Argument

One of Baldwin's main ideas is the idea of birthright from that of inheritance. Inheritance is specific and particular. In Baldwin's case, this is his inheritance as a black man in America. Birthright, in contrast, is shared and universal; it connects him to all people. As we see throughout the essays, Baldwin starts from his specific inheritance (his family history, experiences with racism, way of looking at the world) to reach his shared humanity. Inheritance and birthright are separate but connected; one has to start from the specific to reach the universal.