We begin our journey with the most significant era of the 19th century.
The Civil War has just ended. The slaves are now free. So...what happens now?
The importance of the Reconstruction Era cannot be overstated. The nations entire social structure, since 1619, had been turned on its head.
Slaves had their freedom but no formal training on how to be free. They'd never been given the chance!
White society now had to coexist with a previously subjugated group of people. It...didn't go smoothly.
For this week's blog, take a look at this website. Choose any of the links labeled "Reading" and read about an aspect of this era.
In the comment section, write 200 words on what you learned from your selection. Be sure to post your word count at the end of your essay.
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ReplyDeleteI read “A black republican leader asks for protection”. Lewis McGee is president of Bolton’s republican club, in Bolton, Mississippi. He writes a letter to the governor asking for protection. In he’s letter he says that he is trapped in Jackson Mississippi and cannot leave because angry men promised to kill him due to the fact that he was President of the Bolton republican club. This was also because in Jackson they were upset about losing the war and still had not accepted that blacks and whites were equal.
ReplyDeleteMcGees letter was very desperate despite him being a free man. He was genuinely scared for he’s life which is why he begged the governor for protection. I learned from the tone of the letter that even though he was a free slave, it didn’t really matter in many southern states because they were not over the war, racist, etc. I also learned that McGee was not very educated. As a free man he continued to work a cotton farm, granted it was he’s own farm and he made a profit. I think this was because he had not had the chance to be educated during he’s time as a slave as well as he’s letter to the governor had many grammar mistakes. (212)
I read “A Black Republican Leader Asks for Protection”. In the letter that Lewis McGee wrote he is basically begging for protection from the white people around him. I believe they are after him because he has his own company and they see that he is succeeding in life. In the letter he is asking for protection or advice on how to get out of the fix he is currently in. It also looks like they are not going to let him leave town or his house what can be a method of starving him out. Because he can not make money at the moment because he can not harvest his crops this is due to him not being able to supervise his workers.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion no one wants to kill him for being a mean boss or miss treating anyone but just for being a certain color skin. This is not right because God made everyone equal and in his own image and from the looks of it he has done nothing wrong. So in conclusion I hope this person he is writing the letter too can hopefully help him out because he has done literally nothing wrong. (200)
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ReplyDeleteI read ‘A Day of Triumph’ which is an emotional diary entry recorded by Caroline Barrett White of Brookline, Massachusetts. White was a politically engaged observer of the war. On April 10, 1865 she marvels at the ‘Lord’s doings’ that led General Lee to surrender to General Grant. Her enthusiasm can be felt in her choice of words such as hurrah, jubilation, and triumph. The news of the surrender meant there would be end to the great suffering of war and to slavery. The city in which she lived made plans to celebrate with music and fireworks. This made me think of modern Indepence Day celebrations that I attend with my family on the Fourth of July. White was grateful to the Lord for bringing ‘justice and freedom’ to the country. I feel that White believed herself to be a true patriot, but refrained from describing empathy for General Lee of the Army of Northern Virginia. An unspoken theme throughout this particular entry is her perceived loyalty to General Grant and the Union soldiers. She ends of diary entry with a patriotic nod to the American flag and the excitement of declaring that it could be waived over people of every color in the name of liberty. (207)
ReplyDeleteI read about the Mississippi black codes. One of the ones I read about was the Civil rights of freedom. This basically tells what black people could and could not do like they could not be with any white person. If they did this then they were sentenced to life in prison that’s really bad. This also says that after a certain date that they could be employed and have a home. Then if they quit there job the have to give up there wages for that year all the way up to the time they quit. They lost money because they quit. Then there was a vagrant law that said if any group of black people out to late would get fined no more than 100 dollars and may be imprisoned if agreed on by the court not exceeding ten days. Also if they are not in the military they have to carry firearms. Also if white people sell any liquor, firearms, ammunition, or knives they will be fined no more than 50 dollars and may be imprisoned for no more than 30 days if decided by the court. I have never heard of these codes before. Really interesting.
ReplyDeleteI read “Louisiana White League Platform (1874)”. This article contained the platform of the Louisiana white league platform as well as a brief explanation of what they were and what they were seen as. The League was a semi military force that worked along side the Democratic Party in Mississippi and Louisiana during 1974 and 1975. Their main purpose according to thief platform being the preservation of their cultural civilization as well as Christianity which they believed had been pervaded by “Africanization”. In order to stop that from asking they Asked people of their race(white)of any language or nationality to unite in order to stop that from happening. Of which was the result of the league of blacks of whom they believed would start a race war. As well as be prepared for any emergency in order to stop the threat of race wars. It also called for the league “to forget all differences of opinions and all race prejudices of the past, and with no object in view but the common good of both races,”. Although that common good stated in the platform was a white-run city and state government which would likely not have been seen as good by the blacks at the time. Although I’ve heard of other racist based paramilitary groups such as the KKK I was surprised to hear about the violence they inflicted upon white republicans as well. I also wonder if they had any form of prejudice against Jews to. I found it interesting how the platform said they wanted the common good of both races as well.
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ReplyDeleteI read “A Day of Triumph” which was written by Caroline Bartlett White on Monday, April 10, 1865 after hearing that the civil war had ended. This is taken from page 66 of “The Reconstruction Era and the Fragility of Democracy”. She starts off by stating that she woke up to the sound of bell clinging and a paper sent home by someone named Frank claiming that General Lee of the Confederates has surrendered his entire army to General Grant of the Union. She then says that her whole city has decided to take the day have and celebrate this momentous Occasion and that later that evening they will be shooting off fireworks and playing music, she wishes to join the festivities and cheering as she is in a quite room and only faintly hear everyone celebrating. Just a week prior was the fall of Petersburg and Richmond but nothing could compare to the victory of General Lee surrendering. She says that by know everybody should know what patriotism means and realize more fully than ever what it is to have a country and that their children will have an an inheritance that they will be proud of and desire.
ReplyDeleteI read “ A Black Republican Leader Asks for Protection”. This is a letter from Lewis Mcgee, who is the president of the Bolton Republicans club, and he is asking for protection from Governor Ames because of white people searching for him in Jackson, Mississippi. He is in a bad spot, and doesn’t have much to provide for himself, in fact, he only has 6 bales of cotton and 150 bushels of corn. He needs to find a way to escape or get protection, because everywhere he goes there are white people looking for him and attempting to kill him, just because he is the president of the Bolton Club. I think that they need to provide him help, its sounds like he is a newly freed man and is just trying to make a living, but the whites are attacking him and trying to kill him just probably because they have not gotten over the war. He seems genuinely scared and I think governor Ames should provide some type of protection for him, considering it doesn’t sound like he did anything wrong. I think the whites are just trying to retaliate for no reason, he is a free man, and they are trying to harm him, I think it is wrong. (212)
ReplyDeleteI read about A contested history which is a story that tells of justified segregation the story is by W. E. B du bois. The article i read is about how slavery couldve been ended peacefully and how most real history involving slavery is nowhere to be found in todays history textbooks for schools. Many americans still hold misconceptions about about the reconstruction era because of how much it was overlooked and not noticed by americans when it happened. I also read W. E .B Du bois refelcts on the purpose of history which talks about how in 1935 he published a book titled Black Reconstruction in America.The book talks about the shame of the south after slavery and how the north was ashamed because it had to call in the black men to save the union. Today children read in textbooks of history that the constitution recognized slavery and also that the chance of getting rid of slavery by peaceful methods was ruined by the Abolitionists. The article also talks about the many problems that occurred after the slaves were free. The book by W. E. B. du bois was published in 1935 and served as an eye opener for many people who were not informed by the true history of the slaves and what came after.
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ReplyDeleteI Read ”A day of triumph” which was written on Monday, April 10,1865. This article is basically about how general lee (the north) and his army surrounded General grant’s (the south) army. This happened on April 9th, 1865. This was a pretty big deal back then because it gave hope to people of color. This article explains how excited they were knowing they had hope to finally be treated fairly ."This is the Lord's doings, & it is marvelous in our eyes" this was a comment made by people of color in the north. Because of this April 9th will always be remembered as the day is triumph. General lee was a hero to most people because he led an army into battle for the soul purpose of giving everyone freedom. He helped make patriotism a reality for the American people. This was a major turning point in American history. A little bit after general lee's army had general grant's army surrounded. General grants army surrendered and at that point the south had lost and this put the end of slavery into motion. This was as I said before a huge deal because it ended the unfairness colored people were put through for good. (204)
ReplyDeleteI read “Klansmen Broke My Door Open”. I learned about the continual abuse of African Americans even after they gained the title of “freeman”. The Ku Klux Klan tried to do as much as they could to keep their control over the African Americans in the south. These men were using their authority to terrorize the African American men and influence their voting. On October 29th, 1869 in this testimony Abram Colby gives an explanation to a congressional committee, he explains the continual aggressive actions of white men towards “freedpeople”. Colby explains that these men would take him out of his own home and whip and beat him. Even though it would have been easy for Colby to give up, he continued to stay strong in his beliefs. The men even offered him two thousand five hundred dollars to let somebody else take his legislature place. “I told them that I would not do it if they would give me all the county was worth.” After this encounter Colby was never able to fully recover. Even though these men would beat, threaten to kill, and try to run Abram Colby off he still stayed for the election because he knew that he would win. (203)
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