EOTO

 

My part in the EOTO presentation was to elaborate on the 13th Amendment. Before doing research on the topic I did not know what this Amendment was. I am overall grateful that this class gives me the opportunity to learn more about the fundamentals of our country and read about things I wouldn't normally search on my free time. As a person would doesn't look into politics or history much, I actually really enjoyed researching this topic. From hearing about how law was a key part of the "Reconstruction Era" after the Civil War to discovering that Abraham Lincoln played a key role in passing this law.

The 13th Amendment was passed in 1865, towards the end of the Civil War to try and abolish slavery for good. It was passed as the first Amendment of the “Reconstruction” the period after the Civil War and made slavery illegal in the United States of America. This was passed to try and end slavery in the United States. The law however did pass at the Senate level but did not make it pass the House, which then caused President Lincoln to push and have it go pass Congress. Lincolns actions had the House pass the law in 1865.

“13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Abolition of Slavery (1865).” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/13th-amendment. 

History.com Editors. History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9 Nov. 2009, https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/thirteenth-amendment. 

U.S. Senate: The Senate Passes the Thirteenth Amendment, 11 Mar. 2022, https://www.senate.gov/about/origins-foundations/senate-and-constitution/senate-passes-the-thirteenth-amendment.htm. 

National Geographic Society, https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/13th-amendment-united-states-constitution. 

Plessy v Ferguson

 

The case known as Plessy v Ferguson was an important case in American history. A man named Homer Plessy refused to sit in the Blacks only train car even though he was only 1/8th black. This took place in 1896 in the state of Louisiana where Black and White people had to ride the train in separate cars. Plessy fought that the this law violated the 14th Amendment which stated that "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States." 

This case took place in the "Reconstruction Era" which was the period of time that took place after the Civil War. This time was when slavery was becoming abolished in America and the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments arose. These Amendments were created to focus on making sure African American citizens were treated equally. In the state of Louisiana where the Plessy v Ferguson case took place, they had there own la known as "Separate but Equal". This law was made to ensure that the races had everything "equal" but would still be separate. This was believed to still be following the 14th Amendment. 

 

The state of Louisiana declared the "Separate but Equal" doctrine as constitutional, which then caused Homer Plessy to lose this case. The doctrine was claimed to be constitutional as long as whites and African Americans got the same treatment at all places they went to. To the government this was fair as long as everything was equal. Overall, the Plessy v Ferguson case would be seen as unconstitutional now but back then in Louisiana it was seen as there was nothing wrong. 

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/plessy-v-ferguson

https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/plessy-v-ferguson

"Band of Angels" Reflection

 In the film, "Band of Angels" we got to see and understand a different view of slavery. In the other film we watched known as "Gone with the Wind" we see slaves get treated more harsh and very disrespectfully, in this film we see them get treated like people.

In this film we see a woman named Amanda Starr who had just found out that she was part African American be put up for auction and bought by a man named Hamish Bond. Amanda was then living in Bonds house with other slaves but noticed how respectfully Bond treats his slaves. She refused to believe that all of this had happened to her and refuses to leave her room and even look at Bond. Bond ended up letting Amanda go and even though she left she eventually went back to him because she realized that she loved him.

This movie is mainly about a Southern romance between a "slave" and a white male who became a former slave owner. What we began to notice is the difference in how the slaves were treated in this film vs. "Gone with the Wind". The movies were released almost 20 years apart and we can see the difference in the times.As time progressed we see that slaves were treated more like people and with respect. They were not working under people who would abuse them, they were working for people who actually cared about them. They were housed and clothed and cared for. Overall, based on this film we can see how slaves eventually were treated more as people and less disrespectful.

Town Hall Reflection

 As someone who isn't a huge history fanatic, I actually enjoyed the Town Hall meeting activity. Learning about different historical figures in the slave era was very eye opening to be because it was great to hear about people besides Abraham Lincoln. When I used to think about the slave era I would think about Abraham Lincoln and Rosa Parks, now I learned names from both sides of the argument. We had both pro slavery and anti slavery representatives in this assignment.

Andrew Jackson was one of the historical figures that was named during our presentations. He was known as one of the largest slave owners in the U.S., so the anti-slave supporters hated him. I knew that he served as a President of the U.S. but I didn't know that he was such a big supporter in slavery. Jackson firmly believed that men should have slaves so do all their work for them and that they should just sit back and worship their land. As someone who does not know a lot about past Presidents, I am extremely shocked that people from the north would vote for someone like Jackson as President. We have seen that more people lived in the Northern part of the United States than the South. The North had a lot of anti slavery supporters so after hearing that a President was such a big supporter of slaves I am surprised he was voted for. 

Overall these were just a few things that I learned from the Town Hall presentations. One big thing that I took away was that I learn better from activities like this than textbook readings or lectures. Having an activity that is like this where it is interactive allows me and other students to get involved in learning. Now in the year 2022 slavery is immoral but going back in time and seeing peoples point of views of the idea of slavery makes me have a clearer understanding of how bad it really was. Without this activity I would never have learned what I did.

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

https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/abraham-lincoln/