You could call it a bad day...

4 1/2 years? Man that ain't nothin. Sept 4 years of tears and maybe 6 months of frontin. 5 years of lies and when its all pushed aside there's nothing. Maybe it's just not for me cuz it's obviously not meant to be... I'm so tired of being let down it's lyk I give my all just to hit the ground... again and again I taste the concrete, it's so familiar to me it almost tastes sweet. It's lyk I can't go a day without confronting my failures so everytime I'm up high I jus gotta dive and taste the sweet cement, yet again. The fragrance must float up and take hold of me cuz the slightest bit of happiness I can't hardly see, & then it's back to the ground again tryna raise up & take flight again. I refuse to be a loser I jus wanna win, y can't I have somethin, lyk even a friend. I feel lyk those around me only stay if they benefit, & I have nothin to give so eventually they all quit... I jus want somethin Real, somethin tangable I can feel, I jus wanna be happy, man y's it so hard? I can't even love right cuz my heart is so scar'd. But that's life I guess all this pain & all this stress. Take it day by day n for everything else... pray.

You don't know how I feel.

I hate it when people tell me how I should feel or what they think I'm feeling or not feeling. Just because I'm capable doesn't mean I will. It's unfair for you to tell me that because I'm not in your predicament that I'm supposed to be filled with energy and eagerness to do all of the things that you are unable to.

One of the things I cannot stand is when people open their mouths and preach about matters in which they know nothing. It's one thing to have an opinion, but when you openly attack someone or something without listening to any other sides you make yourself look like a fool. Swallow your pride, close your lips and listen. I think the reason I appeal to people and become one of their closest friends is because I actually take the time to sit and listen to them. I'm naturally timid and more introverted so listening comes easliy to me. Sometimes people just need you to be there and listen, wait before you start throwing advice or judging them and hear them out. They appreciate it and you grow from it too. Be like the shy girl and just shut up and listen for once.

Untitled Poem #1

Alright here goes my first poem I've ever made public... still, no one will see it but it's still a big deal to me. I wrote this, like many of my other poems, about a very trying relationship that ended many times and was always on the rocks. I was listening to a lot of music by Common and he just kept it so real I was really inspired by him and his lyrics. He doesn't receive the recognition he deserves.

7/28/09
Man I wanna be tight wit Common cuz he keeps it so real, I'm tired of all the fake the phony n wit this shit I gotta deal. I can't erase the memories or replace what I feel. I kno u hate my past and that it affects us now, but if u really cared u'd let it go somehow. I'm tired of the drama, of the day-to-day, I demand some stability now... I wanna kno u'll stay. But since you can't give me that I think it’s time to quit, cuz I'd rather be alone than wit a man who can't commit.

Why? Cuz life's not fair. Period.

We all ask why? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do I always come up short? How could this happen? Why me? Why this, why that, why why why??? There isn't really a reason why. Nothing that could comfort someone in the worst of times. The same reason why parents abandon their children, why people die, why loved ones make us cry, why my best friend is no stranger to the hospital and my sister is mourning the loss of her unborn. Why we're all selfish and put ourselves before what really matters, why we can sit and gripe about relationships when there is so much more going on around us. We ask why? Well, because that's life... and life just isn't fair. Good people suffer, bad people win, it's just the way of the world. We can't put all the blame on any one person or any one thing. Pain strikes and it doesn't avoid you cuz you've already been hurt before. What do I say to comfort those around me? Do I say it's all gonna be alright? Do I tell them that their rainbow is right around the corner? They don't wanna hear that. And you Never tell them that you know just how they feel, that you completely understand... cuz you don't. So what do I say? Why them? Why do bad things happen? Cuz life's not fair. Period.

Relationships

There's one thing I wish that everyone understood about relationships. They're not always butterflies and rainbows, perfect happy warm feelings and happily ever afters. They're work. People have it in their minds that its supposed to be so easy, that it just flows and maybe there might be rough patches but overall its perfect. Well relationships aren't perfect just like no one is perfect. How can imperfect components add up perfectly? Everyone used to ask me how I lasted in relationships so long... didn't I get bored and how did we make it work. We toughed it out that's how. We fought through the hard times to make it back to the better days. What people need to understand is that when you really truely love someone you fight for that person.
Love doesn't always make sense, so you get over you're logical conclusions and ur irrational insecurities and you fight for love. You're not supposed to just give up and quit when things get hard. Rough times test the relationship and when you simply throw in the towel you say that you're not in it for the long run. You're only around for when things are fun and easy. Relationships get hard, sometimes they even get pitch black but if it means enough to you, you stick around and tough it out because you know the good times are worth it, the person you love is worth it.

The best explanation of Love I know is from the Bible:
1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails..."

Reaction #10:

What evidence does LBJ offer as proof of the widening economic gap between black and white Americans? How does he explain this gap? How are the sentiments he expressed represented in this cartoon:







Cartoon by Barry Deutsch



In 1965 Lyndon B. Johnson gave a speech at Howard University, an all black collage, which stressed the need for achieving true freedom in the black community. In his commencement address Johnson remarked that the definition of poverty differed in relation to black Americans and white Americans; he directly stated that, “Negro poverty is not white poverty”. To demonstrate this Johnson presented some troubling statistics of the decline in income and increase in unemployment of Negroes as compared to white Americans. One of the most upsetting pieces of information he presented was the fact that thirty-five years ago the rate of unemployment for Negroes and whites was about the same but in 1965 the Negro rate was twice as high. Johnson referred to the black community as “another nation” and said that “despite the court orders and laws, despite the legislative victories and the speeches, for them the walls are rising and the gulf is widening”.

LBJ credited the cause of Negro poverty to many sources, including the long years of slavery, past injustices, and the continuing struggle with discrimination and hate. He stressed that the past brutalities served as a constant reminder of oppression for Negroes and for whites they were a constant reminder of guilt. However, Johnson also expressed his hope and belief that the problems they were facing could be dealt with and were possible to overcome. And with the civil rights movement and Johnson’s Great Society, things started getting better for the black community. The gaps in education, income, and access to skilled employment narrowed and although there were areas yet to be confronted, there were considerable gains.

The Barry Deutsch cartoon depicting the white child climbing up and stomping all over the black child to achieve a higher platform represents the black man’s struggle beneath the white man. From the days of slavery blacks were used for the advancement of whites. Even as blacks attained their freedom they were still trodden over and left ‘looking up’ to the white class. And even when some level of equality and recognition was reached, the whites still would not help the lesser blacks. In response to the black child’s request for help the white child remarks, “if I got up here myself, why can’t you?” This apparently ironic statement symbolizes white ignorance- or more so their unfair expectations and ‘forgetful tendencies’ of how they had achieved their elevated statuses in the first place. In comparison to LBJ’s declaration that the gap was ever widening, the cartoon first depicts the two children at the same level. Throughout the scenes the white child is using the black child (who at first had restraints) to rise up. At the end the white child is looking down and sort of mocking the black child for not working hard enough to achieve the same goals. This relates directly to society and what Johnson was saying about the constant reminders of oppression still lingering and the ever widening gap. How can the black child make gains without being given a chance? With no assistance he is forced to remain at the bottom, not much better off than he was from the beginning.

Reaction #9:

Cheerful Robots

According to C. Wright Mills, Americans during the 1950s were Cheerful Robots. Using his excerpt, what you've read in the text, and heard in class, why is that description fitting (don't just repeat or rephrase what's in the Mills article).


Americans during this time were achieving their dreams of home ownership with the shift from cities to suburbs and enjoying the affordability and availability of home appliances, cars, and televisions. People began moving into identical suburban homes and stocked them with all sorts of new amenities. The new Nuclear family portrayed wives as happy homemakers, expected to stay home and take care of the house and children, while husbands were the breadwinners. The title Cheerful Robot was a fitting description for this new concept of the ideal American family and their prized American freedoms. Mills searched for a new definition of freedom, one where it was not mass conformity but a renewed independence and sense of self. He believed in a freedom that was not the ability to do as you pleased but to formulate your own options and make decisions for yourself. He depicted these Nuclear families as robots going through motions programmed into them with no thoughts or ideas of their own. They were not choosing to improve their lives with this new found “freedom”, they were being brainwashed by companies telling them they needed this or that to fit into the truly American standard.
There were already problems existing with this picture perfect American family. Wives were often depressed and sought professional help for their discomfort. Also women who had been working during the war wanted to continue working and earning fair wages. They had tasted independence and didn’t want to give it up so hastily. Women who voiced these desires or spoke of their unhappiness at home doing menial tasks were seen as silly or “faulty”. So these ideal American families weren’t all perfect or content. I think that women especially had a hard time conforming to the housewife mold because of their thirst to venture out into the business world and have a life outside the home. So there were already malfunctions within the Cheerful Robots and to Mills this was probably a positive thing. He encouraged thinking outside the box and coming to your own conclusions.

Reaction #8:

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Read the excerpt from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The U.S. did not immediately ratify the Declaration. What policies and practices within the U.S. conflicted with many of the principles of the Declaration?

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was drafted by a committee chaired by former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt in 1948. This document intended to set forth a broad range of freedoms that were to be enjoyed by everyone everywhere. To make the document easier for member states to adopt, the United Nations decided to divide it into two sections- Civil and Political Rights, and Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. The United States did not ratify the document until 1992 and they only adopted the first covenant. The Soviet Union didn’t accept both parts of the document either. Even with all the issues concerning the Declaration and its ratification, it had no enforcement mechanisms so it could not even be implemented.

Many of the U.S.’s practices conflicted with the principles of the Declaration which is why it took so long to ratify it and why only part of it was ratified. Some of these issues included Article 2 where it was stated that “everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, or other status”. Now the U.S. during this time prided itself in defending peoples of other countries who sought freedom from oppression and all of that, but the U.S. still had issues in its own country with oppressing people. During World War II the U.S. had sent Japanese persons to internment camps because they were possible spies or close to military operations or whatever other excuses they came up with. Minorities across the country faced discrimination everywhere and it was obvious that they did not share in equal freedoms and rights that Anglo Americans enjoyed.

Other conflicting principles in the Declaration included Articles 17, 19, 22, and 23. Article 17 stated that “no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property” which the Japanese recently had been due to their internment during WWII. Article 19 stated that “everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression” which had been severely limited during times of war and was almost exterminated completely during the anticommunist crusades and McCarthyism in the U.S. Article 22 said that “everyone… has the right to social security” which received mixed reactions since some Americans felt that it was a right to be enjoyed by those they saw fit. Article 23 mentioned that “everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work” which immediately makes me think of women in the workplace who constantly received less than their male counterparts for the same work. These were not the only reasons for disapproval of the Declaration but they show how the principles outlined in the document could make things tricky for a country that boasted freedom but struggled greatly with it. The U.S. has made great strides in living up to the standards set out in the Declaration but it’s still not perfect.

Reaction #7:

Why were the Korean Comfort Women “silent” so long? To answer this question, one thing you will need to think about is how much women’s “worth” is tied to their status as virgins or “sexually pure” and how women who are not “pure” are shamed in societies. You also need to reflect on how rape has been characterized as simply an “unfortunate consequence” of war—this is not true, of course; rape does not “just happen.” Why could the words and actions of Japanese officials and government be interpreted as attempts to further silence them?

I think the main reason the women were silent so long was because they were so ashamed about what had happened to them. Maybe they thought it would be better not to speak of it, that it would help erase the memory. Some women felt differently and were not embarrassed or shy about telling their story, but it was a select few. Another reason was that Japan denied it ever happened. I guess that the former comfort women did not think anyone would believe they were forced into doing something so terrible. Maybe they thought people would blame them for their own misfortune, label them as prostitutes and they would become outcasts. Perhaps they were afraid that if they told of their experiences people would see it less as an act committed against the women and more as their own wrongdoing.

As far as the history of the comfort stations, I cannot believe they were seen as a “solution to the 223 reported rapes by Japanese troops”. So if the rapes were simply characterized as unfortunate consequences, imagine how the Japanese viewed the women at the comfort stations. And the way the women were recruited for the stations is even more disturbing. Dragged from their homes or deceived into believing they were going to work in factories. The women were herded into the stations and treated more like cattle than people. I wouldn’t be surprised if they remained silent merely out of fear. The Japanese government denied having forced women to work at comfort stations and even denied involvement in operating comfort stations. That is, until 1992 when a college professor found wartime documents in the Library of the National Institute for Defense Studies that confirmed Japanese Forces had indeed operated the stations. Only then did they admit involvement but still have not provided satisfactory reparations to the former comfort women or made a public apology.

Their refusal to address the issue and their obvious omission of it from their history books and educational courses only shows that the Japanese government intended to move on and forget it ever happened. If not for the bravery of the former comfort women in speaking out and telling their stories, demanding recognition of and an apology for what happened, these events just may have disappeared completely. Speaking out against the Japanese government at that time must have seemed truly intimidating. I think that is another reason it took the women so long. They were later encouraged by people taking interest in the comfort woman issue to speak up about what had happened. Imaging how the women must have felt returning home: unclean, soiled, worthless women who had been abused by more than 20 men each day, returning home to try and make something of themselves. Who could they turn to? How could they confront the mighty Japanese government about what had happened to them? Wouldn’t it seem like a better option to just remain quiet about it and be thankful you escaped?

Reaction #6:

Of FDR's four freedoms, the goal of freedom from want and freedom from fear especially reflect American and European experiences during the 1930s and 1940s. Briefly explain what FDR meant by "freedom from want" and "freedom from fear" and explain how the desire for these freedoms was the result of American and European experiences during the 1930s and 1940s.



In terms of freedom from want, Roosevelt was initially referring to eliminating barriers on international trade. He did not want trade restrictions to further cripple our economy. Roosevelt later expanded this idea to include and appeal to Americans’ personal financial troubles brought on by the Great Depression. He reassured Americans that they would have a freedom from want by “guaranteeing that that the Depression would not resume after the war” (Foner, 751). The depression devastated not only Americans but also left its toll on Europe. Roosevelt wanted to lift up hopes that the American standard of living and way of life would once again be possible. That the war was not a temporary fix, but it was a kick start to pull us out of our economic slump. Freedom from want meant not fearing the loss of your job; the pressure to provide with no means. It meant not living below reasonable conditions and worrying about where the next meal would come from. It meant not only security in jobs and homes but also security in your country. He wanted to redeem Americans’ faith in the nation: that they could once again, and surely would succeed in America.

Freedom from fear during this time most closely related to the war. Americans should feel a great sense of security at home and not be in constant fear of attack, as in the case of Pearl Harbor. Freedom from fear included the means of protection so that we could rapidly and forcefully defend ourselves. It also meant the desire for world peace so that we would not have to take such drastic measures at all. These ideas meant that whether there was a threat or not, Americans could feel safe. I also think that the freedom from fear included the fear of communism spreading throughout the world. With Hitler as dictator in Germany and Mussolini as the father of fascism in Italy, the threat of totalitarianism was ever present. Americans always felt it was their responsibility to enlighten the world and impose their democratic ways onto others. Socialism was never really well received and the Red Scare was hard to extinguish. Freedom of fear meant that we could live freely and peacefully without any threats to our way of life.

Earth Hour 2009-- Mar 28, 8:30-9:30pm

VOTE EARTH..................YOUR LIGHT SWITCH IS YOUR VOTE

This year, Earth Hour has been transformed into the world’s first global election, between Earth and global warming.

For the first time in history, people of all ages, nationalities, race and background have the opportunity to use their light switch as their vote – Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth, or leaving them on is a vote for global warming. WWF are urging the world to VOTE EARTH and reach the target of 1 billion votes, which will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009.

This meeting will determine official government policies to take action against global warming, which will replace the Kyoto Protocol. It is the chance for the people of the world to make their voice heard.Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour. In 2008 the message had grown into a global sustainability movement, with 50 million people switching off their lights. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square all stood in darkness.In 2009, Earth Hour is being taken to the next level, with the goal of 1 billion people switching off their lights as part of a global vote. Unlike any election in history, it is not about what country you’re from, but instead, what planet you’re from.

VOTE EARTH is a global call to action for every individual, every business, and every community. A call to stand up and take control over the future of our planet. Over 74 countries and territories have pledged their support to VOTE EARTH during Earth Hour 2009, and this number is growing everyday.We all have a vote, and every single vote counts. Together we can take control of the future of our planet, for future generations.

VOTE EARTH by simply switching off your lights for one hour, and join the world for Earth Hour. Saturday, March 28, 8:30-9:30pm.

http://www.earthhour.org/

Reaction #5:

What does Alain Locke Mean when he says, "The day of 'aunties.' 'uncles,' and 'mammies' is equally gone."? Why does he say this?


Alain Locke makes this statement to emphasize his ideas regarding the New Negro. He says that the days of blacks being quiet and submissive are gone and a new era has begun. No longer will the African Americans allow themselves to be trodden over and belittled, they are uniting and demanding respect. This was about the time of the Harlem Renaissance and the creation of the NAACP. Blacks were doing more to defend themselves, to improve their lives (moving North), and to promote their heritage. Marcus Garvey encouraged blacks to embrace their roots and have pride in their heritage. “Up you mighty race,” were his words and he did a great deal to distinguish the ideals of light skinned blacks being superior to darks skinned blacks. African Americans began to come together once again and break out of the crushing clutch that whites had on them. No more were the days of the poor, obedient Negro; here were the days of the resistant, the confident and proud African Americans. Locke used ‘mammies’ and such as a metaphor to explain the transformation of blacks from the old ways to the new.

Reaction #4: World War I Era Letter

Using the links I gave you last week, your text, and your VoF readings, take on the perspective of the personage you chose. You will need to produce a (750 word minimum) letter or diary entry, suitable for publication on your blog. While creativity is encouraged, your writing must be factual and show evidence that you’ve done your readings. You should reference any major events or legislation that would affect your character directly.



My Dearest Thomas,

Your last letter was received and much appreciated my love. My heart mourns for your most recent loss, I know that Paul meant a great deal to you. I am sure his family has been informed by now. Poor Josephine, I will call on her tomorrow and see if I can help any. With two young boys to raise now all on her own, I do hope she fairs well. It frightens me to see so many women dressed all in black. All these widowed women, some at such a young age, and now they have all the responsibilities of the household unloaded onto them. Do you think they will receive mother’s pensions? I certainly hope so. I do my best to stay positive, my dear, like you told me before you departed. But what I have seen weakens my stomach and chips away at my heart. I see boys not much older than our sons returning from the front lines with missing limbs. Bloody bandages masking gaping holes and crushed spirits realizing that life will never be the same. Not a single soldier returns with even a fraction of the enthusiasm he left with. These broken men slouch over and eyeball the ground as they saunter about. It makes for an extremely gloomy atmosphere.
Many women are leaving to volunteer off in France to nurse the wounded back to health. I cannot imagine what the war looks like up close. I know you refrain from including the gruesome details of your encounters in your letters. It troubles me to think that you cannot relay all of your experiences onto me but perhaps it is better that I do not know. I must stay optimistic and merely hearing from you is entirely a blessing in itself my love. I have taken the initiative to purchase some liberty bonds: it is seen as unpatriotic if one does not. However, I am happy to help the effort in any way I can. My dear husband sometimes I believe that if I could be out there with you I would. Silly thoughts, of course, but how else might I serve my country than to stand beside my fellow citizens and defend our way of life? Since I cannot join the military I have to settle with doing my best at home to be of assistance. The Food Administration has started to encourage new practices to conserve food to send out to the troops. So naturally I participate in rationing, wheatless Mondays and meatless Thursdays, as they are called. I also prepare dinners when I can for some of our friends and neighbors who have lost loved ones to the war. How I wish I could do more, but I find a certain satisfaction simply doing something.
I cannot express how profoundly I long for your presence here at home. The nights are so dreary and the bed we once shared now feels cold and empty. I wish to send only words of encouragement and hopeful expressions, but my heart cannot release itself from this desolate grasp that it has become entangled in. How long must I endure this dawdling torture? When you ventured off to serve our nation I did my best to prepare myself for what I thought would be an agonizing wait. Nothing could have primed me for such torment. Do not question my support and admiration for you, my champion, for I carry on proudly knowing that my husband selflessly defends our great nation. The posters Wilson had mounted on every corner and open space remind us all each day that our troops need our support. I simply wish that this could all end quickly so that my husband may return unharmed to his beloved children and eager wife. How I yearn to feel your touch, to hear your melodious voice whisper sweet sentiments to me once more. I fear that each knock on the door will be from some detached messenger sent to deliver the heart-stopping news that would turn me into a widow. I pray for your safety and for your speedy return. The children also worry for their father but I tell them they just have to be patient. I know not what else to say to set their fragile hearts at ease.
I do not wish to cause alarm, sweet Thomas, but I am starting to fear for our rights here at home. The government has just passed a Sedition Act that can imprison people just for criticizing the war effort. Do they expect no one to object to this war? It is precisely actions like these that cause one to question the validity of the Constitution. If our fundamental laws are so easily trumped then what security can we find in it? It worries me that our foundation is so shaky but I see why President Wilson wants to silence anti-war sentiments. I just hope after all of this that things can go back to the way they were. I almost forgot to tell you, I may have my voting rights when you return! The suffragists are pushing stronger than ever now and even taking risks of being arrested! The leader of the National Women’s Party, Alice Paul, is in prison at this very moment. She is still so influential that she started a hunger strike in jail! I know their actions seem absurd but I am excited at the thought of women finally participating in politics. This letter is starting to get lengthy so I will await your reply and save the rest of my thoughts for my response. The boys send their love and of course you know I send all of mine.

Forever Yours,
Jane

Reaction #3

It’s 1920 and you, Alonzo Vasquez, are a Mexican immigrant to the United States. While you love your new country, it is very important to you that your family remember and honor your culture and traditions, many of which are tied to your homeland. You are increasingly worried that your children, in the process of becoming “American,” are ignoring the importance of their heritage. Why is it so important to you that your family retain some cultural connection to Mexico and your Mexican heritage? What evidence is there that your children are being wholly “Americanized?” What conflicts has this created between you and your children?

I'm so tired of these Americanization workers coming into my home and telling my family how to live. Why do these people think we do not know how to act, as if we are not civilized? They tell my wife how to cook and clean, how to care for our children and how to be a good American. They come to my work and make me attend classes on how to be American. They insist on teaching me English but I see no need to learn it. My wife and I get by on what little we know. I cannot believe how they intrude on us, barging into our home like we have no rights. They have filled my wife's head with so many lies that she is starting to believe them and I see her slowly trading in our customs for theirs. The groceries she brings home consist of "healthy American foods", the songs she sings are silly American nursery rhymes, and even her clothes are changing. I am not pleased at all with this; next she will be going to work for them in their homes like some slave. The children see their mother and think they should also conform. My youngest ones do not know our culture very well and I am afraid they will go blind to it completely. How dare these Americans try to take our heritage! I am not displeased with my new home but I will not forget where I come from. I am proud of my ancestry. And now I watch my little ones start to drift away. I hear them repeat the English words of the songs their mother sings. I see them pushing aside their books from home and instead diving into American ones they bring from school. I heard about Mexican schools coming up around California, I am considering switching my children to them. This way they will keep their native language and learn our history. My older children are almost dead to me. My daughter is engaged to some American boy who hardly has a job and she wants to work to be independent. How foolish of her, she knows she needs to stay home and care for her family. After much argument we are no longer speaking. My eldest son is no better. He went off to Texas to work; I think he will marry soon as well. He speaks English fluently and tries to get me to converse with him in English but I refuse. I hardly hear from him anymore. Sometimes I feel things would just be better if we returned to Mexico but the conditions there were not what I wanted to raise my family in. It pains me to see them turn their back on our culture but maybe they will appreciate it more as they grow older. Perhaps I will return to my homeland and let them stay in America and live the dream.

-Alonzo Vasquez

Reaction #2

It’s 1892 and you, Esther Klein, are a 17-year-old textile mill worker in the American northeast. You are new to the country and to industrial work, having worked previously on your parents’ farm in the old country. As much as you longed to come to America, your life as a poor Jewish industrial worker in the United States makes you have second thoughts. And life at the mill—why you and some of the other girls dream of organizing and standing up to the mill owners, but what you’ve seen of other labor organizing worries you! So tell me, Esther, what are the sources of your dissatisfaction as a poor woman, a worker, and a Jewish immigrant? Why have your dreams, of what life in America would be, changed?

Life in America is much different than I had imagined. Back home they spoke of the freedom, the ability to become anything, the endless opportunities that America held. Maybe I came to the wrong place. Father said things were going to change for the better. He said we would find peace here and we would work our way up to riches. "The American Dream!" he would proclaim. Well, my dreams were not to come to an unfamiliar land and be hated by everyone. They look at us like we disgust them. It is as if we reek a foul odor and pain them with our presence. We expected to start off low but these conditions are unacceptable. Everything is so cramped: entire families sleep on top of one another. And work is so exhausting each day. I tended the farm back home but here there is only work in factories. I must go to a mill and work alongside many women for hours with no breaks. There is poor light and no air; many days I feel I will faint. They do not let us go home when we are sick and we must come in to work each day or we will lose our job. I hate waking up so early and going home so late. I hardly have time to complete my tasks around the house in between work at the mill. I have no time to sleep. I heard talk of girls planning to protest the conditions but many women say it is taboo, that they will be fired and replaced immediately. I was approached by a girl not much older than myself about the protest. I believe she is the one who is organizing it. She says that there is a whole labor movement happening and told me of some knights who were successful in getting some of their demands met. I am inspired by her determination but I am not sure I will join. Mother says I need this job, little as it pays, to help support the family. If I am fired we cannot afford to eat. Besides, the girl beside me said that those same knights led a bunch of workers striking some company and police fired on them and killed four workers! Then they protested that too and more people ended up dying. So I do not think I will get involved. I will continue to work for meager earnings and fight to be seen as more than just a woman, just a Jew, because I know in my heart that America is changing and will become the land they spoke of back home. One day I will have everything Father dreamt of and no one will look at me like I am less. Instead they will smile and say, "you see, anything is possible: she made it and so can I".

-Esther Klien

Reaction #1

What, in your own words, is Social Darwinism? How was it used to explain a variety of circumstances (e.g. economic and racial/ethnic) in the late 19th century? Do you hear any of the same sentiments echoed today? Evaluate the theory. Do you find it valid? Why or why not?

Social Darwinism, the way I understand it, is the concept of "survival of the fittest" and "natural selection". This means that those with the ability to excel will, and those who are less qualified will not. It explains society in relation to animals in the wild. Only the strong survive and with this definition it is accepted that some are simply meant to prevail while others are destined to perish or stay at the bottom (the working class and poor). This theory easily justified the existence of slavery: slaves were inferior individuals who failed to rise to the occasion whereas slave-owners grasped the opportunity to excel and became the superior group. In the same way, the rich were better suited and were successful whereas the poor did not seize the moment and were to blame for their own predicaments. Upper classes did not believe government programs needed to be developed to aid the poor because their beliefs told them that they could better themselves with dedication and hard work. Like our textbooks state, “society faced two and only two alternatives: ‘liberty, inequality, survival of the fittest; not-liberty, equality, survival of the unfittest’”. Thus began the debate of whether or not we should abide by the beliefs of Social Darwinism and accept the inequality, or limit liberty and advance the ‘unfit’. This idea is definitely still around today: it is taught in schools and still believed in by many. Informed or oblivious as to what Social Darwinism means, people everywhere are familiar with the concept of survival of the fittest. It is the reason some nations perished and others thrived. It is the reason we in the U.S. flourish while other nations struggle to endure. Some things cannot be thoroughly explained with anything but Social Darwinism. I accept this theory and believe in it to an extent. I think that there are those who are naturally selected to do better than others, but to blame the problems of the less fortunate solely on their own actions is a bit extreme. So I agree to a certain level but I also believe in charity and progressing as a whole. I believe in those with more helping out those with less, I believe that it is our duty to take care of those who need help or cannot take care of themselves. Social Darwinism may exist but it does not mean we, as a people, cannot do better.

President Barack Obama's Inaugural Address

I know it's really long, but I think it's worth posting.
President Barack Obama's inaugural address

My fellow citizens:
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sanh.
Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. Those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers ... our found fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all the other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet (it)."
America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.

Reconstruction

So... the reconstruction was an interesting era eh? Very frustrating for former slaves And women alike. Especially the newly freed slaves, I must say that it upsets me to look back and examine the various ways that the former slaves were discriminated against and cheated out of their true "freedom". It can be a very touchy subject.