Following a century of steam, the century of electricity begins. Ragtime jazz develops, Albert Einstein publishes his theory of relativity, women get the right to vote, Henry Ford releases his first car, and Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse first talks on screen in the film Steamboat Willie. Although the early 1900s is called the "age of wonderful nonsense," there is a darker side which few people want to remember. World War I, the sinking of the …showed first 75 words of 1321 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1321 total…and became a dignified and respected writer in the North because of his refusal to become what white people expect him to be, along with his defiance of his own family's and community's expectations and his willingness to do whatever it takes to survive the hunger and brutality of his youth in the Jim Crow South. Through the actions and words of Richard Wright, the South is no longer standing in the way of victory.