EOTO Reaction

 After hearing some of the EOTO presentations from the Reconstruction era I was very impressed by the presentations and a lot of the information that was presented in them. I would say that I also was very impressed with the presentations to set the stage for the Reconstruction era and how these events would shape the future and impact all around the US.

After the Civil War ended, there were 4 million freed African-American men, women and children in the United States of America. These 4 million people had no possessions, and property. So to deal with this the United States government had decided to create an agency called the Freedmen’s Bureau to redistribute Confederate lands to new freedmen. 

By doing this they were doing this to provide shelter, food, and reunite slaves with long lost families who were separated during the Civil War. This Bureau was originally only supposed to last a year but Congress had overwhelmingly voted to continue this bureau since Congress had seen how well this worked. President Andrew Johnson had vetoed continuing this program and Congress had chosen not go through the process of overruling him and his veto. I had also learned about the fact that Andrew Johnson was giving pardons to Confederate leaders. 

A part of the EOTO’s that stood out to me was the backstory and history behind the Klu Klux Klan. I had not known much about the Klu Klux Klan other than they were against black people and the freedom of black people. The Klan was formed in 1886 in Tennessee which is something I had also not known previously. This stood out to me since all some people wanted was simple freedoms and Reconstruction. 

The KKK’s main target in going after African Americans was the Freedom Bureau I had mentioned earlier since the Freedom Bureau was trying to help African Americans get back on their feet. The KKK’s message and protests did some damage however the group started to fall apart a little while later. The KKK would later accept defeat as the main parts of the group would later slip away and African Americans would later get full freedom back.

Overall, the EOTO’s were very interesting and very informative. There were a lot of different and unique subjects that were discussed that I learned more in depth information about the Reconstruction era and some of its key events and actions. 

Image Source:

https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/emancipation/m-4363/

MOCK TRIAL Plessy v. Ferguson

 Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen and your honor, I am here representing Homer Plessy and I am here today to talk about some of the negative impacts having two train systems and cars segregated is not just unfair to African-Americans but it is also harmful to the economy of the state of Louisiana but also the United States of America. I am also going to touch on other economic factors with other businesses and places economically that have been affected by segregation.

Having two different segregated systems for trains is harmful to the economy. One thing that doesn’t help it is that the operating costs are very expensive for two different train systems to operate at the same time. That’s twice the cost of one train being operated which leads to higher costs. The segregation also does not allow for more employment and investment opportunities for African-Americans. If trains were to run under one system and all people were allowed in one train car and one system it would lower costs significantly and allow African-Americans to work together. 

One of the biggest economic downsides to segregation in railroads is also that it will not lead to greater economic opportunity for the country in the railroads systems because of high costs associated with maintaining trains and also maintaining two different rail lines for Whites and African-Americans. This would lead to longer waiting periods for development and new railroad systems which is revenue that could be lost from trains since if new railways are built then two different systems would have to be built which mean longer waiting periods for construction and less train routes added later. 

Also not just the segregation of train lines but also the segregation of train cars leads to African-Americans not being able to purchase as many tickets since the sections for African Americans were smaller and more dense which is an economic disadvantage since that is less revenue produced from the train operations since there are smaller sections. Since the areas were more dense, they didn't even have luggage racks in the section which meant that they would have to carry their baggage. 

It is also not the segregation of trains that is the only problem with segregation and the costs associated with it. The segregation of water fountains, schools, and other workplace jobs also has a problem with higher operating costs for businesses and schools and this requires double the employment on both sides because they are not 100% equal and together. This segregation also leads to lower employment numbers and further employment advancement opportunities in higher jobs due to segregation which can pose a challenge for both sides. 

In conclusion, two of everything with segregation has many negative financial effects that are present in railroads and other industries. Segregation has many negative economic effects and will continue to hurt the economy in Louisiana and the United States of America. Thank you for your time. 

Image Source:

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/neworleans-plessy-v-ferguson/

Reconstruction: America After the Civil War Video Reaction

 After watching the "Reconstruction: America After the Civil War" video I learned many different and unique things that I was previously not aware of some of the civil injustice African-Americans had to deal with even after the Civil War. One major area that I noticed was that President Andrew Johnson didn't help any of this.

I have to say one of the shocking moments to me was when Andrew Johnson was discussed in the video. This moment was when he was at his own presidential inauguration at he was approached by Frederick Douglass and was greeted with a rude and offensive tone but also, showed some very racist and offensive behavior. He said to Douglass that he was unwilling to shake his hand and speak to him just like everybody else. 

This would cause a major problem for African-Americans as treatment like this and still rules and laws about segregation made it harder for them to have any positions in power and also later in his career as he would make others beg for their jobs and themselves. Johnson happened to like this form of his views on his the lower classes. 

Another area of the Reconstruction area I didn't know was the Freedman's Bureau. The organization consisted of the attempts to give some of the former plantation lands. I was not aware that this organization had existed and I was not aware that the organization focused on helping some of the southerners who were displaced following the Civil War. This occurred mainly with African-Americans since some of them had no home after the Civil War the organization would give them some land that they could live on. 

I would learn after this that this would not last the longest due to Andrew Johnson's weak Reconstruction era policies this made the development and potential for African-Americans have a hard time advancing due to his views. This would continue to add years of hardships for African-Americans due to Andrew Johnson's feelings about African-Americans. 

Image Source: 

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Andrew-Johnson 

State v Mann Reaction

Both sides on the State v Mann case made great points in why John Mann should be guilty and why he shouldn't. A big point that stuck out to me was that the slave that John Mann had rented named Lydia from Elizabeth Jones so Lydia was not his property originally. John Mann did not originally own these slaves so, the question can be raised whether or not it was in his rights to shoot her and also critically wound her. The other team arguing in favor of John Mann saying that Elizabeth Jones who owned Lydia could have given him the right to shoot her if she disobeyed orders which technically she did. The opposing team also made a good argument in that she took a risk trying to escape and so he was in his rights to shoot her since she "disobeyed" her masters orders. The opposing team also said that John Mann was in his rights in his position in society that he was above her and had control. that One point that had really stuck out to me was from the side of North Carolina in that John Mann committed not just a crime of shooting someone but this crime could categorized and labeled as assault and battery charges. I never even thought about it from this perspective but I have to say this is a very unique way of putting this crime and also a very true way. Another great way that the states perspective was well said included the use of the 10 commandments. The 10 commandments promote peace and non-violence and the fact that John Mann shot Lydia doesn't well represent these 10 commandments and he does not embody these commandments. I would also say that the State brought up the fact that if slavery is allowed then their health should be more closely watched and taken care of. They are also people and they should not be just beaten and abused. I would say that all of these points brought up by both sides were very well said and communicated. 

EOTO 1: Kansas-Nebraska Act

 The Kansas-Nebraska Act was an act designed and proposed by Illinois senator Stephen Douglas proposed a bill that would as he stated “organize the Territory of Nebraska” and create two new territories which consisted of territory lands from Montana, Dakota, Kansas, and Nebraska. This act was proposed to repeal the Missouri Compromise line where slavery was prohibited. 

When the 1850’s had come around, many people in the different parts of the US and its territories wanted to see western territories that were acquired from Mexico. By this time farmers had been moving towards the Pacific coast. People felt that a railroad was needed by this time and lots of southerners wanted a railroad system that went through areas such as Texas which was below the Missouri Compromise Line.

Stephen Douglas was one of the biggest supporters of this railroad system being built and one that went through Chicago and that would have the rail lines that travel through the Nebraska territory which was north of the 1820 Missouri Compromise where slavery had previously been banned. So he decided to create a bill that was designed to try and act as middle ground for the people in these territories. He came up with the compromise that it would be up to separate states and territories and that they could choose for “with or without slavery” for the areas and as their constitutions would see fit. 

This new policy wrapped around a concept called Popular Sovereignty which was something that allowed states to choose their rights and rules. This new “Popular Sovereignty” would contest the Missouri Compromise and let the question of slavery be up to the territories and there governors. The southern senators and politicians wanted to repeal the 1820 Missouri Compromise and Douglas had seen this as the best way to get this best way passed and he put this element into the bill he was going to propose. He thought that if he agreed to this it could put the demand behind him so that everybody else could get what they wanted. 

When the bill was reintroduced including the information about repealing the Missouri Compromise it was faced with some criticism from northern politicians about it’s slavery involvement. It was also criticized as a “gross violation of sacred pledge” as described by Salmon Chase from the state of Ohio. The “Nebraska Bill” as it was later called was passed on March 4 1854 with a vote of 37-14 and this was signed into law on May 30 1854. 

In conclusion, this allowed slavery in both territories and this bill being passed would lead to some violent events in the near future including Bleeding Kansas and other protests for anti slavery activists. In Kansas, owning slaves had become legal and was growing larger.  This event further advanced slavery and expanded its reach for a period of time and influenced a number of events that would come later in the advancement of slavery.

Image Source:

https://www.historyonthenet.com/the-kansas-nebraska-act

Gone With The Wind Reflection

 Gone with the Wind is regarded as a timeless masterpiece and one of the most critically acclaimed films of all time. The film has been honored with many accolades including eight academy awards some of which included: Best Picture, Best Actress (Vivien Leigh as Scarlett), Best Supporting Actress (Hattie McDaniel as Mammy) and so many more. McDaniel was also the first African-American to win an Oscar. This movie would also go on to become the highest grossing movie of all time worldwide. 

Gone with the Wind is a movie that takes place in the Deep South during the Civil War and follows the background of a young woman by the name of Scarlett O'Hara who is the daughter of a slave plantation owner Tara. She is characterized as stubborn and willful and she at the beginning of the movie is love with Ashley Wilkes even though he is getting married to his own cousin Melanie Hamilton. Over the course of the movie, as the Civil War rages on more and more people are lost including those close to Scarlett such as her husband Charles Hamilton who is the brother of Melanie. Charles would pass away as a result of the Measles during the war. She also becomes attracted to Rhett Butler who dances with her at a charity function during her period of mourning which went against the customary rules of mourning at the time. 

My view on Scarlett is that she transforms herself from a bratty daughter with a lot given to her by her family to become an independent strong woman who can fight for others and herself. This is evident when she goes to Atlanta and helps in one of the war hospitals in Atlanta during the burning down of the city. Another example is when she helps Melanie have her baby and also helps them escape along with her servant Prissy. She also is strong and motivated to restore her family's plantation even after it has been destroyed and her mother has passed away. 

Gone with the Wind helps us understand what life was like in the South during this time. It gives us a realistic and photographic perspective of many events that were real that were incorporated such as the burning of Atlanta. Gone with the Wind also gives a perspective on some of the stereotypes and racial treatments towards African-Americans of the time. This movie gives us all a great perspective of the Civil War from a Southern perspective and how much really occured in the South during the Civil War. This movie is a timepiece and a major part of American cinema and influenced movies that would come generations later. 

Image Source:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Gone-with-the-Wind-film-by-Fleming