Thesis: “There has not been a country in world history in which racism has been more important, for so long a time, as the United States. The main overview of this chapter is how slaves became slaves, how they were treated and how they were selected. Some key points are:
The color line- where questions arise such as how did it start? How might it end? Or is it possible for whites and blacks to live together?
Slave trade- a very messy business, where slave traders would go and capture people from Africa and bring them back to their country to sell. On the journey it is estimated that about 1/3 of the people would die do to the horrendous conditions. Not just used in the America’s but also it was big in western European countries.
Feudalism- consisted of hierarchies/lords, vassals. Africa also had a feudal system- strongly supported with tribal life.
In this chapter Zinn discusses how slaves were treated, the horrible conditions of the slave ships, how the black man was taken advantage of, and why the white plantation owners were so scared of revolts. He starts off with explaining how our capitalistic views became the backbone of the slave. The white mans drive of making profit and finding ways to create a lot of crops which leads to needing a lot of help. The English first thought about using the Indians but realized that it would not be a good idea. Yes the white man could over power them with their technology but as soon as they put the native people to work it was over. It would be very hard to keep the Indians under watch because they would run away and have no problem with surviving because they knew the land and could take care of themselves. As for the black man, he was taken from his country and brought to this new place which was very unfamiliar and would not know where to go if he/she was to run away or how to take care of themselves. This made it a lot easier for the white man to keep control. Don’t get me wrong there were plenty of runaway black slaves but they kind of stuck out like a sore thumb. One of his main arguments was about the slave trade itself. He gives a few descriptions about the slave ships and the so called “death marches.” The slave traders would go over to Africa and round up as many slaves as they could, stuff them on to a ship, and send off to various countries. The conditions were so bad one person wrote it looked like a slaughter how due to all the blood and dead carcasses. Many blacks would jump over board and end the suffering. When done with that they would sometimes be forced to walk hundreds of miles in shackles. Where about 2 out of every 5 would die. Zinn then talks about how many of the plantation owners were in fear of revolts. The slave population was growing so much that if formed correctly, it could be very powerful.
How would the slave traders make a profit if all of these slaves would either die on the slave ships or on the marches?
What made African people such a primary target for slavery?
I found this article to somewhat boring. I have already heard a majority of this kind of stuff and it didn’t really grab my attention. I mean I knew about how awful the slave trade process was, what happened to runaway slaves, why the whites would fear revolts, and why Indian would be a good choice for a slave. This chapter did not really present any new ideas.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Johnson chap3 "matrix domination"
Thesis: Capitalism creates classism, racism, and sexism and you can never have one “privilege” without getting put down in another category. Johnson’s main points are how capitalism affects our economy, and how it creates class conflicts. This chapter also describes how you can not be defined by one single social category.
In this chapter Johnson starts off with how capitalism is what makes the economy go round. He describes how it affects everyday life and more importantly the people. It is a system to make as much money as you can and being able to pay workers the lowest wages possible (leads to more money). It creates a huge gap between the classes now. The middle class is not the most populated anymore. You are either on one end of the spectrum (rich) or on the opposite end (poor). The middle class is losing value because they are either being replaced by technology or companies are finding people to work for less money that the average white person would accept (minorities). The capitalist want the white male to adopt this idea of “whiteness” so that they still feel more privileged than that of a colored because they are white. The idea of whiteness only goes so far because when they see that their jobs are being taken away by minorities who will work for less they begin to build up hate. Instead of hating the capitalist who created this, they blame the people of color. Thus this leads to fewer unions or organizations that are created in companies because the owners will just bring in colored people who will not object to the wages or conditions and just work. Johnson explains how this pushed idea of whiteness hurts the white man because it discourages them from working and just be happy they are white, so that the companies can pay lower wages to and make a bigger profit. Then this idea of other classes comes into play where a person can be white but then looked down upon because he or she is gay. This kind of example happens very often and there is usually something about a person that would maybe make them appear less superior to someone else. In other words it can also be described as a “matrix of domination.”
1. Why does this idea of profit create social class conflicts?
2. Will there soon not be a middle class if the current situation continues?
I thought this article to very interesting. I never really thought about the different categories of what people can be placed in. It helped me realize that a person may not get a job because they are gay or of color. I mean yah some people would assume that a white person would get a job over a colored person, but that could go out the door when the white person and colored are of equality but the white male or female is gay. Then the employer decides to go with the colored based on sexuality. I mean the types of situations can go on and on but the fact is that competition is so fierce every little detail about you counts.
In this chapter Johnson starts off with how capitalism is what makes the economy go round. He describes how it affects everyday life and more importantly the people. It is a system to make as much money as you can and being able to pay workers the lowest wages possible (leads to more money). It creates a huge gap between the classes now. The middle class is not the most populated anymore. You are either on one end of the spectrum (rich) or on the opposite end (poor). The middle class is losing value because they are either being replaced by technology or companies are finding people to work for less money that the average white person would accept (minorities). The capitalist want the white male to adopt this idea of “whiteness” so that they still feel more privileged than that of a colored because they are white. The idea of whiteness only goes so far because when they see that their jobs are being taken away by minorities who will work for less they begin to build up hate. Instead of hating the capitalist who created this, they blame the people of color. Thus this leads to fewer unions or organizations that are created in companies because the owners will just bring in colored people who will not object to the wages or conditions and just work. Johnson explains how this pushed idea of whiteness hurts the white man because it discourages them from working and just be happy they are white, so that the companies can pay lower wages to and make a bigger profit. Then this idea of other classes comes into play where a person can be white but then looked down upon because he or she is gay. This kind of example happens very often and there is usually something about a person that would maybe make them appear less superior to someone else. In other words it can also be described as a “matrix of domination.”
1. Why does this idea of profit create social class conflicts?
2. Will there soon not be a middle class if the current situation continues?
I thought this article to very interesting. I never really thought about the different categories of what people can be placed in. It helped me realize that a person may not get a job because they are gay or of color. I mean yah some people would assume that a white person would get a job over a colored person, but that could go out the door when the white person and colored are of equality but the white male or female is gay. Then the employer decides to go with the colored based on sexuality. I mean the types of situations can go on and on but the fact is that competition is so fierce every little detail about you counts.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Takaki Chapter 3 "giddy multitude"
Thesis: In the English mind, the color black was freighted with an array of negative images: “deeply stained with dirt, foul, dark or deadly, and wicked.” The main idea of this chapter is that right from the get go the whites saw blacks as different and believed them to be the “Devil’s incarnate.” The English already were making judgment on the African people because of their skin color. I mean it is pretty harsh to say that someone has the Devil in them. Also this chapter talks about the slavery.
In the beginning of this chapter Takaki explains how from first sight of the blacks the English profiled them and made judgment. They believed that the color black was evil and it must have been created by the Devil. The English said that the black’s skin looked like it had been scorched by the sun and they called them cannibals. Then he talks about slavery of the Irish and African’s. Sometimes families or anybody for that matter could be taken from their beds in the middle of the night and put onto a ship. With everyone aboard it set sail for America. When they arrived they would be sold and put to work on plantations. They would be forced to work all day no matter what conditions and then achy, tired, and hungry they would return to the huts. Many would try to escape, but if you were caught you would pay the price by lashes or some other sort of pain. Takaki explains how there was even racism in amongst the slaves. If a black person and a white person were caught for the same thing the black person would suffer a more sever punishment. For example two white men and a black man were caught for running away. They all received lashes and the white men were forced to spend one for additional year with their master, but for the black man he had to serve his master for the rest of his life. He also states how slavery wasn’t invented in New England, but it documented to be used in the West Indies. However, when Virginia started to boom they produced a lot of tobacco and needed help raising crops. They use to consider prisoners of war as slaves. But soon they found that they could use these color people for work and property. Even though there is all this talk about slavery, it increased very slowly. But soon it made its dent in America. They said there were as many slaves as slave buyers. This chapter also explains the “giddy multitude” that was formed by the whites that felt they were duped into coming to America. In Virginia A man named Isaac Friend led a conspiracy consisting of forty servants. This sort of incident also happened three years latter in Berkeley Virginia. Then towards the end it talks about Thomas Jefferson and his ideas on how to avoid social conflicts.
I felt that this selection was interesting but I did not see how someone could say that kind of stuff about someone else just because of their opinion. I mean like I said earlier that is really low to say someone was created by the devil and is a cannibal just because of skin color. I mean I guess times, such as religion had a lot to do with it, but I just don’t get it. Also I found it very interesting about how even between the black and white slaves the black slaves were treated worse. I didn’t know that and it didn’t really surprise me because of what I have read about the English behavior prior to this chapter.
Why aren’t the white slaves talked about as much as the black slaves?
Why did black slave become the primary workforce in America?
In the beginning of this chapter Takaki explains how from first sight of the blacks the English profiled them and made judgment. They believed that the color black was evil and it must have been created by the Devil. The English said that the black’s skin looked like it had been scorched by the sun and they called them cannibals. Then he talks about slavery of the Irish and African’s. Sometimes families or anybody for that matter could be taken from their beds in the middle of the night and put onto a ship. With everyone aboard it set sail for America. When they arrived they would be sold and put to work on plantations. They would be forced to work all day no matter what conditions and then achy, tired, and hungry they would return to the huts. Many would try to escape, but if you were caught you would pay the price by lashes or some other sort of pain. Takaki explains how there was even racism in amongst the slaves. If a black person and a white person were caught for the same thing the black person would suffer a more sever punishment. For example two white men and a black man were caught for running away. They all received lashes and the white men were forced to spend one for additional year with their master, but for the black man he had to serve his master for the rest of his life. He also states how slavery wasn’t invented in New England, but it documented to be used in the West Indies. However, when Virginia started to boom they produced a lot of tobacco and needed help raising crops. They use to consider prisoners of war as slaves. But soon they found that they could use these color people for work and property. Even though there is all this talk about slavery, it increased very slowly. But soon it made its dent in America. They said there were as many slaves as slave buyers. This chapter also explains the “giddy multitude” that was formed by the whites that felt they were duped into coming to America. In Virginia A man named Isaac Friend led a conspiracy consisting of forty servants. This sort of incident also happened three years latter in Berkeley Virginia. Then towards the end it talks about Thomas Jefferson and his ideas on how to avoid social conflicts.
I felt that this selection was interesting but I did not see how someone could say that kind of stuff about someone else just because of their opinion. I mean like I said earlier that is really low to say someone was created by the devil and is a cannibal just because of skin color. I mean I guess times, such as religion had a lot to do with it, but I just don’t get it. Also I found it very interesting about how even between the black and white slaves the black slaves were treated worse. I didn’t know that and it didn’t really surprise me because of what I have read about the English behavior prior to this chapter.
Why aren’t the white slaves talked about as much as the black slaves?
Why did black slave become the primary workforce in America?
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Screen Race:power of illusion part1
The main idea or point that the author/video is trying to get across is that race is a biological myth or idea that we as a society have created. This video tries to show us that yes our skin color is different but our genetics are not that far off from each other. It is stated that there is as much if not more difference within the same race than that of separate races. Actually we are the closest to each other genetically than any other species. Questions arise such as who decides race and what could be described as a racial life? In other words we have to look at the person as a whole and not just the outside because sure your skin color could be different, but there are thousands of years of genes that have been passed to you and they could have come from different parts of the world. Yet a person is racial zed by what the color of their skin may be.
In this movie many different points are brought up about what defines race. Most people look at the visual differences of that person such as body shape, skin tone, etc. These kinds of assumptions created the five different groups known as races. People are put into a certain race base on certain characteristics that they posses. Again this is showing the idea of the external. There is nothing proving that a certain biological thing can define race. It is a myth like I have stated earlier that us as humans have created. Some use this myth to explain the differences such as athletic ability. People can argue that a black person has an extra muscle in their leg that makes them run faster. It is said that population differs by distance and location. There is a continuous change in skin color or in other words you can not pick out a specific area and say that is where this color lives.
This movie was very interesting in that I would have never guessed that we of all species are the closest related in terms of DNA. I mean we seem so different but we are not. What really caught my attention was the stuff about certain races having athletic advantages/the athletic gene. I have always wondered if that was true and nothing has been proven yet but I hope one day that this question will receive an answer. I do agree with the movie the stuff about what we as people look at to determine a person’s race. We should not be the deciders of that.
1. Why is it a certain person can be labeled Mexican or white if they are both? (Example- I am half Mexican and half white but I am labeled as white because that is what my outer appearance portrays.)
2. Will there ever be a connection found between biological factors and race?
In this movie many different points are brought up about what defines race. Most people look at the visual differences of that person such as body shape, skin tone, etc. These kinds of assumptions created the five different groups known as races. People are put into a certain race base on certain characteristics that they posses. Again this is showing the idea of the external. There is nothing proving that a certain biological thing can define race. It is a myth like I have stated earlier that us as humans have created. Some use this myth to explain the differences such as athletic ability. People can argue that a black person has an extra muscle in their leg that makes them run faster. It is said that population differs by distance and location. There is a continuous change in skin color or in other words you can not pick out a specific area and say that is where this color lives.
This movie was very interesting in that I would have never guessed that we of all species are the closest related in terms of DNA. I mean we seem so different but we are not. What really caught my attention was the stuff about certain races having athletic advantages/the athletic gene. I have always wondered if that was true and nothing has been proven yet but I hope one day that this question will receive an answer. I do agree with the movie the stuff about what we as people look at to determine a person’s race. We should not be the deciders of that.
1. Why is it a certain person can be labeled Mexican or white if they are both? (Example- I am half Mexican and half white but I am labeled as white because that is what my outer appearance portrays.)
2. Will there ever be a connection found between biological factors and race?
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Takaki Chap2
Thesis: “in their first encounters with Europeans, the Indians tried to relate the strangers to what was familiar in their world. The main idea of this chapter was to show how the English were out to install civilization in those countries that seemed to have none. They felt that it was their duty or Gods will to change the way people live and make them who aren’t more civilized. Also it showed how single minded the English were by labeling anybody who seemed to live barbarically in their eyes as “savages”. This chapter shows how they would stop at nothing even if it meant murder to create a “civilized” nation.
In the beginning of this selection it shows where the English started pushing this idea of civilization in three cites-Ireland, Virginia, and New England. It starts off first telling us about the way the Irish lived and where the “savage” name is introduced. It was known as a person or group of people that live on the outside of “civilization”. The Irish were seen as people who lacked the knowledge of God, no manners, nomadic/hunters, and no sense of private property. They were also called lazy and not willing to work for their own food, such as to harvest it. So then came along the brutality of the English, where they would try to use force to scare the Irish into accepting their way of life. They would murder families and destroy villages. In one case a man name Sir Humphrey Gilbert ordered that all the heads of people killed to be chopped off and brought to him. He would line the heads up parallel to each other creating a walk way to his tent that he hoped would scare the Irish into becoming civilized by seeing the heads of family and friends. Then this expansionism idea of civilization made its way to America. The Indians were compared to the Irish because they lived the same way but the difference was that they lived in peace where the Irish stole from each other and lived in turmoil. The Indians shared a “large dish” and everyone can eat and hunt together in peace and love. They did not care about boundaries or private property. In fact they would even share their food with the colonist that were dieing of starvation because the land did not live up to the expectations. They natives were not a hostile group and yet the English were extremely hostile to them. It was either join us or be exterminated. Like I have stated earlier they felt it was Gods will. It was even said that when the English brought over new diseases that wiped out close to half of the native population, they claimed that this was Gods way over making room. Some officers would even go to the extent of meeting with tribal leaders and poisoning their drinks killing them leaving no one to defend the rest of the tribe which were slaughtered. Thus begun a process of “cultural construction” which would create a national label, that we would have to live with for centuries to come.
My reaction to this article is that this is a subject that we see going on in our everyday life and will probably never stop. I mean it seems that if someone else’s country is having a problem we try to install our way of living thinking that it will fix everything. In some cases it works but in a lot more cases it fails because people do not want to be told how to live. It almost seems that we think of ourselves as better or at least the way we live is better. But what works for one nation may not be the solution for another. It just seems that when you start trying to help everyone else you ignore or push aside the problems that are going on in your own country.
1. Should it be our job or even a certain races job to decide how people live?
2. What does the word savage really mean and did the Indians fulfill that definition?
In the beginning of this selection it shows where the English started pushing this idea of civilization in three cites-Ireland, Virginia, and New England. It starts off first telling us about the way the Irish lived and where the “savage” name is introduced. It was known as a person or group of people that live on the outside of “civilization”. The Irish were seen as people who lacked the knowledge of God, no manners, nomadic/hunters, and no sense of private property. They were also called lazy and not willing to work for their own food, such as to harvest it. So then came along the brutality of the English, where they would try to use force to scare the Irish into accepting their way of life. They would murder families and destroy villages. In one case a man name Sir Humphrey Gilbert ordered that all the heads of people killed to be chopped off and brought to him. He would line the heads up parallel to each other creating a walk way to his tent that he hoped would scare the Irish into becoming civilized by seeing the heads of family and friends. Then this expansionism idea of civilization made its way to America. The Indians were compared to the Irish because they lived the same way but the difference was that they lived in peace where the Irish stole from each other and lived in turmoil. The Indians shared a “large dish” and everyone can eat and hunt together in peace and love. They did not care about boundaries or private property. In fact they would even share their food with the colonist that were dieing of starvation because the land did not live up to the expectations. They natives were not a hostile group and yet the English were extremely hostile to them. It was either join us or be exterminated. Like I have stated earlier they felt it was Gods will. It was even said that when the English brought over new diseases that wiped out close to half of the native population, they claimed that this was Gods way over making room. Some officers would even go to the extent of meeting with tribal leaders and poisoning their drinks killing them leaving no one to defend the rest of the tribe which were slaughtered. Thus begun a process of “cultural construction” which would create a national label, that we would have to live with for centuries to come.
My reaction to this article is that this is a subject that we see going on in our everyday life and will probably never stop. I mean it seems that if someone else’s country is having a problem we try to install our way of living thinking that it will fix everything. In some cases it works but in a lot more cases it fails because people do not want to be told how to live. It almost seems that we think of ourselves as better or at least the way we live is better. But what works for one nation may not be the solution for another. It just seems that when you start trying to help everyone else you ignore or push aside the problems that are going on in your own country.
1. Should it be our job or even a certain races job to decide how people live?
2. What does the word savage really mean and did the Indians fulfill that definition?
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Introduction Post
My name is Michael Falter and I am from Perrysburg Ohio. I enjoy playing sports. Sports are what helped make me into the person that I am today. They have helped me learn team work, self determination, and hard work. My favorite sport is baseball and my second favorite is football. I also love golf, basketball, and hockey. I am one of three kids, me being the oldest. I have two sisters who are twelve and sixteen. I am very close with them which may sound weird because you don’t often here of older brothers getting along with their younger sisters, at least I don’t. I have a really good relationship with my dad. Every Saturday I go home and watch football with him and we just hang out and talk sports. I feel that I am blessed to have a caring father and mother because you see so often the exact opposite. A surprising thing that not very many people know except my friends is that I am half Mexican. I get it from my moms side. I never got to meet either of my grandpas because both of them died before I was born. I also only have one grandma left because the other one died about three years ago. My favorite team doesn’t matter pro or not is The Ohio State Buckeye. I bleed scarlet and gray. In fact next year I will be transferring there. I have wanted to go there since I was born. I didn’t apply myself enough in high school so I didn’t get accepted but now I have good enough grades and got in. I am undecided in my major but I am have narrowed it down to business or exercise science, which leads me to my next point. I love working out and staying in shape. I work out everyday Monday through Sunday not taking a day off. Watching the buckeyes and playing sports are the only things that I enjoy more. I especially love it when I can help someone change the way their body looks. It is probably kind of the feeling of being a teacher when your students do well. I really hate the winter except if I lived next to or really close to a ski resort. Other than that if I never had to experience winter again I would be just fine with that. I am what you would call a summer/spring guy and especially fall because its football time.
Zinn Chapter 1
Thesis- “like other states of the modern world, Spain sought gold, which was becoming the new mark of wealth, more useful than land because it could buy anything”. The main idea of this article was to show how the desire of wealth and fame can lead to turmoil. In this chapter the author was not really making an argument but more so giving a different point of view. We all know the story of Christopher Columbus as being happy and exciting and not filled with blood shed and hostility because that is what we grew up with. Very few of us know or knew that there was an evil side to the story as we have found out from this chapter.
Columbus set out for Asia in search of gold and riches and instead miscalculated his route and ended up in what is now the Americas by pure accident. He was greeted by the Arawak’s which were the native people to the new land. They were very open and shared everything in their possession with the whites because that was their lifestyle. Instead of becoming good friends with the natives the whites took advantage of the Arawak’s giving and their life. They used them as slaves to dig for this gold that Columbus so desperately wanted to find. There was some gold found in the rivers at first and it was taken back to the king of Spain and was impressed but also helped by Columbus’s urging that he granted Columbus a huge expedition. He became so obsessed that the native peoples had to report every three months and have gold to give which would then lead to them receiving a copper coin and if found without one your hands would be chopped off and you would bleed to death. Columbus’s desire to find this gold could have come from the love of his country and king or the more obvious reason greed. Whatever it was it led to the complete annihilation of the Arawak people that lived on what is now Haiti. Plus this piece was to show how history can be biased and that we should not believe everything we read. Most people know Columbus as a hero, but few know the other side of the story. Zinn believes that history should be not just be memorized it should be debated and looked at from multiple angles.
My reaction to this article was a little surprising in that I did not know that the extent of the cruelty. Like I said earlier you could look at it as a mans love for his country and king or the wanting fame. Personally I feel it is greed because how can a man do these kinds of things to people just to make his king happy. I mean times might have been different but to basically kill of an entire population on an island is a little ridiculous. I just don’t see why they had to rush things. It is exciting but if you are kind to the natives then it would make them more willing to return the favor. I mean they already welcomed the whites to their land with open arms and not even knowing them. I also agree with Zinn in that we should not believe everything we read because it could be someones opinion or just something written from one point of veiw. You very rarely see history written from the conquered's point of view.
1. Why were the Arawak people so welcoming to the whites when they were so different from them ?
2. Should Christopher Columbus be looked at as a hero or as a mass murderer?
Columbus set out for Asia in search of gold and riches and instead miscalculated his route and ended up in what is now the Americas by pure accident. He was greeted by the Arawak’s which were the native people to the new land. They were very open and shared everything in their possession with the whites because that was their lifestyle. Instead of becoming good friends with the natives the whites took advantage of the Arawak’s giving and their life. They used them as slaves to dig for this gold that Columbus so desperately wanted to find. There was some gold found in the rivers at first and it was taken back to the king of Spain and was impressed but also helped by Columbus’s urging that he granted Columbus a huge expedition. He became so obsessed that the native peoples had to report every three months and have gold to give which would then lead to them receiving a copper coin and if found without one your hands would be chopped off and you would bleed to death. Columbus’s desire to find this gold could have come from the love of his country and king or the more obvious reason greed. Whatever it was it led to the complete annihilation of the Arawak people that lived on what is now Haiti. Plus this piece was to show how history can be biased and that we should not believe everything we read. Most people know Columbus as a hero, but few know the other side of the story. Zinn believes that history should be not just be memorized it should be debated and looked at from multiple angles.
My reaction to this article was a little surprising in that I did not know that the extent of the cruelty. Like I said earlier you could look at it as a mans love for his country and king or the wanting fame. Personally I feel it is greed because how can a man do these kinds of things to people just to make his king happy. I mean times might have been different but to basically kill of an entire population on an island is a little ridiculous. I just don’t see why they had to rush things. It is exciting but if you are kind to the natives then it would make them more willing to return the favor. I mean they already welcomed the whites to their land with open arms and not even knowing them. I also agree with Zinn in that we should not believe everything we read because it could be someones opinion or just something written from one point of veiw. You very rarely see history written from the conquered's point of view.
1. Why were the Arawak people so welcoming to the whites when they were so different from them ?
2. Should Christopher Columbus be looked at as a hero or as a mass murderer?
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