EOTO Key Post

    The 14th Amendment was ratified in 1868 and it granted citizenship to all people born in the United States. It can be seen in the Constitution written as “Nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” (US Constitution) The 14th Amendment was important because it gave African Americans citizenship which was something that they did not have until this time. The 14th Amendment was one of the Amendments passed during the Reconstruction Era. The Reconstruction Era was a historic period after the Civil War when rights started to develop for African Americans and the United States began to shift their political and social views. 

    The Reconstruction Era was from 1861-1900. During this time the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendment were added to the US Constitution. These three Amendments changed the United States and the world that we live in. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery, the 14th gave slaves citizenship, and the 15th Amendment granted African American men the right to vote. All of these Amendments changed the United States but not without a lot of work. The evolution of these Amendments led to many challenges in American society and even though the rights of African Americans were protected, society had a hard time with acceptance. What I always wondered about the Civil War and the history of discrimination in the United States was why that even with these rights African Americans were still treated so badly when it came to the law and court system? 

    One example we talked about in class that covered the 14th Amendment and the unfair treatment of African Americans in court was Plessy vs. Ferguson. Plessy vs. Ferguson was a case about a man who was ⅛ black and bought a ticket in the white section of the train cars. He was charged for violating the separate cars act. The 14th Amendment was used to argue in favor of Plessy, but Louisiana used segregation a lot in their society. Plessy broke the social norms of American society in the South at the time and this was why the case didn’t go his way. He lived in white society his entire life and when he bought a ticket, he didn’t think anything of it. When he was charged, it was a shock to him and his lawyers argued for him under the 14th amendment and the rights of all citizens - no matter their race. This was contradicting because the 14th Amendment gave citizenship to African Americans and these rights were constantly taken away. As society evolved, American society became more accepting of African Americans but not without struggle. 

    The 14th Amendment was a huge step for our country and had many positive outcomes for African Americans in the United States. For the first time in history, African Americans were recognized as citizens in the United States. Although the 14th Amendment had its drawbacks in court, overall the 14th Amendment changed the history of the US and we wouldn’t be where we are as a country today without it.

Mock Trial #2 Reflection

    The 2nd Mock Trial, Plessy vs. Ferguson was a very powerful mock trial. Our class always does such an amazing job at making persuasive and meaningful arguments. One of the statements that really stood out to me was “the Constitution is Colorblind.” I don’t remember who said this but it hit the nail right on the head when it came to the debate and what was going on at the time of the case. Plessy vs. Ferguson was a case about a man who was ⅛ black and bought a ticket in the white section of the train cars. He was charged for violating the separate cars act. The quote that I stated above represents how the constitution and the laws were still biased and racist. The 14th Amendment was used to argue in favor of Plessy, but Louisiana used segregation a lot in their society. Plessy broke the social norms of American society in the South at the time and this was why the case didn’t go his way. The constitution being colorblind applies to Plessy. He lived in white society his entire life and when he bought a ticket, he didn’t think anything of it. When he was charged, it was a shock to him and his lawyers argued for him under the 14th amendment and the rights of all citizens - no matter their race. The arguments that had the most persuasion in my opinion were the social arguments, the business argument, and the law argument. Our class once again was so passionate, persuasive, and powerful. I love listening to our class mock trials! 

Band of Angels Movie Reflection

    The movie Band of Angels was an interesting, fast moving, and informational movie. I liked it much more than Gone with the Wind simply because it was less about romance and more about the state of the United States during the Civil War. While the romance aspect was still in the movie, there were so many more topics focused around the Civil War and how people were treated during war times. The movie is about Amantha Starr who is a wealthy woman living a very wealthy life. In the movie, she finds out that her mother was black and she is sent to a slave auction. She goes from being a respected young woman to being treated like property and poorly. I thought that this plot in the movie was very intriguing and gave viewers a different perspective of the Civil War. Regardless of your skin tone, if you have even a little bit of African American blood in your body, you could be sold and treated like a slave. To tell the story of the movie from this perspective was a very powerful choice in my opinion. Showing a white woman as a slave based on her blood is something that is not traditionally talked about when we learn about the Civil War and the movie showing her journey put a forceful light on the history of the Civil War. The character Rau-Ru was another interesting and complex character. Rau-Ru was a black man living under his “master” Hamish. I put master in quotes because Rau-Ru learned how to read, write, and many more life skills as a slave. His character development throughout the movie was fascinating. We saw him struggle with his race, his place in the world, and his relationship with Hamish. At the beginning of the movie, he is portrayed as a slave to Hamish and in the end he serves as a general and becomes a free man. The Civil War was so powerful and progressive in the sense that black men could become free if they helped fight. The end of the Civil War started a new America and I feel that this can be symbolized with the ending scene of the movie. Hamish and Amantha sail away together into the sunset and this could be a metaphor of the Civil War ending slavery. Slavery ending still didn’t fix all of the racial issues in the United States that followed the 13th Amendment and the end of the Civil War, but the Civil War triggered the beginning of the end of slavery. Overall the movie Band of Angels was very powerful and I enjoyed watching it in class.