Class Summary (FINALLY)

I am back from the dead! A brief explanation for my long absence can simply be summed up with the facts of plagues and school vacation.

We finished the Reconstruction unit with a group RSA Animate-style project, labeling the radical republicans attempts a success or failure. In the end, it was decidedly a failure after the assassination of President Lincoln and the inauguration of Andrew Johnson. Following suit is Congress's inability to enforce the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments with the institution of black codes and Jim Crow laws. Along with the KKK and the establishment of institutions such as sharecropping; African Americans once again received the short end of the stick.

Upon our return from winter break, we have divulged into our Civil Rights units. We began with the dispute between Booker T. Washingtons ideas of African Americans new place in society and W.E.B. DuBois vehement disagreement with the belief that change had to begin straight away or else it never will.

Today we studied Marcus Garvey, the founder it the UNIA, a radical leader with the belief that black people should have a country of their own where they should be given the fullest opportunity to develop politically, socially, and industrially. Basically he was the preacher of black nationalism. We compared these with other documents of the times which depicted the controversial intensity of this issue as Garvey notably denounced the idea of social equality and the integration of the races. This definitely conflicts with the attitude of civil equality many African Americans possessed. Undoubtably, Garvey's ideas had underlying truth. Truth that it is possible that blacks will never be socially equal to whites, so why not move back to their homeland and start over? This is a very important question that I am sure we will delve into deeper in the coming weeks.

Class Summary 1.30.12

Yesterday, we looked at the amendment to the Constitution that abolished slavery in this country forever. (Amen!) There is five sections in the amendment but the general jist of it is that people born in the United States are automatically citizens and citizens of the state that they reside in. Also, no state shall create or enforce laws restricting rights of citizens. All citizens get equal treatment, enforceable by congress. This goes hand in hand with the rights African Americans acquired during the reconstruction as they began to vote, buy property, go to school, start businesses and run for office.

Today we used our textbooks to read and discuss the major plans for reconstruction. First was Lincoln's Ten Percent Plan, which unfortunately lost all hope of being passed with his passing, which went somewhat easy on the south but mainly wanted the Union back together. Johnson's plan went very easy on the south but generally wanted the Union united once again. The most punishing of confederates come from the Reconstruction Act of 1867 pushed by the Radical Republicans that wanted to punish the south, help ex-slaves, and add to the power of their party. Putting their desire for personal success, my plan for reconstruction would basically mirror the radical republicans. The south deserved some punishment as well as a major reconstruction of social ethics. Like they say "there's no time like the present."