Christina McCarty April 1, 2009 Freedom of Choice?
Basic Passage: Discussed in class the past few days was the topic of separation of Church and State and basic human rights. In certain areas, the lines, however, become a bit sticky.
Correlate: Where do one’s rights necessarily become invalid? It seems quite clear that occurs when one’s rights as a United States citizen end when another citizen’s begins. There are many issues dealing with this case. Two important ones include a citizen’s right to publicly smoke, and a woman’s right to have an abortion. Smoking, for instance, is a widely-popular, yet disgusting habit. It cannot be ignored that smoking and second-hand smoke are dangerous to people’s health. So when one person smoking forces a non-smoker to breathe in toxic air, the smoker has lost his right to smoke. The non-smoker has a right to breathe clean air, and once the smoker takes that away, his right should be revoked as well. Smokers know the warnings and dangers of their habit, yet they do it anyway. Those who know the value of their life and lungs should not have to suffer from those willing to kill themselves.
Abortion is another issue where one’s rights infringe upon another person’s rights. President Obama is attempting to pass the FOCA bill, an act that will make it mandatory for all hospitals to provide abortions for women and force citizens to pay for them using tax dollars. Therefore, while one person’s right to “do what she wants with her body” is satisfied, many more lose their right to say it’s wrong. Pro-life citizens, despite their beliefs, will have their money forcibly taken to pay for abortions. Pro-life doctors unwilling to do abortions will also have to perform them or risk losing their jobs. And, of course, the unborn child, not yet considered a living, breathing baby, will lose its right to life.
Therefore we should ask why murder is wrong. How is it any different from abortion? What if the person murdered was alone, unwanted, and “useless” to society? Would that justify the murder? Murder is wrong because it is infringing on another’s right to live freely as an American citizen. Take out moral values and that’s all it is. Looking at abortion, isn’t that the exact same thing? Of course it is.
Alicia Vance The Truth about the First Thanksgiving
Basic Passage: Learning about what really happened at the first Thanksgiving at an older age instead of at a younger age.
Correlation: Throughout most of our lives, we learned about Thanksgiving with the Indians and Pilgrims as a peaceful time. Starting in elementary school, we learned about how the Pilgrims came to America on the Mayflower. The story went along the lines of the men going out to look for food and white men, but only saw “wild Indians” that ran away from them. Some people did get sick during the winter, but many others helped try to bring them back to good health. Then when spring came, Squanto came along and showed the Pilgrims how to plant corn and grow food. When the fall came, they were able to have enough food to last through the winter so they decided to have the first Thanksgiving and to invite the Indians along. After that, they all got along well and continued to celebrate Thanksgiving every year. After reading Of Plymouth Plantation, we know this is not how the Pilgrims and Indians became to be friends. I don’t think people want children to know what really happened at the first Thanksgiving, especially at such a young age. Learning that the Pilgrims had stolen food from the Indians could scare a child and cause them to not understand what Thanksgiving really means. Thanksgiving is about celebrating all you have to be thankful for in life. Teaching children to be thankful for things early on is more beneficial and will hopefully teach them to appreciate things more. At a young age, no one could handle the truth about what really happened at the first Thanksgiving. Giving children the impression that Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful and generous is better than the alternative.
Basic Passage: In class on Monday there was a brief discussion of freedom of speech and the significance behind it. If we do have freedom of speech, can we say certain things without offending others or can we say things that will make a difference in everyday life?
Correlation: Freedom of speech is something that we as Americans take to heart and was also given to us by law as part of our First Amendment rights. Everyone has the right to be heard, but sometimes we are denied that right in fear of what might be said. We as Americans use freedom of speech to say how we feel about certain issues that may affect us as Americans. But when we do say what we feel, we sometimes forget that what we say will come back to haunt us. If we can’t use our freedom of speech, then what’s the point of having it? Everyday someone gets criticize for saying what they feel. For example, Kanye West got criticize for saying that then President George Bush didn’t care about black people during a live telethon to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It was played over and over again on just about every news channel. There were some people who agreed with him and of course you had some people who didn’t agree with him saying that was inappropriate of him to say especially during that moment. He was simply saying how he felt about the situation and what was or wasn’t being done to help the victims who were stranded without food or water for so many days. If it wasn’t a good time for him to say how he felt, then when would it have been good time? When you have emotions overflowing, you have to say what’s on your mind and what’s on your heart.
Title – Is Rodger Williams really a preacher from hell?
Basic Passage – The Wordy Shipmate’s: The people of Massachusetts are being told by the new guy, Rodger Williams, that they have no done enough for their God, and that they will go to hell until they apologize publicly for worshiping to the Church of England in England.
Correlation – Rodger Williams has just arrived in the new colonies from England. When he arrives he tells everyone already there who has just survived a really hard and terrible winter that they are all damned to hell. Afterwards, the people of the colonies believe that he is the preacher form hell. I do not believe this crap. I believe that he is just speaking his mind and the people do not like what they here. Why would they. He just told them they were going to hell for attending services at the Church of England. These colonists were seen as being fake to him. There are some people to today, the die-hard Christians, that believe the atheist and other non-believers are also fake. Because they do not say Amen at the end of prayer, they do not attend church, or they do no say that their country is “one nation under God.” Just because you do not say it thought does not mean that you do not believe it. Rodger Williams was a die-hard Christian. For example, he would not even visit his wife when she was sick, instead he wrote her a sermon. He didn’t send her flowers or give her soup. What a great husband he was.
Basic Passage: In class we discussed religious tolerance and how it has not always been such a smooth path. Perhaps there are better ways to practice religious tolerance.
Correlation: In an era when faith and politics have become a blended whole, practicing religious tolerance has become essential to living an open-minded, non-judgmental life. The world is a diversity of belief and opinion, which can often challenge one's perception, and sense of self. Choosing to avoid rather than learn about other religions can create unhealthy breakdowns in open communication. We should concede that differences of opinion are natural part of human evolution as we continually adapt to environment and circumstances. Few people in the world will ever agree with you 100 percent, accepting and celebrating this difference is the key to religious tolerance. One should understand that some people practice a faith that follows one god, more than one god or no god at all and that all perspectives remain equally valid. Without concrete proof or evidence of your own stance, trying to tell someone his or her belief is wrong is a presumptuous waste of time. Accept that you cannot change only listen and debate people's opinions. Choosing to speak about other faiths in a tolerant and open-minded manner does not equate to agreement with the practices of that faith. Observing the rituals of another religion helps you to understand and respect the reverence and belief of others. It also promotes tolerance and interfaith communication which always seems like a good idea. Most intolerance is due to a lack of knowledge or education. One needs places of worship with the knowledge that each religion should respect each other and accept the principles and limitations of each. People should be allowed to follow the religion of their choice without being persecuted. Unless we overcome this fear of those whose faith is different from our own, we cannot build a free, just, and caring world - we need to do it individually and collectively without waiting for governments to take the lead.
Jennifer Gray Thanksgiving Myth Basic Passage: “We are not anti-Thanksgiving. Every day is a day of thanksgiving for our people. We give thanks that we are still living on the land that was stolen from us. But we are against the myths and romanticized notions of Thanksgiving.” Correlation: When we were children, we were taught that Thanksgiving was a fun festive time when the Pilgrims and Indians gathered together and ate and enjoyed one another’s company. But believe it or not the Pilgrims didn’t land at Plymouth Rock and get off their ship with a turkey in hand and have a picturesque dinner with the Indians. It is thought that this is taught to children because they are too young to understand the truth. We learn, as we get older, that this isn’t necessarily true. We learn the reality of what Thanksgiving is about. To the Indians, Thanksgiving is a day of mourning. The Pilgrims came in and stole the land of the Indians and then mistreated them. Not to say that the Indians never did any wrong though. They too did things to the Pilgrims that weren’t right such as scalping. I believe the white man was wrong for coming in and just taking the land from the Indians the way they did, but where would we be today if it had not happened? Our government has tried to make things better with Indian tribes today by restoring some of their lands that our ancestors took from them. Next time you sit down to Thanksgiving dinner with your family, remember that there’s a bigger story behind the Pilgrim and Indian story that we all know. A lot of wrong has been done to get America where it is today, but there is a reason for everything that happens in God’s big plan.
Passage: In class we discussed whether persecuting Christians or accept Christians hurt the religion
Correlation:
Most people today if asked, "What religion are you?" The answer will be, "I am a Christian." It is the most accepted religion of them all. Not that this is a bad way or thinking, but it just makes it difficult to decipher who is being genuine. One of the main things that turns a person against organized religion, are those people to claim to be something that they are not. I agree with Roger Williams opinion that Nero strengthened the Christians faith rather than hurt it. If one is being persecuted for something, those that are not really committed to the cause will not stand firm in their beliefs. If no one's faith is challenged, they will not grow in their spirituality. While it is important for one's political views to be based on their personal convictions, it cannot take full command. Some constant form of separation is necessary in order for the church and state to be successful as separate entities.
Basic Passage: A wall of seperation between the garden of church and the wilderness of the world.
Correlation: In favor of a world driven by civil beings with Christian backgrounds, Roger Williams spoke these words intending to build a society in which people governed themselves according to civil rules decided by society’s constitutions. A stubborn man, Williams most likely saw no good coming from a society based on ideals that can’t be interpreted.
Regarding the church, some actions have consequences that are absolute and some things are intolerable because the book says they are. Our creation of a government is what means we have the right to govern ourselves. Who could give away their freedom for such blind faith? Williams must have thought a colonist should never do so. How do you allow yourself to be governed by rules you yourself did not create and still attempt to call yourself a governing body in today’s modern era?
You can forgive a caveman of his worship of fire; he had no answers. I can even forgive the Romans because for all their speak of worship and Catholicism they did their dirt behind closed doors. But someone who willingly says farewell to the right to speak freely, dress individually and assemble peaceably has no other name but blind.
Jefferson and every other founder knew this too. Their decision to make a way for each law to be continuously amended and changed to fit the world. Our freedoms were carefully planned out so that we may never fall into a world governed by laws that can’t be constructed as inhumane.
But if all of this is true, why is the church referred to as a garden and the world wilderness? Its because everyone has heard of the church's famous garden with everything man could ever want except food he cant eat. No, man is stubborn and the wilderness, though uncharted, promises everything man could ever need including individuality.
Harrison Bullock Where do your rights start and stop? Correlate: The past few days we have been talking in class about basic rights granted to us as Americans and humans; however there is a blurred line on where our rights begin and end in modern society. Correlate: In modern society, there are many instances where your rights as a citizen start and end when you infringe upon the rights of others. As I stated in class, as a driver, you can listen to your stereo system. However, there is a point where if the music is too loud, it infringes upon the rights of others, which is against the law in some cities. Another example that has created some heated debate is the topic of abortion. Some Americans believe that a woman has the right to do what she pleases with her body. When a pregnant woman is murdered, in some court cases, they charge the defendant with two counts of murder. On the other hand, when a woman freely goes to an abortion clinic, she can end the child’s life that is growing inside of her. Is that murder or is that a woman’s right that she has as an American? A less heated debate that was discussed in class is the topic of smoking in public places. Where does a person‘s right end when that person wants to harm them self with cigarettes and a nonsmoking bystander’s right begin? There are laws that have been created in America to combat some of these issues, such as the stereo system topic. In Mobile, you can listen to your music as long as it doesn’t project over 100 feet. On the smoking topic, some places have banned smoking in public places, while other places use a distance factor of 25 feet from the building. On abortion, this issue has been blurred more and more by politicians and the media. Laws have been made by previous administrations and changed by others. I think in America abortion will always be legal. There will always be another politician or interest group that believes something different or a lawyer that presents a different angle.
Harrison Bullock Where do your rights start and stop? Basic Passage: The past few days we have been talking in class about basic rights granted to us as Americans and humans; however there is a blurred line on where our rights begin and end in modern society. Correlate: In modern society, there are many instances where your rights as a citizen start and end when you infringe upon the rights of others. As I stated in class, as a driver, you can listen to your stereo system. However, there is a point where if the music is too loud, it infringes upon the rights of others, which is against the law in some cities. Another example that has created some heated debate is the topic of abortion. Some Americans believe that a woman has the right to do what she pleases with her body. When a pregnant woman is murdered, in some court cases, they charge the defendant with two counts of murder. On the other hand, when a woman freely goes to an abortion clinic, she can end the child’s life that is growing inside of her. Is that murder or is that a woman’s right that she has as an American? A less heated debate that was discussed in class is the topic of smoking in public places. Where does a person‘s right end when that person wants to harm them self with cigarettes and a nonsmoking bystander’s right begin? There are laws that have been created in America to combat some of these issues, such as the stereo system topic. In Mobile, you can listen to your music as long as it doesn’t project over 100 feet. On the smoking topic, some places have banned smoking in public places, while other places use a distance factor of 25 feet from the building. On abortion, this issue has been blurred more and more by politicians and the media. Laws have been made by previous administrations and changed by others. I think in America abortion will always be legal. There will always be another politician or interest group that believes something different or a lawyer that presents a different angle.
A. Modern views on historic events Eric Richardson
B. In our book, the Bedford Anthology of American Literature, some of the authors describe some modern insights on historic events.
C. Using modern views on historic events is a commonly used practice in our history lessons. Many people believe that this practice will help a lot of people understand many of the history lessons of the past. If you really think about it is doing this really effective? How can we correctly translate information, when most of the time we are not sure what really happened? Also, in early times many of the people where not literate. Only a select few knew how to read and write. These skills were usually taught only to royalty or the higher class in society. So, if you think about it you were only getting on side of the story. Another problem with trying to put a new spin on old events, is that many people hold biases and grudges. They can incorporate that in their new interpretation. An example of this is shown in the Plymouth Plantation through a Modern Lens in our book. The author clearly has a bias against the whites in describing the events of early america. Another bias that can be shown in today’s history and literature books are the publishing companies. These companies pick what they think is important. In doing this a lot of times many cultures and other ideas are left out of the bigger picture. This in turn leaves its readers with an uncertainty about anything other than the authors views and interpretations. So, what is left but to look at history from a modern lens is all up to your own personal interpretation and not what really happened.
Basic Passage: In class we talked about how many people have struggled with their past and becoming the people the people they are today. Correlation: There are many different stories and background history of each and every person’s life. Some people have had it much worse than others. There have been troubles of slavery, equal rights, fighting for land, or even fighting for freedom. On the other hand some groups of people have had it easy the whole path of their life. That’s what makes our culture so diverse. It’s how you go about the situation to accept it and better it. There are many groups of people today that are still fighting and still trying to speak the truth and thoughts of what went on in their time. For instance, many of the Indian tribes are still protesting and are still upset of what happened many years ago. Although they might have hard feeling toward the people who “took their land”, they still have specific land reserved just for their people. This is one way they have accepted what has happened to their tribe and how they continue to stay together even though other people and things are going on all around them. It is important to educate everyone about all of the history of our nation and who had to through what to be where all of us are today. If everyone just accepted the past, forgave the people that hurt them in some way, shape or fashion, we could probably be a lot more productive as a country as a whole. We never forgot our past and our true roots of family background, but we must be willing to hear other people’s stories and put all of the pieces together, instead on just looking at our own.
Basic Passage: In class we talked about smoking in public and in different places where second hand smoke bothers people who are non-smokers.
Correlation: Do you think second hand smoke is harmful? Most non-smokers do feel this way, especially in bars and in homes where young children live. People that smoke say that it is their right to smoke wherever they want. Other people say they shouldn’t have to breathe in second hand smoke. When people are at bars they tend to chain smoke because they are drinking. Yes, people have a choice of whether they go to the bar but having a chance of getting second hand smoke shouldn’t be an issue. The best way to look at this is if you invade other people’s rights such as smoking around people who don’t want to breath in smoke you are in the wrong. In most of the Midwest cities smoking is banned in all bars. Another huge issue is the issue of parents smoking in their houses. If there are small children especially, smoking should not be allowed. Toddlers do not have an option of just leaving when smoke fills the air. Parents that give their children second hand smoke should be prosecuted or even have their kids taken away from them. All they are doing is killing their kids. The toddlers grow, and so do their lungs and they won’t grow right if smoke is always in their lungs. The argument for the people who smoke is that their homes are private not public. They think they can do whatever they want behind closed doors. If they are putting their children at risk for cancer then that should be a federal crime and they should be arrested.
Farhan Mahmood Title – Rights and crossing the boundary.
Basic Passage – In class we talked about a person who is standing naked in front of the window of his house. Is he violating the law or does he have the right to do anything he wants in his house? In there a limit between someone’s are right vs crossing the boundary?
Correlation – The constitution of the United States gave Americans freedom of speech and basic rights but does that means we can go anywhere and say anything we want. In most cases it is true but there is surely a line that everyone has to abide. The man who is standing naked in front of window definitely has the right to do whatever he want but he cant flash in public because that falls under the rule of public obscenity. On the other hand many might argue that people outside has the right to not to look at the man and even if they do, they have the right to remain silent about it. But People who are outside who fall under various category of society such as a child, an elderly person, or even a woman can easily get distracted and get offended by the obscenity. This infringes their right to live in a society without humiliation and that’s when our rights have a boundary which one should not cross. Same goes to the freedom of speech where I can say whatever I want but that might effect someone else’s personal feeling. There a saying that I remembered from high school that majority always rules with minority rights. This case definitely reminds me of that quote.
Correlation: Should we, as Americans today, feel responsible for the treatment of Native American Indians in the past? Should people of European descent feel responsible for the treatment and enslavement of Africans? We were talking about “white guilt” and the example of White Americans writing checks as to say “sorry” and for no other reason. I agree that this is the wrong approach, in fact it seems a little degrading to throw money at a problem that money can’t fix. Speaking specifically about the past, the past can’t be change but it can be learned from. Its difficult to learn about history and not have an unbiased appreciation for the dynamics between different groups of people, whether it be Indians, African Americans, Japanese or recently Middle Eastern groups. When we learn the history, we do more than just learn the facts, we end up forming opinions if something was right or wrong, maybe agreeing or disagreeing. Once we understand how things occurred, we have choices to continue the paradigm, or change it. This might be where “white guilt” comes in. As a White American student learns history, they might feel somewhat responsible, knowing that their own ancestors could have been a part of the treatment of Native Americans or African Americans. If this feeling exists, they should be asking what side of the issue they would stand if faced with it today- or if they lived back in then. That is what I do and what I know today certainly influences my decision. As I said in my last post, treat others as you want to be treated. This is not said from a religious point of view but a necessity of a functioning society.
Passage: “There cannot be a true religion which needs carnal weapons to uphold it.”-Roger Williams
Correlation: Roger Williams always had a rougher way of explaining himself. I don’t believe the religious ways in England were upheld by “carnal weapons”, but there was authority toward acts that were considered “unreligious”. If you recall, Roger Williams was the man who told the settlers to ask for forgiveness for their previous involvement with the Anglican church. But it is my belief that this creed of separation of church and state was one of the most important founded theories that was applied to our nation. If one were to look into history, it is apparent that empires or countries with a government founded on religion did not succeed as well as a country with separation of church and state. Now, I admit there are more factors to a country’s success than just separation of church and state, but it plays a very vital role. One of the major reasons the Roman Empire failed, for example, was because they believed every nation must be bound together by a common set of cultural values founded in religion. The idea of separation of church and state is a successful attribute to a nation. Religious laws in the 16th and 17th century were just harsh. People would be fined or lashed for things such as missing church, working on Sundays, dressed improperly, drinking alcohol, sex without marriage, cursing, and tobacco usage are just a few examples. Also, countries that have governments that are based on religion are prone to religious war. Look at countries like Israel that have been surrounded by religious turmoil, spilling blood over land, a God given gift shared for all. Religion is best kept out of government and government should always stay out of relgion.
Basic Passage: We discussed in class how people do not like to envision the harsh truth or issues but would rather have the milked version.
Correlation: Americans have always been the romantic type. They want the pleasant meaning or story compared to the nitty gritty truth. Such an example would be Thanksgiving. In elementary school and high school we were taught the pleasant story of how the Americans and Indians just formed together and has this grand meal with no conflict. Well, this is not necessarily true. Americans and Indians did not have this so called peace between them; it was more of hatred. In 1970, the state of Massachusetts made plans for the 350th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ landing at Plymouth. They invited Wamsutta, a Wampanoag Indian, to speak at the celebration. After reading the speech in advance, the council men head of the celebration would not allow him to read his speech. Why wouldn’t they let him read his speech to the public you may ask? Well, how would you feel if a man came up at a celebration of your country and bashed everything they had done in the far past. You wouldn’t like it too much would you. This is why Americans are romantics. We like the love story movies that could never happen in real life but we still go watch them anyway. We still believe in the single man hero that will save the world. We like to see the world as a happier place then it really is. Would you really want to see the world as being un-pleasant? Probably not, well at least I don’t. This is the sole reason that we are taught the softer side of history in elementary school and high school. Children at a younger age cannot grasp the concepts of now and then and right from wrong.
Basic Passage: In class we talked about how we as Americans have the right of Freedom of Speech since it’s the First Amendment. In certain cases we are not allowed to express the way we feel even if it is one of our rights.
Correlate: When you think of freedom of speech the first thing that comes to most is that they can say any thing they want and it would be ok. In most cases if you say something about another person and its not true you could be sued for slander, but still you can view that as someone expressing their First Amendment right. In other instances you could express how you feel on a sensitive issue and be seen as if you was going against your country. For example, if you say that you don’t like the war and say that the United States is wrong many might view you as not supporting your country in good or bad. Some things that we say might not cause as many problems, but might not be appropriate for that occasion. For example, if you were to have said something like “thank you terrorist for 9/11”, even though you have the right to say that, you would be viewed as being ignorant. The First Amendment allows the right to say what you feel, but society and laws restrict certain things you might want to express. There’s not a list of things that you can’t say, but we all know what can and can’t be said. For example, you can’t falsely cause panic by shouting fire or using fighting words to entice or provoke others. So we really don’t have the right to freedom of speech, but that protects us from being persecuted by someone else thoughts and views.
Jennifer W. Title: A little bit of everything Basic Passage: Roger Williams, abortion, and prayer in schools.
Today in class we talked about Roger Williams, and how self righteous he was. He seemed to think he was god's gift to people. As a Christian you are supposed to be Christ like. I don't feel Christ would have ever acted like that. In fact, I know he would not have acted like that. He was humble and pure. He showed people true kindness and love. He would have prayed with the sick. He might have given a sermon as well, but he would have prayed and showed compassion on the sick. We also talked about abortion. I feel that abortion is wrong. I don't know how anyone can say that at just a few weeks pregnant that the embryo is not a human. How can something that is not human grow into something human? That doesn't make much sense to me. When I found out that I was pregnant I knew there was a living human being inside of me. Now I look at my daughter, and all of the life she has in her, and I wonder how anyone can think that abortion is right. I know this is my opinion, but I love children, and know they are work sometimes. It is the most rewarding work in the world. Now the other subject is prayer in school. When they took prayer out of school, they took the truth and love out of school. Jesus is truth and love. He protects and comforts us. I know in school I need comfort from the Lord. He is my comfort. He is the only way I can get through each day of my life. I couldn't go on without the strength the Lord Jesus Christ gives me.
Passage: In class discussion on separation of church and state
Correlation: In class we have discussed the topic of separation of church and state. Separation of church and state is a political and legal doctrine that government and religious institutions are to be kept separate and independent from each other. The term most often refers to the combination of two principles: secularity of government and freedom of religious exercise.
The pilgrims who left England left a country that had already been through a separation of church and state. The Pilgrims were coming to the “new world” for freedom of religion, though they did not accept anyone who did not respect their religion and faith. People did not believe worship a God to be a good citizen. Like Roger Williams, who agreed with the separation of church and state, also other founding fathers of our country.
Williams’ Nonconformist leanings lured him across the Atlantic to Plymouth in 1631. He was an extremely bright and enthusiastic individual, and rarely avoided an opportunity to argue his convictions. His views on religion and government quickly embroiled him in disputes with the Massachusetts authorities in Salem and Boston. He upset the elders by denouncing the Massachusetts Bay charter, which allowed the confiscation of Native American lands without compensation and the punishment of purely religious transgressions by the civil officials. Both of those practices offended Williams’ sensibilities. Williams was a lot like founding fathers like Benjamin Franklin who said “ When a religion is good I conceive is will support itself; and when it does not support itself, and God does not take care to support so that its professor’s are obliged to call for help of civil power, ‘tis a sign, I apprehend, of its being a bad one.”
Basic Passage: In class we discussed the fact that over the years Americans have not allowed people to speak against what we did to become the country we are today.
Correlation: To say that we are perfect as a country or world would be a blatant bold faced lie. As we have learned throughout this course as well as courses that each and every one of us have taken, and found out wrongdoings in our history. As we were talking about in class today about how many believe that what we do not allow people to say what they wish on television and that the FCC will make any comments unliked to be hidden. It’s a brutal fact that we did taken peoples freedoms have made it out to be a much “nicer” happening than in reality, and as we all know the facts of slavery being such a terrible thing and the hatred that it brought to people throughout the years. It is easy for me to say that all of that was terrible and able to be fixed, but instead of complaining over past discrepancies, racism has heightened. For example, black history month causes problems to Morgan Freeman believing, "I am going to stop calling you a white man and I'm going to ask you to stop calling me a black man.” The fact is we have become an even more segregated country since the fact of Obama being elected, he has made huge history but people like JayZ and Young Jeezy bring it back down for example after Obama was elected he said in DC, “I wanna thank the mother******* who threw shoes at George Bush…No more White lies, my president is black, welcome to the Black House.” Do we not as a country wish to get to the day as Morgan Freeman believes that blacks and whites can live together as Americans, and move forward as a country not regressing towards segregation.
Stacy Moralis Title: Code Switching Basic Passage: In class we talked about code switching. The Wampanoags would change the way they spoke when they were around certain people. Correlation: Code switching is when a person changes the way they speak around certain people. You would talk different around your grandparents than you would in an interview. Everyone does it out of habit. “We now have 350 years of experience living amongst the white man. We can now speak his language. We can now think as a white man thinks. We can now compete with him for the top jobs. We’re being heard; we are now being listened to.” (Belasco, Johnson 152). The Wampanoags used different dialects around certain people to be noticed and get heard. “A dialect is a regional variety of language distinguished by features of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation from other regional varieties and constituting together with them a single language”(Merriam-webster.com). Dialects are everywhere. They are associated with regions and cultures. All dialects are equally legitimate and equally complex, but some dialects have higher status. A person who speaks two dialects is bidialectal. Some factors of dialects are geography, socioeconomic level, ethnicity and cultural group, situation or context, and peer group.
Basic Passage: In class we talked about how easy kids are influenced and everything is sugar coated at a young age to preserve innocence.
Correlation: Kids are taught at a young age that everything is going to be alright. It’s like there are no worry’s what so ever while you are a kid. Everything is sugar coated and said to be good when explaining something to a child. Thanksgiving and how it was brought about is a good example of this type of sugar coating. When I was a kid in pre school, we acted out how the pilgrims and Indians celebrated Thanksgiving. We danced around in circles with paper made hats and paint on our faces like little Indians. We all know now that everything wasn’t as good or happy as we were taught when we were kids. Real life situations are kept from children to preserve innocence. Children are very easily influenced by what people they look up to do. If a kid watches his father smoke a cigarette everyday, the kid will be very willing to try it out of curiosity. These cigarette companies sugar coat their product through commercials and other advertisements saying their product isn’t harmful. Adults actually know the consequences of smoking but when kids see these cigarette commercials on television they might think its ok to smoke. Some parents often sugar coat the subject of sex when talking it over with their kids. This subject is very important and I don’t think it should be switched around with birds and bee’s which have absolutely nothing to do with sex. Parents are too concerned with preserving innocence rather than telling the truth and getting their kid ready for the real world. Its going to have to start with the parents around the nation. Being a good influence on our children now will prepare them for what is ahead.
In class we discussed the story of a Native American who was prohibited from reading a speech portraying a negative image of the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving.
However, the same banned speech is now being read my millions of college students all over the united states. Why? Because controversy sells. Censorship only promotes what it wishes to conceal. In today’s democratic society, when pieces of literature or music are prohibited, it creates a lot of controversy, which in turn draws more attention to the subject. All this attention and focus only helps to promote what the government hoped to ban. Ray Bradburry’s book Fahrenheit 451 has a similar concept, where the government does not allow its citizens to read books, for fear that it may invoke free or radical thinking. In fact, “firemen” are sent to start fires at any home found to be sheltering literature, or those who read it. Ironically, in 1999 Bradburry’s book was banned from a Mississippi high school’s required reading list for the use of strong language.
The mission of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is to regulate all forms of radio media, including television and radio broadcasting. The government assumes this committee is effective, since it bans certain songs on the radio or requires artists to change lyrics to their songs for radio play. It even places “Parental Advisory” stickers on cd’s. However, this only tempts the public more. Teenagers especially are prone to rebelling, and many do not want the edited version; they want the raw, unrated edition, the one that will drive their parents crazy. Basically, if you want to get noticed or be heard these days, you have to get the nation’s attention. You have to start controversy. You have to get banned.
In class we discussed the theory know as “white guilt” and whether or not it is a warranted feeling.
Correlation: When people mention antebellum times they discuss a less advanced culture as a whole. They maybe talk about technology and how it has advanced. They might discuss the way women were treated and what great leaps they have taken in the past 150 years. However, without a doubt people would 100% of the time bring up slavery and they should. There is a very, very minute group of ignorant individuals that would say that slavery should have ever existed in the first place in America. It is very hard to imagine what America would have been like if slaves had not been brought in from Africa. Obviously, this country would have been in a completely different place. Racism would not be an issue, the Civil War would have never happened and there wouldn’t be as many black people in America as there is now. The fact of the matter is that although slavery in America will forever be the “black eye” of our country. Its position in our nation’s history is in concrete and will forever be remembered. However, slavery has been over since well before the 20th century even started. A white person today would have to trace back his lineage to 6 generations to find an ancestor that actually lived in that time and may or may not have owned a slave. So any feelings of guilt or financial reparations is absolutely absurd. If this were the case, many other groups would have to be acknowledged as well. Groups such as Indians, Irish, Italians and dozens of other immigrants who fled to America were all discriminated against at some point or the other. Obviously, African Americans have a great larger claim to discrimination than any other group, but the fact still remains. Any guilt felt by anyone in 2009, for injustices done in 1865 is completely useless and unnecessary
In today's society is there really freedom of speech or is it just something we are guaranteed? There has been so much censorship of our words and ideas in our history that the idea of freedom of speech is something thta truly isn't free, bat rather monitored and controlled. 1970 was only 40 years ago. 40 years is really not that long in a history of a country. In 1970 a man named Frank James was censored by the people of Commonwealth of Massachusetts because they did not agree with the speech they hoped he would give at the Thankgiving dinner. He wanted to speak of the atrocities that were bestowed on the Native American by the people who came to steal their land and basically eridicate them from the face of the earth. The people that they called savages the same people they turned to for help and the same people they treated poorly in return. The thoughts and ideas of James were so conterversial that they told him that he would not be speaking at the dinner. He was unable to give his speech because it shined a negative light on the actions of white Americans. People are always fighting against the words of others; whether it be againt a celebrity agaist an overslanderous tabloid or Tipper Gore against Frank Zappa because he has some explicit lyrics in his work. One thing Frank Zappa said in the hearing before the committee of commerce, science and transportation during the first session on the contents of music and the lyrics of records makes a lot of sense and is something to think about with government interference with censoring speeh in any way. He said "the establishment of a rating system, voulntary or otherwise, opens the door to an endless parade of moral quality control programs based on things certian Christians do not like. What is the next bunch of Washington wives demand a large yellow "J" on all material written or performed by Jews in order to save helpless children exposure to concealed Zionit doctrine?" (hearing before the committee pg 54) This is a very logical conclusion because who's to say that th movie ratings and restrictions on things like pornogrophy wont end up turning into something more serious and lessening our freedoms of speech.
Work Cited Hearing before the committee on commerce, science, and transportation united states senate first session on contents of music and the lyrics of records. 22 July 2006 31 March 2009 http://www.joseapt.net/superlink/shrg99-529/
Basic Passage: In class we talked about the separation of church and state and the role that it is playing in today’s society. We also talked about how it was viewed back in earlier times.
Correlation: In modern day America there is an ongoing conflict of the separation of church and state. Many people believe that God should not be involved in schools or the government of the United States. There are many different arguments, most of which have many good points. What I find very interesting is how many of the morals and guidelines to our daily lives have come from the Bible and the belief in God. Most of the early schools were built in order to teach kids how to read and write so that they could read the bible and help spread the word of God. Our government was founded by men of strong faith, who very much believed that God should play a major part in the country if it were to succeed. Today God is trying to be taken out of the school systems and government as our country becomes more of a melting pot to religions. What is interesting to me is how it seems that the Christian religion is being more focused on than other in this conflict (at least from what is seen in the media). Constantly we hear about there being a problem with some kid or teacher praying to God in school and someone making a huge deal about it. What we never seem to hear of is a kid being given a hard time from their Hindu faith, or them expressing their beliefs in Allah in school. It is my personal opinion that this country has done so well up till now because it has stayed in the general guidelines for living life in the Christian faith.
Basic Passage: When a child goes to school he or she is going to learn but what is taught, that is the question. If the child is paying attention to what the teacher is saying than they will definitely be involved in what the class is discussing. Although some children just do not care what goes on in a classroom until they become older, then they start caring.
Correlation: If a child goes to school he or she is going to learn. Now whether or not they are ready to is up to them, but are they ready to hear what the teacher has to say. Some children in their younger years of life are taught the same things whenever they enter the high school stage. However, the question is when they really start getting involved in what the class is discussing about their history. Because when children are younger they don't really care about their history. All they are worried about is going to school to learn and that is it. Now when they finally enter the adult stage they are wondering about everything whether it be the news or whatever is going on in the world we live in. Because children are not worried about their surroundings whenever they are little they are just worried about playing and having the time of their life. Although some children in their younger years my decide to start caring a little bit earlier. It is just a matter of time to them whenever they think they should start caring rather than saying, who cares i am not worried about that.
Basic Passage: Since Roger Williams did not go to the church in Boston, he preached in Salem where he upheld strict beliefs that sound both religuious and lacking in common sense.
Correlate: Williams believed that wicked men should not take oaths in court because it took God's name in vain. Vowell compares Williams to Thomas Jefferson because Williams opposed taking Native American lands, while Jefferson opposed slavery, and both were against theocracy. Williams thought that saints should only pray with other saints, and he did not think magistrates should punish Sabbath breakers. Colonial New England weddings were performed by magistrates. This is something that would have been frowned upon by Williams. Williams was a supporter of racial equality and civil liberty. He believed that the Puritans in New England practiced church the same way it was done in England. In Texas it is becoming popular in some towns to have 'community groups'. The groups select a leader who will speak to the group. They discuss marriage, work, money, and important things they need to succeed. The groups are not affiliated with the church but Williams would most likely from upon these groups. Williams did not think that the government should be allowed to punish people for things they do for the church. He faced opposition especially from his fellow Christians, and according to Vowell, he is not tolerant of the ways of the majority of Puritans. he does have views that are more like those of church leaders today. The author also compares Williams to Martin Luther King Jr. and believed him to be a visionary. A guy I work with preaches about once a month in his church. He has talked with me before about being practical versus being spiritual. He says that one should study his schoolwork in addition to the scriptures. He notices me reading fiction books and asks if I have been reading the word. When he saw me reading the word he asked why I was reading and I replied to stay out of trouble. He then reminded me to make sure I focus on schoolwork as well. Vowell believed Williams to be legalistic with Scriptures but that views on on equality were more practical.
31 comments:
Christina McCarty
April 1, 2009
Freedom of Choice?
Basic Passage: Discussed in class the past few days was the topic of separation of Church and State and basic human rights. In certain areas, the lines, however, become a bit sticky.
Correlate: Where do one’s rights necessarily become invalid? It seems quite clear that occurs when one’s rights as a United States citizen end when another citizen’s begins. There are many issues dealing with this case. Two important ones include a citizen’s right to publicly smoke, and a woman’s right to have an abortion. Smoking, for instance, is a widely-popular, yet disgusting habit. It cannot be ignored that smoking and second-hand smoke are dangerous to people’s health. So when one person smoking forces a non-smoker to breathe in toxic air, the smoker has lost his right to smoke. The non-smoker has a right to breathe clean air, and once the smoker takes that away, his right should be revoked as well. Smokers know the warnings and dangers of their habit, yet they do it anyway. Those who know the value of their life and lungs should not have to suffer from those willing to kill themselves.
Abortion is another issue where one’s rights infringe upon another person’s rights. President Obama is attempting to pass the FOCA bill, an act that will make it mandatory for all hospitals to provide abortions for women and force citizens to pay for them using tax dollars. Therefore, while one person’s right to “do what she wants with her body” is satisfied, many more lose their right to say it’s wrong. Pro-life citizens, despite their beliefs, will have their money forcibly taken to pay for abortions. Pro-life doctors unwilling to do abortions will also have to perform them or risk losing their jobs. And, of course, the unborn child, not yet considered a living, breathing baby, will lose its right to life.
Therefore we should ask why murder is wrong. How is it any different from abortion? What if the person murdered was alone, unwanted, and “useless” to society? Would that justify the murder? Murder is wrong because it is infringing on another’s right to live freely as an American citizen. Take out moral values and that’s all it is. Looking at abortion, isn’t that the exact same thing? Of course it is.
Alicia Vance
The Truth about the First Thanksgiving
Basic Passage: Learning about what really happened at the first Thanksgiving at an older age instead of at a younger age.
Correlation: Throughout most of our lives, we learned about Thanksgiving with the Indians and Pilgrims as a peaceful time. Starting in elementary school, we learned about how the Pilgrims came to America on the Mayflower. The story went along the lines of the men going out to look for food and white men, but only saw “wild Indians” that ran away from them. Some people did get sick during the winter, but many others helped try to bring them back to good health. Then when spring came, Squanto came along and showed the Pilgrims how to plant corn and grow food. When the fall came, they were able to have enough food to last through the winter so they decided to have the first Thanksgiving and to invite the Indians along. After that, they all got along well and continued to celebrate Thanksgiving every year. After reading Of Plymouth Plantation, we know this is not how the Pilgrims and Indians became to be friends. I don’t think people want children to know what really happened at the first Thanksgiving, especially at such a young age. Learning that the Pilgrims had stolen food from the Indians could scare a child and cause them to not understand what Thanksgiving really means. Thanksgiving is about celebrating all you have to be thankful for in life. Teaching children to be thankful for things early on is more beneficial and will hopefully teach them to appreciate things more. At a young age, no one could handle the truth about what really happened at the first Thanksgiving. Giving children the impression that Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful and generous is better than the alternative.
Title: The Right to be Heard
Basic Passage: In class on Monday there was a brief discussion of freedom of speech and the significance behind it. If we do have freedom of speech, can we say certain things without offending others or can we say things that will make a difference in everyday
life?
Correlation: Freedom of speech is something that we as Americans take to heart and was also given to us by law as part of our First Amendment rights. Everyone has the right to be heard, but sometimes we are denied that right in fear of what might be said. We as Americans use freedom of speech to say how we feel about certain issues that may affect us as Americans. But when we do say what we feel, we sometimes forget that what we say will come back to haunt us. If we can’t use our freedom of speech, then what’s the point of having it?
Everyday someone gets criticize for saying what they feel. For example, Kanye West got criticize for saying that then President George Bush didn’t care about black people during a live telethon to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It was played over and over again on just about every news channel. There were some people who agreed with him and of course you had some people who didn’t agree with him saying that was inappropriate of him to say especially during that moment. He was simply saying how he felt about the situation and what was or wasn’t being done to help the victims who were stranded without food or water for so many days. If it wasn’t a good time for him to say how he felt, then when would it have been good time? When you have emotions overflowing, you have to say what’s on your mind and what’s on your heart.
Penelope Humenansky
Title – Is Rodger Williams really a preacher from hell?
Basic Passage – The Wordy Shipmate’s: The people of Massachusetts are being told by the new guy, Rodger Williams, that they have no done enough for their God, and that they will go to hell until they apologize publicly for worshiping to the Church of England in England.
Correlation – Rodger Williams has just arrived in the new colonies from England. When he arrives he tells everyone already there who has just survived a really hard and terrible winter that they are all damned to hell. Afterwards, the people of the colonies believe that he is the preacher form hell. I do not believe this crap. I believe that he is just speaking his mind and the people do not like what they here. Why would they. He just told them they were going to hell for attending services at the Church of England. These colonists were seen as being fake to him. There are some people to today, the die-hard Christians, that believe the atheist and other non-believers are also fake. Because they do not say Amen at the end of prayer, they do not attend church, or they do no say that their country is “one nation under God.” Just because you do not say it thought does not mean that you do not believe it. Rodger Williams was a die-hard Christian. For example, he would not even visit his wife when she was sick, instead he wrote her a sermon. He didn’t send her flowers or give her soup. What a great husband he was.
Lauren Harris
Title: How to Practice Religious Tolerance
Basic Passage: In class we discussed religious tolerance and how it has not always been such a smooth path. Perhaps there are better ways to practice religious tolerance.
Correlation: In an era when faith and politics have become a blended whole, practicing religious tolerance has become essential to living an open-minded, non-judgmental life. The world is a diversity of belief and opinion, which can often challenge one's perception, and sense of self. Choosing to avoid rather than learn about other religions can create unhealthy breakdowns in open communication. We should concede that differences of opinion are natural part of human evolution as we continually adapt to environment and circumstances. Few people in the world will ever agree with you 100 percent, accepting and celebrating this difference is the key to religious tolerance. One should understand that some people practice a faith that follows one god, more than one god or no god at all and that all perspectives remain equally valid. Without concrete proof or evidence of your own stance, trying to tell someone his or her belief is wrong is a presumptuous waste of time. Accept that you cannot change only listen and debate people's opinions. Choosing to speak about other faiths in a tolerant and open-minded manner does not equate to agreement with the practices of that faith. Observing the rituals of another religion helps you to understand and respect the reverence and belief of others. It also promotes tolerance and interfaith communication which always seems like a good idea. Most intolerance is due to a lack of knowledge or education. One needs places of worship with the knowledge that each religion should respect each other and accept the principles and limitations of each. People should be allowed to follow the religion of their choice without being persecuted. Unless we overcome this fear of those whose faith is different from our own, we cannot build a free, just, and caring world - we need to do it individually and collectively without waiting for governments to take the lead.
Jennifer Gray
Thanksgiving Myth
Basic Passage: “We are not anti-Thanksgiving. Every day is a day of thanksgiving for our people. We give thanks that we are still living on the land that was stolen from us. But we are against the myths and romanticized notions of Thanksgiving.”
Correlation: When we were children, we were taught that Thanksgiving was a fun festive time when the Pilgrims and Indians gathered together and ate and enjoyed one another’s company. But believe it or not the Pilgrims didn’t land at Plymouth Rock and get off their ship with a turkey in hand and have a picturesque dinner with the Indians. It is thought that this is taught to children because they are too young to understand the truth. We learn, as we get older, that this isn’t necessarily true. We learn the reality of what Thanksgiving is about.
To the Indians, Thanksgiving is a day of mourning. The Pilgrims came in and stole the land of the Indians and then mistreated them. Not to say that the Indians never did any wrong though. They too did things to the Pilgrims that weren’t right such as scalping. I believe the white man was wrong for coming in and just taking the land from the Indians the way they did, but where would we be today if it had not happened? Our government has tried to make things better with Indian tribes today by restoring some of their lands that our ancestors took from them.
Next time you sit down to Thanksgiving dinner with your family, remember that there’s a bigger story behind the Pilgrim and Indian story that we all know. A lot of wrong has been done to get America where it is today, but there is a reason for everything that happens in God’s big plan.
Fuller Talbot
Title: Help or Hurt
Passage: In class we discussed whether persecuting Christians or accept Christians hurt the religion
Correlation:
Most people today if asked, "What religion are you?" The answer will be, "I am a Christian." It is the most accepted religion of them all. Not that this is a bad way or thinking, but it just makes it difficult to decipher who is being genuine.
One of the main things that turns a person against organized religion, are those people to claim to be something that they are not. I agree with Roger Williams opinion that Nero strengthened the Christians faith rather than hurt it. If one is being persecuted for something, those that are not really committed to the cause will not stand firm in their beliefs. If no one's faith is challenged, they will not grow in their spirituality. While it is important for one's political views to be based on their personal convictions, it cannot take full command. Some constant form of separation is necessary in order for the church and state to be successful as separate entities.
Brett Williams
Title: Why Man is inherently evil and wicked
Basic Passage: A wall of seperation between the garden of church and the wilderness of the world.
Correlation: In favor of a world driven by civil beings with Christian backgrounds, Roger Williams spoke these words intending to build a society in which people governed themselves according to civil rules decided by society’s constitutions. A stubborn man, Williams most likely saw no good coming from a society based on ideals that can’t be interpreted.
Regarding the church, some actions have consequences that are absolute and some things are intolerable because the book says they are. Our creation of a government is what means we have the right to govern ourselves. Who could give away their freedom for such blind faith? Williams must have thought a colonist should never do so. How do you allow yourself to be governed by rules you yourself did not create and still attempt to call yourself a governing body in today’s modern era?
You can forgive a caveman of his worship of fire; he had no answers. I can even forgive the Romans because for all their speak of worship and Catholicism they did their dirt behind closed doors. But someone who willingly says farewell to the right to speak freely, dress individually and assemble peaceably has no other name but blind.
Jefferson and every other founder knew this too. Their decision to make a way for each law to be continuously amended and changed to fit the world. Our freedoms were carefully planned out so that we may never fall into a world governed by laws that can’t be constructed as inhumane.
But if all of this is true, why is the church referred to as a garden and the world wilderness? Its because everyone has heard of the church's famous garden with everything man could ever want except food he cant eat. No, man is stubborn and the wilderness, though uncharted, promises everything man could ever need including individuality.
Harrison Bullock
Where do your rights start and stop?
Correlate: The past few days we have been talking in class about basic rights granted to us as Americans and humans; however there is a blurred line on where our rights begin and end in modern society.
Correlate: In modern society, there are many instances where your rights as a citizen start and end when you infringe upon the rights of others. As I stated in class, as a driver, you can listen to your stereo system. However, there is a point where if the music is too loud, it infringes upon the rights of others, which is against the law in some cities. Another example that has created some heated debate is the topic of abortion. Some Americans believe that a woman has the right to do what she pleases with her body. When a pregnant woman is murdered, in some court cases, they charge the defendant with two counts of murder. On the other hand, when a woman freely goes to an abortion clinic, she can end the child’s life that is growing inside of her. Is that murder or is that a woman’s right that she has as an American?
A less heated debate that was discussed in class is the topic of smoking in public places. Where does a person‘s right end when that person wants to harm them self with cigarettes and a nonsmoking bystander’s right begin? There are laws that have been created in America to combat some of these issues, such as the stereo system topic. In Mobile, you can listen to your music as long as it doesn’t project over 100 feet. On the smoking topic, some places have banned smoking in public places, while other places use a distance factor of 25 feet from the building. On abortion, this issue has been blurred more and more by politicians and the media. Laws have been made by previous administrations and changed by others. I think in America abortion will always be legal. There will always be another politician or interest group that believes something different or a lawyer that presents a different angle.
Harrison Bullock
Where do your rights start and stop?
Basic Passage: The past few days we have been talking in class about basic rights granted to us as Americans and humans; however there is a blurred line on where our rights begin and end in modern society.
Correlate: In modern society, there are many instances where your rights as a citizen start and end when you infringe upon the rights of others. As I stated in class, as a driver, you can listen to your stereo system. However, there is a point where if the music is too loud, it infringes upon the rights of others, which is against the law in some cities. Another example that has created some heated debate is the topic of abortion. Some Americans believe that a woman has the right to do what she pleases with her body. When a pregnant woman is murdered, in some court cases, they charge the defendant with two counts of murder. On the other hand, when a woman freely goes to an abortion clinic, she can end the child’s life that is growing inside of her. Is that murder or is that a woman’s right that she has as an American?
A less heated debate that was discussed in class is the topic of smoking in public places. Where does a person‘s right end when that person wants to harm them self with cigarettes and a nonsmoking bystander’s right begin? There are laws that have been created in America to combat some of these issues, such as the stereo system topic. In Mobile, you can listen to your music as long as it doesn’t project over 100 feet. On the smoking topic, some places have banned smoking in public places, while other places use a distance factor of 25 feet from the building. On abortion, this issue has been blurred more and more by politicians and the media. Laws have been made by previous administrations and changed by others. I think in America abortion will always be legal. There will always be another politician or interest group that believes something different or a lawyer that presents a different angle.
A. Modern views on historic events
Eric Richardson
B. In our book, the Bedford Anthology of American Literature, some of the authors describe some modern insights on historic events.
C. Using modern views on historic events is a commonly used practice in our history lessons. Many people believe that this practice will help a lot of people understand many of the history lessons of the past. If you really think about it is doing this really effective? How can we correctly translate information, when most of the time we are not sure what really happened? Also, in early times many of the people where not literate. Only a select few knew how to read and write. These skills were usually taught only to royalty or the higher class in society. So, if you think about it you were only getting on side of the story.
Another problem with trying to put a new spin on old events, is that many people hold biases and grudges. They can incorporate that in their new interpretation. An example of this is shown in the Plymouth Plantation through a Modern Lens in our book. The author clearly has a bias against the whites in describing the events of early america. Another bias that can be shown in today’s history and literature books are the publishing companies. These companies pick what they think is important. In doing this a lot of times many cultures and other ideas are left out of the bigger picture. This in turn leaves its readers with an uncertainty about anything other than the authors views and interpretations. So, what is left but to look at history from a modern lens is all up to your own personal interpretation and not what really happened.
Hannah Mims
Title: Accepting the changes and moving on.
Basic Passage: In class we talked about how many people have struggled with their past and becoming the people the people they are today.
Correlation: There are many different stories and background history of each and every person’s life. Some people have had it much worse than others. There have been troubles of slavery, equal rights, fighting for land, or even fighting for freedom. On the other hand some groups of people have had it easy the whole path of their life. That’s what makes our culture so diverse. It’s how you go about the situation to accept it and better it. There are many groups of people today that are still fighting and still trying to speak the truth and thoughts of what went on in their time. For instance, many of the Indian tribes are still protesting and are still upset of what happened many years ago. Although they might have hard feeling toward the people who “took their land”, they still have specific land reserved just for their people. This is one way they have accepted what has happened to their tribe and how they continue to stay together even though other people and things are going on all around them. It is important to educate everyone about all of the history of our nation and who had to through what to be where all of us are today. If everyone just accepted the past, forgave the people that hurt them in some way, shape or fashion, we could probably be a lot more productive as a country as a whole. We never forgot our past and our true roots of family background, but we must be willing to hear other people’s stories and put all of the pieces together, instead on just looking at our own.
Title: Second Hand Smoke
Basic Passage: In class we talked about smoking in public and in different places where second hand smoke bothers people who are non-smokers.
Correlation: Do you think second hand smoke is harmful? Most non-smokers do feel this way, especially in bars and in homes where young children live. People that smoke say that it is their right to smoke wherever they want. Other people say they shouldn’t have to breathe in second hand smoke. When people are at bars they tend to chain smoke because they are drinking. Yes, people have a choice of whether they go to the bar but having a chance of getting second hand smoke shouldn’t be an issue. The best way to look at this is if you invade other people’s rights such as smoking around people who don’t want to breath in smoke you are in the wrong. In most of the Midwest cities smoking is banned in all bars. Another huge issue is the issue of parents smoking in their houses. If there are small children especially, smoking should not be allowed. Toddlers do not have an option of just leaving when smoke fills the air. Parents that give their children second hand smoke should be prosecuted or even have their kids taken away from them. All they are doing is killing their kids. The toddlers grow, and so do their lungs and they won’t grow right if smoke is always in their lungs. The argument for the people who smoke is that their homes are private not public. They think they can do whatever they want behind closed doors. If they are putting their children at risk for cancer then that should be a federal crime and they should be arrested.
Farhan Mahmood
Title – Rights and crossing the boundary.
Basic Passage – In class we talked about a person who is standing naked in front of the window of his house. Is he violating the law or does he have the right to do anything he wants in his house? In there a limit between someone’s are right vs crossing the boundary?
Correlation – The constitution of the United States gave Americans freedom of speech and basic rights but does that means we can go anywhere and say anything we want. In most cases it is true but there is surely a line that everyone has to abide. The man who is standing naked in front of window definitely has the right to do whatever he want but he cant flash in public because that falls under the rule of public obscenity. On the other hand many might argue that people outside has the right to not to look at the man and even if they do, they have the right to remain silent about it. But People who are outside who fall under various category of society such as a child, an elderly person, or even a woman can easily get distracted and get offended by the obscenity. This infringes their right to live in a society without humiliation and that’s when our rights have a boundary which one should not cross. Same goes to the freedom of speech where I can say whatever I want but that might effect someone else’s personal feeling. There a saying that I remembered from high school that majority always rules with minority rights. This case definitely reminds me of that quote.
Title: Guilty of History
Passage: White guilt.
Correlation:
Should we, as Americans today, feel responsible for the treatment of Native American Indians in the past? Should people of European descent feel responsible for the treatment and enslavement of Africans?
We were talking about “white guilt” and the example of White Americans writing checks as to say “sorry” and for no other reason. I agree that this is the wrong approach, in fact it seems a little degrading to throw money at a problem that money can’t fix. Speaking specifically about the past, the past can’t be change but it can be learned from. Its difficult to learn about history and not have an unbiased appreciation for the dynamics between different groups of people, whether it be Indians, African Americans, Japanese or recently Middle Eastern groups. When we learn the history, we do more than just learn the facts, we end up forming opinions if something was right or wrong, maybe agreeing or disagreeing. Once we understand how things occurred, we have choices to continue the paradigm, or change it. This might be where “white guilt” comes in. As a White American student learns history, they might feel somewhat responsible, knowing that their own ancestors could have been a part of the treatment of Native Americans or African Americans. If this feeling exists, they should be asking what side of the issue they would stand if faced with it today- or if they lived back in then. That is what I do and what I know today certainly influences my decision. As I said in my last post, treat others as you want to be treated. This is not said from a religious point of view but a necessity of a functioning society.
Eric Dobbs
Title: Split em up
Passage: “There cannot be a true religion which needs carnal weapons to uphold it.”-Roger Williams
Correlation: Roger Williams always had a rougher way of explaining himself. I don’t believe the religious ways in England were upheld by “carnal weapons”, but there was authority toward acts that were considered “unreligious”. If you recall, Roger Williams was the man who told the settlers to ask for forgiveness for their previous involvement with the Anglican church. But it is my belief that this creed of separation of church and state was one of the most important founded theories that was applied to our nation. If one were to look into history, it is apparent that empires or countries with a government founded on religion did not succeed as well as a country with separation of church and state. Now, I admit there are more factors to a country’s success than just separation of church and state, but it plays a very vital role. One of the major reasons the Roman Empire failed, for example, was because they believed every nation must be bound together by a common set of cultural values founded in religion. The idea of separation of church and state is a successful attribute to a nation. Religious laws in the 16th and 17th century were just harsh. People would be fined or lashed for things such as missing church, working on Sundays, dressed improperly, drinking alcohol, sex without marriage, cursing, and tobacco usage are just a few examples. Also, countries that have governments that are based on religion are prone to religious war. Look at countries like Israel that have been surrounded by religious turmoil, spilling blood over land, a God given gift shared for all. Religion is best kept out of government and government should always stay out of relgion.
Courtney Wesolowski
Title: Americans = romantics?
Basic Passage: We discussed in class how people do not like to envision the harsh truth or issues but would rather have the milked version.
Correlation: Americans have always been the romantic type. They want the pleasant meaning or story compared to the nitty gritty truth. Such an example would be Thanksgiving. In elementary school and high school we were taught the pleasant story of how the Americans and Indians just formed together and has this grand meal with no conflict. Well, this is not necessarily true. Americans and Indians did not have this so called peace between them; it was more of hatred. In 1970, the state of Massachusetts made plans for the 350th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ landing at Plymouth. They invited Wamsutta, a Wampanoag Indian, to speak at the celebration. After reading the speech in advance, the council men head of the celebration would not allow him to read his speech. Why wouldn’t they let him read his speech to the public you may ask? Well, how would you feel if a man came up at a celebration of your country and bashed everything they had done in the far past. You wouldn’t like it too much would you. This is why Americans are romantics. We like the love story movies that could never happen in real life but we still go watch them anyway. We still believe in the single man hero that will save the world. We like to see the world as a happier place then it really is. Would you really want to see the world as being un-pleasant? Probably not, well at least I don’t. This is the sole reason that we are taught the softer side of history in elementary school and high school. Children at a younger age cannot grasp the concepts of now and then and right from wrong.
David Broadnax
Title: Speech isn’t so Free
Basic Passage: In class we talked about how we as Americans have the right of Freedom of Speech since it’s the First Amendment. In certain cases we are not allowed to express the way we feel even if it is one of our rights.
Correlate: When you think of freedom of speech the first thing that comes to most is that they can say any thing they want and it would be ok. In most cases if you say something about another person and its not true you could be sued for slander, but still you can view that as someone expressing their First Amendment right. In other instances you could express how you feel on a sensitive issue and be seen as if you was going against your country. For example, if you say that you don’t like the war and say that the United States is wrong many might view you as not supporting your country in good or bad. Some things that we say might not cause as many problems, but might not be appropriate for that occasion. For example, if you were to have said something like “thank you terrorist for 9/11”, even though you have the right to say that, you would be viewed as being ignorant. The First Amendment allows the right to say what you feel, but society and laws restrict certain things you might want to express. There’s not a list of things that you can’t say, but we all know what can and can’t be said. For example, you can’t falsely cause panic by shouting fire or using fighting words to entice or provoke others. So we really don’t have the right to freedom of speech, but that protects us from being persecuted by someone else thoughts and views.
Jennifer W.
Title: A little bit of everything
Basic Passage: Roger Williams, abortion, and prayer in schools.
Today in class we talked about Roger Williams, and how self righteous he was. He seemed to think he was god's gift to people. As a Christian you are supposed to be Christ like. I don't feel Christ would have ever acted like that. In fact, I know he would not have acted like that. He was humble and pure. He showed people true kindness and love. He would have prayed with the sick. He might have given a sermon as well, but he would have prayed and showed compassion on the sick.
We also talked about abortion. I feel that abortion is wrong. I don't know how anyone can say that at just a few weeks pregnant that the embryo is not a human. How can something that is not human grow into something human? That doesn't make much sense to me. When I found out that I was pregnant I knew there was a living human being inside of me. Now I look at my daughter, and all of the life she has in her, and I wonder how anyone can think that abortion is right. I know this is my opinion, but I love children, and know they are work sometimes. It is the most rewarding work in the world.
Now the other subject is prayer in school. When they took prayer out of school, they took the truth and love out of school. Jesus is truth and love. He protects and comforts us. I know in school I need comfort from the Lord. He is my comfort. He is the only way I can get through each day of my life. I couldn't go on without the strength the Lord Jesus Christ gives me.
Devin lochridge
Title: Separate is right.
Passage: In class discussion on separation of church and state
Correlation: In class we have discussed the topic of separation of church and state. Separation of church and state is a political and legal doctrine that government and religious institutions are to be kept separate and independent from each other. The term most often refers to the combination of two principles: secularity of government and freedom of religious exercise.
The pilgrims who left England left a country that had already been through a separation of church and state. The Pilgrims were coming to the “new world” for freedom of religion, though they did not accept anyone who did not respect their religion and faith. People did not believe worship a God to be a good citizen. Like Roger Williams, who agreed with the separation of church and state, also other founding fathers of our country.
Williams’ Nonconformist leanings lured him across the Atlantic to Plymouth in 1631. He was an extremely bright and enthusiastic individual, and rarely avoided an opportunity to argue his convictions. His views on religion and government quickly embroiled him in disputes with the Massachusetts authorities in Salem and Boston. He upset the elders by denouncing the Massachusetts Bay charter, which allowed the confiscation of Native American lands without compensation and the punishment of purely religious transgressions by the civil officials. Both of those practices offended Williams’ sensibilities. Williams was a lot like founding fathers like Benjamin Franklin who said “ When a religion is good I conceive is will support itself; and when it does not support itself, and God does not take care to support so that its professor’s are obliged to call for help of civil power, ‘tis a sign, I apprehend, of its being a bad one.”
Brian Strong
Title: Are We Still Segregated?
Basic Passage: In class we discussed the fact that over the years Americans have not allowed people to speak against what we did to become the country we are today.
Correlation: To say that we are perfect as a country or world would be a blatant bold faced lie. As we have learned throughout this course as well as courses that each and every one of us have taken, and found out wrongdoings in our history. As we were talking about in class today about how many believe that what we do not allow people to say what they wish on television and that the FCC will make any comments unliked to be hidden. It’s a brutal fact that we did taken peoples freedoms have made it out to be a much “nicer” happening than in reality, and as we all know the facts of slavery being such a terrible thing and the hatred that it brought to people throughout the years. It is easy for me to say that all of that was terrible and able to be fixed, but instead of complaining over past discrepancies, racism has heightened. For example, black history month causes problems to Morgan Freeman believing, "I am going to stop calling you a white man and I'm going to ask you to stop calling me a black man.” The fact is we have become an even more segregated country since the fact of Obama being elected, he has made huge history but people like JayZ and Young Jeezy bring it back down for example after Obama was elected he said in DC, “I wanna thank the mother******* who threw shoes at George Bush…No more White lies, my president is black, welcome to the Black House.” Do we not as a country wish to get to the day as Morgan Freeman believes that blacks and whites can live together as Americans, and move forward as a country not regressing towards segregation.
Stacy Moralis
Title: Code Switching
Basic Passage: In class we talked about code switching. The Wampanoags would change the way they spoke when they were around certain people.
Correlation: Code switching is when a person changes the way they speak around certain people. You would talk different around your grandparents than you would in an interview. Everyone does it out of habit. “We now have 350 years of experience living amongst the white man. We can now speak his language. We can now think as a white man thinks. We can now compete with him for the top jobs. We’re being heard; we are now being listened to.” (Belasco, Johnson 152). The Wampanoags used different dialects around certain people to be noticed and get heard.
“A dialect is a regional variety of language distinguished by features of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation from other regional varieties and constituting together with them a single language”(Merriam-webster.com). Dialects are everywhere. They are associated with regions and cultures. All dialects are equally legitimate and equally complex, but some dialects have higher status. A person who speaks two dialects is bidialectal. Some factors of dialects are geography, socioeconomic level, ethnicity and cultural group, situation or context, and peer group.
Shaun Kyles
Being a Good Influence to Kids
Basic Passage: In class we talked about how easy kids are influenced and everything is sugar coated at a young age to preserve innocence.
Correlation: Kids are taught at a young age that everything is going to be alright. It’s like there are no worry’s what so ever while you are a kid. Everything is sugar coated and said to be good when explaining something to a child. Thanksgiving and how it was brought about is a good example of this type of sugar coating. When I was a kid in pre school, we acted out how the pilgrims and Indians celebrated Thanksgiving. We danced around in circles with paper made hats and paint on our faces like little Indians. We all know now that everything wasn’t as good or happy as we were taught when we were kids. Real life situations are kept from children to preserve innocence. Children are very easily influenced by what people they look up to do. If a kid watches his father smoke a cigarette everyday, the kid will be very willing to try it out of curiosity. These cigarette companies sugar coat their product through commercials and other advertisements saying their product isn’t harmful. Adults actually know the consequences of smoking but when kids see these cigarette commercials on television they might think its ok to smoke. Some parents often sugar coat the subject of sex when talking it over with their kids. This subject is very important and I don’t think it should be switched around with birds and bee’s which have absolutely nothing to do with sex. Parents are too concerned with preserving innocence rather than telling the truth and getting their kid ready for the real world. Its going to have to start with the parents around the nation. Being a good influence on our children now will prepare them for what is ahead.
Laura Butler
In class we discussed the story of a Native American who was prohibited from reading a speech portraying a negative image of the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving.
However, the same banned speech is now being read my millions of college students all over the united states. Why? Because controversy sells. Censorship only promotes what it wishes to conceal. In today’s democratic society, when pieces of literature or music are prohibited, it creates a lot of controversy, which in turn draws more attention to the subject. All this attention and focus only helps to promote what the government hoped to ban. Ray Bradburry’s book Fahrenheit 451 has a similar concept, where the government does not allow its citizens to read books, for fear that it may invoke free or radical thinking. In fact, “firemen” are sent to start fires at any home found to be sheltering literature, or those who read it. Ironically, in 1999 Bradburry’s book was banned from a Mississippi high school’s required reading list for the use of strong language.
The mission of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is to regulate all forms of radio media, including television and radio broadcasting. The government assumes this committee is effective, since it bans certain songs on the radio or requires artists to change lyrics to their songs for radio play. It even places “Parental Advisory” stickers on cd’s. However, this only tempts the public more. Teenagers especially are prone to rebelling, and many do not want the edited version; they want the raw, unrated edition, the one that will drive their parents crazy.
Basically, if you want to get noticed or be heard these days, you have to get the nation’s attention. You have to start controversy. You have to get banned.
Stuart Lang
In class we discussed the theory know as “white guilt” and whether or not it is a warranted feeling.
Correlation: When people mention antebellum times they discuss a less advanced culture as a whole. They maybe talk about technology and how it has advanced. They might discuss the way women were treated and what great leaps they have taken in the past 150 years. However, without a doubt people would 100% of the time bring up slavery and they should. There is a very, very minute group of ignorant individuals that would say that slavery should have ever existed in the first place in America.
It is very hard to imagine what America would have been like if slaves had not been brought in from Africa. Obviously, this country would have been in a completely different place. Racism would not be an issue, the Civil War would have never happened and there wouldn’t be as many black people in America as there is now. The fact of the matter is that although slavery in America will forever be the “black eye” of our country. Its position in our nation’s history is in concrete and will forever be remembered.
However, slavery has been over since well before the 20th century even started. A white person today would have to trace back his lineage to 6 generations to find an ancestor that actually lived in that time and may or may not have owned a slave. So any feelings of guilt or financial reparations is absolutely absurd. If this were the case, many other groups would have to be acknowledged as well. Groups such as Indians, Irish, Italians and dozens of other immigrants who fled to America were all discriminated against at some point or the other. Obviously, African Americans have a great larger claim to discrimination than any other group, but the fact still remains. Any guilt felt by anyone in 2009, for injustices done in 1865 is completely useless and unnecessary
Is There Really Freedom Of Speech?
Laura Piper
In today's society is there really freedom of speech or is it just something we are guaranteed? There has been so much censorship of our words and ideas in our history that the idea of freedom of speech is something thta truly isn't free, bat rather monitored and controlled. 1970 was only 40 years ago. 40 years is really not that long in a history of a country. In 1970 a man named Frank James was censored by the people of Commonwealth of Massachusetts because they did not agree with the speech they hoped he would give at the Thankgiving dinner. He wanted to speak of the atrocities that were bestowed on the Native American by the people who came to steal their land and basically eridicate them from the face of the earth. The people that they called savages the same people they turned to for help and the same people they treated poorly in return. The thoughts and ideas of James were so conterversial that they told him that he would not be speaking at the dinner. He was unable to give his speech because it shined a negative light on the actions of white Americans. People are always fighting against the words of others; whether it be againt a celebrity agaist an overslanderous tabloid or Tipper Gore against Frank Zappa because he has some explicit lyrics in his work. One thing Frank Zappa said in the hearing before the committee of commerce, science and transportation during the first session on the contents of music and the lyrics of records makes a lot of sense and is something to think about with government interference with censoring speeh in any way. He said "the establishment of a rating system, voulntary or otherwise, opens the door to an endless parade of moral quality control programs based on things certian Christians do not like. What is the next bunch of Washington wives demand a large yellow "J" on all material written or performed by Jews in order to save helpless children exposure to concealed Zionit doctrine?" (hearing before the committee pg 54) This is a very logical conclusion because who's to say that th movie ratings and restrictions on things like pornogrophy wont end up turning into something more serious and lessening our freedoms of speech.
Work Cited
Hearing before the committee on commerce, science, and transportation united states senate first session on contents of music and the lyrics of records. 22 July 2006 31 March 2009
http://www.joseapt.net/superlink/shrg99-529/
A.J. Paschall
Separation of Church and State
Basic Passage: In class we talked about the separation of church and state and the role that it is playing in today’s society. We also talked about how it was viewed back in earlier times.
Correlation: In modern day America there is an ongoing conflict of the separation of church and state. Many people believe that God should not be involved in schools or the government of the United States. There are many different arguments, most of which have many good points. What I find very interesting is how many of the morals and guidelines to our daily lives have come from the Bible and the belief in God. Most of the early schools were built in order to teach kids how to read and write so that they could read the bible and help spread the word of God. Our government was founded by men of strong faith, who very much believed that God should play a major part in the country if it were to succeed. Today God is trying to be taken out of the school systems and government as our country becomes more of a melting pot to religions. What is interesting to me is how it seems that the Christian religion is being more focused on than other in this conflict (at least from what is seen in the media). Constantly we hear about there being a problem with some kid or teacher praying to God in school and someone making a huge deal about it. What we never seem to hear of is a kid being given a hard time from their Hindu faith, or them expressing their beliefs in Allah in school. It is my personal opinion that this country has done so well up till now because it has stayed in the general guidelines for living life in the Christian faith.
Orin Eleuterius
Title: Do Children Care
Basic Passage: When a child goes to school he or she is going to learn but what is taught, that is the question. If the child is paying attention to what the teacher is saying than they will definitely be involved in what the class is discussing. Although some children just do not care what goes on in a classroom until they become older, then they start caring.
Correlation: If a child goes to school he or she is going to learn. Now whether or not they are ready to is up to them, but are they ready to hear what the teacher has to say. Some children in their younger years of life are taught the same things whenever they enter the high school stage. However, the question is when they really start getting involved in what the class is discussing about their history. Because when children are younger they don't really care about their history. All they are worried about is going to school to learn and that is it. Now when they finally enter the adult stage they are wondering about everything whether it be the news or whatever is going on in the world we live in. Because children are not worried about their surroundings whenever they are little they are just worried about playing and having the time of their life. Although some children in their younger years my decide to start caring a little bit earlier. It is just a matter of time to them whenever they think they should start caring rather than saying, who cares i am not worried about that.
Brett Allen
Roger William's Philosophy
Basic Passage: Since Roger Williams did not go to the church in Boston, he preached in Salem where he upheld strict beliefs that sound both religuious and lacking in common sense.
Correlate: Williams believed that wicked men should not take oaths in court because it took God's name in vain. Vowell compares Williams to Thomas Jefferson because Williams opposed taking Native American lands, while Jefferson opposed slavery, and both were against theocracy. Williams thought that saints should only pray with other saints, and he did not think magistrates should punish Sabbath breakers. Colonial New England weddings were performed by magistrates. This is something that would have been frowned upon by Williams. Williams was a supporter of racial equality and civil liberty. He believed that the Puritans in New England practiced church the same way it was done in England. In Texas it is becoming popular in some towns to have 'community groups'. The groups select a leader who will speak to the group. They discuss marriage, work, money, and important things they need to succeed. The groups are not affiliated with the church but Williams would most likely from upon these groups. Williams did not think that the government should be allowed to punish people for things they do for the church. He faced opposition especially from his fellow Christians, and according to Vowell, he is not tolerant of the ways of the majority of Puritans. he does have views that are more like those of church leaders today. The author also compares Williams to Martin Luther King Jr. and believed him to be a visionary. A guy I work with preaches about once a month in his church. He has talked with me before about being practical versus being spiritual. He says that one should study his schoolwork in addition to the scriptures. He notices me reading fiction books and asks if I have been reading the word. When he saw me reading the word he asked why I was reading and I replied to stay out of trouble. He then reminded me to make sure I focus on schoolwork as well. Vowell believed Williams to be legalistic with Scriptures but that views on on equality were more practical.
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