Journal #11

After the civil war it is true that slavery was abolished; however, in the readings for today it is clear that due to lynching and Jim Crowe laws the quality of life for most African Americans in the south was almost worse in many cases. Therefore, the question I must ask is although slavery was unbelievably cruel and needed to be stopped, would African Americans have been better off if slavery was abolished more gradually?

Obviously slavery was in every way wrong, but for many southerners the sudden abolition of slavery was a huge culture shock and probably caused intense bitterness toward African Americans who they believed to be inferior. This hatred towards African Americans was rooted so deeply that it spread throughout generations. Throughout Claude McKay’s poems we see the hatred coming out through lynching of most likely innocent men, women, and children. The constant fear that must have come from this blatant and unregulated hatred must have been unbearable. More likely than not law enforcement or the court system would have dismissed an African American’s complaints but if they did listen their lives may become that much worse. Is it possible that if the abolition of slavery was a more gradual process white people would have had the opportunity to process not only the fact that their lifestyle was coming to an end but to adapt to the new way of life? If slavery had been phased out, would the former slave owners have been so bitter that they needed to resort to lynching or Jim Crowe laws in order to maintain the ‘status quo’ or would the life of the African American continue to be riddled with fear?

I don’t know what might have happened if slavery had ended more slowly. However, I can’t help but wonder if that would have prevented hate crimes such as lynching from becoming so accepted in our country.

Journal #10

It is evident in both EW Harper’s poem “Learning to Read” and Charles W. Chestnutt’s story “The Wife of his Youth” that literacy and knowledge is imperative to succeeding in an upwardly mobile society. The Blue Vein Society stressed the importance of education in ‘assimilating’ and gaining acceptance in white society. However, as the story of “The Wife of his Youth” unfolds, the reader begins to realize that moving up in society isn’t everything. In fact, it seems that with education comes complications. For example, Mr. Ryder explains that while the darker complexioned society would “welcome us… it would be a backwards step” (Chestnutt). He goes on to say that their Blue Vein Society can only “do the best that we can for ourselves”. Mr. Ryder no doubt realizes that knowledge has clouded his true feeling when a woman with very little education tells her story of complete and utter devotion.

Mr. Ryder insinuates that education changed him. Had he still been the man that he was before the war he would not have hesitated in revealing himself to his wife and lived in blind happiness. However, education and society forced the burden of the advancement of his race upon him. All the while his wife who had no education was certain that she would find the man she loves before she died, that kind of conviction might not be found in any educated person because with education come great responsibility.  Education forces us to question the possible outcomes of certain situations rather than trusting our own natural instincts. After an internal debate, Mr. Ryder came to the same conclusion that Mrs. Dixon came to in only a moment of silence; no matter what education may bring you, it cannot replace love. The wife of Mr. Ryder’s youth shows us that our first instinct is to find love and hold on to it no matter what color you are or the level of education you possess.

Journal # 9

 

Since the emergence of print culture, the media has been a way for reformers and activists to convince the masses of their argument. In the late 1800s and early 1900s these people were best known as “muckrakers”, which was “a reference to digging in the dirt to uncover corruption in politics and big business” (22). The most notable of these investigative journalists was Upton Sinclair whose novel The Jungle, which was meant to uncover harsh treatment of immigrant workers but in effect created the Food and Drug Administration.

Today, although print media is still a prominent method of persuasion, documentary films have become a more widespread form of communicating the world’s faults. For example, the name Michal Moore has become synonymous with bashing the government and big business. His films Fahrenheit 9/11 and Bowling for Columbine have gained critical acclaim and even been nominated for Academy Awards. If nothing else these films have certainly stirred popular opinion. Documentaries have attacked several issues in today’s culture such as the environment and the effects of fast food.

What the muckrakers and documentary filmmakers have in common is that they use scare tactics and shock factors in order to sway their audience. Upton Sinclair depicted the Chicago meatpacking district in a way that would have disgusted even the least squeamish of people and eventually created government regulation for food manufacturers (which I think we are all pretty grateful for). Similarly, the documentary Super Size Me followed a healthy man who ate nothing but McDonalds for an extended period of time and emphasized its effects on the body. In my middle school health class we were required to watch the film and I can say from personal experience that the film’s arguments definitely deterred me from eating fast food for awhile.

Journal #8 Response to Elyse Nichols

I agree with your idea that “John Brown’s Last Speech” and Henry Garnet’s “From a Memorial Discourse” describe the violence and loss that was necessary to eradicate slavery. Also, these writings demonstrate the struggles that were always tied to achieving the American Dream. Beginning with the American Revolution the pursuit of the American Dream has involved conflict and violence and the abolition of slavery was no exception.

To many in the northern states the loss of lives would seem a fitting sacrifice to free American from the “national sins” committed by the Americans in the south. Furthermore, to liberated African Americans in the north dying for the freedom of their enslaved friends and family or dying en lieu of slavery may have been an honor.

Both of these texts would have been very inspiring to the handful of slaves that were literate as well as the abolitionists in the north. I believe that the quote "If it is deemed necessary that I should forfeit my life for the furtherance of the ends of justice, and mingle my blood further with the blood of my children and with the blood of millions in this slave country whose rights are disregarded by wicked, cruel, and inject enactments, I say let it be done" would have prepared the abolitionist for the fight that was yet to come and the sacrifices that were yet to be made in order to fulfill the American Dream.