Fifty Years by James Weldon Johnson
"Fifty Years" by James Weldon Johnson is a poetic work created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. Written in a structured iambic tetrameter and employing an abab rhyme scheme, the poem serves a ceremonial purpose, paying tribute to Abraham Lincoln for his pivotal role in the liberation of enslaved people. Through his verses, Johnson articulates significant themes that resonate with the struggles and aspirations of African Americans, laying groundwork for discussions that would emerge later in the Civil Rights movement. He emphasizes the complex history of African Americans, who, despite being forcibly brought to the United States, have established a rightful claim to citizenship through their labor, loyalty, and sacrifices in defense of the nation. Johnson presents the African American experience as divinely ordained, suggesting that their journey is part of a larger, unknown purpose. The poem asserts that the sacrifices made by figures like Lincoln will not be in vain, reflecting a deep sense of hope for the future of African Americans in the United States. This work is notable for its blend of traditional poetic form and profound social commentary, inviting readers to reflect on the past while contemplating the ongoing quest for justice and equality.
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Fifty Years by James Weldon Johnson
Excerpted from an article in Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition
First published: 1913 (collected in Fifty Years, and Other Poems, 1917)
Type of work: Poem
The Work
Johnson wrote “Fifty Years” to celebrate the fifty-year anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. He uses a regular iambic tetrameter meter in the poem and an abab rhyme scheme. The poem is ceremonial, the poet reminding the reader that homage is due to Abraham Lincoln for his insight, his sacrifice, and his action.
Despite the conventional nature of the poem, Johnson puts forward significant arguments that would later become part of the Civil Rights movement. Africans were brought here against their will; nonetheless, African Americans have more than earned the right of “sonship” through working the soil, fighting in war, and being loyal to a country that enslaved them. The poet argues that African American experience in this country is of divine origin: “A part of His unknown design.” Accordingly, God still controls the destiny of the race, and he will not allow the sacrifice of Lincoln and others to “come to naught.”
Bibliography
Carroll, Anne. “Art, Literature, and the Harlem Renaissance: The Messages of God’s Trombones.” College Literature 29, no. 3 (Summer, 2002): 57-82.
Kostelanetz, Richard. Politics in the African American Novel: James Weldon Johnson, W. E. B. Du Bois, Richard Wright, and Ralph Ellison. New York: Greenwood Press, 1991.
Marren, Susan, and Robert Cochran. “Johnson’s The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man.” The Explicator 60, no. 3 (Spring, 2002): 147-149.
Rottenberg, Catherine. “Race and Ethnicity in The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man and The Rise of David Levinsky: The Performative Difference.” MELUS 29, nos. 3/4 (Fall/Winter, 2004): 307-321.
Ruotolo, Cristina L. “James Weldon Johnson and the Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Musician.” American Literature 72, no. 2 (June, 2000): 249-274.
Sacher, Jack. “James Weldon Johnson and the Poetry of God’s Trombones.” The Choral Journal 40, no. 1 (1999): 25.
Schulz, Jennifer L. “Restaging the Racial Contract: James Weldon Johnson’s Signatory Strategies.” American Literature 74, no. 1 (March, 2002): 31-58.