History Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

History - Term Paper Example The WPA project of the 1930’s recorded statements by fomer slaves. These statements rang truest when the interviewer allowed the subjects to speak freely. Henry Green’s voice is especially compelling: â€Å"I don’t know how old I is, young mistress. I was here ‘fore the civil war, young mistress. I was born in south Alabama†¦my mama name Emily Green, young mistress. She had three children to my knowing. I don’t know no father†¦I never went to school a day in my life†¦When I come to this state, Van Vicks and Bill Bowman immigrated one hunderd head of us†¦our family was landed at Phillips Bayou†¦I was a cowboy, me and George†¦Mama was a mik woman†¦I was willed to Mars Billy†¦Nobody run off from Boss William Green. He told ‘em if they run off he would whoop ‘em†¦the Ku Kluckses come one night†¦They was getting submission over the country†¦They would make you be quiet ‘long the roa dside†¦the Ku Kluckses whipped some, tied some out to trees and left ‘em. They was rough, young mistress† (Green, 1939). Green’s harrowing account of life during slavery, and the vengeance of the Klan after the Civil War, bears witness to the events that were to set the stage for the African American experience ever after. He reports voting, and owning a pony. ... Lincoln’s assassination led to the installment of President Johnson, who allowed the South to encact Black Codes of law whose main purpose was to preserve the antebellum status quo: a caste system ensuring that white men would retain their previous power (Davidson, et al, 2010, p. 474). Many states in the New South codified restriction on the freedoms that had been promised to African Americans. The former slaves were called freedmen, but in some states could not work where they chose, could not serve on juries, and could not rent or buy farmland. Johnson, a political coward, ignored the cries of outrage coming from the North, and eagerly adopted the Black Codes as well as eagerly pardoned many former rebels. In addition, Congress defeated proposals to give freedmen forty acres of land each. In these ways, land ownership was denied to African Americans (Davidson, et al, 2010, p. 475). New state constitutions were enacted in the South, which gave freedmen the right to vote, yet ignored social segregation. In response, African Americans developed their own important institutions--the black schools and churches. Literacy was extremely important to the freedmen and women, because they knew it was needed to defend their rights. The schools were faced with white opposition: â€Å"Hostile white southerners destroyed black schools and†¦even murdered white teachers† (Davidson, et al, 2010, p.482). The Freedmen’s Bureau stepped in to train black teachers. Black churches were hugely important at this time because they were the only institutions completely controlled by African Americans. The Black church offered sanctuary from the white wolrd, and a chance to form and nurture a new identity. The hopes and dreams of African Americans were set in

Film Critique - Dances with Wolves Movie Review

Film Critique - Dances with Wolves - Movie Review Example The Wind in His Hair, a young, angry Indian, did not trust him at all. When Dunbar brought back Stands With a Fist, who was a white girl that was living with the tribe and was attempting suicide following the death of her husband, Dunbar was looked upon the tribe less suspiciously by everybody. Then, when Dunbar came into the camp to tell the tribe about him spotting Buffalo, he attained mythical status, and everybody wanted to be his friend from that point on. Dunbar then started living with the tribe. He learned the language and married Stands With a Fist. Dunbar was captured by the army when he went back to his original post to retrieve his diary, thinking that the diary would be used to find the Sioux tribe and kill them. The Sioux brothers of Dunbar ambushed the Army men who were taking Dunbar to be tried for treason and probably hanged. Dunbar knew that his presence in the tribe made the entire tribe a target, and put everybody in danger, so he knew that he had to leave. With a heavy heart, he and Stands With a Fist left the tribe. In the captions, it was made known that the entire tribe had submitted to the white man’s rule 18 months later. One of the major themes that ran all the way through the movie was the white man’s disregard for nature and animals. Through this theme ran an undercurrent that the white man had no regard for life, period. The theme of having a general disregard for nature, thus having a general disregard for animals, was subtly introduced to the character of John Dunbar’s guide.... The Sioux brothers of Dunbar ambushed the Army men who were taking Dunbar to be tried for treason and probably hanged. Dunbar knew that his presence in the tribe made the entire tribe a target, and put everybody in danger, so he knew that he had to leave. With a heavy heart, he and Stands With a Fist left the tribe. In the captions, it was made known that the entire tribe had submitted to the white man’s rule 18 months later. Themes One of the major themes that ran all the way through the movie was the white man’s disregard for nature and animals. Through this theme ran an undercurrent that the white man had no regard for life, period. The theme of having general disregard for nature, thus having a general disregard for animals, was subtly introduced in the character of John Dunbar’s guide. This guide threw a tin can into the prairie, and by the way that Dunbar looked upon this action, it was clear that Dunbar did not approve of this. The theme was touched upon m uch more clearly in a subsequent scene – there were dead animals in a pond, all of them shot to death. It wasn’t clear why these animals were killed – they apparently were not killed for their hide, or their meat, because the entire carcasses were left to rot in the water. They apparently were killed only for sport. The next instance where the audience was shown that the white man had no respect for animals or nature came during a scene where there were thousands of buffaloes rotting in the sun. They were stripped of their hides and their tongues, then left on the prairie to rot. This was an insult to the Indians – they depended upon the buffalo for the meat, the hide, the organs, the bones, everything. They did not