Eight Values of Freedom

During Summer Advantage we talked about the eight values of freedom. In my opinion the most important value of freedom is the freedom to say whatever you want (excluding incitement). There are many reasons why I value this over other freedoms like right to assembly and right to petition. The first reason is that there are countries that punish and harm people who say certain things. In America you can say whatever you want without worrying about repercussions. Unless its social repercussions. But regardless if you wanted to scream a curse word out loud no one can stop you. The second reason why I value this is because if we don't have that right then America would not be considered land of the free and instead it would probably have other restrictions that come with it.The freedom of speech is a gift that we cannot take for granted at all. Other countries are not so free or lucky as us.

Brown v the Board of Education

    Today in class we had a mock trial about Brown v the Board of education. This famous supreme court case was about the segregation of schools and how the students were not treated fairly despite the fact that they were supposed to be treated equal. The Board of Education's points include about how if the students were not separated then African American students would be distracted and not be able to get a good education. They also talked about there would be more bullying and that would affect the focus of the classroom. The counterpoints Brown made against them made a lot more sense though. Brown talked about how it is a violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment and how there was clearly still mistreatment of African American students. Brown also talked about how blacks and whites were supposed to get an equal quality education so that they have the same skills and knowledge to carry them in the workplace. This whole case originally started when the public school district in Topeka, Kansas did not admit the child of a black resident Oliver Brown, causing uproar in the African American community. The court ruled that it was in fact a 14th amendment violation and it sparked a wave of integration in schools. This case is so important because it paved the way for civil rights movements and the integration of schools is a huge stepping stone in the race for equal rights.

The Help

    Friday in class we watched the movie The Help.  The movie is about a group of African American maids that are getting oppressed and paid very minimum wage to raise people's children and care for them. There is a white woman who starts to write a book about the tragedies and terrible situations that the maids have gone through. When the book is published the maids were not credited because they wanted to remain totally anonymous. In my opinion it is very honorable that the maids did not want to be credited because it brings attention to the fact that any maid or African American could go through the same exact thing and not have their struggles highlighted. They did not want any fame out of the book and instead wanted to bring light to the harsh nature of the way black people were treated at the time. The ladies in this movie show an incredible amount of courage and perseverance throughout the film. The movie itself is a tear jerker with a good storyline to back it up. It also brings attention to what a colored maid in the 1960's could have gone through. The movie has also won many awards for its brilliance if you do not want to take my word for it. Everyone should watch this movie at least once as I believe it is very eye opening and a cinematic masterpiece.

Blackface

Blackface was a form of theatrical makeup in which a white person would paint their face in order to play the role of someone who is African American. It was started and popularized in the 1800's and took off in America and some other countries as well. However, before it came to America it was practiced in Europe in Shakespeare's Othello theater. It was formerly known as Minstrel and at one time was the most popular form of entertainment. Nowadays blackface is extremely frowned up and pictures of people wearing blackface at parties in their college years seem to pop up and spark outrage against certain individuals. Rarely it is still used today. Robert Downey Jr’s role in the movie “Tropic Thunder” has him wearing blackface.

While this was not really a big deal at the time given the fact that most people overlooked it because of the comedical theme of the movie, since the riots and all the turmoil going on in america, people on social media have brought the movie to light and have been voicing their opinions on the topic. Robert Downey Jr has also recently came out saying he has no regrets over the movie. Personally I do not believe that blackface ever should have been a thing. However social media tends to throw heavy terms around lightly. for example, Kim K was wearing a tan shade of makeup and people tried to come at her and say that she was wearing blackface and how racist she was. Social media is also very toxic though. People need to learn to not just throw around terms with deep emotional meaning around and the littlest clue of it. Do not get me wrong though, the majority of blackface is blatantly racist and offensive.

Ku Klux Klan

The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) was a white supremacist hate group that was very prevalent during the Jim Crow era. Their primary targets were African Americans and they were responsible for countless lynchings and other acts of hate. There were 3 clans that were in existence since 1865. The first clan was present from 1865-1871. The second was around from 1915-1944. Lastly, the third clan formed in 1946 and is still around today. The KKK members don a hooded white robe that looks ghostly. The motivation behind the KKK's antics was too get African Americans out of office and to make that Whites stay on top. They were especially big in the south as African Americans won elections into state governments and even the U.S. Congress. The KKK would burn down black homes, churches, schools and gathering places in an effort to drive them away. By 1870 the KKK had branches in almost every southern state. The KKK was usually more active in regions of the south were African Americans were the minority. One of their most notorious attacks was in January 1871 where 500 Klansman attacked the Union county jail and lynched 8 black prisoners. Eventually the Ku Klux Klan act of 1871 was created which designated certain crimes committed by individuals as federal offenses including trying to deprive citizens of the right to hold office, serve on juries and enjoy the equal protection of the law. The KKK ended up fizzing out but not before countless more attacks on minorities. They never ended up completely disbanding and you can bet that there are still members of the KKK somewhere today.

EOTO

Today in class we had an EOTO (each one teach one). It was about the Wilmington insurrection of 1898. The Wilmington insurrection was about a politically motivated event in which group of around 2,000 white men ransacked Wilmington and beat up most of the people living in the city. The attackers were upset with the way that the slave situation was going. They were without a doubt white supremacists and the massacre that they caused in Wilmington was meant to send a message of hate. At first,  the white press of Wilmington was calling this event a "race riot caused by blacks" but as time went on, the truth came to light. The whole reason why they destroyed this town was because of the fact that they did not like the fact that blacks and whites were serving together in the government. The fact that this happened does not surprise me at all. Everyone had a diff opinion and they were so split that that some people still have a hard time dealing with other races being equal today. There have been multiple events just like this one where hate groups ransack a town or village. I am pretty sure it happens today in some places too. Regardless, This event shows the true nature of some people and how far they will go to express their radicalized opinions. I really enjoyed hearing about this event from my classmates nonetheless. I find historical events like this very interesting because everything about the time period was different than today and it is like learning about an old world.

Vigilantes in Wilmington 

Gone With the Wind

During class on Friday we watched part one of the film Gone With the Wind . The show is set around the civil war and the life of Scarlet O'Hara who is a southern belle during all the turmoil going on in the country. The film has recently been on blast for the way the slaves were portrayed. Some people are offended at the way the film makes the slaves look dumb and helpless. Personally I have no say in the issue since it is not my place to be offended in the first place. However I will say that you cannot re-write history. That being said, the film was shot in 1939. In 1939 people were not treated as equally and we should not censor the past. Once again I do not know what it feels like to be systematically oppressed. Overall I really enjoyed the movie. The story was pretty interesting and I liked the old style of film that was presented. I will be sure to watch the second part of the film when I get the chance.

State Vs Mann

Today in class we talked about the supreme court case, State vs Mann. The case was over a sum of 10 dollars that John Mann was sentenced to pay over a rented slave he shot. The case is very interesting because since slaves were considered property, you could do with them what you please. But this slave was rented so that is why it gets tricky. Both sides made an interesting argument. The defendants brought up a previous trial about a man who beat his slave to death for which he received the death penalty. The defendant also brought up an interesting point about how Jesus believed in slavery but religion will not get you that far in a supreme court case because the State was taking a very legal approach to the case. The case itself was an important one given that it involved punishment for someone harming a slave, which at the time was a very common practice. The case is especially controversial since the slave was trying to runaway. If any slave owner had a runaway slave they would most likely beat them. I have trouble choosing a side in this case because of my morale compass but overall it was very interesting.

Class Activity

Today in class we played the roles of people that were anti slavery as well as pro slavery figures. I played Andrew Jackson who owned around 160 slaves and looked over an enormous plantation. We also heard about people like Abraham Lincoln who was very against slavery but also said pro slavery statements. People thought that he said those things as a way to get elected into office. We also learned about a man named Zephaniah Kingsley who was married to four slave woman and had four children with the one that he emancipated from slavery. He was pro slavery but he argued both sides because he did not want his children to grow up as slaves. Eventually he ended up moving them to Haiti so they could be free from slavery. I enjoyed learning about the different sides that people were apart of.

First Person Andrew Jackson

My name is Andrew Jackson and I was the seventeenth president of the United States of America. I was in office from March 4th, 1829 to March 4th, 1837. I also was an American soldier and a General in the United States Army. I was born in the Carolinas where I became a frontier lawyer and married my beloved wife Rachel Donelson. I also signed the Indian Removal Act which displaced nearly 50,000 native americans from our soil. I also own a slave owner. I own around 160 slaves. They help with my plantation that I overlook. Without these slaves I could never be as successful. I could never be out doing all that manual labor by myself.  I am a strong supporter of slavery. All aspects of it too. I love the free labor. I treat them well too. They live on the plantation and get food when needed. If they misbehave...well then they get punished. The people up north do not like slavery. To that I ask why? What can be better than the crazy amount of profit that stems from free labor. I mean hell it is the most profitable method of business. In fact I love it so much that one time I payed 10 dollars for every extra lashing a runaway slave got. These people need to be put in their place and I stand by that.

Frederick Douglass Statue

Recently I read that rioters destroyed a statue of Frederick Douglass. The people who did this might not have political motive but in the current state of America is makes it seem hard not too. Frederick Douglass was an abolitionist so it hardly makes sense that anyone on the BLM side of the argument would want too do that as it would seem ignorant. Then again it could have been a very right wing group of racists and white supremacists. There is also a very high probability that it was just a group of teens who find the destruction exciting. Personally I do not condone the destruction of anything that's not meant to be destroyed. Especially when you're trying to send a message. This ignorant behavior takes away from the true meaning of the message the group is trying to send. I think the majority of the people protesting don't even care about either of sides and they are just excited by the fact that they could get free stuff if they loot or get the rush of adrenaline from the violence. Overall i'm generally confused by the motives of the people behind this act.

Glory

Friday in class we watched the movie Glory by Edward Zwick. The movie is about an infantryman who is promoted to the colonel of a group of the first colored group of soldiers called the 54th Massachusetts.

This group of soldiers is not properly supplied and didn't even have shoes to cover their feet. Despite all their struggles they prove to be very well trained soldiers and they struck don many of their peers negative thoughts of them. Abraham Lincoln even noted that they helped changed the tide of the war. These men were Colored volunteers, some even slaves who believed in the cause that the north was fighting for. The movie deals with civil rights issues like North vs South and systematic racism. The 54th Massachusetts wasn't even originally supposed to see battle but it was the determination of Colonel Shaw that convinced his higher-ups that they were ready. Overall I really enjoyed the movie and the story it delivers the viewers and I would definitely watch this movie if you're a history buff.

Supreme Court Post

Today in class we talked about the supreme court and their role in the legal system. They are regarded as the most powerful judicial body on earth. their role is too review cases that people believe were not fair. The process to get one's case to the supreme court is simple yet effective. First the case goes to the district court where they try the facts. The case then goes to an appeal court where they will try the law. If the person on trial feels as if the trial was still not fair they can send it to the supreme court. The supreme court will then decide if they would like to push forward with the case, however it is not required that they do so. Since it is optional whether they take the case or not this is called certiorari. We also talked about judicial activism which is a rapid change in the or the supreme court striking something down as unconstitutional. On the other hand there is judicial restraint. This is where the case moves slow or has no change and the court can stand by the decision which is called stare decisis. We also talked about common, statutory, constitutional and administration law. Common law is ran by the judicial branch and it is regarded as law that accrues over time by court cases. Constitutional law is ran by the judicial branch as well and deals with the constitution. Statutory law is ran by the legislative branch and is known as law written by legislative bodies. Lastly, administration law is ran by the executive branch and deals with regulatory rules created by executive branch. These are some details about the supreme court and the role they play in society.