I believe what Zinn is trying to tell his readers is "If racism can't be shown to be natural, then it is the result of certain conditions, and we are impelled to eliminate those conditions." In my words, he means racism didn't just happen one day and everyone knows this, but if it didn't, then where did it start and and how so we can make it straight again, before racism.
Zinn gives us great detail on how the African's became slaves in and around the world. The new settlers of America couldn't use Native Americans. There were to many Indians to overpower with their superior weapons, and that made the English mad. So they went on rampages to show Indians that they were better than them, but in the long run the Indians won because they had corn. So Americans started bringing over African servants not yet slaves like most of Europe had already. Since they weren't considered slaves yet, they pretty much had the same rights though, which were none. Whites fused it into the Africans heads that they were inferior to them, and after the horrible conditions the blacks took to get there, it was no wonder why they just said ok. But since there were so many slaves, whites were always afraid of a rebellion, so they always made examples out of blacks and punished them inhumanly at times.
Do you think slavery could ever have been avoided in the U.S. or was it needed to grow?
Do you think you would have acted the way black people did back then after that grueling trip, or not?
I love to read this book. Every time it is assigned i loose track of time reading it. I love how Zinn gives us great details and quotes. He does a great job at really giving the reader the thought of almost being there. I wasn't as shocked to read this chapter though, i already knew most of the information. I just had never thought how to tie it all back to were everyone went wrong with racism. He never gives us a solution and i think thats smart, but i still loved the chapter.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Johnson PPD Ch. 3
I beleive the author thesis is paraphased best at; Capitalism is a huge reason why the United States and the world are affected by racism today. "...becasue capitalism played a major role in the development of white privelge and still plays a magor role in its perpetation." I believe he is trying to show his readers that there are privelges that people atoumatically get and some have to be earned. That brings up a huge problem that they are connected and one can't be cancelled out without the other too.
Capitalism is the process of using labor and resources to make a profit, that has the people working for for a living and others that run the company. The people that run the company are called capitalist. One main thing about capitalism is that one mans misfortune could be onther mans fortune. That is how the United States is ran, and it can be accomplished through technology, threatening workers, and moving productivity to another place. Capitalism makes up classes where the rich own the most and the working class (the majority) own less. In todays world though, the middle class is shrinking and its becoming a small rich class and big poor class. Racism was started early by capitalist from Great Britian colonizing other places and exploiting there labor. They thought it was moraly ok and made up reason for it, hence racism as it is today. They thought white was correct by god and everything else was impure. And through that Capitalistic view, people have committed genocide, had numerous conquests, and ignored signed treaties. Through those comes domination of race and prevelges for to some and not others. These prevelges are based race, sexuality, income, etc. People are thought better if they are in a better group which means privelged more. It comes down to a "point" scale, the more the better.
Do you think there is any way of getting rid of racism? Since it is so tide into the way we've ran our country for so long.
Have you ever thought of what someone looks like when talking to them on the phone, wondering race and age?
I thought this chapter was very interesting and a big eye opener. I made sense on how the country was brought up on racism and capitalism intertwined. I couldn't help starting to add up my points and see where i stand in the realm of things. I did feel somewhat at fault though being a white male because in my opinion the author is pointing blame. People can't change history and even though the author was revealing new facts to me, i felt it was in a hostile way at times. But in my opinion I don't see racism ever disapearing unless we change away from capitalsim and that won't be happening anytime soon.
Capitalism is the process of using labor and resources to make a profit, that has the people working for for a living and others that run the company. The people that run the company are called capitalist. One main thing about capitalism is that one mans misfortune could be onther mans fortune. That is how the United States is ran, and it can be accomplished through technology, threatening workers, and moving productivity to another place. Capitalism makes up classes where the rich own the most and the working class (the majority) own less. In todays world though, the middle class is shrinking and its becoming a small rich class and big poor class. Racism was started early by capitalist from Great Britian colonizing other places and exploiting there labor. They thought it was moraly ok and made up reason for it, hence racism as it is today. They thought white was correct by god and everything else was impure. And through that Capitalistic view, people have committed genocide, had numerous conquests, and ignored signed treaties. Through those comes domination of race and prevelges for to some and not others. These prevelges are based race, sexuality, income, etc. People are thought better if they are in a better group which means privelged more. It comes down to a "point" scale, the more the better.
Do you think there is any way of getting rid of racism? Since it is so tide into the way we've ran our country for so long.
Have you ever thought of what someone looks like when talking to them on the phone, wondering race and age?
I thought this chapter was very interesting and a big eye opener. I made sense on how the country was brought up on racism and capitalism intertwined. I couldn't help starting to add up my points and see where i stand in the realm of things. I did feel somewhat at fault though being a white male because in my opinion the author is pointing blame. People can't change history and even though the author was revealing new facts to me, i felt it was in a hostile way at times. But in my opinion I don't see racism ever disapearing unless we change away from capitalsim and that won't be happening anytime soon.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Takaki Ch. 3
The author main thesis in this chapter is that their has been tons of slavery and servants that brought this country to what it is today. The best quote I could find that relates to this is:
Working in the textile mills of New England, Irish immigrant women manufactured fabric made from cotton grown on former Indian land and picked by enslaved blacks; meanwhile, Irish immigrant men labored in New England shoe factories, making shoes from hides shipped by Mexican workers in California. Chinese and Irish railroad workers laid the transportation tracks that closed the frontier and changed forever the lives of Indians in the West. America was becoming a nation of people from many different shores.
I think he was trying to say that the black population was mistreated throughout history, more than any other race, starting all the way back to the sixteen hundreds when the first blacks were used as translators for European traders.
The new world wasn't didn't always just have black people as slaves. In the very beginning, there were white and black indentured servants working off there ride to America. The white servants were mostly Irish people. They were sent over because they were thought to be the very lowest class in Ireland. Composed of mostly whores, peasants, and people who rather beg than work. So both white and black people worked in Virginia. Many problems arose with this mix of races working together though. They ran away together, they had sex and had mixed infants, and almost the majority of the population. This made the other class mad and afraid in Virginia, they didn't want them having sex, running away, and having the majority and creating a rebellion. A rebellion did occur though called Bacon's Rebellion. It was let by Nathaniel Bacon, and what turned into a mix race run at the Indians, led to a overthrow of Jamestown in the rebels favor. It was later taken back but fears of rebellion feared minds all the way up into the late seventeen hundreds. Where the Preventing Negroes Insurrection Act made it illegal for any black person to carry a weapon. Even are famous President Jefferson had 267 slaves and wasn'r afraid to punish them when time came during this time. But later he admitted he had done wrong and wanted freedom for the black slaves. There were only black slaves now because white servants only had to serve for a couple of years, whereas a black person was sentenced to life upon coming to America. The heirs to the black slaves then would be slaves too, so nothing really could ever be free with them. Thomas Jefferson had ideas though that would take all the blacks out of the United States, because he thought they could never live together without destroying the white population. He felt bad for all he did in the past and promised freedom once he was out of debt, but died in debt unfortunately. The United States eventually became free form England and had Market Revolution. This happened thanks to black slaves still and many other unfortunate minorities forming the country.
Would America ever be like it is today without the forced slavery we had over African Americans?
Do you think Thomas Jefferson's plan could have ever worked?
I didn't know that we had both white and black servants in the beginning years of this country. I still can't get over how shakespear's Tempest, keeps following to what happened in the new world. I feel sorry for the African Americans during the early days. They couldn't catch a break anywhere, even Thomas Jefferson thought they were inferior after he thought they should be free. I can't get over Jefferson though, he wasn't the man everyone makes him out to be, like Christopher Columbus. He was rich because he had so many slaves! I kinda saw the fall of white indentured slaves coming while i was reading and the rise of black slaves. It was interesting reading though about how quick the United States grew after they detached from England. Things were running smoothly but weren't running just right yet.
Working in the textile mills of New England, Irish immigrant women manufactured fabric made from cotton grown on former Indian land and picked by enslaved blacks; meanwhile, Irish immigrant men labored in New England shoe factories, making shoes from hides shipped by Mexican workers in California. Chinese and Irish railroad workers laid the transportation tracks that closed the frontier and changed forever the lives of Indians in the West. America was becoming a nation of people from many different shores.
I think he was trying to say that the black population was mistreated throughout history, more than any other race, starting all the way back to the sixteen hundreds when the first blacks were used as translators for European traders.
The new world wasn't didn't always just have black people as slaves. In the very beginning, there were white and black indentured servants working off there ride to America. The white servants were mostly Irish people. They were sent over because they were thought to be the very lowest class in Ireland. Composed of mostly whores, peasants, and people who rather beg than work. So both white and black people worked in Virginia. Many problems arose with this mix of races working together though. They ran away together, they had sex and had mixed infants, and almost the majority of the population. This made the other class mad and afraid in Virginia, they didn't want them having sex, running away, and having the majority and creating a rebellion. A rebellion did occur though called Bacon's Rebellion. It was let by Nathaniel Bacon, and what turned into a mix race run at the Indians, led to a overthrow of Jamestown in the rebels favor. It was later taken back but fears of rebellion feared minds all the way up into the late seventeen hundreds. Where the Preventing Negroes Insurrection Act made it illegal for any black person to carry a weapon. Even are famous President Jefferson had 267 slaves and wasn'r afraid to punish them when time came during this time. But later he admitted he had done wrong and wanted freedom for the black slaves. There were only black slaves now because white servants only had to serve for a couple of years, whereas a black person was sentenced to life upon coming to America. The heirs to the black slaves then would be slaves too, so nothing really could ever be free with them. Thomas Jefferson had ideas though that would take all the blacks out of the United States, because he thought they could never live together without destroying the white population. He felt bad for all he did in the past and promised freedom once he was out of debt, but died in debt unfortunately. The United States eventually became free form England and had Market Revolution. This happened thanks to black slaves still and many other unfortunate minorities forming the country.
Would America ever be like it is today without the forced slavery we had over African Americans?
Do you think Thomas Jefferson's plan could have ever worked?
I didn't know that we had both white and black servants in the beginning years of this country. I still can't get over how shakespear's Tempest, keeps following to what happened in the new world. I feel sorry for the African Americans during the early days. They couldn't catch a break anywhere, even Thomas Jefferson thought they were inferior after he thought they should be free. I can't get over Jefferson though, he wasn't the man everyone makes him out to be, like Christopher Columbus. He was rich because he had so many slaves! I kinda saw the fall of white indentured slaves coming while i was reading and the rise of black slaves. It was interesting reading though about how quick the United States grew after they detached from England. Things were running smoothly but weren't running just right yet.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Race Part 1
Screen Race: the Power of Illusion Part one, had some very interesting facts that were proven in the film. There main thesis was that actual race was not biologically real. And that even though people are of different skin color, their genetics aren't that different, usually having one different strand in each person.
The film showed a class doing an experiment on samples of their DNA. First they had to guess who they thought their DNA would match up with the most, all of the kids chose fellow students of the same color and look. Second, they did blood test and found out their DNA results. Third, they matched up their DNA with everyone else's, and that showed that they didn't have any real common strands like the ones they thought they would. Then the film pointed out how black people have been put through the stereotype of having different muscles, body parts, and genes. There was also a belief that the African race would become extinct because their death rate and infant mortality rate was so high. This belief didn't take into the fact of poverty and and health factors. Black people and immigrants were looked down upon in the early part of the United States. It was very strong for the mix population living in the hills on Virginia,, nobody liked them. In DNA it is proven that race can't be identified. Skin color was originally thought to be derived by how close to the equator the ancestors lived. People closer would be darker and in case easier to block out harmful rays from the sun.
Have you ever wished you were of a different race?
Do you stereotype races? Ex. Middle eastern after 9/11
I was interested by the video very much. I didn't have a clue that race couldn't be detected through DNA. I knew that the United States did thousands of test and made almost ten times more theories to degrade other races. There are so many racist people out there, and i know personally that it is sports. African Americans get blamed for stuff all the time while white people were ignored. I also couldn't believe that Nazi's created there views from the theories created by the United States. That shocks me and makes me not less proud to be an American because i am, but it only make me less proud that we ever could have thought of those in the first place.
The film showed a class doing an experiment on samples of their DNA. First they had to guess who they thought their DNA would match up with the most, all of the kids chose fellow students of the same color and look. Second, they did blood test and found out their DNA results. Third, they matched up their DNA with everyone else's, and that showed that they didn't have any real common strands like the ones they thought they would. Then the film pointed out how black people have been put through the stereotype of having different muscles, body parts, and genes. There was also a belief that the African race would become extinct because their death rate and infant mortality rate was so high. This belief didn't take into the fact of poverty and and health factors. Black people and immigrants were looked down upon in the early part of the United States. It was very strong for the mix population living in the hills on Virginia,, nobody liked them. In DNA it is proven that race can't be identified. Skin color was originally thought to be derived by how close to the equator the ancestors lived. People closer would be darker and in case easier to block out harmful rays from the sun.
Have you ever wished you were of a different race?
Do you stereotype races? Ex. Middle eastern after 9/11
I was interested by the video very much. I didn't have a clue that race couldn't be detected through DNA. I knew that the United States did thousands of test and made almost ten times more theories to degrade other races. There are so many racist people out there, and i know personally that it is sports. African Americans get blamed for stuff all the time while white people were ignored. I also couldn't believe that Nazi's created there views from the theories created by the United States. That shocks me and makes me not less proud to be an American because i am, but it only make me less proud that we ever could have thought of those in the first place.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Takaki Ch. 2
The authors thesis is that no matter what race of people lived in the Americas at the time of colonization, the English would have thought of them as savages. England has a small area to grow its crops for its population, so they go out and colonize places like Virginia, "English were not in Virgina to Trade but to invade and posses all the land." The new settlers did the same thing to the Ireland, and they aren't of Indian decent, they were just as white as the English. And how he related all of this history to the words of Shakespeare's play The Tempest. The play depicted everything that was happening in the New World on a stage for an audience in England.
The authors argument is that England came and forcefully took the natives land and drove their population almost to near extinction. New settlers came over in ship, and the natives thought they were gods at first but soon found out they were wrong. Settlers would come and take Indians as slaves and ship them back to England, while usually dieing on the way over and thrown overboard. The English settlers thought the Indians as a Savage people and cannibals. So they fought them off there land spilling their own blood in the process and thinking now that their blood has been spilt for the land, its divinely theirs then. After acquiring the Indians land, the English found out that land was more tough to farm then thought and many died. Settlers started becoming the savages and eating their own dead and doing anything for food. The Indians saw this and help teach the settlers to grow crops, this was a mistake because now the Indians were useless for the English and could be killed again. They were too, plagues and swords almost killed the whole Indian population. Settlers thought they were doing the right thing for God, and that it was God's plan to clear the way for them. Whoever 's plan it was, millions of Indians suffered and lost their homes forever, and the New World would never be the same.
Discussion Questions: Do you think Shakespeare knew that what he was writing would shape the views of the whole new world and racism as we know it? And was it started from that play?
Do you think if the Indians were immune to those knew diseases, they might have had a more likely chance of fighting off the new settlers?
I reacted the same to this reading just like I did about Zinn's. I was totally ignorant or oblivious that all this had happened for me to be sitting here typing right now. I am not surprised though, after reading Zinn's, I was ready to read about a massacre. I was really shocked about how all the Indians died though. The author graphically told how they pretty much flaked apart and went to dust from the small pox. The new settlers were pretty much given the land because the Indians died on their own and not by the sword of the English. The settlers got so lucky and it is wrong because throughtout histroy, I feel they always were lucky. A very interesting book though and I can't wait to read some more of it.
The authors argument is that England came and forcefully took the natives land and drove their population almost to near extinction. New settlers came over in ship, and the natives thought they were gods at first but soon found out they were wrong. Settlers would come and take Indians as slaves and ship them back to England, while usually dieing on the way over and thrown overboard. The English settlers thought the Indians as a Savage people and cannibals. So they fought them off there land spilling their own blood in the process and thinking now that their blood has been spilt for the land, its divinely theirs then. After acquiring the Indians land, the English found out that land was more tough to farm then thought and many died. Settlers started becoming the savages and eating their own dead and doing anything for food. The Indians saw this and help teach the settlers to grow crops, this was a mistake because now the Indians were useless for the English and could be killed again. They were too, plagues and swords almost killed the whole Indian population. Settlers thought they were doing the right thing for God, and that it was God's plan to clear the way for them. Whoever 's plan it was, millions of Indians suffered and lost their homes forever, and the New World would never be the same.
Discussion Questions: Do you think Shakespeare knew that what he was writing would shape the views of the whole new world and racism as we know it? And was it started from that play?
Do you think if the Indians were immune to those knew diseases, they might have had a more likely chance of fighting off the new settlers?
I reacted the same to this reading just like I did about Zinn's. I was totally ignorant or oblivious that all this had happened for me to be sitting here typing right now. I am not surprised though, after reading Zinn's, I was ready to read about a massacre. I was really shocked about how all the Indians died though. The author graphically told how they pretty much flaked apart and went to dust from the small pox. The new settlers were pretty much given the land because the Indians died on their own and not by the sword of the English. The settlers got so lucky and it is wrong because throughtout histroy, I feel they always were lucky. A very interesting book though and I can't wait to read some more of it.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Personal
My full name is Kevin Conrad Cox, I am a freshman at Bowling Green State University. I am from the small town of Tipp City Ohio, right off I-75. I graduated from Tippecanoe High School in 2007. In high school, I played baseball for four years and ran cross country for three. I was a die heard fan for both the basketball and football teams as well. I painted my body to most every game my junior and senior year, and even walked 6 miles once to the town next to ours for a tournament game with some friends. I was in Muse Machine, news paper and year book, Homecoming court, and Prom King. I always knew though that i want to come here to BGSU. My father, uncle, and brother are all graduates from this fine university. While other kids had on there scarlet and gray OSU clothes on, i was out sporting my orange and brown. I love to run, listen to music, socialize with my friends, and read in my free time. I don't know a lot about ethnics, but i am sure willing to learn and find most of the readings already very intersesting. I try and always to participate in class too and looking forward to a great and interesting semester. GO FALCONS!!!
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Zinn Chapter 1
The author's thesis is, that in this book, he want to portray the United States history differently. Not like its been taught to children and high school kids across the United States. He wants to hold nothing back in describing the events "My point is not to grieve for the victims and denounce the executioners," he just want to tell history throught the eyes of the misfortunate at that time.
Howard Zinn is argueing in this chapter that, was the genocide that happened to the indians worth it and could it have been avoided. He leans more to the point that it probaly couldn't have been avoided. He references other times in history where people have died; so others could come in a build the place up. This is exactly what Christopher Columbus did to the Indians in the Bahamas. A genocide occured under his power and the people he left in charge. He killed millions of people by the sword and knife, but he and the new settlers probaly killed just as many by all the new diseases too. It was so bad women would kill their babies, and Indians of all ages were committing suicide, just so they would fall under the knife or be raped. Howard Zinn then points out if the settlers really did make the place better and more prosperous. The Indians had so much already. They knew crops, hunting, fishing, climate patterns and so much more. They had equal rights for both men and women, and taught their children good through word of mouth. The only thing they didn't have that was the same from the new settlers was a written language and the greed for gold and other jewels.
What would have happened eventually if the Indians kept giving their land away peacefully, like they wanted to instead of it just being taken from them, would they have eventually gotten mad enough to fight back for it?
Did Christopher Columbus say all those things about God to get other people going and believing, or did he really think he was doing the right thing by killing all those Indians?
I was personally shocked by the whole reading. I had no clue Christopher Columbus did all those terrible things to the Indians. I was always taught that he was a hero and we celebrated him coming to the Americas on Columbus Day, and now realize that we are just celebrating him committing a genocide. I was clued to the pages as I read and couldn't read fast enought to see what happened next because I was so alarmed. I felt mislead for most of my life because I had the wrong idea for the man and his followers. Then I read what Zinn had to say and I agreed with him, history has been told from a one sided view a lot. I loved reading the other sides view and thinking about what they had to go through just so i could be hear now. I personally loved reading it and can't wait to read more of the chapters. I feel he does a great job at telling the whole story and having a very non-biased view towards either side.
Howard Zinn is argueing in this chapter that, was the genocide that happened to the indians worth it and could it have been avoided. He leans more to the point that it probaly couldn't have been avoided. He references other times in history where people have died; so others could come in a build the place up. This is exactly what Christopher Columbus did to the Indians in the Bahamas. A genocide occured under his power and the people he left in charge. He killed millions of people by the sword and knife, but he and the new settlers probaly killed just as many by all the new diseases too. It was so bad women would kill their babies, and Indians of all ages were committing suicide, just so they would fall under the knife or be raped. Howard Zinn then points out if the settlers really did make the place better and more prosperous. The Indians had so much already. They knew crops, hunting, fishing, climate patterns and so much more. They had equal rights for both men and women, and taught their children good through word of mouth. The only thing they didn't have that was the same from the new settlers was a written language and the greed for gold and other jewels.
What would have happened eventually if the Indians kept giving their land away peacefully, like they wanted to instead of it just being taken from them, would they have eventually gotten mad enough to fight back for it?
Did Christopher Columbus say all those things about God to get other people going and believing, or did he really think he was doing the right thing by killing all those Indians?
I was personally shocked by the whole reading. I had no clue Christopher Columbus did all those terrible things to the Indians. I was always taught that he was a hero and we celebrated him coming to the Americas on Columbus Day, and now realize that we are just celebrating him committing a genocide. I was clued to the pages as I read and couldn't read fast enought to see what happened next because I was so alarmed. I felt mislead for most of my life because I had the wrong idea for the man and his followers. Then I read what Zinn had to say and I agreed with him, history has been told from a one sided view a lot. I loved reading the other sides view and thinking about what they had to go through just so i could be hear now. I personally loved reading it and can't wait to read more of the chapters. I feel he does a great job at telling the whole story and having a very non-biased view towards either side.
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