Girafalco 1

Jesse Girafalco
American Revolutions
Professor Jon Crider
9 May 2013
Part 1
In Novemer of 1!"#$ Ara%am &incoln 'on reelection and (uic)ly called for *assa+e of
t%e constitutional amendment aolis%in+ slavery, A fe' states %ad ratified t%e amendment y t%e
time of &incoln-s .econd Inau+ural, In %is .econd Inau+ural$ &incoln tal)s aout t%e main root
cause of t%e Civil /ar$ and %e ends it sendin+ a messa+e of reconciliation, Alt%ou+% t%e Nort%
and .out% 'ere very different durin+ t%e time *eriod$ &incoln states t%at t%ey ot% read t%e same
0ile and *rayed to t%e same God, 1%is rin+s u* &incoln-s ar+ument statin+2 3It may seem
stran+e t%at any men s%ould dare to as) a 4ust God-s assistance in 'rin+in+ t%eir read from t%e
s'eat of ot%er man-s faces,,,5
1
In t%is (uote$ &incoln is com*arin+ t%e Nort% to t%e .out%
ar+uin+ t%at if 'e are ot% %ave t%e same +od$ t%en '%y does one *arty elieve t%at it is
acce*tale to %ave slaves and t%e ot%er does not, /it% one ei+%t% of t%e *o*ulation ein+ slaves$
mostly located in t%e .out%$ it is 'it%out a dout *lausile to state t%at slaves 'ere t%e sole cause
of t%e 'ar$ and &incoln states t%is in %is .econd Inau+ural,
In order to reconstruct t%e 6nited .tates$ &incoln as)ed t%e *eo*le to come to+et%er and
for+ive t%ose '%o turned a+ainst eac% ot%er to create *eace amon+ eac% and every *erson and
'it% all nations, &incoln said t%at it does not matter if a state succeeded or not$ t%ey s%ould not
1 &incoln$ Ara%am, 7.econd Inau+ural,7 Marc% #$ 1!"8,
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e re4ected, Re4ectin+ t%em is li)e sayin+ to t%e '%ite man$ 39ou are 'ort%less$ or 'orse:'e
'ill neit%er %el* you$ nor e %el*ed y you,5
2
As to t%e lac)s &incoln says2
31%is cu* of lierty '%ic% t%ese$ your old masters$ %old to your li*s$ 'e 'ill das% from
you$ and leave you to t%e c%ances of +at%erin+ t%e s*illed and scattered contents in some
va+ue and undefined '%en$ '%ere$ and %o',5
3
Instead of tellin+ t%e '%ite masters t%at t%ey are 'ort%less$ t%ey must e for+iven and move on$
and t%e lac)s s%ould e encoura+ed to for+ive t%eir old masters and e+in to start t%eir life as
freemen,
2 &incoln$ Ara%am, 7&ast Pulic Address,7 A*ril 11$ 1!"8,
3 &incoln$ Ara%am, 7&ast Pulic Address,7 A*ril 11$ 1!"8,
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Part 2
;, /, Griffit% and 1%omas ;i<on *roduced one of t%e most *rofitin+ and controversial
movies of all time$ Birth of a Nation, Griffit% and ;i<on 'or)ed to+et%er as movie *roducers
to film Birth of a Nation, '%ic% is *ossily one of t%e most racist movies ever *roduced,
Griffit% and ;i<on *ortray t%e Civil /ar 'it% t%e .out% ein+ t%e nole c%aracters ein+
defeated y t%e sinister Nort%, ;,/, Griffit% 'as orn in 1!=8 in >loydsfor)$ ?entuc)y and
1%omas ;i<on 'as orn in 1!"# in Nort% Carolina$ '%ic% 'ere ot% slave %oldin+ states efore
t%e Civil /ar, @ven t%ou+% ;i<on 'as orn one year efore t%e Civil /ar ended$ t%ey ot% +re'
u* livin+ 'it% slaves as ein+ e(uals to t%em, After t%e Civil /ar tensions 'ere still %i+%
et'een .out%erners and slaves and ein+ from *ast slave %oldin+ states$ it is *ossile t%at t%ey
+re' u* 'it% racist .out%erners '%ic% s%a*ed t%eir vie' on t%e Civil /ar,
In Part 2 of Birth of a Nation, ;i<on and Griffit% dis*lay t%e reconstruction of t%e
Civil /ar, Ao'ever$ t%eir vie' on t%e reconstruction is in a very racist *oint of vie' and s%o's
t%e .out% as ein+ %eroic, In Part 2$ Gus *ro*oses to >lora '%o re4ects %im and accidentally falls
off of a cliff to %er deat%, 1%en t%e ?u ?lu< ?lan searc%es for Gus$ ca*tures and lync%es %im$
t%en dum*s %is ody at .ilas &ync%-s door, /%en t%e ody is discovered$ t%e lac) militia
searc%es for ;r, Cameron$ P%il$ and Mar+aret in a tiny s%ac) located in t%e 'oods and e+ins to
fi+%t t%eir 'ay inside, .uddenly$ t%e ?u ?lu< ?lan trium*%s in and forces t%e lac) militia a'ay
from t%e s%ac)$ savin+ t%e +rou* t%at 'as inside, At t%e end of t%e scene$ Jesus and %is an+els
stand in a**roval over '%at %ad 4ust %a**ened,
Girafalco 4
;,/, Griffit% and 1%omas ;i<on-s ac)+round is a tremendously lar+e reason as to '%y
t%ey told t%e story t%e 'ay t%ey did in Part 2 of Birth of a Nation. 0ein+ orn in *reviously
slave %oldin+ states in t%e *ost Civil /ar time *eriod$ t%eir vie' on lac)s %ad een s%a*ed y
t%e environment t%at t%ey +re' u* in, After t%e Civil /ar$ t%e .out% 'as stri**ed of t%eir slaves
t%at t%ey considered to e t%eir *ro*erty$ and alt%ou+% lac)s 'ere no' freemen$ t%eir vie' on
t%em still remained t%e same, It 'as not until t%e Civil Ri+%ts movement in 1988 t%at lac)s
e+an to actually e treated e(ually in America, Gro'in+ u* in an e<tremely racist area after t%e
Civil /ar s%a*ed Griffit%-s and ;i<on-s vie's on lac)s and also t%eir vie's on t%e /ar in
+eneral, 0ot% Griffit% and ;i<on 'anted racial *urity in t%e 6nited .tates$ even after t%e Civil
/ar t%ey still vie'ed lac)s as inferior to '%ites and t%ey +re' u* elievin+ t%at t%e Nort% too)
a'ay from t%em '%at 'as once t%eirs, 1%e .out% elieved t%at America fou+%t in t%e American
Revolution in order to )ee* and *rotect '%at 'as t%eirs from t%e +reedy )in+ of @n+land, After
t%ey fou+%t so %ard to )ee* '%at t%ey considered 'as ri+%tfully t%eirs$ t%ey t%ou+%t it 'as
outra+eous t%at t%e Nort% 'ould try and ta)e a'ay t%eir *ro*erty after t%ey 4ust fou+%t to )ee* it,
Aistory *roves t%at t%e Civil /ar 'as 'on y t%e nole Nort% ecause it 'as unconstitutional
and morally 'ron+ to %old a *erson a+ainst t%eir 'ill and force t%em to 'or) ased on t%eir s)in
color, Ao'ever$ Griffit% and ;i<on use memory instead of %istory '%en ma)in+ t%eir movie$
s%o'in+ t%eir eliefs and o*inions '%ic% t%ey +re' u* to elieve,
Girafalco 5
Part 3
1%e amaBin+ t%in+ aout American Aistory is %o' muc% our country %as c%an+ed over
time, ;urin+ Professor Crider-s lectures$ our class tal)ed aout %o' different t%emes 'ere
revolutionary in American Aistory, Race$ slavery$ lierty$ and violence are amon+ t%e many
t%emes t%at %el*ed s%a*e America to '%at it is today, Alt%ou+% some of t%ese t%emes mi+%t not
%ave directly %el*ed America$ t%ey are still revolutionary as t%ey c%an+ed t%e country and set
America a*art from t%e rest of t%e 'orld,
Race and slavery run %and in %and durin+ American Aistory and it is im*ortant to realiBe
%o' muc% t%ey im*acted America, .lavery in America started '%en Americans e+an s%i**in+
African Americans over t%e Middle Passa+e and sold t%em as slaves in t%e Ne' /orld, .laves
%el*ed America start to flouris% 'it% t%eir unlimited su**ly of free laor, ;ecade after decade$
more *eo*le e+an to realiBe %o' it 'as morally 'ron+ for Americans to o'n slaves solely
ased on t%eir s)in color$ and t%us caused t%e Civil /ar, 1%e Civil /ar 'as a revolutionary time
in America$ t%e Nort% 'innin+ t%e 'ar 'ould c%an+e t%e 6nited .tates forever and 'ould finally
set t%e country in t%e ri+%t direction, Ao'ever$ race still *layed a lar+e role in t%e *ost Civil /ar
era, Alt%ou+% lac)s 'ere no' considered e(uals$ racial *rolems e+an to increase '%ic%
rou+%t t%e Civil Ri+%ts Movement in America, 0lac)s fou+%t for e(uality and 'it% t%eir %ard
'or) and dedication$ t%ey ac%ieved it, No more 'ould t%eir e se+re+ated sc%ools$ 'ater
fountains and at%rooms, 0lac)s e+an to receive t%e res*ect t%at t%ey earned and racial
discrimination %ad finally een under control in America, Race and slavery in a 'ay run %and in
%and in American %istory$ 'it%out different races$ America 'ould not %ave %ad slavery$ and
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'it%out slavery$ America 'ould not e t%e diverse country it is today, 1%ese t'o t%emes are
revolutionary as t%ey c%an+ed America in a *ositive 'ay, 1%e Civil /ar and Civil Ri+%ts
Movement 'ere turnin+ *oints in American Aistory for African Americans, 1%ey +ained t%eir
freedom and t%en t%eir ri+%ts as 6nited .tates CitiBens and revolutioniBed America,
Anot%er t%eme t%at is revolutionary in American Aistory is violence$ alt%ou+% violence is
not t%e ideal c%oice$ sometimes t%ere is no ot%er o*tion, Nat 1urner for e<am*le$ 'as in c%ar+e
of a revolutionary slave reellion '%ic% some 'ould say 'as t%e irt% of t%e Civil /ar, Nat
1urner led a reellion t%rou+%out t%e state of Cir+inia '%ic% ended in a loody massacre of not
only slave%olders$ ut also t%eir 'ives and c%ildren, 1%e reellion 'as eventually *ut do'n ut
not until 88 '%ites 'ere dead, 1%is action of violence 'as revolutionary and one of t%e lar+est
and most famous slave reellions of all time, /ord (uic)ly s*read aout t%e *ast events and
struc) terror on slave%olders in America, 1urner-s reellion dis*layed t%e amount of an+er t%at
slaves %ad as 'ell as t%e len+t%s t%at t%ey 'ere 'illin+ to +o to receive lierty, 1%e reel slaves
)ne' t%at t%ey 'ould e %an+ed for t%eir actions ut continued to do so any'ay in an attem*t to
ma)e a difference, 1%is revolutionary act of violence s%o'ed t%e Nort% t%at t%ey 'anted
freedom and t%ey 'ere not +oin+ to sto* until t%ey %ave it,
1%rou+%out t%e %istory of America t%ere %ave een many t%emes t%at 'ere revolutionary
and c%an+ed America to e t%e country it is today, Race$ slavery$ lierty$ and violence are a fe'
t%emes t%at c%an+ed and s%a*ed t%e country, America$ ein+ a diverse country is full of many
different races$ and 'it% different races comes slavery '%ic% 'as revolutionary durin+ t%e time
and also caused +reat controversy, .lavery led to many violent acts from slave%olders$ and even
t%e slaves t%emselves$ and in t%e end t%e African Americans received lierty, 1%ese
revolutionary t%emes moved America in a *ositive direction and c%an+ed it for t%e etter,