.
Selected Graphic
Graph. “Negro Children Enrolled in Public Schools,” 1900 via Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (Forrest, 2018).
References
Forrest, J. (2018, July 18). W. E. B. Du Bois’ staggering Data Visualizations are as powerful today as they were in 1900 (Part 1). Retrieved from https://medium.com/nightingale/w-e- b-du-bois-staggering-data-visualizations-are-as-powerful-today-as-they-were-in-1900- 64752c472ae4
What is the Difference Between Ordinal, Interval and Ratio Variables? Why Should I Care? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.graphpad.com/support/faq/what-is-the-difference- between-ordinal-interval-and-ratio-variables-why-should-i-care/