Blog #11

The story “As the Lord Lives, He Is One of Our Mother’s Children” was very interesting to me.  Before reading this story I was not too familiar with lynching and anti-lynching activism in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.  Pauline E. Hopkins actually did a great job putting into perspective how horrible and often lynching was in that time with quotes like, “[the] only way you can teach these niggers a lesson is to go to the jail and lynch these men as an object lesson… kill them, string them up, lynch them.” (245)  she also does a great job in demanding sympathy from the reader by allowing stone to tell his own story about how he and his friend were framed for the murder that put them in jail.  Hearing Stone admit and accept is past in front of the minister allows the reader to build trust with Stone.  

I will raise a question though.  Since this story was published in a magazine for black people, how successful was it in the anti-lynching movement.  I am assuming that the white people doing the lynching were not the biggest fans of “the Colored American Magazine,” which means they would not have read the story and further be called to action by it.  This story is very moving, but I’m not convinced that the people who needed to read it most actually read it.

post #10

As I read “Learning to Read” by Frances EW Harper, I had an instant realization of how lucky I am to be able to read.  I cannot even remember far enough back to tell you how I felt when I was learning to read. But as much as I would like to say that I was as persistent as Harper, I sadly cannot guarantee it. My generation is so blessed to live in a society where so much emphasis is put on education for everyone. I just can’t imagine what it would be like to spend sixty years of your life without knowing how to read and understanding the power of literature. This is especially hard to imagine considering the power of literature was right in front of Harper but her masters forbid her of her right to learn. When she describes the way they tried to attain books to read, I feel horrible for denying them the right to learn. This poem just makes me realize how important it is for everyone to learn to read at an early age. Not only for the sake of their own learning, but for the sake of our ever growing nation, we need the highest percent of people educated in order to be successful.

Post #9

The very first connection between today and the years after the Civil War that stands out to me in the reading is the power of popular culture.  The book states that right after the civil war Elizabeth Stuart Phelps wrote a novel to console the grieving country. At that time novels were arguably the most prevalent form of popular culture so Phelps’s novel really united the entire nation. Currently, music is one of the most prevalent forms of popular culture and it has united the country in times of grieving.  A strong example of when music united the nation is after 9-11 when Toby Keith released his song, “Courtesy Of the Red, White and Blue (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruNrdmjcNTc&feature=artistob&playnext=1&list=TLm2WKw4kaq3Q).  After 9-11, America was in a state of grieving and Keith’s song helped Americans release some of the built up anger.  Politically, I also see some connections. Controversies with counting Presidential votes arose after the Civil War and they also arose in 2000 between Bush and Gore.  The next connection I see in the reading is how innovation and technology change the way Americans live. The lightbulb, automobile, telephone, radio and airplane dramatically changed the American way of life back then. All those innovations promoted population growth and a rising living standard. Now, technology and innovations are changing the American way of life again. Take the iPhone for example, six or seven years ago I would have never thought about checking my email right from cell phone, let alone streaming television on it! There are so many ways that we are connected to the years 1865-1914, you just have to have an open mind to see the parallels.

Post #8

For this response I have chosen to adopt the persona of a southern slave holder and compare, contrast and react to two texts. The first text I have chosen is John Brown’s “Last Speech.”  John Brown states that he had peacefully moved slaves from Missouri to Canada, which we know is untrue because he actually led a raid into Missouri. As a southern slave owner, I would have a strong dislike for John Brown. Southern slave owners needed slaves to maintain a profitable plantation and they believed that inequality was a natural part of life.   Brown also states that his act was worthy of reward, not punishment.  Once again, the southern slave owner would be enraged at this statement since they believe that slaves are property and stealing them should not be rewarded.  The next text I examined is Jefferson Davis’s Inaugural Address.  In his speech, Davis promotes all aspects of the government that the southerners want out of it. As a southern slave holder, I would be really in tune with what Davis.  He does not oppose slavery in his speech which would have negatively affected his credibility with his people. These are two texts that come from very different perspectives, and would have two very different reactions.