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/

Religious Argument for State vs Mann

 

The following writing is a speech I wrote defending the idea that slavery should be abolished focusing on the idea of religion for the case known as State vs. Mann. This case was the state of North Carolina against John Mann. Mann shot his slave named Lydia and then was told to pay a $10 fine. Unfortunately the state lost this case because the Supreme Court ruled that slaveowners had all legal rights to do what they wanted to their slaves.

Slavery is the devils work. Any person who believes it is moral will be looked down upon by the eyes of God. As Exodus states in 21:16 “Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.” Our Bible even states how we do not condone slavery so why should we support it? Why are so called religious people still choosing to own slaves when our Bible states things like this?

The people who believe in slavery use them to perform there duties on there beautiful farm lands that the lord has blessed them with. This is not right, God bless you with that land, it is for you to take care of and nourish not anyone else. The people who own slaves believe they are superior. God is who we should be trying to please and only him. Listening to the Bible is how we should be doing it. “Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.” Peter 1:16 People should be free and living through the rules of God not through the rules of someone.Everyone should be able to live their lives freely.  God will punish those who go against him. Those who are with him live without sin and those who betray him walk through their lives as sinners. Does one not feel the guilt of abusing another person? God is always watching, and he knows all. For those who try and hide there slaves from society, God knows. He watches you commit the crimes. It should be gone to many innocent people are getting there lives taken away by slavery. We need to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves and God will back us up. In the eyes of God we are good and we now must go out and preach his words to help end slavery.

http://projects.leadr.msu.edu/youngamerica/exhibits/show/antislaveryreligion/antislaveryreligionusa

https://time.com/5171819/christianity-slavery-book-excerpt/

https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/bible-verses-about-slavery/

Gone With the Wind Review

 

This film really opened my eyes to a different type of film. I had never seen a film like this one before, one this old. The film has real special effects such as, having to actually light the set on fire, use hundreds of people to create overview scenes, and also use real live animals. This showed be what it really took to create a genuine film like this in a time where they did not have the technology they do today. Without this class, I would most likely had never even had thought to watch this because the idea of an "old" movie would never had been appealing to me.

Gone With the Wind shows a perspective of what it was like during the Civil War. Throughout the film we see how the whites were considered "wealthy" and people of color were treated as slaves. This is what it was like during this time period while the North and South were at war with each other over if slavery was right or wrong.  The film makes the North seem like the "enemy" when in fact they were the ones fighting for slavery to be eliminated, the South believed that they had the right to own them.

The slaves in the film were mostly houseworkers and caregivers, and they played a big role in the film. They go one to treat them as if they were stupid and worth nothing. For example, the female lead named Scarlett was called to help deliver her friends baby but she did not know how and asked a young girl who was her slave. The young girl began to tell Scarlett that she also had no idea how to deliver a baby and then Scarlett began to beat her. This was just one specific example of how the film portrayed the slaves.

As I said before I did really enjoy the film but one thing I did not agree with was how glorified the southerners were. They were shown as perfect and innocent when they were the ones who had owned the slaves. Not the northerners. Maybe this is just my 2022 modern day mindset, but I feel as if it is definitely biased. Overall the film "Gone with the Wind" is a well put together film used to demonstrate life in the Antebellum and Civil War period in time.

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/14/movies/gone-with-the-wind-battle.html

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031381/

Bible Team Challenge

 Throughout history, we have seen the idea of slavery take place all over the world. We have focused on the most in the United States, especially in the 1800s. Religion played a massive role in how people viewed slavery because during this time most people were very religious no matter what the religion may have been. In Catholicism, we see that they believed in slavery because their religion never specifically said anything negative about it. Since their religion never preached that the idea of slavery was a sin, they saw nothing wrong with the idea and took it as more of a right. 

Pro-Slavery: Rachel

Since Catholicism was the main religion in the United States throughout the prime years of slavery, it influenced people’s minds the most. According to Ephesians 6:5-8 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. This shows how the Bible easily tells people it is ok and will not be looked down upon by God. For instance, in Maryland, there was a plantation that was bought by a Jesuit priest in which he used his slaves to spread the word of the Catholic church. The pay that the slaves would receive would go to the building of new churches and new schools. We see here that the Catholic church used the Bible to preach and enforce the idea of slavery.

This photo shows Frank Campbell who was one of the enslaved men on this plantation.

New York Times Article

Over the years the Catholic Church has grown and modernized. One big thing that has changed was when the new Catechism of the Catholic Church (teachings of the Roman Catholic church) was published in 1994. This new idea of teachings truly changes the Catholic’s ideas from pro slavery to against it. In the seventh commandment, it states that “you shall not steal”. This meaning that the idea of slavery is an idea of stealing. You steal their identity, because when slaves were employed they were not given names or self-identities. Also, the employers would steal their incomes and use it on themselves because they believed that they should not get paid. Without the changing of the Catechism of the Catholic church, they would still believe that being treated as an object and stealing one's identity is moral because the church does not say anything against it. “No longer slaves but brothers and sisters,” said has said, Pope Francis.

Pictured is the “Catechism of the Catholic Church” which was published in 1994.

Sources:

https://justiceandpeace.org.au/key-ideas-and-extracts-about-slavery-trafficking/

https://faithmag.com/seventh-commandment-you-shall-not-steal

https://amsterdamnews.com/news/2018/09/18/major-role-catholic-church-played-slavery/

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/01/a-harvard-exhibit-on-slavery-and-christianity/

ANTI-SLAVERY: Lauren

Christianity has so much history to it that it is extremely hard to say, “Yes, the Bible was pro-slavery” or “No, the Bible was anti-slavery.” The correct answer to someone asking what the Bible believed about slavery is that it was both pro and anti-slavery. I will be unpacking the anti-slavery side of Christianity. One thing that most people don’t understand is that when the Bible was written, slavery had a completely different meaning, which is why it is hard to come to a verdict on what side the Bible stood. 

Slavery was a completely different concept than it was in the 18th and 19th centuries. The Old Testament talks a lot about slavery. Throughout the O.T., it is clear that slavery existed. In Deuteronomy 27:7 it says: If someone is caught kidnapping a fellow Israelite and treating or selling them as a slave, the kidnapper must die. You must purge the evil from among you. It is evident that slavery was a thing during these times and that people in Israel were struggling. If we take a closer look at Exodus 21, it flat-out condemns the selling and enslavement of people. Although I am supposed to be talking about the anti-slavery side of things, it is not fair to give information about a Bible that supposedly condemns slavery, when there is so much background and history that get to that point. 

(Enslavement in Israel)

So what changed? Why was slavery okay back then but now, any Christian would immediately be against it? What people fail to understand is that slavery as spoken about in the Old Testament was not race-based at all. What one will see if they dive deeper into what the Bible says about slavery, is that it is condoned in both the New Testament and the Old Testament, but less in the New Testament. The Bible states that everyone is made in the image of God. The slave and the master are equally human and protected in our one in Christ. So yes, although the Bible is condoning slavery, is a completely different version of the slavery that we know today. What the New Testament explains better, is that the Bible's main goal was spiritual redemption, not social reform.  

A lot of times in the Bible, "slavery" refers to being a "slave" to Jesus. "When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who is sojourning with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt I am the Lord your God." (Leviticus 19:33-34). One of the reasons people say that the New Testament is more anti-slavery is that it talks more about not submitting yourself to slavery for people other than Jesus. So while the Bible is condemning slavery in a way, it still says that you should be a servant and a slave to Jesus, which is completely different than traditional slavery. In Galatians 3:28, Jesus states, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Jesus Christ." In Ephesians 6:9 Jesus demands, "Masters do the same to them and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their master and yours is in heaven and that there is no partiality with him.” In Ephesians 6:5, Jesus demands, "Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ.” 

To conclude our findings, it is fair to say slavery is equally condemned and condoned throughout the Bible and has completely changed over time. The meaning of slavery in the Bible is nothing like the meaning we know today, which is what people fail to understand. There are many different interpretations of what the Bible actually meant by all of these arguments. Religion has played a vital role in the development of slavery, and the Bible has been a critical tool when analyzing if slavery is ethical. 

Sources:

https://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-slave-of-christ/

https://www.bibleodyssey.org/en/passages/related-articles/slavery-in-the-new-testament

https://emergencenj.org/blog/2019/01/04/does-the-bible-condone-slavery

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/why-wrong-say-bible-pro-slavery/