EOTO Reflection 2

In class on Wednesday, the other group presented their EOTO presentations. Some of the topics that were talked about were different civil rights acts, the thirteenth amendment, the fourteenth amendment, the fifteenth amendment, radical reconstruction, the Freedmen’s Bureau, forty acres and a mule, the rise and fall of the KKK, and anti miscegenation laws in the united states. 

The one I found the most interesting was about Forty Acres and a Mule. This was when land was taken from Confederate elites and it was given to freed slaves. This land was south of Charleston and after the newly freed slaves moved to this land, it was a black community. They were given forty acres per family, but they made sure that they were only given 800 feet of shoreline on their land. Later after receiving the land, they were given a mule to help. 

I feel as if this was something that was done so that former slaves were repaid for their work. Even though this helped some start a new life, it still would never make up for how poorly their former owners had treated them. 

Something else I found interesting was the information about Radical Reconstruction. Those that were Radical Republicans believed and argued that African Americans should have and deserve the same rights and the same opportunities. They also thought that any Confederate leader should be punished for their leadership and beliefs with the war. These beliefs should be  believed by the current president of that time and others shouldn’t have to go take control of congress. 

Learning about anti-miscegenation laws was shocking. These were laws that were passed so that there was no race mixing. This was going against everything that had been worked for. These laws were making it just like how it was before and it was not right. Something else that was surprising were black codes. These codes made it that African Americans were still restricted and they did not have total freedom. These laws and codes were holding back the chances of everything being equal. 

Band of Angels Reflection

In class, we watched Band of Angels which was placed during the Civil War. I personally found it more interesting to watch this movie than Gone with the Wind. This movie was set in the south during the Civil War. The main character Amantha grew up living a privileged, white life and found out after her fathers passing that her mother was actually a slave. Amanda was sold into the slave trade and was bought by Hamish Bond. 

In the movie, Amantha at first doesn't like Hamish and living with him after he bought her and she complained about it to those around her. But after Hamish giving her the option to go away and restart, she decides to stay and be with Hamish since she is in love with him. Something that I found shocking was how her hate turned into love. It is almost like she considered herself a guest of Hamish's after being bought new dresses and being treated better than she thought.

I found it interesting that she never seemed to consider how Hamish had had another mistress before her that was still there, but now not living such a great lifestyle as Amantha replaced that. It is a good thing she wasn't treated badly, but how she seemed to move past that or almost forget it after a point in the movie was surprising. 

Something else that I found unbelievable in the movie was with Rau-Ru, who was one of Hamish's other slaves decided to help Amantha when one of the neighbors was trying to rape her, since he was a slave he had to run away. He ended up fighting in the war and we see him later in the movie. He saved Amantha from something bad happening to her, but he would be the one punished and not the one who was trying to rape her.  Rau-Ru had done so much and seemed to be trusted by Hamish, but that didn't seem to be enough during these times. 

Amantha later learns that Hamish had a huge secret which was he working with others to destroy villages in Africa and take those that lived there to become slaves. This upset Amantha so she left him and went back to New Orleans. Around this time, the Civil War begins. After being in New Orleans and having issues with soliders there, Amantha realizes her feelings. With everything Hamish is doing, he ends up getting arrested and we find out the truth about Rau-Ru, which made Amantha realize how she still felt about Hamish. I was shocked to learn that there was a connection between Rau-Ru and Hamish and it made the movie make more sense after learning that. 

State v. Mann: Mock Trial Reflection

In class last week, there was a mock trial of State v. Mann, which we heard the context of the case and heard both sides, which included the side of the State of North Carolina and the side Mann. The context of this case is that a slave named Lydia who was owned by Elizabeth Jones and she had hired Lydia for a year to someone else who was John Mann in 1892. Because of Lydia not liking this change and her acting out, Mann decided he wanted to punish her, but she managed to escape and ran away so Mann shot her. The state of North Carolina had found him guilty so he was fined. He called this fine “unjust” and he didn’t want to pay it. 

Some said that there was nothing wrong with this because Mann was in charge of Lydia since she was his slave for the year, but some argued that she wasn’t his property since it was just for a year and he did not have ownership. I was shocked to hear that anyone would think that Mann shooting Lydia would be okay, even if she was working for him. It's not like she had the opportunity to speak up for something to change. Because of Mann not owning Lydia, he should not have treated her this poorly.

In this case, there was the issue of slavery being still legal in North Carolina, so there was the belief that the people that were slave owners were considered superior. They could treat a slave wrong and not have to deal with the consequences. The idea of this is so wrong. No one should be able to have the ability to own someone and someone who does should not be considered to be better. If anything, they should be considered bad people for treating humans so harsh. 

Hearing the opinions of those that were on Mann’s side was hard to hear. Everything they said justifying slavery and the situation were beliefs that seemed to be so normalized in the south during this time and it is so crazy to think that people could say things like this and get away with it. Everyone on that side made it sound like Mann had done nothing wrong since Lydia was a slave. Those that were for slavery all talked about how much industries would suffer without slavery, but that doesn’t make slave owners actions okay. If someone wants their industry to be successful, they should share that success with their workers. 

Mann was wrong treating Lydia this bad and was wrong for thinking that the punishment wasn’t fair. He deserved more than the fine. Lydia was still considered Elizabeth’s property and no matter what, even if she was Mann’s property, she should never have been treated that bad no matter what she did. 

Sources:

https://www.ncpedia.org/state-v-john-mann

https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/state-v-mann/ 

https://law.jrank.org/pages/2446/State-v-Mann-1829.html 

The Underground Railroad

The underground railroad was first documented around 1831 and it was a way for slaves to find their way to freedom. It was reported in a newspaper in 1839 in Washington after there was an escaped slave named Jim that was forced to talk. He told them about following an “underground railroad to Boston.” It was known as a network of safe housing and ways for slaves to go to states where slavery wasn't an issue or other countries were there was no slave trade like parts of the Caribbean, Mexico, or Canada. The underground railroad was ran by a group of abolitionists that wanted to help free slaves.  

Many slaves were led to freedom using the Underground Railroad. By around 1850, there were about 100,000 slaves freed. The first reported successful escape was done by Tice Davids, which he went from Kentucky to Ohio. Those that were escaping were “freedom seekers” rather than a “runaway” or  a “fugitive.” Those that were escaping were looking for a fresh start, not to do something wrong by running away.

The Underground Railroad was neither an actual railroad or underground. The reason of it being called the Underground Railroad is because they used railroad terminology. For example, “conductors” were the people that helped guide the fugitive enslaved people. The places that were safe hiding spots were called as “stations” or “depots.” Those that ran these spots were known as “stationmasters.” Those that were “stationmasters” were everyday people with other jobs like farming or being a minister. One of the first reported people that helped someone escape using this was Levi Coffin. Levi was 15 when he helped his first person escape.

The Underground Railroad became more organized after the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. This act was made strengthen past the first act in 1793 and made it that the penalties were worse and this just made the underground railroad more organized and thought out. 

Some of the most remembered conductors of the Underground Railroad were John Brown, Harriet Tubman, and Frederick Douglass. John Brown was a conductor during the time of him establishing the League of Gileadites. He also lead a raid on Harper’s Ferry.

Harriet Tubman is considered the most famous conductor. She was first named Araminta Ross and was called Harriet Tubman after she escaped. She had escaped a plantation that was located in Maryland along with her two brothers. The three of them went back to the plantation after a few weeks and then she left again by herself and she went to Pennsylvania. She returned multiple times to help rescue others. She claimed to have a vision of God and after this, she became a part of the Underground Railroad and helped guide slaves to Maryland. 

Frederick Douglass was a former slave and was known as a writer. He hid slaves in his home that was located in Rochester, New York, which helped slaves find their way to Canada. He helped around 400 slaves make their way to Canada. 

The Underground Railroad’s operation ended around 1863 during the Civil War. Those that were able to use the Underground railroad were able to find freedom in different areas and go have new opportunities in different states or countries. 

sources:

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/undergroundrailroad/what-is-the-underground-railroad.htm

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/underground-railroad#who-ran-the-underground-railroad