Hi Students:
Thank you for your well-written and informative self-introductions. It’s clear we have a class of diverse talents, experiences, majors, and pet lovers. I expect that we will learn a great deal more about each other and our course topics as the semester progresses.
I want to begin this week’s lesson acknowledging that there is a “war” in the United States right now over basic human rights and the teaching of factual American history and culture. The death of Mr. Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, who had been brutally beaten and pepper sprayed by police officers after a traffic stop on Jan. 7 is one example of this.
Another example is the attack in Florida on the proper teaching of African American Studies, causing the College Board to pare down its A.P. Curriculum.
It’s sad to note that in some ways this country is where it was just after the Civil War. During the period of Reconstruction (1865-1879), the South – even though it lost the war – tried to cling to anti-black policies and maintain separation and segregation (and inequality) of the races.
In order to better understand the history and literature of this period, I ask that you review the following. These readings/viewings will help to provide context for next week’s reading (the opening chapters of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn) and the racial issues our nation continues to confront.
Read:
Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address (1863)
13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments (The Reconstruction Amendments)
“New York Protests Over Death of Tyre Nichols Continue”
Featuring a statement by Timothy Hunter (City Tech graduate 2020 and Founder of Strategy for Black Lives)
View:
Reconstruction: The 15th Amendment and African American Men in Congress
“1619 Project”
Critical Race Theory (Pass It On) by City Tech Student Arnold Ludd
Post: By Tuesday, Feb. 7, post a one paragraph response to one (or more) of the above readings/viewings. You may focus on what you learned (that you did not know before), what you found interesting and/or moving, what you found disturbing, etc.
TO POST: GO TO “COMMENTS” ON THE TOP OF MY POST. SCROLL DOWN TO THE TEXT BOX BELOW AND WRITE YOUR RESPONSE. BE SURE TO ALSO “PUBLISH.”
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