Post-War Liberalism to the Present

The profound mistake of Reverend Wright's sermon is not that he spoke about racism in our society.  It's that he spoke as if our society was static; as if no progress has been made; as if this country  a country that has made it possible for one of his own members to run for the highest office in the land and build a coalition of white and black, Latino and Asia, rich and poor, young and old is still irrevocably bound to a tragic past.  But what we know what we have sensed that America can change.  That is the true genius of this nation.  What we have already achieved gives us hope the audacity to hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This passage was really deep.  Obama did not allow all the negative controversy with the Reverend hinder what he was focused on.  He took the negativity and try to make a positive out of it. He felt like there was a lot of racial issues in American that went unnoticed. He wanted to bring all issue to the forefront and let everyone know that we are equal.  He did not look at people as color he was looking at them as human beings.  He said he felt all the harsh realities of America when it came to race as he was a man of many races but he did not love no one no more or no less.  He felt like he could change this by being the first African American man to become president.  He said there was some progress in this nation when it came to race and he would be the one to try to continue the change.

The Progressive Era

There came a growing feeling that government was conducted for the benefit of a few who thrived unduly at the expense of all.  The people sought a balancing a limiting force.  There came gradually through town councils trade guilds national parliaments by constitution and by popular participation and control limitation on arbitrary power.

This passage basically stated that when the government was created it was not created for all americans but it was created for some americans.  It also states that they used it as if it was for all so that it would be funded by all.  This passage also just show the early start to corruption in the american government.


The Great Depression had important consequences in the political sphere. In the United States, economic distress led to the election of the Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt to the presidency in late 1932. Roosevelt introduced a number of major changes in the structure of the American economy, using increased government regulation and massive public-works projects to promote a recovery. But despite this active intervention, mass unemployment and economic stagnation continued, though on a somewhat reduced scale, with about 15 percent of the work force still unemployed in 1939 at the outbreak of World War II. After that, unemployment dropped rapidly as American factories were flooded with orders from overseas for armaments and munitions. The depression ended completely soon after the United States' entry into World War II in 1941. In Europe, the Great Depression strengthened extremist forces and lowered the prestige of liberal democracy. In Germany, economic distress directly contributed to Adolf Hitler's rise to power in 1933. The Nazis' public-works projects and their rapid expansion of munitions production ended the Depression there by 1936.

This passage just shows how the world went from being a country of survival to a country that could barely survive even with the government trying to help.  That the government did not have enough of resources as well to bring the economy back. It a war to come to surface for the economy to start coming together again.  This makes you wonder if the war was a solution for the government to get the economy back in functioning order.

This picture shows that they are having a hard time accepting that life for them may have ended.  The woman looks like she is drinking her problems away.  The man is thinking really hard as to how to keep his family from falling apart. This just show that people had to figure out how to survive with the help of the government this just show more governmental corruption.

Lincoln Part 2

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brough fourth on this continet , a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

I choose this passage cause it was always a saying that we were taught in school.  It was always a part of our school plays.  This passage has a meaning to me of letting us know that a new America was now being formed.  That slavery was was coming to an end an african american or blacks would now be considered apart of the new America.  They had the same rights as whites.

Abraham Lincoln

There is a natural disgust in the minds of nearly all white people, to the idea of an indiscriminate amalgamation of the white and black races; and Judge Douglas evidently is basing his chief hope, upon the chances of being able to appropriate the benefit of to disgust to himself.

This particular part which comes from the very first paragraph.  How can they find a disgust in the mixing of black and whites when it is the whites that are raping their slaves.  If they were content with the wife and children that they already had it would not be not mixture of the races.  It came from the fact that they had the power and control these peoples lives that they did whatever they wanted to them. It was cool for them to rape the female slaves that allowed them to have an affair and it not really be known that they went outside they home cause they slave knew better than to talk about it cause that could me their death.

Contraband OF War

As Union armies moved into the South, thousands of slaves fled to their camps. Although some Union officers sent them back to their masters, others allowed them to remain with their troops, using them as a work force and dubbing them "contraband of war."
Of this sketch, Waud, who photographed the "contrabands" and then prepared the drawing for the newspaper, wrote:

There is something very touching in seeing these poor people coming into camp--giving up all the little ties that cluster about home, such as it is in slavery, and trustfully throwing themselves on the mercy of the Yankees, in the hope of getting permission to own themselves and keep their children from the auction-block. This party evidently comprises a whole family from some farm . . . .

To Union Lines and Freedom

Photographed by Timothy H. O'Sullivan, this is an image of African Americans seeking to gain freedom behind Union lines. It was taken in the main eastern theater of the war during the second battle of Bull Run in 1862.

These two selections just show that the slaves put their trust into any and everyone with hopes that they would help or rescue them to freedom.  They felt that it could not be no worst than where they were at already.  Some got lucky and some did not. Freedom was what they were seeking with hopes of the Unions would give that to them.  It was not an easy road cause as you read some of the Unions sent them back to there masters ans some of the Unions used for their own benefits.

Civil Disobedience 2

Elizabeth Stanton

He has never permitted her to exercise her inalienable right to the elective franchise.  He has compelled her to submit to laws, in the formation of  which she had no voice. He has withheld from her rights which are given to the most ignorant and degraded men both native and foreigners. Having deprived her of this first right of a citizen, the elective franchise, thereby leaving her without representation in the halls of legislation, he has oppressed her on all sides.

This passage goes with the lecture cause it talks about woman rights and how they did not have no because of man not allowing them to have the power.

I chose this passage cause it allows you to see that man had control over everything and Stanton was fight for woman to have equal right the same rights that men had but the major was she wanted woman to have a voice by allowing them to vote.  At this time woman were seen not heard and they want to change the perspective of woman.

Frederick Douglas

For Gods sake, let a man speak when he cannot do anything else; when fetters are on his limbs let him have this small right of making his wrongs known; at least let it be done in New York.  I am glad to see there is a disposition to let it be done here- allow him to tell what is in him with regard to his own personal wrongs at any rate.

This is about the rights of man and the freedom.  New York was one of the states that allowed men to feel free with minimal repercussion.

I choose this passage cause and men and woman of color are fighting for rights and to be equal they have found grounds for a start and in a state that allowed them to have minimal rights with out punishment to be man and woman

Civil Disobedience

I choose the first passage that says
I heartily accept the motto "That government is best which governs the least"; and i should like to see it acted up more rapidly and systematically.

This particular states that Thoreau feels that the government is not a good government and it is the best government when it is not working or causing harm to the american people.

I choose this statement because it is a true statement in my book i feel that the government cause us more harm than good.  I feel this way cause the government control to much and the rules and regulations are not made to help the working middle class or the poor.  They look at ideas and dont really weigh the pros and cons of how it would affect americans in the long run not the short term benefit.

In the African American Odyssey part 1 and 2 with reading the The Atlantic Trade, Liberation Strategies, Fight for Freedom and Other Libeations.  It tells you how african americans were stolen held hostage and transported to other states and country.  It also tells you how they felt like slavery was wrong and the fight to try and rid slavery.  This was in connection with our readings cause they were saying how they were trying to do away with slavery.  How the government at one point felt that slavery was inhumane.  How when slavery was at a low was in the mist of no more the cotton fields came along and because of the production and wealth from the cotton slavery had now started being done illegally.

The Anti-Federalists

 Look up the section "Federalism" and explain the differences between horizontal and vertical federalism

Horizontal federalism is the American people in each state which is at the city state and local government level of power and Vertical federalism is the Federal government that rule and control the all the power.

You are sensible, Sir, that the Seeds of Aristocracy began to spring even before the Conclusion of our Struggle for the Natural Rights of Men, Seeds which like a Canker Worm lie at the Root of free Governments. So great is the Wickedness of some Men & the stupid Servility of others, that one would be almost inclined to conclude that Communities cannot be free. The few haughty Families, think They must govern. The Body of the People tamely consent & submit to be their Slaves. This unravels the Mystery of Millions being enslaved by the few! (p. 130).

This particular passage state how the government was using man to manipulate the minds of others. When the minds could not be manipulate no more they enslaved them.  They did not allow the freedom.  How one set of Americans were educated but the other set could not be educated.  This all falls back to how the Whites were rulers.They were the masters of the negro people.  Whites could be educate but the negro people could not be educated.  They wanted to make sure they could not take over and have more power than them.

The Constitution and the Federalist (Part 2)

Choose one passage form Madison and one from Hamiliton and write out the passage and interpret it.

Madison
The appointment of taxes on the various descriptions of property is an act which seems to require the most exact impartiality; yet there is, perhaps, no legislative act in which greater opportunity and temptation are given to a predominant party to trample on the rules of justice. Every shilling with which they overburden the inferior number, is a shilling saved to their own pocket (p. 93).

I choose this quote cause they are basically saying that taxes were put out there to take some of the money out the American people pocket.  To much money in their pockets can give them to much power and troubles.  The less money the people have the more they would have to depend on the federal government.  This did not work as well as they wanted it to cause some people are able to fend for their self with out the help of the federal government.


Hamilton
 “Power controlled or abridged is almost always the rival and enemy of that power by which it is controlled or abridged” (p. 112),
This particular quote states that to much power for any one person, group,organization is no good for the federal government and they need to find a way to reduce the power of these people and their freedom of speech.

This is all just a part of the political system where the government has to have full control over everything and everybody.  They can not function is they feel they have lost that power.

Constitution

Choose one Article from the Constitution and choose a specific Section and a specific Clause or short paragraph (for example Article 1 Section 8 Clause 5). Write out the clause, interpret it, and explain why you chose this passage.
Article 1 Section 2
The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature.

No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.

I chose this particle part cause it lets the american people know that they choose who they put in these offices.  It stuck out to me the most due the government shut down.  That a second year is coming up and we need to reevaluate who we have in these seats and think about who we want to put in these seats the next time around.  That if they dont stop the shutdown by next week the american is no more america it is a political society that does not care about the well being of americans.

Choose an article from either Roll Call or Politico in the list of links on the blog page. Post the link to the article and underneath write your reaction. Do not summarize, but write your response to the article and why you chose it.

http://blogs.rollcall.com/218/republicans-obama-debt-default/

I choose this particular article cause the Government shut down affects all of us today.  This also shows that they really are not concern how this will affect the american people.  The republican have decided that they are going to do whatever they want and how they want.  This just shows that people have to be more careful with who they vote for to put in these position. Even though i really am still confused about the government shutdown the little i have come to understand it is a horrible thing that his happening in america today. It can also send america in a deeper debt.  The house and senate are also lettting the president know that they are in control and if he dont give them what they want he will not get what he want.  It is political blackmail at the expense of the american people.

The American Revolution

Choose a passage from one of the readings (Adams, Rush, or Paine) and one from the Declaration of Independence. Write out both passages. Under that interpret the meaning of what the author is saying, and why they are saying it. Explain why you chose this passage and how it relates to the lecture.

Adams stated: All Men have a Right to remain in a State of Nature as long as they please: And in case of intollerable [sic] Oppression, Civil or Religious, to leave the Society they belong to, and enter into another.

Declaration of Indepence: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness

These two quotes are very much the same state men and woman have freedom to do as they choose.  They are free and able to do what they want.  That was really not the case back in those days.  

In the days that these statements was made african americans were not treated the same as whites.  African americans were owned by the whites and they told them when they could eat when they could sleep and when they were able to leave.  They were not free to do what they wanted they could not be educated as well.

This statement only applied to people who were not of color they had the chose to do whatever it was that they saw fit.  They were educated.  They were allowed in another colony.

These statements are very contradiction because all me were not equal.

Political Identity & Political Culture (Part 2)

Choose a quote from Chesterton and write it out on your blog. Under that write your interpretation of what you think the author is trying to say. Then, after that write out your own explanation of the meaning of this passage and why you chose this specific quote. Next class, we will talk about the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution.

Of course this generalisation about America, like other historical things, is subject to all sorts of cross[Pg 14] divisions and exceptions, to be considered in their place. The negroes are a special problem, because of what white men in the past did to them. The Japanese are a special problem, because of what men fear that they in the future may do to white men. The Jews are a special problem, because of what they and the Gentiles, in the past, present, and future, seem to have the habit of doing to each other.

The author is stating that everything they do with different cultures they have to be care. They are trying to prevent retaliation. England did so much harm to these cultures they don't know which directions to go and which way to handle them.

I choose this insert because it just states that a lot of cultures did things to benefit them and their society.  They did not care how much harm it would do to other culture and societies.  Looking at today society the Negroes as called are looking to move forward with life they don't dwell to much on the past and some do but its a feel and they are entitle to feel.  The Japanese are taking over the technology world like they were concern about with the future of the white men. They still isolate their culture from other cultures.  The Jews have move passed the Hitler days and they are their own community and society were ever they go.  The focus on the upbringing and uplifting of their family and culture and looking for better understanding of who they are.

I think that if we just remember that we are all human and treat each other respect things will get better. We need to stop teaching in our cultures and this day and age that we are better than the next one.  We are all the same just some have more wisdom, knowledge and money.  They don't have the power unless we give it to them.

Political Identity & Political Culture

 Choose a quote from Bourne and write it out in your blog. Under that write your interpretation of what you think the author is trying to say and explain that. Then, after that write out your own explanation of the meaning of this passage and why you chose this specific quote and how it relates to this class.

To make real this striving amid dangers and apathies is work for a younger intelligensia of America. Here is an enterprise of integration into which we can all pour ourselves, of a spiritual welding which should make us, if the final menace ever came, not weaker, but infinitely strong.

What i get from this saying is that regardless where we are at in the world that one day we can all come together as one. That we see no difference in race color religion or nation origin. That we are all one race  the human race.

I think that it relates to this class as we get further that we will see the political stand points of how we are divided as a nation.  How if we the people continue to fight that one day our younger generation will be able to achieve and complete what was started before there time of being true one nation.  That we will be just the human race not the white race, not the black race or asian race etc.  But we will all be the human race of male and female.  That the only difference that will divide is us is our cultural beliefs.

Welcome and Good Luck