Blog #11

After reading Pauline Hopkins' "As the Lord Lives On, He is One of Our Children" and Claude McKay's six poems, I was constantly wondering how someone from our country could be so cruel to hang another human. I cannot imagine having enough hatred in my heart to hang another person. I've always just heard the facts of the African Americans being hung, but I've never read actual stories about it happening. This was obviously quite a large issue since it is brought up in both Hopkins' story and a few of McKay's poems. In Hopkins' story lynching is mentioned several times, in fact it is mentioned that it was a major concern.. "The only way you can teach these niggers a lesson is to go to the jail and lynch these men as an object lesson" (Hopkins). This is so appalling to me. I have always wondered what these people thought they were accomplishing by hanging the blacks. First, the blacks were not doing anything wrong in the first place, the whites just didn't want them doing what they were or having any kind of freedom at all. Second, hanging them doesn't seem like a good punishment because they just killed them, they couldn't change what they were doing because they were already dead. Also, in both author's pieces it is mentioned that the bodies were just left hanging for everyone to see "Day dawned, and soon the mixed crowds came to view/ the ghastly body swaying in the sun"(McKay). I just cannot see the justification in any of these actions or why anyone would be able to do this.

Response to Lacy McGrath

Like Lacy, I also drew many political connections. The first thing I noticed was the similarity between the War on Terror and the Civil War. I underlined the same passage on page seven that Lacy did. This was a very intriguing similarity. I also noted another contemporary similarity in relation to what Lacy mentions. The passage says: "Even as the nation mourned, it struggled with questions about how and under what terms to unite the North and the South" (page 4). It reminded me of September 11 which is what triggered the War on Terror. It made me think of President Bush's speech announcing we were going to war. It was so hard as a young girl to accept more violence, but it was what had to be done to protect our country even though it seemed hard amongst all the mourning. In response to Lacy's questioning of what will happen after we withdraw our troops.. I really do not think the result here and now will be the same as it was during the Civil War. During the 1800's, the South had no way to efficiently protect themselves after the troops were withdrawn. Now, during the 21st century, we are very blessed to have the technology to protect us that we do. We are capable of having security screening equipment at airports, we have x-ray capabilities, metal detectors, etc. Also, the United States is so powerful and such a world power that we do not have to worry about people coming over here and trying to start a war. No other country could or would even try to win a war here. I also believe that if we withdraw from the War on Terror while in the lead, both the countries we have been fighting and other countries will realize just how serious we are when it comes to protecting our country and the citizens within it.

Blog #8

An apparent belief in both "John Brown's Last Speech" and in Henry Garnet's "From a Memorial Discourse" is that in order to completely get rid of slavery and in turn, accomplish the American Dream,  there has to be many lives lost. There will be fighting and bloodshed. Garnet says he is constantly asked the question "when and where will the demands of the reformers of this and coming ages end?" His response contains has many elements that involve fighting..."when our brave and gallant soldiers shall have justice done to them." Garnet also mentions having to be forgiven for "national sins". In many people's eyes, in order to achieve the American Dream, one must be freed of their sins. Garnet says "Great sacrifices have been made by the people; yet, greater still are demanded ere atonement can be made for our national sins." This is basically saying that sacrifices have always been a part of achieving something and they always will be.
Similar to all of this is John Brown's speech. Brown is on the verge of sacrificing his own life for the sake of not backing down on his view of slavery. He is willing to die in order to help the slaves. Towards the end of his speech he says "If it is deemed necessary that  I should forfeit my life for the furtherance of the ends of justice, and mingle my blood further with the blood of my children and with the blood of millions in this slave country whose rights are disregarded by wicked, cruel, and inject enactments, I say let it be done." This quote not only shows Brown's compassion towards the issue, but also the compassion of "millions" of others who have also laid down their lives for the issue of slavery.
One of these pieces was written by a white man and one was written by an African American who had been freed. This shows that it was relevant to not only the blacks, how difficult it was to achieve the American Dream. Someone will always be having to lose their life in order for someone else to live or be free. If someone in the north were to be reading these pieces of writing, I think it would really show them how bad this issue was in the South. Also, for a southerner who was a slave holder to read about a white man giving up his own life for slaves, it had to make them think about what they were doing at least a little bit.