This plate is illustrating the age distribution of Georgia Negroes compared with France.  The chart breaks up the data into the following age groups: 0-10, 10-20, 20-30, 30-40, 40-50, 50-60, 60-70, and 70-up.  According to the text, “the placement of Europeans and Georgia Negroes side by side using comparative data demonstrates the global status and robustness of the African American population.”  In examining the chart, the horizontal bar graphs successfully demonstrate the “robustness” of Georgia’s Negro population, but only up to a certain age.  Over half of the bar graphs illustrate lower population numbers for Georgia Negroes in comparison with France.  The decline in the Georgia Negro population, beginning at age 30, seems to present a grimmer and more pessimistic message than one of optimism; namely, that the Georgia Negro has a much shorter life span than her/his French counterpart.   

 

We see in this chart that up until the age of 3O, the Georgia Negro population exceeds that of the French population.  However, after the age of 30, the Georgia Negro population steadily declines. The chart does not specify the year that the data was collected.  Assuming that this data was collected in the late 1890s, one has to wonder if the decline in the Georgia Negro population is related to the rise of domestic terrorist groups such as the Klu Klux Klan and the lynching of African American men.

 

This plate illustrates illiteracy rates among African Americans from 1860-1900.  It documents how illiteracy rates have declined with every passing decade and predicts that illiteracy will continue on a downward trajectory in the upcoming decade.     

The use of black-and-white bars creates a powerful imagery.  The first apparent image is that of vertical black bars that are reminiscent of the bars of a cage or of a prison.  This could serve as a metaphor for the intellectual, political, and economic prisons that illiteracy creates.  It is also interesting that Du Bois chose to focus on illiteracy, which could be viewed as a negative feature, as opposed to highlighting literacy, which is often viewed in a positive light.  In other words, by choosing to display with tall vertical black bars the high illiteracy rates of African Americans (1860 = 99%, 1870 = 92.1%, 1880 = 81.6%, 1890 =67.27%), we can ‘see between the lines’ the devastating impact that slavery and Jim Crow laws have had on the lives of African Americans.  Namely, how for over 400 years the natural growth, development, and potential of African Americans has been obstructed by white racists.             

Similarly, “Illiteracy” shows linear decreases in illiteracy from 1860 through 1890. The projection that that trend would continue in 1900 is logical. I find this graph particularly interesting because of the way the data is shown. First, it is a simple linear regression that is visually more interesting than a line graph would be. Second, I find it interesting that the data is reflected in negative terms rather than in positive terms. The team could just have easily drawn this graph to reflect literacy growth instead of illiteracy decline. I suspect this was done purposely to show the worth and intellect of the Black community. As soon as slavery ended, Black illiteracy rates started to decline consistently each decade, suggesting that it was not the inherent intellectual capacity of the Black people that cause low literacy rates, but rather it was the unequal conditions and a lack of resources and education that led to 99% illiteracy in 1860.

The main message of Plate 1 is the extent of the African Slave Trade on the populations of the Western Hemisphere. The plate shows the areas of Africa that he believed the majority of slaves originated from (represented in black) and the areas where fewer slaves were from (represented in grey). The plate also shows the areas where these slaves were trafficked to the “new world” showing the areas in North America, South America, and the Caribean where the highest concentrations of these people were enslaved.

I found this plate interesting because it sets up the historical context for an audience that may be unfamiliar with the history of the African Slave trade to the Americas. I found the inclusion of South America in this graphic to be most interesting. I appreciate DuBois’s inclusion of the Black population of South America in Brazil as it provides a greater context for the impact of the slave trade which we in America think of as a uniquely American phenomenon but that in actuality the African slave trade was also very impactful on the populations of both South America, namely Brazil, and the Caribbean. 

Plate 9

The main message of Plate 9 is to compare the Black population of America to that of France. The graphic shows the age distribution in a bar graph for each age range comparing Blacks in the US and the French population. The message of the graph is to show the “robustness of the African American population”. 

I found that the large percentage of Blacks under 30 (73.5%) compared to France (51.2%) to be very striking. I think that this is interesting that this discrepancy existed. Given that in 1890 most of these people would have been born after the end of the US Civil War, what impact of freedom had on birth rates. I also wonder if this is a function of shorter life spans for Blacks during slavery which would also be shown in the smaller percentage of the Black population that would have been born into slavery. 

Plate 14 (Illiteracy) does have a unique design though even in its simplicity. At least, it is not something I have seen before. While the reduction to a 50% illiteracy rate is a great achievement it is still a very high number. However, it is quite the achievement, even if the number sayed closer to the 1890 mark of %67 to see that kind of change in so few years.

In Plate 17 (Number of Negro Students Taking the Various Courses of Study Offered in Georgia Schools) I loved the idea of creating a bar graph that curved downward. But, I did find it odd that they decided to not line up the bars so they had an even starting position for comparison.

 

Plate 17 represents a visual depiction of the courses of study of Black students in Georgia schools. The double-curved bar immediately caught my attention and dramatically shows the high proportion of students engaged in studying industrial arts. I didn’t even notice the numerical data located to the left of the “bar” until I had looked at the plate multiple times. Du Bois also uses the curved bar beautifully with Plate 26, drawing the viewer’s eyes to the snaking bar showing the predominant occupation of Black people as agricultural workers.

This line into a spiral graph shows the vast majority of negroes in 1890 lived in rural areas. The choice to display the lines of smaller data leading down a winding path into a spiral of the largest number does two things: one literal and one symbolic. In contrast to a traditional bar graph, the choice to group the data in a way that the eye can take it all in at once allows the reader to grasp the difference between small and large categories. It is often hard to display scaled data in a way to be consumed all at once, and this does so. Symbolically, the center of the image is the middle of the spiral of rural life, which can be followed through many cycles until you can step out above and climb to larger and larger communities. This could be interpreted as a vision of the available choices for negro citizens. 

Plate 1 - The Georgia Negro

This color coded map connects regions of origin to locations of negro populations based on routes of African slave trade. What I find most striking is the extent to which an entire continent was pillaged to temporarily drive the economic growth of other regions around the world. 

Plate 2: This plate represents the spread and concentration of the Negro population in the U.S. It offers a clear representation of the high concentration of Negroes in the Southern United States in comparison to the rest of the country. 

Plate 10: This plate provides a percentage comparison between Black Americans and Germans that are single, married or widowed/divorced, as separated by age range.  This data on this plate was specifically chosen by Du Bois to highlight the different life spans of someone from Europe versus a Black American.

Plate 2: I find this plate interesting because it offers a visually simple way of seeing the breadth and spread of Negro populations across the United States. This graphic, with its color coding and pattern variations, makes it easy to see the vast concentration of the Negro population in the Southern U.S. versus the rest of the country. One piece of information that’s missing is the year and/or date range that this map references, although I assume it references a range similar to the other plates (i.e. 1890’s). Nevertheless, providing that data would be informative and would help to accurately place this map in context to the other plates presented.

Plate 10: I find this plate interesting because it provides a clear visual representation of the differences in life trajectories of someone from Germany compared to a Black American. The data seems to represent the fact that Black Americans have a much higher likelihood of getting divorced or being widowed at a younger age, maybe due to the more difficult social and cultural conditions by which Black Americans lived during that time? In reference to those that are widowed, it can also point to a shorter expected life span of a Black American versus a person from Germany.

Was this meant to subtly depict the diaspora of Africa in Georgia in colors and shape with the green line at the top, the yellow diagonal and the red on the bottom?