2nd EOTO reflection post

The EOTO presentations were centered around the Reconstruction Era. The truth behind the statement 40 acres and a mule and a more in depth look into the Ku Klux Klan piqued my interest. These two items stuck out to me the most, because I always heard about the 40 acres and a mule phrase, but actually finding out the true purpose was shocking to say the least. It was shocking that everytime the country was in need, black people were called upon to provide assistance or leadership then swept aside once the issue(s) were handled.

The sad fact that black people were made promises that no one was able to keep plays into the sad truth that no one cares to help increase the wellbeing of Black people. The 40 acres and a mule is not only a forsaken promise, but it is a reminder that when you get your hopes up that the government can let them come crashing down. The 40 acres and a mule was proposed by General Sherman, he would give freed slaves 40 acres of their own land and a mule to help aid the land. The deal was never fulfilled by Sherman. 

The second event that was discussed was the rise and fall of the Ku Klux Klan. The first branch of the KKK was formed in Tennessee in 1865. The first members of the terrorist group were former confederate veterans that planned to destroy the efforts of the Reconstruction Era. The victims of the KKK were women, people of color, children, and white Republicans. 

In closing, I feel that these two EOTO presentations were the most impactful, because they were the most controversial and they had an impact on the lives of Black people. The KKK was a notorious terrorist organization that harmed thousands of people all because of hatred. In regard to the 40 acres and a mule, it goes back to the previous statement that it symbolizes broken promises and false hope that the government feeds to Black people to appease them. 

Band of Angels reflection post

      The movie Band of Angels is a film that showed what it was like to be a person of color who is able to pass for white. The main plot point of interest for me was with the character Amantha Starr who was a woman who had gone all of her life believing she was white. However, all of that changed when her father died, and she learned she was biracial. Her father had relations with her mother who was a slave. The movie shows the progression of how Amatha navigates through her identity crisis while being sold into slavery. Her progression in the film is characterized by her having an identity crisis where she learns that she is no longer the woman she thought she was. 

The complexities of this movie show a different black perspective as opposed to Gone With The Wind. Band of Angels shows the black perspective from the eyes of an educated man who is enslaved. While Gone with the Wind focused on the negative stereotypes associated with black people. The point I want to focus on is the fact that Band of Angels gave complex black characters that did not play into any stereotypes of that time period. For example, in the movie when we first meet Rau-Ru we see that he was a complex character who was well spoken and educated, who was still in bondage, but he is not treated as such. I found this interesting, because it is the opposite of how the characters of Gone With The Wind were portrayed. 

The complexity of Rau-Ru was interesting to see how he differed in his disdain for his owner Hamish Bond, while Amantha believes that Hamish treats the slaves fairly, but she has not experienced the life of a slave. Rau-Ru understood being subjected to manual labor and harsh conditions that other slaves dealt with. The other major difference between Amantha and Rau-Ru was that they were both brought into bondage, but one gained a romantic relationship, while the other developed a disdain for their captor.  

In closing, I feel that Band of Angels was a better movie in terms of the complexities of Black characters in the time period of the civil war. The movie Gone With the Wind did not give enough complexities to their black characters and they were all seen as uneducated and simple minded. However, Band of Angels did the opposite and fueled the narrative of complex Black characters for films that would come years later.

Mock Trial Key Post: Plessy vs Ferguson

The argument I was presenting was defending segregated rail cars. I was a pro-segregation lawyer for Homer Plessy. I argued from a history perspective to keep segregation from the black perspective. 

The case of Plessy vs Ferguson is the case of a mixed male named Homer Plessy who was a test case to get on an all-white rail car and see if would be able to pass for white. The authorities caught on to the plot of Homer’s actions. He was asked to leave the all-white car, refused to do so, and was arrested. I am here as a pro-segregation lawyer for Homer Plessy. 

I am here arguing in favor of segregation from a Black perspective. Homer identified as Black under Louisiana law. The history of segregation for the black community can be seen as a benefit. The first instance of pro-segregation working in favor of the black community is the separate but equal act in favor of segregated schools. Segregated schools were the first instance of where black students were given a full chance at receiving an education at institutions where the teachers looked like the students and could relate to the challenges that would be encountered on the way to success. The resources may have been limited compared to white schools, but the separate institutions had a better chance at true student development along the path to development. Thriving in this environment was expected compared to white schools with teachers who did not look like their black students and in some instances did not have the student’s best interest at heart. 

The outcome of Plessy vs Ferguson being seen as a negative for the black community can be seen as another positive aspect for segregation. For example, in regard to black wall street in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This city had a flourishing economy and was a positive aspect of segregation in the sense that the Black community was thriving. There were stores for all needs, self-sustaining agriculture, grocery stores, and a movie theater. This was an environment where black people thrived untouched by the dilution of white integration. Black wall street was the pinnacle of what black excellence could achieve until it was taken away by white people. In regard to black excellence and dilution of what black people could achieve in terms of segregation it is best said in the words of Malcom X. Malcolm X says that “America preaches integration and practices segregation.” I believe this quote fits perfectly with the facts and knowledge we have on this case and the doctrine of separate but equal which we have seen to be untrue and a false narrative by the government in this regard to Plessy vs Ferguson. The governments are responsible for providing separate and equal facilities to people of color. The separate rail cars should be kept, because other instances shown in previous arguments and cases have shown that segregation works in favor of the black community. The development that takes place in black communities is evident when left untouched. 

Sources 

Malcolm X - America preaches integration and practices... (brainyquote.com)

Plessy v. Ferguson | Oyez

What the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Destroyed - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Integration—We've Been Doing It All Wrong — Shelterforce

The Reconstruction Era

The Reconstruction Era was the rebuilding of Black America. The reconstruction was riddled with many ups and downs. The biggest tragedy of reconstruction was that the better Black people became as a group, the worse it became for their safety and wellbeing. A common theme throughout history was whenever Black people gained power, they were attacked and were threatened to stay in an inferior position. A group who was set in their ways to keep power and put fear into Black people was and is the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). The KKK became a counter political revolution against the Reconstruction Era. The KKK was threatened by the power that black people held. Congress held the Ku Klux Klan hearings where black people were given the opportunity to speak out against the crimes against them. 

A specific story shown in the video was Abram Colby who was elected to the legislature and offered a monetary bribe to be replaced. When he refused, he was attacked in his home and beaten. The actions perpetrated against Abram Colby showed jealousy and fear which was the catalyst of many of these white people who were in fear of the power that Black people have. The attacks were retaliatory and an attempt to prevent them from speaking out. The condition of affairs: the late insurrectionary states are eight thousand pages of testimony that were given about their experiences. The history of violence against Black people has created a white supremacist paradigm that has yet to dissolve. 

Ulysses S. Grant was the president during the Reconstruction Era and did well integrating Black people into the federal government. The downfall that came with Grant putting Black people in power is that when they left the environment of the federal courts, their lives were threatened. In order to act against the violence directed towards Black people from the KKK. Congress passed a series of enforcement acts which became known as the Ku Klux Klan Act. The act was designed to give the federal government the direct right to act against the KKK’s actions. The political divide between the North and South was relentless. The North was already more advanced in race relations as opposed to the South. 

The White South was set on denying and creating a difficult situation for reconstruction to continue. The last great effort to try and achieve better before the reconstruction ended was the Civil Rights Act. The bill was shot down by Democrats and Republicans.  It was seen as forced integration, eventually The Civil Rights Act of 1875 was passed. After the Civil Rights Act of 1875 passed, the Reconstruction Era came to an end with Ulysses S. Grant’s presidency. The new candidates for election were Samuel J. Tilden and Rutherford B. Hayes led to the end of reconstruction. “In backroom negotiations, Democrats conceded the disputed election returns to Hayes in return for his agreement to withdraw the remaining 3000 federal troops, thereby putting a formal end to Reconstruction and assuring Democratic control, based on a platform of white supremacy and black disenfranchisement, throughout the South”. 

                                                                                

Sources

                                        The End of Reconstruction, 1876 (umich.edu)

                  #RECONSTRUCTION: AMERICA AFTER THE CIVIL WAR - YouTube

EOTO: Nat Turner rebellion

 

The Nat Turner uprising is the rebellion of a group of slaves in Southampton, Virginia. The leader of the rebellion was Nathaniel Turner also known as Nat or Nat Turner. Nat Turner was under the ownership of Benjamin Turner in the 1820’s, until he was sold to John Travis. During the time he was owned by John Travis he became a pastor. Nat Turner’s time as a pastor led him to an epiphany that he should lead himself and other slaves out of bondage. Nat’s plan of rebellion took place on August 21,1831.

The night the rebellion began Nat and his fellow rebels on the plantation axed the Travis family to death. The start of the revolt was marked by the Travis family killing. As the revolt continued the rebels ravaged and attacked the homes of many whites, took their weapons, and killed them. The rebellious group began with a small number and continued to grow into seventy five people. The ravaging and downfall of the rebellion began when other whites in the neighborhood began to spread the news that a rebellion group was ravaging through Southampton, Virginia. As the news spread through Virginia white people began to retaliate causing further casualties. The casualties caused a fear in Nat Turner that he would get caught and be put to death. Nat decided to avoid death for as long as possible, so he hid away in Jerusalem, Virginia. He was able to stay hidden for a few months, before he was caught on October 30, 1831.

The aftermath of Nat being caught led to him being put on trial and convicted of conspiring to rebel and making an insurrection. He was sentenced to death on November 11, 1831. The death of Nat Turner was peculiar to say the least. Research states that after his death he was skinned for souvenirs and his body parts were given to doctors to dissect. The story of Nat Turner’s legacy lives on in his book The Confessions of Nat Turner.  The legacy of Nat Turner will go down in infamy as one of the most influential slave revolts. His rebellion was important for the fight against slavery. It helped ignite the abolitionist movement.

The lasting effects of Nat Turner’s rebellion was the lynching of black people who may not have been part of the rebellion. They were seen as collateral damage. The collateral damage from the Nat Turner rebellion led to laws being passed to enhance limitations placed upon slaves.  They were prohibited from reading and writing or any activity that may lead to another rebellion. The laws were passed, however it did not change the determination of slaves who would learn to read and write in secret. The importance of learning about Nat Turner’s rebellion is to teach people how events in history affect the state of the world.  It also taught many people how events shaped America and disadvantages that people of color dealt with. In this day and age it is important to take note of these previously mentioned events and make sure history does not repeat itself. Everyone should look at history from an outside perspective and see how far society has come but understand more development is needed.

                                                                    Sources

Breen, Contributor: Patrick H. “Nat Turner's Revolt (1831).” Encyclopedia Virginia, 2 Oct. 1800, https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/turners-revolt-nat-1831/.

Gibson, Christine. “Nat Turner, Lightning Rod.” AmericanHeritage.com /, 11 Nov. 2005, https://web.archive.org/web/20090406063535/http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/web/20051111-nat-turner-slavery-rebellion-virginia-civil-war-thomas-r-gray-abolitionist.shtml.

History.com Editors. “Nat Turner.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2 Dec. 2009, https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/nat-turner.

“Nat Turner.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 14 Jan. 2021, https://www.biography.com/activist/nat-turner. 

10 Things You May Not Know About Nat Turner’s Rebellion - HISTORY

State v Mann

 The State v Mann case was a landmark in the state of North Carolina. The defendant John Mann was a slave owner who was on trial for shooting and injuring Lydia who was rented slave. Lydia was the victim who was rented to John Mann from Elizabeth Jones for a designated period of time. 

The arguments in favor of John Mann revolved around Lydia being a disobedient individual. The first argument that I noticed was from a Christian perspective where someone argued that resisting authority resists God. God has placed masters over slaves was the paradigm. The actions of Lydia to run away were seen as untrustworthy. The same argument also went on to say that John Mann showed restraint, with the use of only one bullet. The arguments to aid John Mann revolved around his power as a slave owner over Lydia. The second argument to aid John Mann that was interesting was from the economic standpoint of John Mann being a poor slave owner who had to rent Lydia, instead of buying her outright. The argument states that John’s fine of ten dollars is worth more than Lydia as a slave, that claim is false, but it was used in favor of John Mann.  

The arguments against John Mann were centered around Lydia being damaged property. The best argument someone made against Mann was that the charges of assault and battery should remain. The charges should remain because Lydia was never sold to him. Lydia never being sold to John shows that she was never his property. He never had a right to his actions, and firing a shot at her is battery and assault. Elizabeth Jones was the rightful owner of Lydia, and John had no right to proceed as he did. John Mann broke the agreement of property law, when he shot Lydia by causing bodily harm, or property damage per this time in history. It is argued that he harmed property that was not his. Mann’s actions are a crime and he injured temporary or rented property. John broke the law by breaking property law. 

Sources 

State v. John Mann | NCpedia

State v. Mann - North Carolina History Project