Morality of Slavery

Hello readers,

In the late 18th century and early 19th century America's economy was based a lot on cotton. To have the cotton industry booming in America though many people thought that there needed to be slaves. As America grew and the southerners moved so did the cotton and slaves. The slave population was becoming so large because of all the cotton. The economy became somewhat dependent on the slaves to keep the cotton going. 

Prince Among Slaves. Comparing Slavery. http://princeamongslaves.org/module/comparing.html?page=2. www.slaveryimages.org, sponsored by the University of Virginia Library.

Everyone has the right to human dignity but the slavery system based on race does not allow the slaves to have any human dignity. The slaves are not allowed to be truly free. They are under someone else's commands. People need to be free, they need to be able to make decisions for themselves and with slavery they are not allowed to do that. They are shamed for who they are and they can't help who they are. They are not able to have any dignity because of they are shamed for who they are. The basic human characteristics aren't even respected when you are a slave. They have no privacy or time to relax. They are only able to make family and friends with people on the plantations. They are not able to interact with others and talk about how they feel. Slaves are not treated like humans. They are not able to have dignity and their basic human characteristics are not respected.  

Julianna O. 

Women's Rights Today and Yesterday

Hello readers,

Many people were greatly appalled by the demand for women’s equality in the mid 19th century. Women had be looked lesser upon for thousands of years without much of an uproar till this time. The women who were protesting for black slaves’ rights realized that they didn't even have many of the rights they were asking to be given to the slaves. Laws that were against women’s rights included that men could be women to keep them in line, women could not own land, and for a long time could not get a higher education. The women were now saying give these rights to the slaves without even having them themselves. After realizing how wrong that was women spoke up and said give these rights to us as well. After the Seneca Falls Convention where 300 men and women met to discuss women’s rights people had very some very harsh and some positive reactions. In the newspaper, Mechanics Advocate, Female Department, they talk of women’s rights in the bible,  “1st Adam was made before Eve. 2nd Eve sinned before Adam. Now there is no escape for women here, for if she be older than her husband, then of course she must be subject to him, because she must have sinned first. If on the contrary she be younger, she must be subject to him because he was made first”. This then translates into the world saying that no matter what women should be subject to man. Although the convention allowed for women’s rights to get a lot of publicity, as you can see, a lot of it was not positive. It had been called “silly” by another newspaper. The reactions were leaning towards negativity but as you can tell from today, women eventually did get their rights back.

Men and women are thought to be looked at as equals today by many but not all people. They can go into law enforcement together, they can both vote, they can have some of the same jobs, etc. but men and women are still not interchangeable and is that not somewhat what equality is about? Women are not interchangeable to men for certain things though because of straight biological differences. Men are naturally stronger than women, they are able to create more muscle mass. Women are more neutering than men, they have more maternal instincts which allows for that. That will never change so men and women might never be true equals. When men and women do the same things they are thought of still as different. You can see that in this Pantene commercial, click here to watch it. Men and women are doing the exact same thing but described differently. Is that really equality? I think not.

Julianna O.

Social Reforms: Transcendentalism

Here are two paragraphs taken from the essay “Self Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson:

"Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string. Accept the place the divine providence has found for you, the society of your contemporaries, the connection of events. Great men have always done so, and confided themselves childlike to the genius of their age, betraying their perception that the absolutely trustworthy was seated at their heart, working through their hands, predominating in all their being. And we are now men, and must accept in the highest mind the same transcendent destiny; and not minors and invalids in a protected corner, not cowards fleeing before a revolution, but guides, redeemers, and benefactors, obeying the Almighty effort, and advancing on Chaos and the Dark.
What pretty oracles nature yields us on this text, in the face and behaviour of children, babes, and even brutes! That divided and rebel mind, that distrust of a sentiment because our arithmetic has computed the strength and means opposed to our purpose, these have not. Their mind being whole, their eye is as yet unconquered, and when we look in their faces, we are disconcerted. Infancy conforms to nobody: all conform to it, so that one babe commonly makes four or five out of the adults who prattle and play to it. So God has armed youth and puberty and manhood no less with its own piquancy and charm, and made it enviable and gracious and its claims not to be put by, if it will stand by itself. Do not think the youth has no force, because he cannot speak to you and me. Hark! in the next room his voice is sufficiently clear and emphatic. It seems he knows how to speak to his contemporaries. Bashful or bold, then, he will know how to make us seniors very unnecessary."

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. "Self-Reliance." Ralph Waldo Emerson- Texts. Accessed January 12, 2015. http://www.emersoncentral.com/selfreliance.htm.

Ralph Waldo Emerson was a big creator and supporter of Transcendentalism. In the essay, Self Reliance, Emerson speaks of his beliefs based around Transcendentalism. He believes that it is a great way to live your life and the only way people should be living their lives. His purpose for publishing this essay was to have people read his ideas and put them to use in their own lives. This is a great trustworthy source as I have read the exact same one in my English class.

The essay gives mainly Emerson's opinions and views on Transcendentalism. He talks nothing of the event effecting other people at the time. This essay teaches us what Emerson believes is the basis of Transcendentalism, Self Reliance. Emerson talks about how to be happy and to be with God and nature people must rely on themselves and not others. People must be independent and come up with their own ideas and ways of life. Emerson speaks about how society has become very conformed so no one is an individual creating new ideas. He also talks about how the young seem to have the right idea in the beginning. The children speak out without much thought and are very honest; Emerson admires that about children. Throughout the essay he seems to be trying to convince you that this way is the right way.

Thanks for reading,

Julianna O

Andrew Jackson's acts to decide if he is a people's president

Hello readers,

While the teacher was away for some time due to a conference in Disney World we learned about Andrew Jackson. Our essential question for this unit was is Andrew Jackson’s long standing reputation as a people’s president deserved? Why or why not? This question is important because it helps us think about what makes a people’s person in general and specifically to a president. The question helps us learn about what some of his presidential acts were and how they affected others. To answer the question in the class we were split into six different groups. Each group was either assigned to read and learn about the Bank War, Spoils System, and the Indian Removal. Each group created a video or skit to teach the other groups about their topic and answer the essential question. My group was assigned the Indian Removal.

To answer the essential question for the Bank War it was that Jackson was a people’s president. The National Bank at the time was only serving the wealthy and Jackson wanted to have it serve the less wealthy classes. According to the Spoils System though he was not a people’s president. He bribed people to support him by promising them government jobs. This was not helping the people but only helping himself. The Indian Removal makes Andrew seem like an absolutely cruel president because he pushes the natives out and moves them to a land where they do not have enough resources to survive. Andrew does say he does this to improve the people of European descents lives.

My group did a script for the project on the Indian Removal Act. We had kids speak as Andrew Jackson, Native Americans, and narrators.

Click here for the script.

Here is a prop we used:

Rise of Democracy In the U.S.

Hello readers,

To learn about the rise of democracy and answer the essential questions, how should we define democracy and how democratic was the United States in the 1800s, we looked at many sources and analysed each one as separate groups. After we looked at each source provided by our teacher we created "posters" they could be any form, digital or paper and pen. The "posters" had to have our analysis of each document. Here is my groups digital "poster".

Latin American Revolutions and how race is apart of it all

Hello readers,

Our essential question for the unit Latin American Revolutions was why is it essential to acknowledge human value regardless of race and how are the Latin American revolutions evidence of the social imperative. I believe that this is important to think about because it talks about racism in the past and in the present. We also learn and think more about what the human values are and why we need them. To answer the question in class we split off into groups that were assigned different Latin American countries. The countries were Mexico, Grand Colombia, and Brazil. Each group read an article about the country they were assigned. We then learned about the Latin American social statuses and created a chart including peninsulares, creoles, mestizos, mulattoes, Indians, and African American slaves. After that each group created a timeline about the revolutions that took place in their country. We then split into groups and shared our timelines and answered the essential question for each country. Here is the timeline my group created for Mexico.

When we met into groups we discussed the commonalities and differences between each group’s revolution. They were very obvious commonalities and differences. Our commonalities were that each Latin American country wanted independent from another country and they were fighting against European countries, Spain and Portugal. Mexico, Grand Colombia, and Brazil were fighting respectively against Spain and Portugal. Our differences were not each new country in the end had a constitution, Mexico and Brazil did but Grand Colombia did not, and not each revolution was lead by the same social rank group. Brazil was lead by peninsulares and Mexico and Grand Columbia were lead by creoles. Each revolution was similar because race was involved with each. They all were frustrated with the fact that the lower classes were being repressed by the higher ones.

Race still has a very large impact on decisions in the world and the world in general today. Everyday people are still thinking about race with each decision they make. A very good example of this is the Ferguson case in Missouri. This is a very controversial case because it was a black man and a white cop. We still need to work on not being racist in society and in the law. Everyone should still be educated on how racism is a bad thing and how we need to prevent it.

Thanks for reading,

Julianna O

Toussaint Louverture, a great man who should be remembered but how?

Without leadership nothing can be accomplished, no goal can be reached. A leader needs to have many qualities and skills including political skills, toughness, honesty, compassion, and many others. Without a successful leader who has a great mind and a great heart there can be no successful country. Toussaint Louverture, a great military leader, ruler, and liberator of slaves, of the mid and late 1700s and early 1800s, lived in the French colony known then as Saint Domingue. Toussaint was, at first, one of over 500,000 slaves in Saint Domingue but was later granted freedom. As a free African American man he joined the slavery uprising in Saint Domingue. He later became a great military commander in the fight to abolish slavery and when that was accomplished he was able to become the ruler of Saint Domingue. Before he could see the independence of Saint Domingue, now known as Haiti, Napoleon attacked and tried to reinstate slavery in the French colonies but because of the fight put up by Toussaint’s men Napoleon’s goal was not able to be reached. Toussaint Louverture should be remembered as a military commander, ruler of Saint Domingue, and a liberator of slaves. Toussaint was a great, powerful military commander who would defend his country and put his military skills to greater use over any other skill he had including his skills as ruler of Saint Domingue and his liberator of slave skills.

First, Toussaint Louverture was an expert military commander. Although he was not able to be there for the independence of his country he lead the people to that point, he allowed them to be able to accomplish their independence. He never allowed anyone to get in his way as a military commander. When his nephew, General Moyse, lead a rebellion against Toussaint's wishes Toussaint quickly rushed to the northern region of Saint Domingue where the rebellion took place and stopped the rebellion right away. In Madison Smartt Bell's Toussaint Louverture: A Biography, she writes, "he ordered the mutineer regiments on parade and summoned certain men to step out of the ranks and blow their own brains out..."(E) Toussaint used this as an example of his power and brutality. It was a threat to others to never threaten his powers or go against his wishes. Toussaint even made Moyse give the order to fire for himself to be shot and killed. It was a very good technique and ensured his power. Using his military skills Toussaint was even able to drive Spanish and English forces from the island. Toussaint was also a very social military leader traveling from post to post with great speed ensuring confidence in the people who he commanded. When a fleet landed in Samana to attack and reinstate slavery in Saint Domingue Toussaint gave a power speech to encourage his fighters. Toussaint say, "...that soul, when on e the soul of a man, and no longer that of a slave, can overthrow the pyramids and the Alps themselves, sooner than again be crushed down into slavery." (F). He inspired his people to fight for freedom and to never stop. He gave them hope to win the battles. He taught two very different strategies of battle to the armies under his control. He taught both the European, shoulder to shoulder style, and the guerrilla tactics. (A) This allowed his armies to be very versatile in battles. Before the fleet landed in Saint Domingue, Toussaint had his men burn down the city and flee to the mountains where the Europeans would not be able to reach them. (F). This allowed his men to have a great advantage over the Europeans. Toussaint was able to succeed greatly as a military leader and without his skills and techniques Haiti would not be an independent country.

Toussaint was also a great ruler of Saint Domingue, although the time was short lived. Toussaint Louverture was a very smart ruler of Saint Domingue. Toussaint created The Saint Domingue Constitution in 1801. The constitution outlined a colony that would forever be without slavery but would force the people of the colony to work the same way they had as slaves before; it also supported Toussaint Louverture being a very powerful man, making him head of the army for all of his life. Article 15 states: "Each plantation...shall represent the quiet haven of an active and constant family, of which the owner of the land...shall be the father." (C) Although the free men and women are still working in plantations they would not have the master, slave relationship with the plantation owners they had before. Toussaint tried to create a family atmosphere and relationship between the slave workers at the plantations. Toussaint also made a proclamation after the constitution was written. It talks about how the workers must work on the plantations they were assigned to and start at a very young age, it also discussing the punishments of leaving the plantation the worker works on as well as the breaking of other laws. Toussaint was starting to get harder on the workers because the business of agriculture is the only way the country makes its money. Plantations are needed for the colony to survive. Toussaint states in the proclamation: "Vagabond cultivators arrested...shall be taken to the commander of the quarter, who will have them sent to the gendarmerie [local police] on their plantation." (D) A vagabond is someone who refuses to work. No one was not allowed to work, everybody was needed to keep the gigantic plantations running smoothly. Although Toussaint was a great ruler of Saint Domingue he had many flaws including his forceful ways of making people work just like they were slaves. Toussaint's skills as a ruler were not his best.

Finally, Toussaint was a liberator of slaves. Toussaint's main goal of the revolution and his control was to end slavery. Although that was not his best accomplishment, it was a great one. He joins the revolt as soon as it starts and took control of many aspects, reflecting on his military commander positions. Toussaint also wrote a letter to the French Directory, he wrote in it about how the people would never be able to calmly become slaves again. He states: "Could men who have once enjoyed the benefits of liberty look on calmly while it is taken from them!" (B) When France first abolished slavery they soon tried to reinstate it but the new free people would not let that happen. Toussaint told the French Directory that they would not stand for it and would try as hard as they could to be free people. Toussaint was the voice of all the slaves in Saint Domingue. He spoke on behalf of them all the encourage the freedom of slaves.

Although Toussaint was best at being a military commander he did succeed at his other roles of being a liberator of slaves and ruler of Saint Domingue. He met his goal of freeing the slaves of Saint Domingue forever as well as eventually having Saint Domingue become an independent country, reflecting on all of his roles he played throughout the revolution. Toussaint used his military skills the best during and after the revolution making it the most memorable aspect of him.

Bibliography:

(A) Document A, Timeline of Abolition in Saint Domingue, Created from various sources

(B) Document B, Toussaint Louverture, “Letter to the French Directory, November 1797.”

(C) Document C, The Saint Domingue Constitution of 1801. Signed by Toussaint Louverture in July 1801

(D) Document D, Toussaint Louverture, “Proclamation, 25 November 1801.”

(E) Document E, Madison Smartt Bell, Toussaint Louverture: A Biography, 2007

(F) Document F, William Wells Brown, “A Description of Toussaint Louverture,” from The Black Man, His Antecedents, His Genius, and His Achievements, 2nd edition. Engraving of Toussaint Louverture, 1802.