One of the most remarkable events in Congressional history occurred on May 22, 1856. Senator Charles Sumner was caned (meaning beaten up by a cane) on the floor of the Senate. I'll type that again...a senator was caned by a representative from South Carolina on the floor of the Senate! The disagreements over the spread of slavery had come to blows!
Read this article and this article to get a better feel for this incident. In the comment section, explain why this caning happened AND how it represented the struggle facing all of America at this time.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Sojourner Truth: Ain't I A Woman?
Sojourner Truth (born Isabella Baumfree) is a fascinating figure during this time of mid-19th Century reform movements. Being a black woman who was born into slavery, she had an interest in several of the reform movements. I didn't know her personally, but she seems like she would have been a cool chick.
For this week's blog, read her famous speech from 1851 called "Ain't I A Woman?" and watch poet Alice Walker read it as well. It is a short, but powerful and humorous speech about the role of women in 1850's society.
In the comment section, discuss your take on the speech. What was Sojourner trying to say?
For this week's blog, read her famous speech from 1851 called "Ain't I A Woman?" and watch poet Alice Walker read it as well. It is a short, but powerful and humorous speech about the role of women in 1850's society.
In the comment section, discuss your take on the speech. What was Sojourner trying to say?
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