Pre-Civil Rights era

What is Pre-Civil Rights?

-        The time period between the end of the civil war and civil rights movement (1865-1960)

-        America was a dangerous place for African American’s as they were seeking their rights

-        African Americans were held as virtual slaves by white landowners through sharecropping

-        The KKK was a group intent on scaring enfranchised African Americans

-        The African Americans were inhibited from voting in Southern States by the use of poll taxes and literacy tests

-        The court case of Plessy vs. Ferguson established the “separate but equal” doctrine. African Americans received separate facilities of equal quality with the whites

-        However, this is proven false, because African Americans that boarded a train were required to sit close to the engine, where there would be a lot of smoke

-        African Americans faced grave discrimination during both World War I and World War II

-        The civil rights movement was launched by the arrest of Rosa Parks during the year of 1955

-        African Americans have a separate school when compared to that of the white Americans

NAACP’s Anti Lynching Campaign (1930’s)

-        A widespread public event that enforced the banning of lynching’s set by the KKK group

-        This campaign successfully stopped John J. Parker from being a Supreme Court Nominee, who had white supremacist views

-        This campaign involved the successful lobbying of the anti-lynching law

-        This caused for the NAACP to be a prominent governmental influence until the 1950’s

Desegregated Education:

-        Charles Hamilton Houston was a black attorney, who became famous for concentrating on the segregated education system in the United States

-        He wished to revolutionize American Society in this aspect in order to bring a better integrated society

-        However, Houston was worried that his ideas of integrated education would be favoring some sort of political party such as that of Henry Wallace (a third party candidate)

-        The idea of integrating education wished to overturn the Plessy vs. Ferguson verdict 

SNCC (Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee):

-        This group was focused on breaking the idea of “white only” and “black only” signs, this was mainly executed through sit-ins

-        Ella Baker was one of the first advisors for this committee

-        This committee was also focused on getting African Americans good economic standing

-        These actions soon transcended to the March of Washington in 1963

The Great Migration:

-        Between the times of World War I to World War II, millions of blacks migrated from the south to the north in search of economic stability

-        This act gave to the rise of the Harlem Renaissance in black society, therefore changing Harlem, New York as the main capital for African Americans

-        This community housed more than 200,000 African Americans

-        More African Americans began taking pride within their culture, therefore initiating what is the Harlem Renaissance

World War I:

-        African Americans believed that war effort will be a way for them to show patriotism, therefore resulting in more civil rights legislation

-        However, to the contrary, white workers killed African American workers in East St. Louis that killed 125 African Americans

-        In Houston, African American soldiers, unable to handle racial discrimination, killed sixteen white civilians, giving more leverage to politicians of the south

-        The American Army was divided into the two combat divisions based on color

-        For African Americans, World War I served to be a disillusionment era as civil rights were not touched

-        However, they vowed to save Democracy in the United States 

World War II:

-        During the time of World War II, many African Americans took part of the allied troops

-        A. Phillip Randolph threatened to lead a protest in order to make a pathway for civil rights legislation

-        Scared that this protest will disrupt war effort, Roosevelt passed the Executive Act of 8802 to integrate war factories

-        He also created the Fair Employment Practices Committee

-        This legislation made way for many African Americans to find jobs related to the defense industry

-         After the war, President Harry S. Truman desegregated the armed forces through the Executive Order 9981and created the President Committee on Civil Rights

Famous Leaders:

Marcus Garvey- a Jamaican National who persuaded African Americans to resettle back in Africa from the United States

Thurgood Marshall – Argued for the Brown vs. Board of Education, and served as the chief of counsel for the NAACP

W.E.B. Dubois- Founder of the NAACP

A. Phillip Randolph- He is the president of national Negro congress

Works Cited

Editors, S. (2005). The Civil Rights Era (1865-1970). Retrieved from Sparknotes .

Gaines, E. J. (n.d.). A Lesson Before Dying . Retrieved from Cliffnotes .

Janken, K. R. (2001). The Civil Rights Movement: 1900-1960. Retrieved from TeacherServe.

West, J. (2011, October 23). Life in the South different before civil rights movement. Retrieved from Albany Herald .

Williams, C. (n.d.). African Americans and World War I. Retrieved from Africana Age .

Blog Post #20 TEWWG Socratic Seminar Part 2

Task #1

Janie sees maturity

Janie seeks reason

Janie finds meaning

Task #2

TEWWG is a novel about the statures of growth. As part of the growing experience, acceptance is a needed virtue. The idea of growth also parallels with the other texts that we have read from the beginning of the school year. First of all, the novel parallels with the poem “The Poison Tree” by William Blake. “And it grew both day and night. Till it bore an apple bright.”(Blake) is a line that shows in which the growing process is a slow and steady ideal. However, the novel also manages to say that the growing process can bring in meanings which are bright as that of the apple. Therefore, it can be seen that life is a system in which an ideal is searched for. For a more darker connection, “The Black Walnut Tree,” by Mary Oliver along with the TEWWG novel shows that the power of growing involves very darker times. For example, Janie underwent many dark times with Logan Killicks and Jody Stark, before she found the perfect soul mate, Tea Cake. The poem itself only takes a small section of the growth process where the struggling occurs, which is battle against the mortgage. In addition, the novel and poem both connect at an instant in which there are sacrifices. The main narrator of the poem is in the debate of sacrificing the Black Walnut Tree, while Janie, in some instances, sacrificed her personal independence for the sake of love. As said by Janie “she saw her life like a great tree in life with things suffered, things enjoyed, things done and undone,” (Hurston 8).

Task #3

Both the play of Hamlet and the novel of TEWWG, parallel with the idea of destruction caused by the emotion of love. Janie and Ophelia both care the tender and innocent nature of being submissive. As Hamlet was to Ophelia, Janie had her two husbands similar to the characteristics of Hamlet. They wanted Janie to abide by their rules, which Janie did without question. In addition, they would psychologically abuse her similar to how Hamlet did to Ophelia. Hamlet says “get thee to the nunnery,” (3.1.119), which is similar to the idea of how Jody Starks insults Janie with his speech about her social stature and age. There comes a time in which these characters start to fight back directly or indirectly. Their moves trigger the male to step down from his domination. It comes to the scenario in which the male must now depend on the female. In Hamlet, the death of Ophelia strikes him emotionally, in which he starts to confess about his love for her. He sees that his love for Ophelia to be more emotionally striking than of the death of his father. In Janie’s instance, she talks back at Jody Starks which immediately triggers a sense of insecurity within the male. Janie says to her husband, “you have tuh have power tuh free things and dat makes you lak un king uh something ,” (Hurston 57). This immediately causes for the male to step down and ask for mercy. Therefore, both the novel and play talk about the destruction of the male when he falls into the contraption of love.   

Blog Post #19 Socratic Seminar Their Eyes were watching God

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Blog Post #18 Hamlet Final Essay

Blog Post #17 Hamlet Act #5

Blog Post #17 Hamlet Act 5

Why dear lord, I cannot hang on to this grief any further. There is a justification for the bad to be buried in hell, but why must the good not prevail? My dear Lord Hamlet let your soul feel no more turmoil or confusion. “Now cracks a noble heart. Good night, sweet prince!” (5.2.323). As you are gone “the rest is silence,” (5.2.322). For your funeral, I must put a on a song to commemorate our friendship. This song is known as “Count on me” by Bruno Mars. Why, this is the only song he has sung about friendship, while the others simply dealt with young romance. If you are in heaven, I will reach out to touch your soul when you need a simple friend to comfort you. For I will remember, when you said “O God! Horatio, what a wounded name,” (5.2.309). For I am heavily wounded. This song is especially suitable as it makes references to a friend’s companionship to help guide a friend’s tormented soul.  “And let me speak to th’ yet unknowing world,” (5.2.344). I was the light that guided you through this unknown world of corruption. From King Claudius to your friend Rosencratz, none of them carried a single bit of loyalty towards you. They were simply involved in “carnal, bloody, and unnatural acts,” (5.2.345) which cannot be explained, but only seen.  As the song implies, “You’ll always have my shoulder when you cry” (Mars), regardless of the burial of your body.   

I feel this song evokes the mood of hopelessness, but with a little hope. As ironic as my explanation, “Fall ‘n on th’inventors’ heads : all this can I Truly deliver,” (5.2.349-350). Meanwhile, the tone that Bruno Mars evokes is a feeling of hope even during the darkest of times. I feel that throughout our moments of friendship, we were stuck in very dark times with dark people bidding on your being. Why, in such moments when Claudius was gambling your life with Laertes. Simply Wretched! From here on out, “with sorrow I embrace my fortune,” (5.2.353). This song will represent that despite dark times, our moments were the only sense of light within the kingdom of Denmark. Your trust in me was your only lightness, I could feel very well. I was that friend who embraced your anger and spied against your very enemies. I will spread your legacy despite the capture of Denmark by Fortinbra’s. About Hamlet, the kingdom will say Horatio “his mouth whose voice will draw on more,” (5.2.356). Today, friends and enemies “bear, Hamlet, like a soldier, to the stage,” (5.2.361). As the song finally says, I am the light to guide your boat. I will be there for you, Lord Hamlet, whether it is heaven or hell. When you are in need remember me. When people say there is no true friendship “never believe it,” (5.2.305).

Blog Post #15 Extra Credit

                                                                          #The Shakespearean James Bond  

                                                                          Horatio: Having a nice time listening to my Friend

                                                                          Rozencratz: Who?

                                                                          Horatio: For Hamlet of course

                                                                          Rozencratz: But why?

                                                                          Horatio: That is a secret.

The selfie picture is shown as Horatio posing for a selfie pose, as he is spying on the King and Queen during the play. Horatio simply exemplifies the virtue of “anger.” Horatio as a character is very loyal to Hamlet; simply he feels the same emotions as that of Hamlet. Simply, Horatio is also committing a crime due to the unbearable “whips and scorns of time (3.1.70). Horatio commits a crime of spying on the king and queen due to the lawfulness of the kingdom. As a character, his flaw contemplates him to do deeds that Hamlet’s enemy is also committing to, espionage. Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius, sends Rosencratz and Guildenstern in order spy on Hamlet. For the duty of loyalty and anger on Hamlets behalf, he listens to all of Hamlet’s instruction without question. He simply abides by Hamlets saying “Why, any thing, but to the purpose,” (2.2.259). Therefore, Horatio’s flaw “anger” seems to carry a blind purpose to the orders of that of Hamlet.