EOTO: Sundown Towns

Sundown towns in the United States excluded non-white people- almost always African Americans- from remaining in the town after sunset. These towns coexisted with the short period during the 1860s when African Americans had lost the rights that they had gained after the Civil War, but even more of these towns arose after the reconstruction era ended in 1890 to about 1968 when the Fair Housing Act was presented. 

The term “sundown town” stems from the various signs posted at city limits, most signages said something similar to “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on You in ___.” These phrases made it very clear that African Americans were not welcome, and if they went against the warnings on the signs, they were risking their lives and faced the high possibility of death. What was once a simple way to tell African Americans to stay out of the city after dark became a way to describe cities and even states during the 1960s? In her memoir about the challenges of racism and the trauma she held, the late poet Maya Angelou described Mississippi by saying, “Don’t Let the Sun Set on You Here, Nigger, Mississippi”  In her memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. 

Around 1890, many towns and communities that had a population with a mixture of African Americans and White Americans, white people found ways to get rid of their black population. For example, when an African American was accused of doing a crime, they used that as an excuse to blame the whole black community for that individual's wrongdoings and then forced them out with violence and often went as far as committing arson. Other communities and towns simply became sundown towns through social and economic oppression. They often made it impossible for colored individuals to buy homes and land and made it relatively difficult for them to get the services needed from the city. Some sundown towns even went as far as signaling their status as a sundown town by sounding a loud siren at sunset. Most of the time, sundown policies were unwritten and unspoken, but nonetheless, they were understood, and the threat of violence was always present. 

There are many misconceptions about sundown towns, one misconception being that a sundown town is a place that had a racial incident happen, and that is how they gained the title. That is a false narrative, these towns are entire communities that purposely made sure they were “all white” for decades. I say “all white” with quotes because some towns allowed one black family to remain while they drove out the rest. But, they weren't just normal black families, these families tended to be servants, prisoners, or even interracial children that remained IN a white household and not on their own unless they were in jails, hospitals, or in colleges. Not only did these communities keep African Americans out, but they also kept out Chinese Americans, Jews, Mexican Americans, Mormons, and even Native Americans.

Another major misconception is the belief that sundown towns only existed in southern states. That is not true because Sundown Towns existed all over the United States, and there were once over 2,400 sundown towns in the United States, and at least 644 of them were located in the midwest. 

A city I would like to use as my example is Edmond, Oklahoma. Edmond is about 22 minutes outside of Oklahoma City. This Sundown Town was described as a 100% white town in the 1920s. 

As we can see in this photo, many businesses in town used this message in their advertisement. One company, Royce Cafe, was one of the most popular restaurants in Edmond from the 1930s up until 1970. In the postcard that they used to promote their business, they also promoted Edmond as the ideal place to live. If you can’t see, the postcard brags that the town has 6,000 citizens and none of which are negros. This postcard has been circulated for decades and is visual proof that Edmond was a sundown town, and many other cities used tactics such as this to boast the fact that they are proud sundown towns. 

In this next photo, we can see what is referred to as a “newcomer’s guide,” which was given to new residents when they moved to the town. Just like the postcard, the statistics side of this article highlights the fact that there is an estimation of 7,500 residents, 100% white, and absolutely no negros. 

The last image we have is a letter that came from the Edmond Chamber of Commerce. On their letterhead, they advertise Edmond as “A Good Place to Live” and is located “In the Center of the White Spot of the Universe,” once again highlighting the fact that the town had no negros. 

This is just one of the many towns that were loud and proud racist.​​ To this day, we still have sundown towns in the US. But, keep in mind there are no sundown towns in the sense of LEGALLY or publicly excluding any residents who are not white.

In the Heat of the Night 🔥🌑

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚎 𝙸𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙷𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙽𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚝𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚞𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 1960𝚜. 

𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚢 𝚅 𝙵𝚞𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚜𝚞𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚎perate but equal could work without 𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚖 𝚑𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚎𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚖 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚂𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚊, 𝙼𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚙𝚙𝚒, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚂𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚊 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚞𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚊 𝚕𝚒𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚌𝚛𝚞𝚎𝚕 𝚓𝚘𝚔𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝙰𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝙰𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚜. The film powerfully shows how the town's white establishment made sure African Americans understood their place in this so-called "separate but equal" society - disrespected, demeaned, and unequal. 

When the main character, Virgil Tibbs, a black detective from Philadelphia, comes into town, where racism runs deep, he quickly sees that the so-called "separate but equal" plan is nothing more than a facade. Instead of finding a place where he can fit in and do his job as an African American Male, he faces a system that is set against him. The local executives, especially Chief Gillespie, perfectly represent the ingrained prejudice of the town. Through Tibbs' point of view, it is clear how the town treats its black citizens- disrespect and degradation that completely undermines the true essence of equality.

Although Virgil and the Chief have a rough start, their relationship starts to transition throughout the film. At first, Gillespie perfectly represents and embodies the deep-rooted racism of the South, by viewing Virgil with suspicion and not holding him to the level of respect that he deserved. But while Gillespie has a negative attitude, Virgil does not, he shows him respect and remains professional. As they continue to work together on the case, Gillespie slowly begins to see Virgil as the skilled detective he is and does not just recognize Virgil's detective skills but also his humanity, regardless of his race.

The shift in their relationship mirrors the changes happening in society, showing that even in a divided society, people can learn to see past their prejudiced mindsets and recognize the humanity of others, 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠ing 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚍𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚢 𝚠𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜' 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚐𝚐𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝. 

However, the film shows their relationship moving fast-paced, and transforming in the course of a few days, the reality in the Jim Crow South was much longer and violent. It was not until years later that white individuals started to accept that African Americans deserved equal opportunities and respect- and that they were just as capable as they were. And even today, some individuals still struggle to understand the fact that we share a common humanity regardless of race.

However, the film shows their relationship moving fast-paced, and transforming in the course of a few days, the reality in the Jim Crow South was much longer and violent. It was not until years later that white individuals started to accept that African Americans deserved equal opportunities and respect- and that they were just as capable as they were. And even today, some individuals still struggle to understand the fact that we share a common humanity regardless of race.

The Heat of the Night is more than just a film, it is a powerful masterpiece that mentions the themes of race, justice, and humanity. The film offered a peek into life in the 1960s, showing viewers how far society has progressed, breaking down the myth of "separate but equal." The film forces viewers to recognize the harsh The Heat of the Night is more than just a film, it is a powerful masterpiece that mentions the themes of race, justice, and humanity. The film offered a peek into life in the 1960s, showing viewers how far society has progressed, breaking down the myth of "separate but equal." The film forces viewers to recognize the harsh realities and cruel struggles of that era, making an impactful and lasting message. Realities and cruel struggles of that era, making an impactful and lasting message. 

As we reflect on this movie, it is clear that the fight for justice and women's reproductive rights has not ended and is more urgent than ever now. It is on us to educate ourselves and others about these issues and spread awareness to ensure that history does not repeat itself.

Reconstruction Era EOTO

The topic of today's each-teach-one presentation was the reconstruction era. We learned about the bad, the good, and the in-between. 

The reconstruction era was the period after the American Civil War. This period was aimed at reorganizing the southern states after the Civil War. Just like every era in the USA, it had positives and negatives.

To start with the good things this era had to offer we discussed “Forty Acres and a Mule.”

This was a promise made by General Sherman for land distribution. They stated that 400,000 acres would be given to African American families. The plan was to take the land away from wealthy confederates to financially harm them.

Black leaders in Georgia felt that this would give freed families a place to escape discrimination and help them establish economic independence. 

Although this plan was on the right track it became a promise that was not kept. After the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, President Andrew Johnson rescinded the agreement and returned the 400,000 acres of land to the Confederate owners. 

Next, we discussed the amendments that were brought upon during the reconstruction era.

The first amendment was the thirteenth amendment, this amendment was set in place to abolish slavery because, at the end of the Civil War, it was still allowed. 

The next amendment was the Fourteenth Amendment, this amendment was set in place and granted legal citizenship and equal and civil rights to anyone who is born in the United States or has become a Citizen of the United States. 

The last amendment was the Fifteenth Amendment, this amendment was set in place to grant African American men the right to vote. 

The last “positive” thing we discussed was the Civil Rights Act of 1875. This act was set in place to guarantee all citizens, regardless of their skin color, access to public accommodations and the right to be included in jury duty. This law made history as the first accommodation law passed in the United States. 

Moving on to the negatives we first discussed the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. 

The death of Lincoln caused national grief and ended the possibility of peace, disarrayed the government, and even began a manhunt for his assassin, and his death even erased the progress of reconstruction like the 40 acres and a mule for example. 

Next, we discussed black codes. Black codes varied from state to state and they placed restrictions on Black Labor, Property, and Suffrage. 

These codes granted some civil rights such as the ability to marry and make contracts, yet they were denied the right to vote, serve on juries, and testify against white people.  

Then there were labor contracts, these contracts were required to be signed by African Americans, and they could be arrested, fined, or forced into unpaid labor if they refused to sign it. This also led to vagrancy laws, which meant black people could be arrested for being unemployed. And then many misdemeanors were treated as felonies, with harsh sentences and fines. 

We also discussed the Ku Klux Klan, or the KKK for short. They are a white supremacist hate group that is still around to this day. The organization was founded immediately after the Civil War.

The Klan wanted to overthrow the republican government and they chose the tactic of intimidating voters and especially targeted violence towards African Americans. 

The members of the Klansmen were individuals who hid in plain sight. And even adopted the name of the “Invisible Empire of The South.”

All in all the eoto was very informative and I learned new things as well as learning more information about the topics that we breezed over in school.

Plessy V Ferguson Historical Claim

𝙶𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝙰𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚘𝚘𝚗, 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚘𝚛. 𝚂𝚎𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚌𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚒𝚗𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊 𝚗𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚌𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜.   

𝙴𝚕𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚎𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚒𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍, 𝚊𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚗𝚘𝚠. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙲𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝙰𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝙰𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚝, 𝚐𝚘 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚕 𝚝𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚘𝚛 𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚞𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚜. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚌𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚎𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚑𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚘𝚛 𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚘 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚜 𝚠𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚎. 

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚏𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗. 𝙸𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚕 𝚐𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚊 𝚘𝚗𝚎-𝚜𝚒𝚣𝚎-𝚏𝚒𝚝𝚜-𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚕𝚊𝚠 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚎𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚎𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚊𝚕 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚜.  

𝚆𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍-𝚏𝚊𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚎𝚏𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚣𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚎𝚍𝚞𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚜𝚢𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚜. 𝙷𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛, 𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢, 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚎𝚝𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚌𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚝 𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚌𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚜.

𝙴𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚎𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚖𝚊𝚢 𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚘 𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚜𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚖𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚏𝚎𝚝𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝙰𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚜. 𝙶𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙰𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝙰𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚜, 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚂𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚑. 𝙰𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝙰𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗 𝚘𝚗 𝚞𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝙰𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖 𝚘𝚏 𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚗 𝚞𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚜 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚗. 

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚊 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚕𝚊𝚠 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚍𝚘𝚖 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚕𝚊𝚠𝚜. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚕𝚊𝚠𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚌𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚢𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚖 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚎. 

𝙻𝚎𝚝’𝚜 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝙰𝚗𝚝𝚒-𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚕𝚊𝚠𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚎𝚡𝚊𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚕𝚊𝚠𝚜 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚕 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙𝚜. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚕𝚊𝚠𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚢 1700𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚢. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚖 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑.

    

𝙶𝚊𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚗, 𝚃𝚎𝚡𝚊𝚜, 𝚘𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 “𝚆𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚂𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚂𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚑”, 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚎𝚡𝚊𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚜𝚎𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚆𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝙰𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙰𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝙰𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢. 𝙶𝚊𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚗 𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚗𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝 𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚖𝚊𝚓𝚘𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚑𝚞𝚋.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙰𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝙰𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚙𝚘𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚞𝚒𝚕𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚜𝚎𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚗𝚞𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚓𝚘𝚋𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚔-𝚘𝚠𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚜, 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚞𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚒𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚢. 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚎𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚎𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚜𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚏𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚑.

𝙸𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚕𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚘𝚛, 𝙸 𝚊𝚜𝚔 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚎𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚌𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚋𝚞𝚒𝚕𝚝 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚒𝚝. 𝙰𝚜 𝚠𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘𝚍𝚊𝚢, 𝚜𝚎𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚢, 𝚒𝚝 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗. 

𝚆𝚎 𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝙰𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝙰𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚙𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑 𝚞𝚙 𝚝𝚘 𝚆𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝙰𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚜𝚞𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚗 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚢𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚜. 𝙻𝚎𝚝 𝚞𝚜 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚍𝚘𝚖 𝚘𝚏 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚏𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚏𝚞𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎.  

𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞.

State V Mann Reaction

Today we got to sit through a reenactment of a real life historical court case; State V Mann. 

This particular court case involved a poor white man, John Mann and Lydia, an enslaved African American woman. 

Mann had rented Lydia out from her owner so she could do some work for him, she did the normal jobs that slaves had done in this period. One day, Mann had whipped her and she tried to escape. In result, Mann shot Lydia in the back of the head, she did not die but Mann was charged with assault and battery and was fined $5. Mann is here today because he feels that he was wrongly fined $5. 

We got to hear from two different sides of the argument, one side agreeing that Mann was not in the wrong, and the opposing side arguing that Mann was in the wrong and the $5 fine was the bare minimum.

As people were talking we began seeing and understanding that the court case was much more than a $5 fine, it began to un-blur the lines of the harsh realities of slavery, rights, and white southerners morality as a whole. 

Ultimately, Lydia is a slave; a slave holds no rights in court nor her master. Although Lydia was rented and Mann did not own her she is still considered property and at the point in time she was property of Mann. 

Many individuals got on the podium and spoke their piece on the situation. Many spoke against Lydia being a piece of property and Mann was in the wrong as well as many people speaking that Lydia is a piece of property and Mann was not in the wrong. 

Similarity to the real case, the court declared that slaves had no rights from their masters.

Although many people were disappointed, that was the harsh realities for slaves in the 1800s.

Town Hall Meeting - Reaction

 As I sat at the town hall meeting, I heard from various activists. The speakers ranged from known fugitive slaves like Araminta Ross, aka Harriet Tubman, to the sixth president of the United States of America, John Quincy Adams. The wide variety of speakers helped me and my classmates learn about the anti-slavery movement from different standpoints. 

Starting strong, we heard from Richard Allen who was also known as Negro Allen. He was born into bondage, he, his mother, and his five siblings were sold to Mr.Stugis, a plantation owner in Deleware. He did not have much recollection of his mother and two of his siblings due to Mr.Sturgis selling them to pay off his debt. The world referred to Mr.Sturgis as a “good and humane” master but Allen did not see it that way. At 20 years old Allen was freed and he went to Pennslyvania and began preaching.

The next person I got the chance to learn more about was Harriet Jacobs. She was a jack of all trades; a former slave, an abolitionist, and a published author. 

Most former slaves that you learn about are aware of their position in slavery from a young age but not Jacobs. 

She did not learn she was a slave until the age of six and even then she did not fully understand what it meant to be a slave. Her mistress and master treated her family with care and even taught her how to read and write.

Further down the line, her new master Dr.Flint began to harass her sexually. She feared that her innocence was going to be robbed from her so she decided to give herself to a man named Mr.Sands before Dr.Flint took it upon himself to rob her of her innocence. In 1835 she escaped Dr.Flint, she lived in her grandmother’s attic for 7 years. In 1842, she gained the courage to finally flee up north and when she was up north she wrote anonymous letters to the New York Tribune before she wrote her biography.
Harriet was born a slave and died a free woman. 

Then we heard from Frances Ellen Watkins. She was a poet who used her pen as a weapon. One quote that she had that was very impactful was that the issue of slavery was a moral cancer eating away the soul of our country.

The last person I would like to touch on is Araminta Ross; to many, she is known as Harriet Tubman. Having a free dad and an enslaved mother Harriet and her 8 siblings were born into slavery and were even rented out to be a child caregiver at the ripe age of eight years old. 

Upon learning that she was about to be sold due to some form of debt that her master was in Harriet ran away. Her sibling was with her on her journey but ran back in fear of being caught.

Along her journey, she suffered from sleeping spells that made her fall asleep at any given moment. This only fueled Tubman’s fire, she took her spells as signs from God to continue to free slaves resulting in her becoming “Moses”. 

She was known as the black Moses by free and enslaved people due to her making 19 trips to free about 300 enslaved people. 

She was married twice and even had an adopted daughter. 

This town hall meeting was very informative. It was interesting learning about anti-slavery activists, especially being introduced to new ones that I had never heard about. As an African American it was eye-opening hearing how big of an impact that white and black abolitionists had on shaping life as we know it today.