Classes spent the day researching The Reconstruction, Joe Turner, and contemporary issues of race on Monday. Post your paragraph of information, link and/or citation as a response under this posting.
Reid, Period 5 Brown vs. Board of Education Topeka
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)was founded in 1908. It consisted of many African American rights activists and lawyers, who fought for racial equality through court cases. In the 1950's the NAACP took many failed district cases from states around the country and combined and appealed them to the supreme court as Oliver L. Brown vs. Board of Education Topeka, Kansas. The supreme court allowed the combination of the cases becomes they each involved the same cry for desegregation of schools. Thurgood Marshall led the case for the NAACP. The case was decided on May 17th 1954, the court declared in a unanimous decision the discrimination in the public school districts was unconstitutional violating the 14th amendment. The court claimed that the "separate but equal" segregation was inherently unequal, and they reversed the Plessy vs. Ferguson decision.
Maria Aguilar Period 5 “Reconstruction” refers to the period after the Civil war between the years 1865-1877 when the United States strived to re-integrate the 4 million newly-freed slaves into American Society. In 1868 the legislature ratified the 14th amendment and assured the constitutional rights of former slave citizens. The 15th amendment was ratified two year later which guaranteed that black men could vote. The end of slavery didn’t exactly resolve their economic freedom and other issues like the role of the federal government in securing political and civil rights. The economy had to rearrange from depending on slave labor to free labor, and some Americans believed that since slaves produced most of their owners wealth, that the country owed debt to ex-slaves. This belief resulted in a bill in 1862 in Congress to seize possession of slave owners land and distribute it to former slaves. Freedmen’s Bureau was created by congress to also assured the legal, health, and educational services to former slaves, as well as reunite them with separated family members, register them to vote, distributed food, clothing, supplies, schooling, established hospitals to help them transition. However, in some instances white southern planters found ways to keep these former slaves in economic bondage usually by tenant farming system, in which landowners gave land to sharecroppers, who agreed to give a part of their crop or profit from crops to the landowners. During this time black men and women sought to find new identities and their place in American Society but this was only the start to full and equal citizenship of African Americans and their descendants. Dudley, William. American slavery . San Diego, Calif.: Greenhaven Press, 2000. Print. Hoobler, Dorothy, and Thomas Hoobler. The African American family album . New York: Oxford University Press, 1995. Print.
August Wilson, born April 27th, 1945, has emerged as one of America’s foremost writers and playwrights. Throughout his childhood, he learned the virtues of hard work, pride and dignity from his single mother, Daisy Kittle, a woman with no more than a sixth-grade education who somehow taught August how to read at the age of 3. Eventually, August, his mother, and his five siblings would eventually move in with his black stepfather, David Bedford. Life was still difficult, however, as his father would eventually earn a twenty-three year sentence in prison for alleged murder and robbery. Upon moving to Hazelwood, a white suburb in Southeast Pittsburgh, the Wilsons would frequently be victims of racism, even seeing bricks thrown through their windows by virulent neighbors. He would go on to attend college-preparatory courses at Central Catholic High School, where he first discovered poetry. Later on, Wilson would perform odd jobs after leaving the army in 1962. He would later develop an even stronger love for poetry, spurred by the Black Power Movement in 1968. He would go on to write his first play, Recycle, in 1973. His lack of a solid paycheck forced him to relocate to St. Paul, Minnesota, where he would create some of his best works. In 1984 he would produce his first major hit, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. His success would continue with Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, a saga of black migration from the south. This show would feature many big names, including Angela Bassett and Charles S. Dutton. Later, Fences, starring James Earl Jones, would earn Wilson his first Pulitzer Prize. Later works would include Seven Guitars (1995) and The Piano Lesson (1990). Jitney, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and Joe Turner’s Come and Gone remain some of his greatest hits. Today, he has become one of the most respected playwrights in American History.
Joe Turner, 1911 –1985, was a blues singer. Growing up in Kansas, he became involved in music through the church. After his father’s death, he began to sing on street corners for money. At age fourteen, he left school to work in nightclubs. He became known as The Singing Barman, and eventually became a featured performer. The night clubs he worked I were frequently raided by the police. He was discovered by a talent agent, and played in Carnegie Hall. He went on to become a popular blues singer. He died in 1985 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
"Big Joe Turner - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. .
During Reconstruction, the federal military occupation of the south and implementation of reforms there,the party that controlled Washington was the Republicans. Because many white southerners resented reconstruction, they turned to the Democratic party for support against nothern policies. The Democrats obliged, and became the party of segregation, supporting Jim Crow on both a local and a national level. The party identified itself as the "white man's party", and dehumanized the Republicans as being black-controlled. The democrats "reedemed", or moved to Democratic control, every southern state by 1877, both through violent and peaceful methods. After "redemption", southerners elected almost exclusively Democrats to political office from 1877 to 1964, and the former slaveholding states became known as the "solid south" for Democrats.
PBS. "The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow. Jim Crow Stories . Democratic Party | PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow
The Ku Klux Klan, or KKK, is the name of a number of terrorist organizations first created in 1865 to reinforce white supremacy and restore white democratic rule. They used violence in order to prevent blacks from exercising their civil rights. They are known lighting crosses on fire in order to intimidate blacks or anyone who advocated for black civil rights. They even threatened anyone who advocated for Republican rule. For the most part they targeted blacks, however they also targeted white who supported blacks or stood up for equal rights. The KKK disappeared for a while in the 1870's after congress passed the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871. The law however did not last for long once the Klan came back to almost full power in 1915. At this point the Klan also focused on Jews and Catholics almost as much as they did blacks. The KKK is still around today however they are not nearly as wide spread.
Works Cited Brown, Nikki L. M., and Barry M. Stentiford. "Ku Klux Klan." The Jim Crow encyclopedia . Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2008. 442-447. Print.
Juba is a dance of African-American slaves, prominent in all slave colonies in the Americas, from Dutch Guiana to the Caribbean and much of the south of the United States. The dance itself involves a series of steps which are acted out in response to a chant or rhythmic call and the accompanying clapping or “thigh patting ditty” of patting Juba (Allen 1). Patting Juba, a component of juba, is the patting or slapping of hands, legs and body in a way that creates a rapid and complex rhythm to which the performers can dance. Many white observers found that there was a “fascination of the singing of the negroes” as they “made up their words to mournful tunes, and jumpy tunes and then would dance juba” (Melson 1). They took so much interest that they began mimicking their Juba in public exhibitions, claiming that they were performing “authentic negro dances” (Allen 1). During the time of the popularity of these minstrel shows, blacks were prohibited from attending theatre productions and were certainly not allowed to perform. In these performances, the white performers would blacken their faces using burnt cork and then proceed to perform an often vulgarized, exaggerated version of the juba. Hence the American art form of Minstrelsy was formed. Blackface Minstrelsy served to entertain many white people who enjoyed watching as the performers insulted many cultural aspects of the Southern African-merican community including the work of many black poets and musicians and their way of speech which they warped into what they called, the “Negro Dialect” (Allen 1). By the early nineteenth century, the Blackface Minstrelsy gained a following throughout the United States.
Works Cited Allen, Zita. "Great Performances: Free To Dance - Behind The Dance - From Minstrel Show To Concert Stage." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. . "Early Blackface Minstrelsy in Britain." U of T Library: Electronic Application Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. .
"juba." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2010. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 15 Nov. 2010
. Melson, Eva. "Wabash Valley Visions & Voices: A Digital Memory Project : Item Viewer." Wabash Valley Visions & Voices: Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. .
The Compromise of 1877 was a deal between the Democrats and the Republican parties as a result of disputes stemming from the presidential elections in 1876. The major problem causing controversy was that of the confusion of the 20 electoral votes that resulted from the eligibility doubts of the elector from Oregon. A Republican heavy committee was created and decided to name their Republican representative, Rutherford B. Hayes as president. The Democrats agreed to this only if the Republicans would remove their troops from the southern states, have at least 1 democrat in Hayes cabinet, build a second Transcontinental railroad system and a legislation that helps the southern states industrialize. Although it seems the Democratic party gave up easily, it must be understood that this compromise played a significant role in preventing violence throughout the country. As this compromise occurred right after The Civil War it was essential that this issue be taken care of behind doors and without violence. The deal made between the two political parties resulted in the end of the Reconstruction Era, which in turn lead to even more discrimination throughout the southern states.
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Bose, Debopriya . "Compromise of 1877." Buzzle.com. Buzzle, Retrieved 15/11/2010. Web. 15 Nov 2010. .
Carpetbaggers, a negative term used on a person from the North by south people, who decided to go to the South after the Civil War and was active in Republican politics. They would try to profit from the unsettled area of Reconstruction.
A carpetbag was literally that, a bag made from recycled carpet but it was also a typical piece of luggage carried by many, and many "Carpetbaggers" carried them when they came to the south.
Carpetbagger is not to be confused with "copperhead", which is a term given to a person from the North who sympathized with the Southern claim of right to Secession.
Carpetbagger - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. .
Prison has socially become a part of Black's lives. In Aemrica 1 out of 3 Black people are in jail and in 1995 23% of Blacks were likely to go to jail. For most now of days it is a part of growing up and a comming of age. Eisner, Alan. "US: Wire: Analysis - Huge U.S. Prison Population Social Cost." MAP: The Media Awareness Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. <http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews
Spirituals are religious folk songs sung and created by African American slaves. Spirituals have come to be known as “the first ‘signature’ music of the new American nation,” (Jones). Some people get mixed up between Spirituals and Black Gospel music. The difference between them is Black Gospel music was created in northern urban churches during the 1920’s and each song has an identifiable composer, while Spirituals were created and sung by African-American slaves during slavery. Gospel is similar to Spirituals because it is a combination of spirituals and the blues. Some well known spirituals are “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” and “Wade in the Water”. The slaves were known to sing spirituals during their daily routines like working or even during major life events like marriage, birth, or even participating in war. As time went on, more slaves began to convert to Christianity and spirituals evolved over time to be used to express their new faith. Not only were they used when people converted to Christianity, but they were also used to express people’s desire for freedom. Spirituals were revived during the Civil Rights Movement to help express people’s message for more rights, but after that the use of Spirituals began to fade away again.
Jones, Arthur C. "Sweet Chairot: The Story of Spirituals." Spirituals Project, 2004. Web. 15 Nov 2010.
Originally, they were members of the Republican Party, they opposed slavery and believed in equal rights for African Americans. This group also opposed laws like the Fugitive Slave Act and Kansas-Nebraska Act. This group of people eventually became the Radical Republicans. Some well known members were Thaddeus Stevens, Charles Sumner, Joshua Giddings, Benjamin Wade, William D. Kelley, Owen Lovejoy, Henry Winter Davis, George W. Julian, John P. Hale, Benjamin Butler, Joseph Medill, Horace Greeley, Oliver Morton, John Logan, James F. Wilson, Timothy Howe, George H. Williams, Elihu Washburne, Schuyler Colfax, Zachariah Chandler, James Ashley, George Boutwell, John Covode, James Garfield, Hannibal Hamlin, James Harlan, John Andrew, Lyman Trumbull, Benjamin Loan, Wendell Phillips, Frederick Douglass, Charles Drake and Henry Wilson. After the 1860 elections before the Civil War, the Radical Republicans gained a lot of power in the government. They criticized Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War for his slow response to supporting black troops in the Union Army. Radical Republicans were also not pleased with Lincoln’s Reconstruction Plan. Even though they insisted that the white rule in the South should be discontinued, most of Radical Republicans fought for defeated forces to be treated fairly. When Andrew Johnson was president, they opposed his policies and argued that South plantations should be taken from owners and distributed among the former slaves. They also argued against Johnson when he wanted to veto the extension of Freeman’s Bureau, the Civil Right’s Bill and the Reconstruction Acts. The Radical Republicans were extremely important because they kept government in check and helped people realize what equality really looks like.
With more than 400 million followers globally, Pentecostalism is one of the three main branches of Christianity, along with Protestantism and Catholicism. Pentecostalism originally started in the early 1900s, stressing a return to the fundamentals of the early Christian church. The Pentecostal church is highly evangelical, emphasizing the importance of bringing others to have faith in Jesus. In the early years of Pentecostalism, in the first two decades of the 1900s, the religion was unique in that its assemblies were often interracial. The equality between white and black followers of Pentecostalism countered an increasing trend of racism and segregation in the United States, coming at the same time that the Jim Crow laws were passed. In the first scene of August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, the reader is allowed only a brief glimpse of the characters. However, it can already be seen that religion is a central theme of the novel. The reader sees that Bertha goes to church regularly, and Harold Loomis is a church deacon. It is very likely that Harold Loomis’s church is the church of Pentecostalism, as his wife’s last name is Pentecost, and it is very possible that Bertha’s religion is Pentecostalism as well.
Stephens, Randall J. “Assessing the Roots of Pentecostalism: A Historiographic Essay.” Nov. 15, 2010.
The achievement gap is the gap between various groups of students in standardized scores, grade point averages, dropout rates, etc., and is typically found between minority, ethnic, and low income groups and middle income white students. This gap is typically very large, even stretching to a 25% difference in the dropout rate between Latino, Black, and Native American and White students. There is no explanation that is accepted by all, but poverty, education technique, teacher expectations, and the challenge of the curriculum
"Achievement gap in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. "What is the Achievement Gap?." Education Equality Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2010.
During the Reconstruction after the Civil War the cartoons of that era show people’s reactions to the war. Many images blame the government for spending too much and mock them by sarcastically saying that it would be better if we switch to a dictatorship. Some cartoons mock the high status whites by putting them on the backs of different races, and making satirical comments about the white people’s burdens. Some of the cartoons support the African American’s by showing how lynching laws are not enforced, and how the government just stands by and doesn’t enforce some laws. Many of the cartoons during the Reconstruction era criticized the government after the war.
2010. "political cartoons « Modern American History." Blogs@Baruch | Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. . "Lynch Law Must Go!." Library of Virginia. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. . "Teachers Discovering History As." Teachers Discovering History As Historians. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. .
A scalawag is a term used to refer to native white southerners who supported the reconstruction after the civil war. To other white southerners they were considered to be traitors who associated themselves with the republicans who were considered to be radical at the time. Manny scalawags believed that if people were to conform to the reconstruction acts the south would return to home rule faster. But other scalawags joined the northern “carpetbaggers” in stealing from state treasuries and actively trying to help the republicans in congress. The scalawags were hated by groups such as the Ku Klux Klan.
Women Propagating Discrimination During the time of Reconstruction, women believed that the freed slaves were a danger and that they would come and rape them. Protecting women was one of the reasons for white men lynching blacks. The stereotype put forth was that white women were pure and chaste, and that black men were a danger to those women. This confirmed white people’s idea that lynching blacks was not a form of terrorism but only protecting themselves and their families. -Ellie
The 13th amendment to the United States constitution was passed on September 23, 1862. It freed all slaves in states that were still rebelling from the US as of January 1, 1863. It did not free the slaves in states that were not rebelling (13th Amendment)
The 14th Amendment was passed June 8 and 13, 1866. It protected the civil liberties and rights of freed slaves. Many southern states refused to ratify the amendment (14th Amendment)
The 14th amendment did not require all states to give this right though. This caused all southern states to give this right while Union states did not. To fix this the 15th amendment was proposed in 1869 that prevented all states from denying voting rights based on race or previous jobs (15th Amendment).
Simkin, John. "13th Amendment." Spartacus Educational. Spartacus Educational, 15 Nov 2010. Web. 15 Nov 2010. .
Simkin, John. "14th Amendment." Spartacus Educational. Spartacus Educational, 15 Nov 2010. Web. 15 Nov 2010. .
"Slavery and Emancipation." Blue Grass. Blue Grass, 15 Nov 2010. Web. 15 Nov 2010. .
Michelle Cass, period 5 Chain Gangs Chain Gangs were the name given to bands of blacks in convict camps, literally chained together to perform physically brutal work such as mining, road constructing, or timber collecting all of which was far more brutal than even slave labor. The reason convict labor was so brutal was due to the fact that unlike slaves, these black men, women, and children convicts had no value to the state. This labor was performed by the supposed convicts while they served prison they did not deserve. The idea of these prison camps came about mostly due to the lack of cheap labor, after the abolition of slavery. Following the civil the need for cheap labor was filled by the practice of the law enforcement, which began to endlessly accuse black men, women and children alike, forcing them to serve in convict lease camps for years while whites who committed the same crime received little to no punishment.
Work Cited: "Chain gang." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 15 November 2010. Web. .
After slavery was abolished, blacks were still not treated right. They were convicted of crimes that they didn’t commit and were racially profiled. More blacks were arrested for misdemeanors than whites and it still happens today, with statistics as proof. The LA Times recently published an article comparing the blacks arrested for a marijuana possession misdemeanor and whites arrested for a marijuana possession misdemeanor and it showed that blacks were arrested up to 12 times the rates of whites arrested in California. But U.S. reports also say that whites consistently use marijuana at higher rates than blacks. This report just came out in October 2010, and uses data from 2006 to 2008. In Arizona, a law was passed which essentially requires a policeman to pull over anybody who is suspicious of being an illegal immigrant. It also requires all immigrants to carry their registration documents with them. This law mainly targets Latinos but still shows the problems with the country. These are current examples of the ways that racial profiling exists today in the United States.
Works Cited
Hoeffel, John. “Blacks more likely to be arrested for pot possession than whites, report says”. Latimes.com. Los Angeles Times. 22 Oct. 2010. Web. 15 Nov. 2010.
“What does Arizona’s Immigration Law do?”. Cnn.com. CNN. 23 April 2010. Web. 15 Nov. 2010.
Lauren, 8 Regaining in the 11 seceded states; reseating in Congress
The purpose of the reconstruction era’s focus was on how the eleven seceding states would regain self-government and be reseated in Congress. The eleven states were South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina and Tennessee. Leaders of the states that succeeded believed that they should be given their right to vote back. Due to this, there was violent controversy that arose in the south.
works cited: 1872, and President Ulysses S. Grant. "Reconstruction Era of the United States Information @ Karr.net." Domain Names (Domains, Expired, Allemann, Moso) @ Karr.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. .
Plessy v. Ferguson was a court case filed in 1892 by the state of Louisiana against Homer Adolph Plessy, a black resident of that state. Plessy later filed suit against John Howard Ferguson, the judge who found him guilty. The case, taken to the United States Supreme Court, reinforced the state’s ability to make “Separate but equal” laws forcing black citizens into segregated transportation, schools, and other public services. The case was filed in the first place against Plessy after he refused to leave the “White only” car on a train of the East Louisiana Railroad. This act of civil disobedience was backed and orchestrated by a black rights group in the New Orleans area. Plessy lost all his cases, and not until another case-Brown v. Board of Education, in the late 1960’s-were the various “Separate But Equal” laws made afterwards overturned.
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SAMPLE POSTING
First Name, Class Period
Topic
Informational paragraph
citation
link
Reid, Period 5
Brown vs. Board of Education Topeka
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)was founded in 1908. It consisted of many African American rights activists and lawyers, who fought for racial equality through court cases. In the 1950's the NAACP took many failed district cases from states around the country and combined and appealed them to the supreme court as Oliver L. Brown vs. Board of Education Topeka, Kansas. The supreme court allowed the combination of the cases becomes they each involved the same cry for desegregation of schools. Thurgood Marshall led the case for the NAACP. The case was decided on May 17th 1954, the court declared in a unanimous decision the discrimination in the public school districts was unconstitutional violating the 14th amendment. The court claimed that the "separate but equal" segregation was inherently unequal, and they reversed the Plessy vs. Ferguson decision.
http://brownvboard.org/content/background-overview-summary
"Background Overview & Summary | Brown Foundation." Brown Foundation | For Educational Equity, Excellence and Research. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2010.
Maria Aguilar
Period 5
“Reconstruction” refers to the period after the Civil war between the years 1865-1877 when the United States strived to re-integrate the 4 million newly-freed slaves into American Society. In 1868 the legislature ratified the 14th amendment and assured the constitutional rights of former slave citizens. The 15th amendment was ratified two year later which guaranteed that black men could vote. The end of slavery didn’t exactly resolve their economic freedom and other issues like the role of the federal government in securing political and civil rights. The economy had to rearrange from depending on slave labor to free labor, and some Americans believed that since slaves produced most of their owners wealth, that the country owed debt to ex-slaves. This belief resulted in a bill in 1862 in Congress to seize possession of slave owners land and distribute it to former slaves. Freedmen’s Bureau was created by congress to also assured the legal, health, and educational services to former slaves, as well as reunite them with separated family members, register them to vote, distributed food, clothing, supplies, schooling, established hospitals to help them transition. However, in some instances white southern planters found ways to keep these former slaves in economic bondage usually by tenant farming system, in which landowners gave land to sharecroppers, who agreed to give a part of their crop or profit from crops to the landowners. During this time black men and women sought to find new identities and their place in American Society but this was only the start to full and equal citizenship of African Americans and their descendants.
Dudley, William. American slavery . San Diego, Calif.: Greenhaven Press, 2000. Print.
Hoobler, Dorothy, and Thomas Hoobler. The African American family album . New York: Oxford University Press, 1995. Print.
August Wilson, born April 27th, 1945, has emerged as one of America’s foremost writers and playwrights. Throughout his childhood, he learned the virtues of hard work, pride and dignity from his single mother, Daisy Kittle, a woman with no more than a sixth-grade education who somehow taught August how to read at the age of 3. Eventually, August, his mother, and his five siblings would eventually move in with his black stepfather, David Bedford. Life was still difficult, however, as his father would eventually earn a twenty-three year sentence in prison for alleged murder and robbery. Upon moving to Hazelwood, a white suburb in Southeast Pittsburgh, the Wilsons would frequently be victims of racism, even seeing bricks thrown through their windows by virulent neighbors. He would go on to attend college-preparatory courses at Central Catholic High School, where he first discovered poetry.
Later on, Wilson would perform odd jobs after leaving the army in 1962. He would later develop an even stronger love for poetry, spurred by the Black Power Movement in 1968. He would go on to write his first play, Recycle, in 1973. His lack of a solid paycheck forced him to relocate to St. Paul, Minnesota, where he would create some of his best works. In 1984 he would produce his first major hit, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. His success would continue with Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, a saga of black migration from the south. This show would feature many big names, including Angela Bassett and Charles S. Dutton. Later, Fences, starring James Earl Jones, would earn Wilson his first Pulitzer Prize. Later works would include Seven Guitars (1995) and The Piano Lesson (1990). Jitney, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and Joe Turner’s Come and Gone remain some of his greatest hits. Today, he has become one of the most respected playwrights in American History.
Marie, 5
Joe Turner
Joe Turner, 1911 –1985, was a blues singer. Growing up in Kansas, he became involved in music through the church. After his father’s death, he began to sing on street corners for money. At age fourteen, he left school to work in nightclubs. He became known as The Singing Barman, and eventually became a featured performer. The night clubs he worked I were frequently raided by the police. He was discovered by a talent agent, and played in Carnegie Hall. He went on to become a popular blues singer. He died in 1985 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
"Big Joe Turner - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. .
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Joe_Turner
Hagop, Period 5
The Democratic Party
During Reconstruction, the federal military occupation of the south and implementation of reforms there,the party that controlled Washington was the Republicans. Because many white southerners resented reconstruction, they turned to the Democratic party for support against nothern policies. The Democrats obliged, and became the party of segregation, supporting Jim Crow on both a local and a national level. The party identified itself as the "white man's party", and dehumanized the Republicans as being black-controlled. The democrats "reedemed", or moved to Democratic control, every southern state by 1877, both through violent and peaceful methods. After "redemption", southerners elected almost exclusively Democrats to political office from 1877 to 1964, and the former slaveholding states became known as the "solid south" for Democrats.
PBS. "The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow. Jim Crow Stories . Democratic Party | PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_org_democratic.html
Cameron, Period 5
KKK
The Ku Klux Klan, or KKK, is the name of a number of terrorist organizations first created in 1865 to reinforce white supremacy and restore white democratic rule. They used violence in order to prevent blacks from exercising their civil rights. They are known lighting crosses on fire in order to intimidate blacks or anyone who advocated for black civil rights. They even threatened anyone who advocated for Republican rule. For the most part they targeted blacks, however they also targeted white who supported blacks or stood up for equal rights. The KKK disappeared for a while in the 1870's after congress passed the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871. The law however did not last for long once the Klan came back to almost full power in 1915. At this point the Klan also focused on Jews and Catholics almost as much as they did blacks. The KKK is still around today however they are not nearly as wide spread.
Works Cited
Brown, Nikki L. M., and Barry M. Stentiford. "Ku Klux Klan." The Jim Crow encyclopedia . Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2008. 442-447. Print.
Maddie,Period 5
Juba
Juba is a dance of African-American slaves, prominent in all slave colonies in the Americas, from Dutch Guiana to the Caribbean and much of the south of the United States. The dance itself involves a series of steps which are acted out in response to a chant or rhythmic call and the accompanying clapping or “thigh patting ditty” of patting Juba (Allen 1). Patting Juba, a component of juba, is the patting or slapping of hands, legs and body in a way that creates a rapid and complex rhythm to which the performers can dance. Many white observers found that there was a “fascination of the singing of the negroes” as they “made up their words to mournful tunes, and jumpy tunes and then would dance juba” (Melson 1). They took so much interest that they began mimicking their Juba in public exhibitions, claiming that they were performing “authentic negro dances” (Allen 1). During the time of the popularity of these minstrel shows, blacks were prohibited from attending theatre productions and were certainly not allowed to perform.
In these performances, the white performers would blacken their faces using burnt cork and then proceed to perform an often vulgarized, exaggerated version of the juba. Hence the American art form of Minstrelsy was formed. Blackface Minstrelsy served to entertain many white people who enjoyed watching as the performers insulted many cultural aspects of the Southern African-merican community including the work of many black poets and musicians and their way of speech which they warped into what they called, the “Negro Dialect” (Allen 1). By the early nineteenth century, the Blackface Minstrelsy gained a following throughout the United States.
Works Cited
Allen, Zita. "Great Performances: Free To Dance - Behind The Dance - From Minstrel Show To Concert Stage." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. .
"Early Blackface Minstrelsy in Britain." U of T Library: Electronic Application Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. .
"juba." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2010. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 15 Nov. 2010
.
Melson, Eva. "Wabash Valley Visions & Voices: A Digital Memory Project : Item
Viewer." Wabash Valley Visions & Voices: Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. .
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/freetodance/behind/behind_minstrel.html
Matthew Fiedler, Period 8
The Compromise of 1877
The Compromise of 1877 was a deal between the Democrats and the Republican parties as a result of disputes stemming from the presidential elections in 1876. The major problem causing controversy was that of the confusion of the 20 electoral votes that resulted from the eligibility doubts of the elector from Oregon. A Republican heavy committee was created and decided to name their Republican representative, Rutherford B. Hayes as president. The Democrats agreed to this only if the Republicans would remove their troops from the southern states, have at least 1 democrat in Hayes cabinet, build a second Transcontinental railroad system and a legislation that helps the southern states industrialize. Although it seems the Democratic party gave up easily, it must be understood that this compromise played a significant role in preventing violence throughout the country. As this compromise occurred right after The Civil War it was essential that this issue be taken care of behind doors and without violence. The deal made between the two political parties resulted in the end of the Reconstruction Era, which in turn lead to even more discrimination throughout the southern states.
.
Bose, Debopriya . "Compromise of 1877." Buzzle.com. Buzzle, Retrieved 15/11/2010. Web. 15 Nov 2010. .
Meriwether Peterson, Period 8
Carpetbaggers, a negative term used on a person from the North by south people, who decided to go to the South after the Civil War and was active in Republican politics. They would try to profit from the unsettled area of Reconstruction.
A carpetbag was literally that, a bag made from recycled carpet but it was also a typical piece of luggage carried by many, and many "Carpetbaggers" carried them when they came to the south.
Carpetbagger is not to be confused with "copperhead", which is a term given to a person from the North who sympathized with the Southern claim of right to Secession.
Carpetbagger - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. .
Meriwether Peterson = Peter Driscoll :P
Tyler, (8)
Race and Prison
Prison has socially become a part of Black's lives. In Aemrica 1 out of 3 Black people are in jail and in 1995 23% of Blacks were likely to go to jail. For most now of days it is a part of growing up and a comming of age.
Eisner, Alan. "US: Wire: Analysis - Huge U.S. Prison Population Social Cost." MAP: The Media Awareness Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. <http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews
Lexi, 8
History of Spirituals
Spirituals are religious folk songs sung and created by African American slaves. Spirituals have come to be known as “the first ‘signature’ music of the new American nation,” (Jones). Some people get mixed up between Spirituals and Black Gospel music. The difference between them is Black Gospel music was created in northern urban churches during the 1920’s and each song has an identifiable composer, while Spirituals were created and sung by African-American slaves during slavery. Gospel is similar to Spirituals because it is a combination of spirituals and the blues. Some well known spirituals are “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” and “Wade in the Water”. The slaves were known to sing spirituals during their daily routines like working or even during major life events like marriage, birth, or even participating in war. As time went on, more slaves began to convert to Christianity and spirituals evolved over time to be used to express their new faith. Not only were they used when people converted to Christianity, but they were also used to express people’s desire for freedom. Spirituals were revived during the Civil Rights Movement to help express people’s message for more rights, but after that the use of Spirituals began to fade away again.
Jones, Arthur C. "Sweet Chairot: The Story of Spirituals." Spirituals Project, 2004. Web. 15 Nov 2010.
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Laura Goetz, period 8
Radical Republicans 1867
Originally, they were members of the Republican Party, they opposed slavery and believed in equal rights for African Americans. This group also opposed laws like the Fugitive Slave Act and Kansas-Nebraska Act. This group of people eventually became the Radical Republicans. Some well known members were Thaddeus Stevens, Charles Sumner, Joshua Giddings, Benjamin Wade, William D. Kelley, Owen Lovejoy, Henry Winter Davis, George W. Julian, John P. Hale, Benjamin Butler, Joseph Medill, Horace Greeley, Oliver Morton, John Logan, James F. Wilson, Timothy Howe, George H. Williams, Elihu Washburne, Schuyler Colfax, Zachariah Chandler, James Ashley, George Boutwell, John Covode, James Garfield, Hannibal Hamlin, James Harlan, John Andrew, Lyman Trumbull, Benjamin Loan, Wendell Phillips, Frederick Douglass, Charles Drake and Henry Wilson. After the 1860 elections before the Civil War, the Radical Republicans gained a lot of power in the government. They criticized Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War for his slow response to supporting black troops in the Union Army. Radical Republicans were also not pleased with Lincoln’s Reconstruction Plan. Even though they insisted that the white rule in the South should be discontinued, most of Radical Republicans fought for defeated forces to be treated fairly. When Andrew Johnson was president, they opposed his policies and argued that South plantations should be taken from owners and distributed among the former slaves. They also argued against Johnson when he wanted to veto the extension of Freeman’s Bureau, the Civil Right’s Bill and the Reconstruction Acts. The Radical Republicans were extremely important because they kept government in check and helped people realize what equality really looks like.
Radical Republicans." Spartacus Educational - Home Page. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. .
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USASradical.htm
Pentecostalism
With more than 400 million followers globally, Pentecostalism is one of the three main branches of Christianity, along with Protestantism and Catholicism. Pentecostalism originally started in the early 1900s, stressing a return to the fundamentals of the early Christian church. The Pentecostal church is highly evangelical, emphasizing the importance of bringing others to have faith in Jesus. In the early years of Pentecostalism, in the first two decades of the 1900s, the religion was unique in that its assemblies were often interracial. The equality between white and black followers of Pentecostalism countered an increasing trend of racism and segregation in the United States, coming at the same time that the Jim Crow laws were passed. In the first scene of August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, the reader is allowed only a brief glimpse of the characters. However, it can already be seen that religion is a central theme of the novel. The reader sees that Bertha goes to church regularly, and Harold Loomis is a church deacon. It is very likely that Harold Loomis’s church is the church of Pentecostalism, as his wife’s last name is Pentecost, and it is very possible that Bertha’s religion is Pentecostalism as well.
Stephens, Randall J. “Assessing the Roots of Pentecostalism: A Historiographic Essay.” Nov. 15, 2010.
“Pentecostalism.” Wikipedia. Nov. 15, 2010.
--Sam Wood
Tommy, Period 8
Achievement Gap in Modern America
The achievement gap is the gap between various groups of students in standardized scores, grade point averages, dropout rates, etc., and is typically found between minority, ethnic, and low income groups and middle income white students. This gap is typically very large, even stretching to a 25% difference in the dropout rate between Latino, Black, and Native American and White students. There is no explanation that is accepted by all, but poverty, education technique, teacher expectations, and the challenge of the curriculum
"Achievement gap in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2010.
"What is the Achievement Gap?." Education Equality Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2010.
Ryann, 5
Reconstruction Era Cartoons
During the Reconstruction after the Civil War the cartoons of that era show people’s reactions to the war. Many images blame the government for spending too much and mock them by sarcastically saying that it would be better if we switch to a dictatorship. Some cartoons mock the high status whites by putting them on the backs of different races, and making satirical comments about the white people’s burdens. Some of the cartoons support the African American’s by showing how lynching laws are not enforced, and how the government just stands by and doesn’t enforce some laws. Many of the cartoons during the Reconstruction era criticized the government after the war.
2010. "political cartoons « Modern American History." Blogs@Baruch | Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. .
"Lynch Law Must Go!." Library of Virginia. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. .
"Teachers Discovering History As." Teachers Discovering History As Historians. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. .
http://www.tdhah.com/site_files/Teacher_Resources/primary_resources/14-Reconstruction_NewSouth.php
http://blsciblogs.baruch.cuny.edu/his1005fall2010/tag/political-cartoons/
http://www.lva.virginia.gov/exhibits/mitchell/lynch1.htm
David, Period 5
Scalawags
A scalawag is a term used to refer to native white southerners who supported the reconstruction after the civil war. To other white southerners they were considered to be traitors who associated themselves with the republicans who were considered to be radical at the time. Manny scalawags believed that if people were to conform to the reconstruction acts the south would return to home rule faster. But other scalawags joined the northern “carpetbaggers” in stealing from state treasuries and actively trying to help the republicans in congress. The scalawags were hated by groups such as the Ku Klux Klan.
Women Propagating Discrimination
During the time of Reconstruction, women believed that the freed slaves were a danger and that they would come and rape them. Protecting women was one of the reasons for white men lynching blacks. The stereotype put forth was that white women were pure and chaste, and that black men were a danger to those women. This confirmed white people’s idea that lynching blacks was not a form of terrorism but only protecting themselves and their families.
-Ellie
http://amath.colorado.edu/carnegie/lit/lynch/women.htm
Danny, Period 8
13th, 14th, 15th amendments
The 13th amendment to the United States constitution was passed on September 23, 1862. It freed all slaves in states that were still rebelling from the US as of January 1, 1863. It did not free the slaves in states that were not rebelling (13th Amendment)
The 14th Amendment was passed June 8 and 13, 1866. It protected the civil liberties and rights of freed slaves. Many southern states refused to ratify the amendment (14th Amendment)
The 14th amendment did not require all states to give this right though. This caused all southern states to give this right while Union states did not. To fix this the 15th amendment was proposed in 1869 that prevented all states from denying voting rights based on race or previous jobs (15th Amendment).
Simkin, John. "13th Amendment."
Spartacus Educational. Spartacus Educational, 15 Nov 2010. Web. 15 Nov 2010. .
Simkin, John. "14th Amendment." Spartacus Educational. Spartacus Educational, 15 Nov 2010. Web. 15 Nov 2010. .
"Slavery and Emancipation." Blue Grass. Blue Grass, 15 Nov 2010. Web. 15 Nov 2010. .
Michelle Cass, period 5
Chain Gangs
Chain Gangs were the name given to bands of blacks in convict camps, literally chained together to perform physically brutal work such as mining, road constructing, or timber collecting all of which was far more brutal than even slave labor. The reason convict labor was so brutal was due to the fact that unlike slaves, these black men, women, and children convicts had no value to the state. This labor was performed by the supposed convicts while they served prison they did not deserve. The idea of these prison camps came about mostly due to the lack of cheap labor, after the abolition of slavery. Following the civil the need for cheap labor was filled by the practice of the law enforcement, which began to endlessly accuse black men, women and children alike, forcing them to serve in convict lease camps for years while whites who committed the same crime received little to no punishment.
Work Cited:
"Chain gang." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 15 November 2010. Web. .
Aditi Kulkarni, Period 5
After slavery was abolished, blacks were still not treated right. They were convicted of crimes that they didn’t commit and were racially profiled. More blacks were arrested for misdemeanors than whites and it still happens today, with statistics as proof. The LA Times recently published an article comparing the blacks arrested for a marijuana possession misdemeanor and whites arrested for a marijuana possession misdemeanor and it showed that blacks were arrested up to 12 times the rates of whites arrested in California. But U.S. reports also say that whites consistently use marijuana at higher rates than blacks. This report just came out in October 2010, and uses data from 2006 to 2008. In Arizona, a law was passed which essentially requires a policeman to pull over anybody who is suspicious of being an illegal immigrant. It also requires all immigrants to carry their registration documents with them. This law mainly targets Latinos but still shows the problems with the country. These are current examples of the ways that racial profiling exists today in the United States.
Works Cited
Hoeffel, John. “Blacks more likely to be arrested for pot possession than whites, report says”. Latimes.com. Los Angeles Times. 22 Oct. 2010. Web. 15 Nov. 2010.
“What does Arizona’s Immigration Law do?”. Cnn.com. CNN. 23 April 2010. Web. 15 Nov. 2010.
http://articles.cnn.com/2010-04-23/politics/immigration.faq_1_immigration-reform-law-institute-immigrant-advocates-illegal?_s=PM:POLITICS
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/10/african-americans-more-likely-to-be-arrested-for-pot-possession-than-whites-report-says.html
Lauren, 8
Regaining in the 11 seceded states; reseating in Congress
The purpose of the reconstruction era’s focus was on how the eleven seceding states would regain self-government and be reseated in Congress. The eleven states were South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina and Tennessee. Leaders of the states that succeeded believed that they should be given their right to vote back. Due to this, there was violent controversy that arose in the south.
works cited:
1872, and President Ulysses S. Grant. "Reconstruction Era of the United States Information @ Karr.net." Domain Names (Domains, Expired, Allemann, Moso) @ Karr.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. .
"Reconstruction Era." Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. .
Andy Monserud, Period 8
Plessy v. Ferguson
Plessy v. Ferguson was a court case filed in 1892 by the state of Louisiana against Homer Adolph Plessy, a black resident of that state. Plessy later filed suit against John Howard Ferguson, the judge who found him guilty. The case, taken to the United States Supreme Court, reinforced the state’s ability to make “Separate but equal” laws forcing black citizens into segregated transportation, schools, and other public services.
The case was filed in the first place against Plessy after he refused to leave the “White only” car on a train of the East Louisiana Railroad. This act of civil disobedience was backed and orchestrated by a black rights group in the New Orleans area. Plessy lost all his cases, and not until another case-Brown v. Board of Education, in the late 1960’s-were the various “Separate But Equal” laws made afterwards overturned.
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