What role did violence play in the slave society? What forms did this violence take?

Violence takes a big toll in this movie. Some forms of violence that takes place are whipping, beating, and hanging. Sometimes slaves are beaten even when they did nothing wrong. When Solomon was working under Mr. Ford, Tibeats tried to beat Solomon but Solomon quickly took his belt away from him and started whipping Tibeats with it. During Tibeats' beating, he kept apologizing to Solomon but as soon as Solomon stopped beating him he immediately threatened to murder him with whatever it takes. The next day, Solomon was dragged by Tibeats and his men in which they hung him until he had almost died. It was not until a worker came to his rescue and informed Tibeats that he could not kill Solomon for he did not pay for him. When Solomon was working under Mr. Epps, he was given an order to retrieve Patsey who had ran away. The reason for her disappearance was because she went to get a tiny bar of soap from Mistress Epps. From working in the sun all day and feeling filthy, the least she wanted was to feel sort of clean. Because of the sudden runaway, Mr. Epps was extremely furious and instructed Solomon to whip Patsey but he did not have the heart to so Mr. Epps decided to do it on his own. Many of these violent actions take place due to the other party not being able to control their fury and that is how they take out their anger.

Patsey showing Mr. Epps the soap

What chances did enslaved African-Americans have of obtaining permanent freedom through revolt or escape?

Slaves had a little to nothing chance of escaping or revolting against their master. They will always be discriminated against, in which at that time could not have a say in that kind of situation. Even if they said they were free, they could win against the white people's words. Just like Solomon, he kept insisting that he was a free man in the state of New York and that he even has papers to prove it, but he was kidnapped to Georgia and Georgia was not a free state. Therefore, he involuntarily became a slave. Two white men earned Solomon's trust but only one of them did not let him down. The first man he trusted was named Armsby and he totally betrayed Solomon with little to no doubt in his mind, even after he swore he would not tell on his honor. Solomon requested him to deliver a letter to his family in New York in which he would write. Soon enough, Armsby told Mr. Epps who dragged Solomon from his sleep to ask about this situation. Solomon came up with a clever alibi by explaining to Mr. Epps that he would not be able to write with no ink or pen and that Armsby is a drunken man who does not know what he is saying. The second man who had Solomon's trust name is Bass. Bass was a man who was building a little house for Mr. Epps and he is a righteous person who thinks that slaves are just as equal as any other person. He actually got into a bit of an argument with Mr. Epps due to his belief that slaves are human beings too. But of course, Mr. Epps ferociously disagreed and called slaves baboons. Solomon requested that Bass would deliver a letter for him to New York and Bass hesitated but for someone's freedom he was willing to risk himself. In the end, Solomon had free papers thanks to Bass and was free from being a slave. 

Solomon and Bass

How do changes in ownership affect working and living conditions?

When Solomon Northup was working under a slave owner named, William Ford, Mr. Ford treated him with respect. Mr. Ford made sure his slaves were well fed and got enough rest. A worker who was working under Mr. Ford named, Tibeats, despised Solomon.They would get extremely angry at almost anything Solomon did, even if Solomon did it correctly. At one point, Solomon had enough of the beating for an unreasonable purpose so he started to whip Tibeats in which it resulted in fury in both parties. Because he hated Solomon so much that he was capable of murdering him, Mr. Ford sent Solomon away to another master because he wanted to save his life. Actually, Solomon had almost been murdered because he was hung on a rope for an extended period of time. However, Tibeats had no right to Solomon's life because he did not purchase him. The master Solomon was sent to next is named Edwin Epps and he was very harsh and cruel, but he was the only one willing to take him in. Mr. Epps was probably one of the worst slave owners out there. He made his slaves work five times as hard as Mr. Ford. He picked favorites and they were usually women. Mr. Epps forced people to pick hundreds of cotton in a day with no rest. If the slave had picked less than expected, then that slave would get a beating. Working and living conditions really depend on the slave owners because personalities vary. 

Cotton Picking

Slave Narrative

Maryland Narrative:
Charles Coles

Summary:
Charles Coles was a slave owned by Mr. Dorsey. Although Charles Coles was a slave, he sure did not feel like it due to Mr. Dorsey's pleasant actions. He treated the slaves with care and even gave them medical attention when they were ill. Mr. Dorsey was liked by many and kind so people enjoyed his company.

Analysis/Reflection Section:
Mr. Dorsey was viewed as a kind master that actually treated slaves like human beings. He must have been liked by his slaves because there were not any cases of any of them trying to flee from his farm.

Maryland

Religion in Early 1800s

Great Second Awakening 
The Second Great Awakening is the repeat of the Great Awakening that occurred during the 19th century in the United States. It is a religious revival movement that altered the American religion. Millions of people were joining the movement. The Second Great Awakening also established many other movements. The following were 4 forms of Christianity that were growing rapidly in the 1800s: Baptists, Methodists, Unitarians, and Mormons.

Baptists are people who practice Baptism.

• Believes in God
• Baptism is a religious ritual in which water is gently sprayed onto a person's forehead. By doing so, it is supposed to be a form of purification.

Methodists were inspired by John Wesley, George Whitefield, and Charles Wesley(John Wesley's brother).

• Practices logical reasoning
• Believes God exists as 3 people

Unitarians are people who believe that God is one person.

• Believed that Jesus was a good man and a prophet of God
• Believed that God may be a supernatural being 

Mormons are people who are part of a religious movement called Latter Day Saint movement which is a collection of church groups.

• Believes that God may be among them physically
• Some of their beliefs can be found in the Bible

Presbyterian:

• Represented by elders
• Uses some of John Calvin's teachings
• Historically a confessional tradition

Congregational:

• Believes they originated from theologian Robert Browe
• Believes in improving intelligence
• Were largely established in Plymouth Colony and MA Bay Colony

Baptist Symbol

John Wesley Preaching

John Wesley was preaching because the local townspeople were trying to make him stop attempting to convert people into Methodism. 

Book of Mormon

Tecumseh Speech

Two Themes:

In the speech, Tecumseh is trying to persuade the Osages to work with him to eliminate the white people by demonstrating teamwork and determination. Joining alliances is a theme shown in the speech. Tecumseh wanted to work with the Osages. He says, "We are friends, we must assist each other to bear our burdens." By helping each other out, they will be able to take down the white people. The second theme is determination. Tecumseh is determined to kill the white people. He states, "We will cause the rivers to stain the great waters with their blood." He is persistent on destroying them. Two themes in Tecumseh's speech is teamwork and determination and Tecumseh expresses those themes throughout the speech.

Tecumseh

A Theme in Relation to a Song: 

The song, "Count on Me," by Bruno Mars is a good song to demonstrate the joining of alliances. Bruno Mars sings, "You can count on me like 1, 2, 3, I'll be there." That means that Bruno has that person's back. He will always be there when he is needed. In Tecumseh's speech, he speaks about uniting with the Osages. This means he will always stay loyal and will not betray them because he wants to defeat the white people. Bruno's song is a nice song about friendship in which Tecumseh was trying to form with the Osages.

Album Cover

Slavery in America Timeline

1. 1600-People in Africa were forced away from families by Europeans 
2. 1619-First African Americans arrived in Jamestown
3. 1793- Eli Whitney discovered cotton gin which made life more difficult for the Slaves because they would have to pick cotton all the time. 
4. 1860-Slaves walked 4 miles 
5. 1831- South Hampton Virginia was the biggest state that revolted against slavery
6. 1847- Fredrick Douglass published a newspaper called, "The North Star"
7. 1849- Harriet Tubman escaped and led 1600 slaves to freedom
8. 1860- Abe Lincoln elected president
9. 1865-Congress passed 13th amendment
10. 1865- Slavery ends

Cotton Gin

The North Star

Harriet Tubman helping slaves escape

Letter to Family from West

April 24, 1847

Dear Family,
Today, I am in California. During my travel from Boston to California, I experienced many hardships. Along the way, I met plenty of people and they helped me on my journey West. I am heading to California because it consists of many beaches and it just feels very tropical. The environment is soothing to the mind and the smell of the ocean is refreshing.

On my way to California, I met this man named Daniel Boone. Daniel is a trespasser who settled in Kentucky. He traveled in a pack in which his pack carried no supplies with them. There were wild beasts and savages out in the wilderness such as grizzly bears. Grizzly bears were aggressive and dangerous. A grizzly bear even attacked one of Daniel's men leaving him dead. Daniel gets ambushed but keeps going west which shows that he has perseverance which is a good quality for a traveler.

On May 1846, a huge amount of people, including me, were headed to a new life and this migration was called the mass migration. The people were traveling from Oregon to California and the trail was called the Oregon Trail. We would walk 10 miles per day which gave blisters on my feet. 1 in 5 of the women there were pregnant and they would be giving birth along the journey. It was not a pleasant thing to witness. It was also very unsanitary. California had a population of 15,000 to 100,000.

I am having a swell time here in California. I am able to take care of myself so don't you worry about me and take care of yourselves too. Goodbye, fam. It was nice knowing you. In the future, I will be visiting every month or so. Also, I will be writing more letters to you from here on in.

Kentucky

(The state in which Daniel Boone settled in)

Daniel Boone

(The man who basically led the way)

Grizzly Bear

(A grizzly bear who attacked one of Boone's men)

Oregon Trail

(People used horses so they could carry their belongings as they walked the far distance on the Oregon Trail)

Election Day

Election day is on the first Tuesday of November. It can lie between November 3 to November 8.

The states in which Election day is a civic holiday include the following: 

• Delaware
• Hawaii
• Kentucky
• Montana
• New Jersey
• New York
• Ohio 
• West Virginia
• Puerto Rico 

Election day is only on a Tuesday because it was convenient for people back then because they took a while to travel. Also, election day is not extended into other days because the government was afraid that it may change people's opinions on who they vote for.

Massachusetts' elected officials are:
Deval Patrick (Governor)
Martha Coakley (Attorney General)
William Galvin (Secretary of Commonwealth)
Suzanne Bump (State Auditor)
Steven Grossman (Treasurer and Receiver General)

Who represent me in Washington, D.C
Rep. Niki Tsongas

Niki Tsongas is a democrat who represents MA's 3rd Congressional district.

3rd District

United States Senators for MA: Elizabeth Warren(Democrat) and Ed Markey(Democrat)

Elected officials who represent me in Boston:
House of Representatives: Thomas A. Golden Jr.(Democrat) and Nicola S. Tsongas(Democrat)
Senator: Eileen M. Donoghue(Democrat)

3 Branches of Federal Gov.

Deval Patrick (MA governor)

MA state flag

War of 1812 & SSB

The War of 1812 happened because: 
July 1805 - the British were interrupting the American trade
January 1806 - the British get a hold of the American ships and vessels

Outcome: 

June 1812 - Americans declared war on the British on impressment 

December 1814 -  A peace treaty called Treaty of Ghent was signed by both parties which ended the War of 1812

Map of War of 1812

Background Knowledge of Star Spangled Banner:

The Star Spangled Banner was written by Francis Scott Key. He wrote this song because of the Battle of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. This song is to cherish how the American flag still stood through the disastrous fight. 

Rewrite of the Star Spangled Banner: 

Look at that light in the sky

We proudly look at it glowing

Those red stripes and illuminating

stars standing through war

We watched the battle over the wall in which the flag was still waving

Fires are shot and bombs exploding

Through all of this, the flag still stood

That is one tough flag

Our land is of liberty and courage

American Flag

Great Journey Through Lowell

#2 Journal Entry
October 8th, 2014 Noon
There was an early release at school today. I went to eat at Wings Over Lowell with three of my friends. We walked there together and we walked along Market St. We passed many restaurants and food chains. Numerous kids were walking around the area. It was sunny, windy, and 70 degrees.

Wings Over Lowell

#3 Journal Entry
October 9th, 2014
I walked back home from school. I went passed the Pollard Memorial Library. I also went passed Market Basket which is on Fletcher St. Continuing down that road, I walk pass the Stoklosa Middle School. Going up a hill and taking a left, I arrived home. It was sunny, breezy, and 65 degrees.

Market Basket

#5 Journal Entry
October 11th, 2014
I went grocery shopping today with my sister at Stop and Shop on Chelmsford St. She drove across a long bridge that was over a river. We passed by an animal cemetery. There was a good amount of people at the store when we arrived. It was raining, very cold, and 46 degrees.

River

I think it would be difficult to keep a journal for a long period of time because people are very busy people and have no time to write down what happened in their day. Also, people may not remember exactly what they saw. Personally, I would not enjoy writing down a journal everyday because I don't think it'll be needed in the future anyways so I think there is no point.

Map of Lowell

Journal Entries

#1 Journal Entry
October 7th, 2014 Morning
When I came to school today, I passed by the Pollard Memorial Library. I came to school with my neighbors because they also attend Lowell High. We did not walk to school, instead, we rode in a car in which my neighbor's father was driving. Many buses were on the road since other children attend school at this hour too. The weather is partly sunny, 54 degrees.

#2 Journal Entry
October 8th, 2014 Noon
There was an early release at school today. I went to eat at Wings Over Lowell with three of my friends. We walked there together and we walked along Market St. We passed many restaurants and food chains. Numerous kids were walking around the area. It was sunny, windy, and 70 degrees.

#3 Journal Entry
October 9th, 2014
I walked back home from school. I went passed the Pollard Memorial Library. I also went passed Market Basket which is on Fletcher St. Continuing down that road, I walk pass the Stoklosa Middle School. Going up a hill and taking a left, I arrived home. It was sunny, breezy, and 65 degrees.

#4 Journal Entry
October 10th, 2014
I walked to school today instead of riding in a car this time. I walked with my friend and her little brother. It was pretty dark then the sun came in front of the clouds. We passed by many houses and apartments. A lot of kids were waiting at the bus stop. It was very cold and 41 degrees.

#5 Journal Entry
October 11th, 2014
I went grocery shopping today with my sister at Stop and Shop on Chelmsford St. She drove across a long bridge that was over a river. We passed by an animal cemetery. There was a good amount of people at the store when we arrived. It was raining, very cold, and 46 degrees.

I think it would be very difficult to keep a journal for a long period of time because I have homework and I am a busy child. I also cannot remember things very well. I would not enjoy it because it would interfere with my priorities.

Lewis and Clark

Thomas Jefferson wanted to explore his newly purchased land from the French so he chose Lewis and Clark to take on this expedition. Jefferson wanted to find new water routes so goods could be exported out.

Route of Lewis and Clark



May 14, 1804
Lewis and Clark sailed down the Mississippi River. They settled down on a ledge and camped there.

Sailing the Mississippi


March 27, 1806
Indians were friendly towards Lewis and Clark. They gave them food and hunted for animals like elk and deer. Lewis and Clark continued onto their journey and passed many islands. They also preserved things like raspberries.

Indians being friendly

May 16, 1804 (My birthday)
Lewis and Clark passed by a hill that mostly contained coal. It had many houses, about 100. People seemed poor, but kind.
 Coal Hill






http://www.gutenberg.org/files/8419/8419-h/8419-h.htm

Constitutional Issues - Boston Marathon Bombing

The suspect and the accused for the Boston Marathon bombing is Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. 

A Miranda Warning is the right to give suspects a warning before being questioned and taken into custody. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was not given a Miranda Warning because police felt the evidence was too overwhelming to just be given a warning to.

Officers taking Dzhokhar Tsarnaev into custody

In Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's case, the death penalty was considered although Massachusetts does not have the death penalty as a punishment. More evidence and information needs to be revealed before people contemplate the death penalty.

 The bombing

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his brother, Tamerlan were reported to have unregistered guns with them. Massachusetts also have precise gun laws people have to follow.

 Shootout in Watertown

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been a citizen of the United States for a year now but his brother, Tamerlan Tsaraev was applying for a citizenship but it has been delayed. It was reported that the department of Homeland Security postponed it when they had figured out that Tamerlan was interviewed by Russian Government back in 2011. 

People protesting about Tamerlan's immigration

The brothers were spotted through security camera footage and other types of video images. A special type of video device was also used to find that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was in a boat. According to the court, it has violated the Fourth Amendment which is that people cannot unreasonable search people's homes without a warrant.

 Dzhokhar Tsarnaev inside boat in Watertown backyard

Brothers from a security camera right after bombing

Compromises Blog Assignment

The Great Compromise of 1787 was a settlement between the delegates of the Constitutional Convention. It was an argument on how many new branches the government would be having. There were two plans: The Virginia Plan and The New Jersey Plan. The Virginia plan suggested that we have a two house national legislature. The amount of representatives would be based off the population which makes the larger states with an advantage and the smaller states with a disadvantage. The New Jersey Plan was an opposition to the Virginia Plan. They wanted equal representation for each state and for it to be elected by state legislatures. The Great Compromise merged these two ideas together. It created a branch made up of 2 houses and regardless of size, each state would receive the same number of representatives. People did not know whether to count slaves in the population or not so the delegates came up with the Three-Fifths Compromise. This means that three fifths of the state's slave population would be counted when the representatives are chosen. In the end, the Constitution was made.

The Great Compromise In Action

On September 1787, the United States Constitution was approved by the convention. The Constitution created three separate branches to divide the government power. It was divided by legislative, executive, and judicial branch. Each branch has a specific job they have to hold and certain types of authorities they have to fulfill. The legislative branch makes laws. The executive branch carries out the laws and the judicial branch interprets these laws.

3 Branches

Declaration Of Independence

Declaration of Independence

Thomas: So me and my people want independence from the British Empire
George: Ok
Thomas: Really?
George: Just kidding
Thomas: But it's our right!!! We want to create a new government to secure our safety later on!!!!
George: You need to chill
Thomas: We can't buy or sell anything in Boston because you forbid it, you only make the army do what you say and not the government, that makes no sense whatsoever, and worst of all!!! You taxed us without our consent!!!!
George: And??? I see nothing wrong
Thomas: We'll be going on strike and dumping all the tea into the harbor. Just you wait.
George: Please, like you can do that
Thomas: I sure can
-a few days later-
George: Ok fine you can buy or sell anything you want in Boston, I'll try to make the army better, and I won't tax you anymore. Are we clear?
Thomas: Thanks you're true

Boston Tea Party

Protesting

King George III & his army

Declaration of Independence Wiki

French and Indian War

•  The French and Indian War took place in 1754-1763
• Fought between British America and New France
• Both were fighting for Ohio land
• War ended by signing the Treaty of Paris on February 10, 1763 and British won

Map

French and Indian War Wikipedia