What did America have to offer?

Why did people come to America from their original countries? What could it possibly have to offer those people? These are common questions that both come up and led both of our American classes. It was an important time for America, the time Gilded age of America. The time of potential for Americans and possibly new Americans.

Problems were coming up across the world. Religious prosecution and wars were just a couple of the things that people fled to America to get away from. America seemed to be a safer place that offered security (if you could get in) and an escape from poverty-stricken lives. America also offered job opportunities which we learned ended up becoming slim just like the living conditions.

My question for you all is; why do you think people were turned away from becoming first generation American citizens? Was it because of the opportunities (or lack of opportunities) or was it because the immigrants were different? Non-Americans.

Indians and Living Free

  Why is it that the Americans were so threatened by the lifestyle of the Indians? I see this as the worry of not having control. Americans had built themselves up as being the big men on campus, sitting on their pedestal while "lesser" people do the work or do whatever they say. The Americans also had structure, on that they fought for, and they live within societies that are "civilized". The Indians didn't have that and when they weren't controlled they could have been what broke apart society.

Far back, ie with black slaves, Americans have had control over another group of people and so by pushing Indians onto increasingly small reservations they can be kept in check. It's all a game for power.

Telling Tales Through "Art"

Through a few class periods we were shown three different but similar images, all surrounding slavery.  Of course we all have our opinions (however similar they may be) but when we put those aside we can actually get a full story and a look into how some of the population of that time thought.

There have been those who have said that books are art, and I believe that can be true in reverse. Both invoke feelings in a viewer and can even change opinions. In the case of the pictures we saw most were political. There was one that was on a political issue (The Freedman's Bureau) and another showing what was happening in New York.

It is important to have relics like this from the past and they can really give a new perspective on something you thought you knew so much about. I have a question though. Does anyone think that art is often looked over in comparison to literary works when researching?

The Civil War: Was It Worth It?

Many if not all of us know about the Civil War and the events leading up to it. The South and the North were having some issues and they couldn't be resolved in a more civil manner (no pun intended). Now in class an interesting question was brought up and it led to many other questions for me. Did the North or South have more to lose and was it worth it? It was hard for me to think of who had more to lose since both obviously had a lot to lose. However, I could make a decision for myself that the war was worth it even with the huge loss of life.

Think about it. There was bloodshed, yes. However without this war many smaller or even larger conflicts could have arisen and the country (with or without the formation of the confederate states) would have been in a state of turmoil. Many political issues would have arisen and the conflict of slavery could have continued for many more years and even gotten worse or much more harsh.

To bring this entry to a conclusion I do believe that the Civil War was worth it because things could have become much worse in America without it.

The Road Slaves Paved

In class we watched a video titled Slavery and the Making of America. In it we were allowed to see the views on slavery from the point of view of black people as well as how they acted upon these views. One very important man was David Walker and his preaching. He sympathized with his fellow men and women after hearing about what they had to live with and helped greatly even though he was born a free man.

There were many great people shown in the video and all of their stories were tied into one larger story. Something that struck me though was the responses of the people, both white and black. for Walker the south wanted him to be brought down so that they could deal with him. For Maria, an important woman who picked up the torch when Walker was killed, her harsh messages were met with harsh responses. All of these events gave way to events like revolts and worse. What I want to know is, do you think the revolt and the new version of the fugitive slave act would have been as harsh if there hadn't been people like Walker and Maria to stand up against slavery?

Slavery and Equality

There has been a long history of disconnection and misunderstanding, as I would call it. This misunderstanding or even misconception is that people who are black and slaves are less. Abraham Lincoln, a man who was known for his part in freeing the slaves, even spoke of how they could not be put into society as equals. I ask you, why not? Is it because of their long history as slaves or is it because of how deep slavery and it's imposed status been hammered into the every day lives of non blacks?

Of course not all saw it as impossible to make blacks equal but for those making speeches of persuasion with their own goals in mind (for the benefit of the public or otherwise) the long term implications were menacing. Think of how the Indians were treated. They were never seen as being on the same level as white men but they just were not slave worthy. A less extreme version is women and how they are never on the same social and political status as their male counterparts. These women who are white just like them. There is a history of outcast being shown here and the history continues as people are put down to a lower level and often treated as less than the human being that they were born as and always will be.

The Inhuman Humans

Every person walking this earth was born human, and all humans are equal right? After all it was written that all men are created equal so why is it that when Equiano among all other black people were packed onto ships and sent across the world they were treated as less than their white counterparts?

Obviously "all men are created equal" doesn't mean what it sounds like at first, especially not in the time it was written. It sounds like it means every person born human but when we look at The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano  we are shown a large group of people being cut out. Anyone who is not white is not seen nor treated as a human. Instead they are taken from their lives, packed onto a ship like sardines in a can, shipped to another country and even tossed off of the ship to the watery death below when the cargo becomes a problem.

Throughout the week in class we learned that it was even easy to replace slaves in countries like Brazil who were so close to Africa. While on the ships if some of the "cargo" was lost it wasn't even a large burden since they were still making a profit off of those who made it.

Why is it that black people were seen as being not human? While one can assume many things such as it was a justification for owning them as slaves we must look at what information we have. They had a darker skin pigmentation, they were written to be tall and even smell differently than Europeans, and since they hadn't been as in the technological loop shared by Europeans they didn't know as much about the culture and mannerisms of non Africans. They were different and they were seen as less.