Blog #11

In reading Pauline Hopkins' “As the Lord Lives, He Is One of Our Mother’s Children”  and Claude McKay's poems, I was able to realize the social changes in the United States after the Civil war. Though there were positive changes in reference to African Americans gaining little rights, lynching became a big problem facing this minority group. When we look at change, we see positive but then as soon as it grows, it gets beaten to the ground in this case. What was so hard for me to understand and maybe this goes along with a perplexing question is that though they were given rights, how was lynching to be able to take place.
In the reading "As the Lord Lives, He is One of Our Mother's Children," lynching was brought to this small town and many whites went after black men in jail first and were to lynch them in front of the crowd. "They only way you can teach these niggers a lesson is to go to the jail and lynch these men as an object lesson. String them up! That is the only thing to do" (pg 245). However, Rev. Stevens discovered a black man who can pass off as a white male hiding from being lynched. In the end, however, the individual is lynched though the true murderer had been caught and he was innocent. While reading this, it brought many questions in regards to freedom and the American dream. The same idea came to mind when reading the poems by Claude McKay. "If we must die, o let us nobly die. So that our precious blood may not be shed."  The reason the Civil War was fought was primarily in reference to slavery. After, they were gained extra rights and many would think that this would be it. However, things changed dramatically when the idea of lynching came about. Due to the fact that many whites feared that blacks would now become a threat, they referred to this as a way to deal with the problem. In tying it all together, the question still comes up to how this was even seen as something right politically and morally. If they had gained rights, what's there to be in fear of? How is lynching solving a purpose and how does it correspond with what was written in the Constitution? 

The Aha Moment

In reading both Frances EW Harper's poem, "Learning to Read" and Charles W. Chesnutt's short story, "The Wife of his Youth", I cam to realize the message of both of the writings. While reading, I realized that both of them talked about slavery and how the African Americans try to become something of themselves, proving better of the white Americans. Both texts represent a sense of "independence" and showing to others that they are no longer going to sit around and watch but make an impact and capture this American Dream that we have previously talked about. In reading "Learning to Read", I got the sense of that underlying message. The quote from the poem, "Our masters always tried to hide, book learning from our eyes; Knowledge did’nt agree with slavery—’Twould make us all too wise. But some of us would try to steal a little from the book. And put the words together,And learn by hook or crook" is one example of showing detachment from their white slave owners and really setting forth their goals. Teaching themselves to read even though it was prohibited showed that African Americans no longer had a fear of their White slave holders anymore and were willing to do whatever it takes. However, by these sorts of actions taken by these African Americans, a sense of fear starts to overcome the white Americans. 
Both readings talk about this aspect of African Americans and their being in the United States at this time. In "The Wife of his Youth", explained the same message as well; become something better as an emancipated slave. I thought that both readings were very insightful and really laid the ground work for class discussions in this sense of overcoming of the barriers and what this may cause in regards to the reactions of the white Americans. 

Contemporary Connection

In stating the connection between today and that of the time of the late 1800s to the early 1900s, politics would be one connection made. In reading the first couple of pages of the reading, I instantly made a connection between the two time periods. After the civil war, many changes were made politically. With the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment, individuals were provided rights to all qualified adult males, regardless of race or previous condition of servitude (pg 6). By this, the amendment enable African American men to participate fully in the political process, both as voters and as representatives on the state and national level and several African Americans were consequently elected to Congress (pg. 6). In reading this, I made the obvious connection to president Obama's election. Before elected, African Americans have been underrepresented in politics in both House and Congress. In electing an African American president, it got rid of the underrepresentation of African Americans since now an African American is the Commander in Chief and leader of the country. It shows that after the civil war, change was needed as a country to grow and come out of this time period in which the country was divided between North and South. In current times, the same situation was needed in which change was needed within a political aspect and bringing someone new and fresh to the arena created some sort of hope in which people needed after the economic downfall and tragedy of 9/11.
In addition, another political connection was noted between the two different time periods. The withdrawal of the troops, which had been deployed to ensure free elections and to protect black populations from attacks by whites who were determined to retain political power in the South, delivered a fatal blow to the civil rights and political aspirations of African Americans (pg 7). I used this example to make a connection between  the two due to the fact that it reminded me of the involvement of US troops in Afghanistan. With the announcement from President Obama to withdrawl the troops from Afghanistan, many would probably feel the same as what the African Americans felt at that time.
The last connection I made was the economic situations of both times. Immigration and rapid industrialization also generated growing conflicts between labor and corporations, or trusts, controlled by a few wealthy men. During what historians called the "Guilded Age", industrialists amassed huge fortunes through cutthroat business practices and exploitation of labor. The flood of immigrants created a massive surplus of labor in the United States where wages further declined during the depressions following the financial panics of 1873, 1884, and 1893 (pg 18). I felt that this was similar to current times when industrialists or banks did the same to other corporations in regards to the housing market which caused part of the economic downfall in recent years. With the increasing flow of immigration to the Unite States currently, many would consider this time period to be the time period of the late 1800s-1900s.

Speech/Writings of Brown and Garnet

     The two texts chosen to be analyzed were that of John Brown and Henry Garnet in which they seemed to be in conversation with each other. Both speeches by the two individuals involved the issue involving slavery and how it is unjust. In addition, both speeches don't disagree with each other but agree on their issue being made. In Brown's speech, Brown argues his belief in the freedom of slaves which he was known before to be apart of the pro slavery militia for control of the Kansas Territory (356). However, he argues before others that he has done the right thing. "The New Testament, which teaches me that all things whatsoever I would that men should do to me, I should do even so to them. It teaches me further to remember them that are in bonds as bound with them" (1358). This statement made before his decision made upon his life is pretty powerful in the respect that he uses religious quotes to serve as a way to bring justice upon the lives lost. In regards to the American Dream, this speech serves as an action that because you help slaves, you loose your freedom in which he feels that should not be allowed but accepts in the end.
      In Garnet's speech, he touches upon the issue of slavery and the injustice populations in American society is facing leading into the unsuccessful gain of the so called American dream. Garnet makes statements such as "He shall be equal before the law, and shall be left to make his own way in the social walks of life" (1376) and "We ask for no special favors, but we plead for justice" (1378) which heavily goes along the lines of a call to end slavery and that the American dream has seemed to be no where to be found or basically "taken away from those who should not be allowed to have it."
     In looking at which author happened to be most persuasive, I would go along the lines of Garnet's speech. In the reading, Garnet brought many powerful arguments to the table in which sent a powerful message to consider to put an end to the slavery crisis and restore the American dream within our culture/society. Garnet seems to even ask questions throughout the reading such as "The great day of the nation's judgement has come, and who will be able to stand?" (1377) which allows for a form of thought for the reader. 19th century readers would be persuaded by such writers/ speakers through relating to them. Most readers who read these forms of writing tend to read with the intent of relating to the writer and maybe gain some inspirations or ideas to maybe change their thought process or their forms of actions. In forms of geography, readers who read writings from writers from different geographical locations would lean towards those from their neck of the woods than somewhere they aren't too fawn of. (ex: north readers reading authors from the north, etc). If an individual who lives in the south read an authors speech or writing that advocated the release or end of slavery, he would probably disagree rather than a southerner reading that same writing or speech given. 

Imagery in Harper and Whittier

Imagery was used in both Harper and Whittier's poems. In reading Harper's "The Slave Mother", many lines of imagery was used. This poem describes a mother being separated from her son due to slavery and the tossing back and forth to multiple slave owners. From lines, 5- 9, Harper states: 
"Saw you those hands so sadly clasped
The bowed and feedble head
The shuddering of that fragile form
That look of grief and dread?"
This stanza stood out to me the most due to the fact that it provided visuals to the reader and makes the reader feel how the character feels. The description Harper uses reflects what slave women had to endure and the emotional pain one had to undergo. In addition, Harper uses continual imagery with the stanza stating:
"He is not hers, for cruel hands
May rudely tear apart
The only wreath of household love
That binds her breaking heart."
In reading his, Harper describes the scene of a child being taken away from a mother or parent during the transition of slave owners. It shows a clear visual of not only emotion but physical pain of the separation of a family. 
Imagery in this particular poem provides detail that one can gain emotions from in just one read. While reading Harper's poem, you are automatically drawn to the words of imagery and can feel or understand what the character is going through in regaurds to slavery. 

Race and Culture

In both readings, the characters were definitely caught between cultures. In Jacobs' Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, she describes how difficult for an African American woman to live in society at that time. Jacob's describes the slave girl's sister going through "misery and degradation being forced to suffer in slavery." In addition, she goes on to say "Mortified and tormented beyond endurance, this child came and threw herself on her mother's bosom, the only place where she could seek refuge from her persecutor; and yet she could not protect her child that she bore into the world" (Jacobs 766). Jacob later discusses in the reading how even her mother was punished for taking or trying to protect her daughter from this injustice stating "My mother was dragged to jail, there remained twenty-five days, with negro traders to come in as they liked to examine her, as she was offered for sale." In describing how African American slaves were treated really shows how it was hard to adapt to the American culture. In the case of the Native Americans, they were in a way forced to adapt to the American culture and believe in the American dream; Wearing clothing, listening to the white settlers, etc. However, in the case of the African Americans, it was a sense of fear as to "if we don't like what they are doing to us, we can't really do anything about it because punishment would be involved." In Jacob's writing, she explains how she doesn't write this to gain sympathy or anything to that extent but she states, "But I do earnestly desire to arouse the women of the North to a realizing sense of the condition of two millions of women at the South, still in bondage, suffering what i suffered, and most of them far worst" (Jacobs 769). In Jacobs stating this, it really shows the problem between the two cultures: one was more dominant than the other and harder for the less dominant to gain a voice in this country. In being a slave, slaves had no rights given to them and seemed to be considered "worthless" in the eyes of the white American. 


In Child's The Quadroons, the characters portrayed are definitely represented by being caught between cultures. From the beginning of the reading, Child's describes Rosalie having a better than usual life as a slave. Rosalie, though a slave, had a very wealthy owner and was not mistreated as most slaves were (like in Jacobs' account). However, being in love with another slave name Edward turned into a spiral when things could not work out between them due to the fact that they were slaves. In having a daughter, they were not allowed to officially be declared married, so things between the couple ended. In Child's reading she states "What would be the destiny of this fascinating young creature, so radiant with life and beauty? She belonged to a proscribed race; and though the brown color on her soft cheek was scarcely deeper than the sunny side of a golden pear, yet was it sufficient to exclude her from virtuous society." I felt this quote to be sufficient evidence to state that society had looked down upon many African American slaves. This quote shows the uncertainties many had, thinking about the future of their children and what would life be like for them. Would they have to face the injustice and torture they endured?

Both readings show conflict the characters felt in society due to their race. In Jacobs' writing, she lived in fear most of her life, enduring the worst from society. The reading shows that as an African American, you had no voice at all in this country. If you were to be beaten or treated unfairly, there was no way out. In Child's reading, it shows how society looked down upon the African American slaves, disregarding their rights as human beings and what was to happen in the future.

Apress and Sigourney's Theme

     In reading both Apess' and Sigourney's writings, the central theme that came across was civil rights for classes or cultures of society, focusing on Native Americans. In "An Indian's Looking-Glass for the White Man" Apress brings some very valuable information to the table in regaurds to Native American rights. In the beginning, Apress states, "Now I ask if degradation has not been heaped long enough upon the Indians? And if so, can there not be a compromise? Is it right to hold and promote prejudices? If not, why not put them all away?"(Apress 641) Apress is asking questions as to why is this happening and what is the reason for this, also leading up to some of his final thoughts. Apress also asks the question, "Can you charge the indians with robbing a nation almost of their whole continent, and murdering their women and children, and then depriving the remainder of their lawful rights, that nature and God require them to have? and to cap the climax, rob another nation to till their grounds and welter our their days under the lash with hunger and fatigue under the scorching rays of the burning sun?" (Apress 642) Apress brings up the point leading back to day one of our readings when we discussed who was actually here first. In addition, he points out that the Indians have endured much since the Englishman have been there and turns it around asking if the Indians have done that to their own people.
      Just like Apress, Sigourney has the same theme dealing with rights among different cultures or societies. In her biography, "Signourney was a popular poet who used conventional forms, writing elegies to honor dead friends and lyrics about nature. But she also wrote about social and political problems in the United States" (Signourney 1204).In her poem "Indian Names, Signourney has the same message as Apress, stating about the mistreatment of the Native Americans. She describes how the Indians are no longer present due to the Englishmen basically cutting them away from society. In describing their non presence, Signourney states, " Ye say, they all have passed away, that noble race and brave, that their light canoes have vanished from off the crested wave" (Signourney 1204). In ending, she clearly takes a stab at the Englishmen by stating, "Monadnock on this forehead hoar doth steal the sacred trust, your mountains build their monument, though ye destroy their dust" (Signourney 1205). In both pieces of writing, both writers make clear that the Indians have a ways to gain their rights of individuals. Both analyze their struggles on this land and once they had had everything, it was abruptly taken away.