Richard Wright and Black BoyOne main point of the United States Constitution was missing from the Jim Crow South: equality. The Constitution clearly states that “all men are created equal,” but in the Jim Crow era, blacks were continually persecuted for something that would be acceptable in today's society. In the early 20th century the South was a place of racial prejudice, discrimination, and hatred; black people could be punished simply for looking at a white person the wrong way. Punishments including arrest, beatings, and even lynchings were a common part of the era. This is what life was like while Richard Wright was growing up; but in his autobiography Black Boy we learn that despite being a black boy from the Jim Crow South, born on a Mississippi plantation, he is ultimately able to achieve success. Although independence was a crucial factor that allowed Richard Wright to succeed, his rebellion, intelligence, and perseverance were also important contributing factors. Richard Wright was an independent person by nature. Throughout the book Richard never seemed to have an extreme emotional attachment to anyone. It was as if he didn't need or want anyone's assistance or approval but his own. Ever since Richard was very young he was forced to be independent. When his mother had a stroke, Richard was forced to take charge and become the person of the house and did not accept anyone's help. "Even though I was a child, I could no longer feel like a child, I could no longer react like a child... When the neighbor offered me food, I refused, already ashamed of having had to feed strangers so often in my life." (pg.97) While Richard was living with his grandmother, his independence really began to show. The only thing Richard thought about was leaving for the North; especially after being ridiculed for writing his story, Voodoo of the Half-Acre of Hell. Nobody supported him. He wanted to be able to do what he wanted, alone. “I dreamed of going north and writing books and novels.” (pg. 186) Once Richard was alone, he felt free from the burden and opinions of others that had bound him his entire life. another starting point in Wright's attempt to assert himself in a world of white men. The first sign we see of the rebel in Wright is when he is just four years old. Richard and his brother are playing with a stray cat one day, when his