James Baldwin’s “Letter to My Nephew on the One Hundredth Anniversary of Emancipation” is clearly written for his nephew, however one can argue that this letter was a statement written by Baldwin in order to shed light on the issue of race not only to his nephew but to the entire world. The 1960s were a significant time period for civil rights movements as many prominent African American figures were leading the fight for equal rights. Baldwin, a gay African-American, happened to be one of those prominent African-American figures who fought for the equality and by writing this letter Baldwin was trying to convey the message that all individuals, no matter what race they are, deserve equal treatment. Baldwin’s argument comes from the one hundredth anniversary of emancipation which resulted in the abolishment of slavery and the aftermath of the Civil War which intensified the racism and segregation towards African-Americans. While writing this letter, Baldwin could have been influenced by the audience of this letter (his nephew and the rest of America), if he had been more aggressive about his opinions on the way African-Americans were treated.

As previously mentioned the letter written by Baldwin is profound as he discusses the struggles that African-Americans had to go through in order to win freedom. Although Baldwin focuses on the treatment that African-Americans suffered through by the hands of white Americans, the message he is trying to convey is that we must learn from history and make sure that this does not happen. This letter, was written by Baldwin for his nephew and the American people to ensure that history does not repeat itself and this does not happen to any other group of people in the future. This lesson is becoming more and more prevalent in our modern day as more and more race issues are becoming a big issue in America.