#3 - 9/26/'14

In the video, "Slavery and the Making of America", we were presented with a young African-American girl, named Harriet Jacobs, who was born as a slave. Harriet desperately wanted freedom from her lustful owner, James Norcom. She risked everything to gain liberty. In the process, she married a white man, named Sawyer, in the age of 15. However, marrying Sawyer did not grant her any freedom then. Soon, she gave birth to two children, whom Norton claimed as his properties. The greedy man even turned down the children's father, when he tried to purchase his own kids. The journey to freedom was difficult for the family, and eventually, Harriet decided to make an escape. Not to be blunt, but this was a reckless decision in my opinion. Things could have turned out worse for her children. First, Norcom was a merciless and avaricious man. Who knows what he could have done to them? With the snap of his fingers, he could torture them or even sell them, in order to bring his slave back to where she really belongs. Second, we saw in the video of the treatment of black people. When the group led a rebellion, the white men gathered to suppress the uprising. When the slave owners had a desire to harass their slaves, the church claimed that it was legal and that it was not a wrong thing to do. The “superior” thought that African-Americans deserved those actions - anything could have happened to Harriet, who made an escape as a slave. A great consequence could have faced her later on, and Sawyer would not have able to do a single thing for her. So, my question is, What would you have done if you were in Harriet’s shoes?

#2 - 9/20/'14

Does the United States of America really deserve its name? This issue was discussed in American Studies class, and it was something that I never thought about. In my opinion, the United States was once united. This was shown during the existence of the first 13 colonies, when the men of the Congress all agreed upon the fact that they wanted to declare their independence from Great Britain. They all shared a common goal, and it eventually set them free from their colonizer. However, the U.S. came apart when the issue of slavery rose. The southern states refused to abolish slavery, and decided to secede themselves from the others who had different opinion from them. From then on, they established the Confederate States of America, and went on a war against the Union. This separation was over after the Civil War, and they were once more united. The most important question that remains is, are we still united? I believe that we are united because the states need each other to survive, and because they have equal representation in the U.S. government. Some states have what other states lack, for example, resources, and they can be the counterpart of one another. On top of this, the country provides all men, including women, children, poor, and other races, with equal rights. Therefore, the United States does deserve to be called, a single united country.

#1 - 9/14/'14

In the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson throws in an important word: "self-evident". The term had a blunt, strong, and demanding connotation. It basically meant that there was no need for an explanation on why the three truths were the necessities in human lives. Jefferson’s insightful list consisted of these statements; “all men are created equal”, “they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights”, and “among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”. However, the term “all men” did not apply to everyone. Behind the word hid the true definition, and it changed the meaning of the whole declaration. What Thomas Jefferson meant by “all men” was all white, affluent, 16 and/or older male. There were certain limits, and the document did not reach out to everyone. Therefore, any men who met the requirements were born equal. Next, some were not given the inalienable rights that God himself gave to his creation, his people. God was omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent, and the powerless men took a wrong approach and chased away the rights that were promised to the people of other category. Finally, none of the pledge was presented to the “outcasts”. Under the restrictions, those particular people were not able to live their free life, or even be content for the rest of their lives. It is funny how all the men who were part of the declaration felt the same way about the three truths and the interpretation of “all men”. Moreover, it is amazing how selfish and inconsiderate these people were, that these men even defied the Divinity’s will to set everyone free.