Final Reflection Blog

Reflecting On Talking About Freedom

Taking this class was a blessing in disguise, not knowing what the goal or even that the class was about to talk about at first made me put my guard up.  Thinking it was going to be another class were a teacher talks off your ear and you had to take a ton of notes to just keep a float.  Thankfully, it turned out to be a class that I will value and remember for years to come.  Professor smith made this class interactive with his choice of projects and quizzes.  It wasn't about him telling us information, but rather teaching us to study and turn it into something that not only you but the class can understand.  Along with his charismatic attitude everyday, walking into that class was always a joy in the afternoon, rather then a Hassel.  Of course with his snacks colection, the class was all about good times.      

To jump into my final project presentation, to start with the first part, Mock trials!  Participating in the mock trials transformed how I understand historical legal cases. When my group was assigned to argue for the Board of Education in Brown v. Board of Education, I initially felt uncomfortable defending segregation. However, this discomfort became the most valuable part of the exercise because it forced me to truly look at historical context and mindset of that era.

Playing devil's advocate wasn't about agreeing with those arguments, but it was about understanding the concreate evidence. I had to research the actual legal reasoning and constitutional interpretations that defenders of segregation used. This pushed me to examine how laws can be technically correct while also being morally wrong, which is a distinction or disconnect I have never fully grasped before.

My Partner Andrew and Ours Final Presentation

Having certain groups arguing both sides, including State v. Mann, ensured we couldn't just cherry pick comfortable positions. This approach revealed something crucial, real legal arguments aren't always based on what's morally correct but on how laws were written and interpreted. These mock trials made learning these topics feel unique and real.  Along with the class and Professor Smith dressing, it made the learning interactive. 

Next topic I talked about in my final was the EOTO's or our Each One Teach One assignments.  These presentations added another interactive experience to my learning experience. I presented on how slavery began in Georgetown, which required me to study the material well enough to explain it clearly and answer questions confidently, not just write it down. What struck me most was how the classroom dynamic shifted when students became teachers. It was shocking personally that the second one of our classmates became the teacher, it made me more attentive and focused.

My personal favorite aspect of this course was learning to use AI tools like Claude effectively. Initially, when I heard that we could use AI, I honestly thought that this class was going to be a breeze and honestly a joke.  But after him explain that its a tool of guidance rather then a tool of creating, it made me curious.  I still had to do the work, take notes and write.  What AI sharped was my expansion of my thoughts, which I sometimes have a hard time doing.  

The emphasis on ethical AI use particularly resonated with me. We discussed when AI is appropriate and when it isn't, learning to view it as a tool for improvement rather than a replacement for thinking. This practical skill will help me far beyond this classroom but into the real world as its being used today. This course prepared me for real-world applications rather than just cramming information for tests, teaching active skills I'll actually use in my future career.

Possitive and Negitive events During the Civil War Reflection

The Civil Rights Movement: Progress Through Struggle

When I think about the Civil Rights Movement, I'm struck by how every step forward met fierce resistance. The Ku Klux Klan rose again as a direct response to civil rights progress, using violent intimidation through attacks, burning, and harassment to block desegregation efforts. They infiltrated local governments and law enforcement agencies, making their reach feel inescapable.

Freedom Summer in 1964 brought these tensions to a breaking point. Civil rights groups launched campaigns to register Black voters, but the KKK responded brutally, burning Black churches used for civil meetings and making Mississippi one of the most dangerous places for activists. That same year, we saw "massive resistance" tactics like governors standing in schoolhouse doors to prevent integration.

After math of the 16th Street Baptist Church

The 16th Street Baptist Church bombing on September 15, 1963, showed the absolute brutality of racism. Four girls were killed and twenty people were injured at what had been a meeting place for nonviolent resistance. Over 8,000 people attended their funerals, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The fact that convictions didn't come until fourteen years later reveals the depth of systemic racism.

Yet I'm inspired by how the movement persisted through strategic nonviolent action. The lunch counter sit-ins started with just four people but spread to thousands, challenging segregation one meal at a time. The Montgomery Bus Boycott, led by Dr. King, became one of the first major victories. Then the March on Washington brought 250,000 people of all races to the Lincoln Memorial, where King's famous speech helped push forward the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965.

These legislative victories fundamentally transformed America. President Johnson's Civil Rights Act banned public segregation and discrimination, enforcing Brown v. Board's promises and ending Jim Crow laws while creating the EEOC. The Voting Rights Act banned literacy tests, poll taxes, and intimidation tactics, causing Black voter registration to jump from 23% to 61%. Organizations like the NAACP, founded in 1909 to fight racial violence, proved essential in securing these rights through decades of advocacy and legal challenges.

~AI disclosure: After taking notes while watching my classmates videos, I found the best source of AI to organize and provide a response (Claude.ai).  I then edited the text and added photos/links.

Murder Mystery

In The Heat of the Night

In class, we watched the Heat of the Night. It gave me a better sense of how disproportionate the system truly was at that period. It is something the movie does remarkably well. One of the first examples of the mistreatment of Tibbs, the main character, is when he tells the officers that he is a cop, and none of them believe him until the chief calls his department in Philadelphia to verify the fact.

Virgil Tibbs with the Main Suspect

Tibbs knows that the only way to confront the social system is by proving not only that he is smarter than the people who doubt him, but also in a manner that leaves nothing to question.

He does this by pointing out when the doctor makes an incorrect estimate for a time-of-death.  While the racist officers try to pin the murder on the wrong suspects. He breaks the social order by the relationship he establishes with Chief Gillespie. 

At the end of the movie, their relationship isn’t perfect by any means but is at least respectful and understanding. Gillespie still has his pride and ego but acknowledges that without Tibbs then the case never would have been solved. Even the mayor points out that the previous chief probably would have shot Tibbs for disobeying an order, but Gillespie even while angry knew to listen.

Chief Gillespie returning to ask Tibbs for His Help

For the women in this movie, I think it isn't so much separate but equal as much as it is that those who have the power don't want to give it up and those who don't have the power do whatever it takes to get
it.  For instance, Mama Caleba, as a Black woman was able to open a somewhat successful shop, which was rare for females in general at the time, so she did not wish to jeopardize losing it when Tibbs pressed her for information. However, Delores Purdy did whatever it took in order to obtain power, even if it meant getting pregnant at sixteen.

In conclusion, rather than feeling negative, I mostly felt bad that Tibbs was racially profiled and his expertise were for the most part ignored during the movie.  But, I felt hopeful when Gillespie began to respect Tibbs, showing that even though things were bad in the 1960s, progress was still slowly happening. Overall, I found the movie to give a realistic picture of what it was like to live as a Black man during that era.

Reconstruction Video Notes

Lessons from Reconstruction: A History That Still Haunts Us

Watching the video about the Charleston church shooting on June 17, 2015, shook me. I learned that when that gunman prayed with those churchgoers before opening fire, he was acting out violence rooted in a history I didn't fully understand. We're still haunted by the collapse of Reconstruction, and I'm beginning to see why.

Lincoln sighing the  Emancipation Proclamation 

I always thought Lincoln freeing the slaves was the end of the story. History class made it seem so simple and complete. But I learned that freedom felt like releasing a bird from a cage—you're free, but you don't know if you'll survive or thrive. That uncertainty defined the Reconstruction period.

After the Civil War, the first thing formerly enslaved people did was search for lost family members. Meanwhile, bigger questions loomed: Could free Black people become citizens? Could they vote, hold office, or serve in the military? I was surprised to learn that the Republican Party was originally the party of civil rights, promoting interracial cooperation during this period.

 Edward Pollard's "The Lost Cause"

President Andrew Johnson complicated everything with his soft approach to Reconstruction. Frederick Douglass, the famous Black abolitionist, recognized immediately that Johnson was "no friend to the Black community." The Freedmen's Bureau tried to help formerly enslaved people transition to freedom and ensure civil relations between Black and white Americans, but Johnson undermined these efforts.

Then came the "Black Codes" and Edward Pollard's 1866 book "The Lost Cause," which romanticized the Confederacy. Southern states passed vagrancy laws forcing Black people to sign labor contracts with white employers or face fines. I was shocked to learn that Southern states elected Confederate congressmen to represent them in Congress immediately after losing the war.

The most striking fact I learned: fewer than 1,800 Black men could vote before the war, but by 1867, over eighty percent of eligible Black men were registered. Military Reconstruction made this possible. Violence and Jim Crow laws were later used to strip away these gains, which explains why we're still grappling with these issues today.

~AI disclosure: After taking notes while watching my classmates videos, I found the best source of AI to organize and provide a response (Claude.ai).  I then edited the text and added photos/links.

Reaction to: Gone With the Wind

Gone With the Wind

Before watching Gone with the Wind for the first time, I expected it to be annoying and dull, like just another assignment. Instead, I discovered an intriguing, informative film that also romantically portrayed Southern life during the Civil War. It showed the brutality that slavery has inside the house along with outside at this time period.  Along with other historically accurate cultural norms. Despite the sadness of slavery, the movie offers meaningful insights into human experiences like friendship and compassion.

Relationship between Scarlett O'Hara (White dress)
And Mammy (Black dress)

What caught my attention most was how the film subtly showed the dynamic of status played a role in everyday activities, back then. The relationships with Scarlett, including characters like Mammy,
Melanie, and Belle Watling, show a spectrum of care and tension that feels authentic for that time.  It makes it seem like a real accuracy or a true story at the time, even though it is fiction. 

The filmmakers clearly distorted historical reality in my opinion.  I think that slavery was more embedded than what the film portrayed.  Rather than seeming like they had a beneficial, natural relationship, as what the film was made to seem.  I did like the relationship between males and females at the time.  While characters like Scarlett O'Hara were upstairs sleeping, the males were drinking and smoking cigars.  This glance into the norms of the time brings in some truth.

Let's talk about the main character, Scarlett O'Hara. The character that she portrayed was a posh, annoyingly rich, Southern doll that has always gotten her way.  The film shows how the war and greed for conflict has affected her lifestyle.  Towards the end of the film, you can see how she became much more grateful and realistic.  Her character arc made her become much more in touch with reality
towards the end. 

Scarlett O'Hara

I think that this development with Scarlett O'Hara is historically constant throughout American history.  During times of war or conflict, others have always stepped in to support their side.  Whether this is banks becoming infirmaries, or lamp businesses becoming bullet manufacturers, or even others stepping up to fill roles.  In this film, it shows Scarlett O'Hara helping with the war effort by going and becoming a nurse.  This small action that most normally overlook then watching is something that has happened in times of conflict.  

While I believe Gone With The Wind wasn't the best depiction of how brutal and hard slavery was for African Americans, I think the film had a good plot with an interesting romance.  Along with a little sprinkle of southern culture back in the civil war times and history.  This shows that even a film that might not perfectly illustrate the harsh reality can have truths and lesions that are important.  Also the production makes it hard to look away or fall asleep

My overall opinion of Gone With The Wind is that it's a good watch that portrays character development and conflict resolution during the civil war.  This is why this film is still heavily watched today in school and entertainment.  After I watched it, it gave me a whole new look out on life and life back in those terrible times for African Americans.

What I learned From classmates Videos

Lessons from My Classmates' Video Presentations

 Booker T. Washington

After watching my classmates' video presentations this week, it made me realize critical moments in African American history that shaped our nation. I learned about Booker T. Washington's life and his profound impact on Black education and empowerment during a time when opportunities were severely limited. His story of rising from slavery to become one of the most influential educators in American
history was truly inspiring.

One presentation explored Lincoln's assassination and its devastating aftermath for African Americans. I hadn't realized how much his death changed the course of Reconstruction and left formerly enslaved people vulnerable without their greatest political ally. The loss of Lincoln's leadership created a power vacuum that allowed more hostile forces to shape policy.

I was fascinated to learn about the rise of Black political participation during the Reconstruction era. The 14th and 15th Amendments opened doors to freedom and voting rights that had been previously unimaginable. Federal troops played a crucial role in protecting these newly won voting rights, and by 1868, Black voter participation reached extraordinary levels across the South.

However, my classmates also showed me the tragic reversal that followed. When Reconstruction ended in 1877, the progress began to unravel rapidly. By 1900, Black political participation was decreasing dramatically as Jim Crow laws and voter suppression tactics took hold.

The presentation on the Great Migration really struck me as transformative for American society. I learned that in 1900, ninety percent of Black Americans lived in the South, with most trapped in the brutal cycle of sharecropping. This system kept families in perpetual poverty and debt, barely different from the slavery their parents had escaped.

Understanding these connections between Reconstruction's promise, its failure, and the resulting Great Migration has helped me see how historical events create lasting consequences. My classmates did an excellent job bringing these pivotal moments to life and showing how they continue to influence American society today.

~AI disclosure: After taking notes while watching my classmates videos, I found the best source of AI to organize and provide a response (Claude.ai). I then edited the text and added photos/links.

Plessy v. Ferguson

What I Learned About Plessy v. Ferguson

In my class this week, I learned about one of the most controversial Supreme Court cases in American history, Plessy v. Ferguson. The case centered on Homer Plessy, a fair-skinned man who was one-eighth African American, making him what was called an "octoroon" at the time.

Group Representing Plessy 

Plessy deliberately board a whites-only train car in Louisiana and was fined for violating state segregation laws. His lawyer challenged this under the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause, arguing that separate facilities for different races violated constitutional guarantees of equality. What struck me most was that nobody could even tell Plessy apart from white passengers based on his appearance, behavior, or education.

I found the arguments on Plessy's side incredibly compelling. His lawyers argued that separate could never truly be equal under the law and that segregation was discrimination, plain and simple. They pointed out that all citizens should have equal rights regardless of race. The economic arguments really opened my eyes—they showed how segregation limited the labor market and cost Louisiana talented doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, and athletes.

Group Representing Ferguson 

What I hadn't considered before was how segregation taught society that some people weren't deserving of basic rights and humanity. The lawyers even cited biblical teachings about loving your neighbor, arguing that these laws contradicted fundamental moral principles. They demonstrated that states with fewer segregation laws were actually thriving economically.

Louisiana's defense focused on preserving peace and respecting the will of the people. They argued that tradition mattered in constitutional interpretation and that separate but equal facilities could help bridge past injustices. Their position was that segregation prevented social friction and wasn't about inferiority but about prudence.

The state claimed it was exercising its sovereign right to protect citizens' welfare. They even compared racial segregation to separating facilities for men and women, suggesting both were reasonable accommodations. Railroad companies, they argued, wanted to cater to their clientele's preferences to avoid conflict and maintain revenue.

Understanding both sides of this case has given me deeper insight into how legal arguments shaped America's history of racial injustice.

~AI disclosure: After taking notes while watching my class debate the Plessy v. Ferguson case, I found the best source of AI to organize and provide a response (Claude.ai). I then edited the text and added photos/links.