Poetry's Power & Civil Rights Movement

Yesterday's Poll Results

Yesterday's Poll Results

• to link parts of a compound word;

• to join two or more adjectives when they come before a noun and act as a single idea; and

• in compound terms or prefixes.

​Hyphen -

• emphasize a point;

• mark the beginning and ending of a series;

• set off extra information; and

• mark interruptions in dialogue.

Dash —

• Poet who writes about significant historical and cultural themes. 

• Her debut poetry collection, And We Rise, was released in February 2022. 

• The collection explores the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. 

• Martin uses dates as poem titles, referencing key historical events. 

• She addresses events such as Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech and the end of Reconstruction in the South. 

Erica Martin

• Reconstruction (1865–1877): Federal government enforced civil rights and new laws in the South. 

• Black Americans gained political power: voted, held office, shaped constitutions. 

• Compromise of 1877: Ended Reconstruction; federal troops withdrew. 

• Afterward, white supremacist groups and lawmakers used violence and discriminatory laws (poll taxes, literacy tests) to suppress Black rights. 

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​Reconstruction Era

"It's 1877 When"

How does Martin use punctuation, repetition, & spacing to communicate her ideas?