Class Reflection Week of 3/17/08

I know this class I didn’t contribute a lot, but it surely wasn’t for a lack of ideas running through my head.  This class, one of the topics we discussed was how colored people and white people were segregated.  Another thing I remember discussing was how they used to determine whether or not someone was white, colored, or Indian.  I find it comical the people were so bent on separating whites from other races that they went to the lengths of creating living parameters so that colored people couldn’t live on the same street, or within a certain number of houses from a white person.  I don’t know, that’s just so absurd to me.  Obviously beliefs and things like that were far different than they are today, which is most likely the main reason I have a hard time understanding why certain things were done they way they done back then, but I just don’t know how they thought what they were doing was actually going to benefit them or help preserve the white race, or even help it evolve.  Thankfully we were able to realize our wrong doings and change things, but clearly not before a lot of damage had been done.  The other thing discussed was how they used to determine whether or not a person was a certain race or color.  Sure they had a system for stating who would deemed white, colored, or Indian, but I don’t know how they actually enforced it.  I mean as it was, the majority of the colored people that were now freed slaves had no documents whom they were or where they came from, but it’s completely impossible that decades later they could somehow determine that they were indeed 1/16 colored, ultimately deeming them unworthy of so many privileges.  Something was said about how they could determine someone’s race by interpreting their actions and personality.  That’s just completely absurd.  I mean did they not realize that everyone’s different.  I mean regardless of race, white or colored, people just act differently.  That’s what makes being you, YOU, and I really don’t know how they could actually go about enforcing those ridiculous rules.

MY WEEK OFF!!! :-(

Hey everyone,I hope you all are having an exciting spring break and doing lots of crazy, rambunctious, and “you better not tell anyone about this” things.  I wish I could say I was somewhere south, basking in the sun, only to wake up from drinking too much and notice that I look like a lobster because I’ve been in the sun too long without any sunscreen(by the way I just read an article in Science News where they said sunscreen may be absolutely useless.  Contrary to their initial belief, that you were being protected from the harmful rays by wearing sun screen, that in fact, it actually blocks out everything but those rays that are harming you.  Although you may not get tan, it’s still letting through all those harmful little rays.)  Anyways, as for me, I’m going to be working this week and trying to make some money and I’m actually going to be trying to get ahead in some reading for a couple classes that I fell behind in.  I may even read the wiki articles for this class a couple weeks in advance, but who knows.  I hope you all have a great time, and hopefully if you feel compelled, make me feel extremely jealous and tell me what your doing. 

Class Reflection-Week of 3/3/08

In tonight’s class I believe the theme was movies; it’s a theme that I particularly had interest in because I love watching movies.  We watched a few clips from each of the three different movies (Gods and General, Glory, and Cold Mountain) all containing foundations based on war and soldiers.  Professor Boggs mentioned that one  of his Professor at Virginia Tech was actually one of the consultants during the making and production of this movie because of his acute  attention detail regarding the civil war, a fact that I found really cool.

In watching the clips (namely Gods and General), and even though I had learned this previously in other history courses, I still was just so amazed by the war strategies that were used for this time era, especially regarding close combat encounters and small arms fire; the soldiers just got into lines by the hundreds, row after row of them, and walked so aimlessly, directly into the opposing line of fire, exchanging rounds of ammunition of all sorts, all while people were dying and just completely getting massacred everywhere, and yet it seems nothing ever successfully deterred them from continuing on their march that would eventually result in sure death.

The discussions also really brought up a couple of thought provoking topics.  I mean, just how did they know from who’s perspective to tell the story, and where exactly did the get the sources?  Did they somehow retrieve the General’s journal, or was it one of the soldier’s diaries that they came across from whom they collected the essential materials and information from in order to accurately depict the war; you really don’t know and that’s what makes you really question the credibility of the producer’s representations.

 

Post #2: Jordania

Jordania: The Utopia for Everyone!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24320368@N06/2304604199/ 

 During the Jacksonian American time-period the nation was experiencing a tumultuous epoch in which vast changes were being made. Many considered the new changes to be unacceptable, and instead of hanging on to their old communities in fear of what they might become, many decided to let go and moved westward to create their own towns and own communities. They hoped to create a utopian community that would enable them to live by their own standards and rules. They could implement their values and use them as a basis of law that would eventually govern their new homeland.

 

After reading and examining problems people faced from the Jacksonian time era, I created a community that I felt would best alleviate the problems associated with this time-period while also incorporating a bit of my own personal tastes to make the community a representation of me and my values and beliefs. I created the utopian community Jordania. I named it after myself because I used my own personal style and incorporated certain aspects from my life to create it, just as people did when they moved west to create their own unique utopia.

 

I designed my community around the more avant-garde “Oneida Collective” rather than the timid and more conservative “Shaker” and socialist ideal. It has a capitalist feel to it, in that there are factories, agricultural, orchards, public buildings, but also really manages to capture integrate all the different utopian types and mix them into one. I believe this style of community would help to cultivate and promote happiness the most, while at the same time exude a feeling old fashioned simplicity, as can be explained by the church and school.

 

I placed a few houses by the river for those who enjoy the subtle sound of flowing water and can find comfort in the more scenic, water front properties. I then placed a couple houses in the woods for those more inclined to feeling the seclusion offered by the deep wilderness from being surrounded by trees and wild life. This will most likely appeal to those who prefer the “Oneida” idealism, as it will allow them to fornicate within the shelters and confines offered by the woods; they would also be out of sight from the more conservative inhabitants and therefore would have no affect on their presence in the community. Also placed far from the living quarters you will notice the agricultural fields, factories, and mills. Again, this is to give the more conservative inhabitants the sense of stability and control, in that they aren’t surrounded by modernization and industrialization. At the same time these features also appeal to those who are advocating progression and advancement.It gives them the option of working and making money outside the boundaries and limitations from tending to their homes.

 

Finally, I placed the public building and park on the opposite side of the river. For those who are making a trip to the park, it allows them to escape their every day, possibly monotonous lives, and enjoy the time away from home to let loose. The public building is right next to the church; this will kind of give off the vibe that the law and religion are intertwined, but at the same time they aren’t one in the same. In the end, I think everyone will love this community. It offers something for everyone and enables people to find a niche that suits their values and lifestyle that will facilitate happiness and order.

 

My Day Off 2/25/08

I hope everyone had a great night and enjoyed their time off from class tonight.   I’m sure it’s safe to say that no one did any extra studying or reading for history, or any other class for that matter.  Unfortunately, I had to use my day off to study for my Finance 411 class, Advanced Portfolio and Securities Analysis, which turned out to be the arguably the hardest exam I have taken at Mason.  Considering I spent a good chunk of time preparing for the exam, probably 15-20 hours in all, I was in a world of hurt from the get go.  Relatively speaking I feel I was one of the top performers.  Five kids put their name on the exam and filled out the multiple-choice, which only compiled for 30% of the exam, and then handed it in.  I talked to at least another five  kids who left the last four pages blank, which provided 60% of the total points.  One kid actually finished and completed the exam with about 10 minutes remaining.  Thankfully I finished and completed the exam with relative confidence, I can only hope I calculated the problems correctly.  

Class Reflection-Week of 2/18/08

I must admit, when speaking about history and especially history class, it’s very seldom that I will genuinely find a topic of particular interest.  However, this class we discussed “minstrel shows.”  These shows, or plays, consisted of working, white Americans dressing up like black slaves, yes that’s right slaves, and acted out what they believed and perceived of the slaves’ so “glorious” and “free” lifestyles.  I must admit, I found this fact really quite frustrating and aggravating.  I found it extremely hard to believe that they would outwardly express their displeasure with their lifestyle because they thought the slaves had it so much better.  I mean, they really couldn’t be serious or have actually believed this, right?  Professor said something to the effect that the minstrel show performers envied the slaves work environment because they seemed so happy at work, I mean after all, they were aloud sing.  To this, I would ask them if they had ever heard the tone of the songs or the words to the songs that the slaves so gleefully touted.  They were sad and depressing, and their songs were the ONLY things that they had that would even help them to escape the hells that EVERY single day inevitably brought them.  I’m sure it’s safe to say no slave ever whistled to the tune of “Whistle While You Work,” but more along the lines of “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” and if you have ever heard THAT song you must know it’s not a happy one!  Secondly, they were actually getting paid to work as opposed to the slaves.  The slaves had no choice BUT to work, for if they refused it would most likely result in their horrific death.  I suppose the adage holds true in this case, ignorance is bliss, for if they only had the slightest notion of  how good they had it!

Post #1: In the Month of September

During the colonial American era, when slavery was disgustingly popular, millions of slaves were entrapped in a world they could have never imagined.  While many of them hoped to eventually gain their freedom, mainly through indentured service, so many became in arrears to their masters, that the only way they could realize this freedom was to run away in hopes of becoming their own master one day.

 

The Geography of Slavery provided the bulk of the information I collected on the run away slaves I ultimately examined.  The method I used to gather the information was rather unorthodox I believe, as I chose to look at the ads published in the month September closest to the day of the fifteenth, which is my birthday.  Instead of choosing three runaway slaves, I decided to pick three different ad types, under which the slaves were listed, and then compared and contrasted the language and descriptions that were used to describe the individuals the subscribers were seeking.  I chose one of each of the fallowing: runaway slave, runaway servant, and captured slave.

 

After reviewing many of the runaway slave ads, which are by far the most the published literature of any, one ad in particular that published on September 15, 1785, for a man that went by the name of Thomas Valentine, seemed to be out of the ordinary.  Typically finding, the runaway slave ads usually consisted of individuals that were of either a black or yellowish black complexion.  However this particular ad was unlike that of any other, as the individual in this ad was described to have had an Indian look.  Another very interesting and notable difference was the type of clothing this runaway was described to have been wearing.  It seems as though this slave was extremely well cared for.  Instead of the ordinary slave attire, which usually consisted of a linen shirt and just some slave trousers, this man was wearing an “Irish linen shirt, a short brown jacket, striped Holland trouisers, London made shoes, silver buckles, and a tolerable good hat; but he may change his cloaths, as he has many.”  This was very atypical in terms of attire for a slave, and in no other ad did I find a runaway slave that was dressed so fashionably.

 

Another ad published on September 13, 1787 was for a runaway servant.  The most interesting component of these ads was again the individuals being sought.  In contrast to what I expected to find, which was individuals of some black descent, many of them were described as being Irish, or of some form of Irish descent. In this particular ad, the wanted servant is described as a “stout well made IRISHMAN” differing to the “black” or “yellowish black” description that was so commonly found in the runaway slave ads.

 

 

What was also of particular interest to me was the use of the following terminology throughout the ad. For instance when the owner describes the look of the servant he mentions his “dejected countenance,” basically meaning he was sad looking. Although I have obviously never encountered a runaway servant, or has any recent historian I’m sure, when I picture such a person’s countenance, it would not be one of dejection but rather one of hope, excitement, nervousness, maybe even fear or apprehension, or something along those lines, possibly even a combination of all that were mentioned above, but not sadness. Therefore, I am left wondering why the owner decided to use valuable space in the ad to mention this seemingly useless piece of description because surely most servants and slaves alike are going to have a miserable look about them whilst under the watchful eye of their master. What also struck me as awkward was the last sentence of the ad where the owner says his servant “boarded a vessel from Norfolk to Richmond”. How does he know that his servant did so? Did he see him? Did someone else see him or is this claim just speculation?  You figure if he knew of such evidence he would have acted far more quickly, or even stopped it while the event was in progress.

 

The final ad I examined was an ad of a captured slave named Peter. Titled Virginia Gazette and Weekly Advertiser (Nicolson), Richmond, September 24, 1789, this ad, although relatively small in length, definitely enhanced my understanding of the history of captured slaves and allowed for further critical thinking upon the subject at hand.  First of all, after reading several of the captured slave ads, I noticed that most begin by stating the name of the slave followed by who he/she belongs to. This made me wonder what exactly happened after the slave was captured. For example, I’m sure many of the captured would have been reluctant to supply authorities with their name and masters names, because then the chance of being returned to that which they ran away from, would immediately be very likely and they would undoubtedly be thrust back into a world of hell.  I’d also very much like to know how they obtained such information.  I also wander whether the injuries described in the ad- “he has lost his toes, and been shot in one of his knees”- were obtained during his capture or maybe because he of lack of cooperation. Could these injuries be punishment? Through this ad I have also learnt that an owner had to prove his property. This brings to yet another curiosity, which still remains very uncertain to me.  This entire period is thought to have been undocumented, hence the estimation that between five and twenty-seven million slaves were forced into servitude, just how exactly then were these masters able to prove their ownership of the slave, seeing as though it is not mentioned, at least in any of the ads I read. Surely descriptions of slaves and a man’s word of honor wouldn’t be sufficient alone.

 

Ultimately, upon the reading and analysis of these ads regarding the colonial American slave era, my understanding, as well as many historians I’m sure, has definitely helped in my development and understanding of this dark period in American history.  Runaways and captures of slaves and servants was more common than I thought, and the way in which such events were described through adds gave me an insight into a part of American colonial history that I had never experienced or even imagined.

 

 References

Slavery in the colonial United States    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_the_colonial_United_States

The Geography of Slavery 

http://www.vcdh.virginia.edu/gos/ 

 

 

Class Reflection-Week of 2/11/08

Tonight’s discussion regarding the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights provoked some serious thought from me.  Trying to put into perspective that more than two centuries ago, a few delegated persons from what was known as the United States sat down to draft up what would eventually be known as the United States Constitution.  Not only has this document be preserved, and actually put on display just miles from George Mason’s campus where you can see the original document with your own eyes, it has basically provided the foundation for the establishments of the entire legal and political systems in the United States.  There are so many things that come and go, and although this document was most recently modified in 1990, it’s probably safe to say that the Constitution, and the principles that lye within it, will most likely be around for as long as the United States stand.  It kind of leaves a bitter taste in my mouth though, being as though it is thought to have been drafted, stemming from the diaries of arguably, George Mason’s biggest rival, James Madison!

Class Reflection-Week of 2/4/08

The first thing that strikes my mind is the teaching style that is used for this particular history class.  This is my second time taking History 120 (the reason why is because this was the ONLY C in my whole college career and I want to go to graduate school, so in terms of GPA, every little bit helps) and I really like how professor makes this class interactive.  My first go around, the professor literally lectured for every single minute of the more than 2 and half hour long lecture.  Given that this is a entry level, general education required class, I really appreciate the fact that professor makes this class interactive, in that he gives people the chance to voice their opinions and ideas.  It also really helps because it seems like he’s really enjoying himself while he’s teaching.  As far the material we learned and discussed tonight, it’s amazing to think how humans use to treat other humans during those times.  It’s really just crazy to think that people use to claim ownership of another person, and then turn around and sell them or trade them, as if they had a transferable title of ownership like a car or something.  Also, the amount of people that were involved in the whole slavery thing is extraordinary.  It’s estimated that between 5 and 20 million people were traded or sold?!  

How to upload picture

Hey guys I played around on the site for a bit and figured out how to add a picture for your profile.  It’s really quite intuitive, all you have to do is:1) from the main site, go up to the left hand corner and roll your curser over “my account” and go down and click the option “edit profile”2 ) click “choose file” under the “my picture” option and go into your computer and choose the picture you want and click upload image! 3) use the provided cropping tool(if needed) and choose the part of the picture you want to be shown4) click “crop image” at the bottom right of the page and you’re all finished!