In the Heat of the Night Reflection

In the Heat of the Night  released in 1967 following a murder mystery in a small southern town is a wonderful film that shows life during the Jim Crow era. The movie follows the main character Virgil Tibbs, played by Sydney Poititer and is centered around the mysterious murder of a wealthy businessman named Philip Colbert.

In the beginning, Virgil Tibbs is the main suspect in the case. He is then put into jail by Police Chief Bill Gillespie. However, it is revealed that Tibbs is not the murderer and is set free. Eventually, he begins working with the local police department to solve the murder since he is a detective from Philadelphia. It was very uncommon for there to be black officers or detectives, especially in the South, creating many questions about his ability to perform his job. 

As the movie progresses, Virgil Tibbs and Officer Gillespie form a bond even though they are in the Jim Crow South, where a friendship like theirs is highly unlikely. At the beginning they didn't see eye to eye and Gillespie was cruel towards Tibbs, however he realises how good of a detective Tibbs is and how he is more knowledgeable than him despite his prior beliefs that black men are not as good as white men. 

One turning point in their relationship is when they go to speak with Mr. Endicott. When talking to him, Tibbs accuses Endicott of murdering Philip Colbert. Endicott slaps Tibbs out of anger and Tibbs retaliates, shocking everyone around them. Gillespie views Tibbs's anger and retaliation toward Endicott as a way that proves that Tibbs is just a man part of the middle class who doesn't want to put up with wealthy white racists aligning Tibbs and Gillespie's beliefs. This event further strengthens their bond and symbolizes how society should unite despite race and realize the similarities that bring them together. 

In conclusion, I really enjoyed watching In the Heat of the Night and would even watch the film again. I think the movie did a great job of showing what life was like in the Jim Crow South for black people. Which, was interesting since they were no longer enslaved but still being treated horribly by whites around them. 

Brown v. Board Mock Trial

We are gathered here today in this courtroom to dispute the case of Brown V. Board. A case that takes place in 1950s America. Some may not think that this was a progressive time for black Americans. However, it was, and many positive events occurred. Why would we side with the board and segregate public schools based on race? When we as a society are moving forward and taking productive steps toward an equal society between white and black citizens where everyone is treated fairly, no matter the color of their skin. 

One of the positive movements for black citizens during this time we can look to is the desegregation of the military. This occurred when the Selective Service and Training Act became law on September 16th, 1940, which included two antidiscrimination clauses allowing black men to enlist and prohibited discrimination in the military. Following this law, Benjamin O. Davis Jr. became the first African Ameican General in the United States Airforce. If we can integrate the military and allow all to fight for this great country we call our home, then why can't we also allow that same group of people to gain an education with their white peers? Aren't we stripping them of something that should be their right? 

We have also begun to change sports by integrating black and white athletes. In 1950, Earl Lyod became the first African American basketball player in the NBA. Athena Gibson became the first Black female athlete to desegregate tennis and golf. She even went on to compete at Wimbledon. Also, in 1908, Jack Johnson became the first Black heavyweight boxing champion of the world, representing the United States of America. Finally, how can we forget Jackie Robinson and how he became the first Black baseball player to play in the American major leagues during the 20th century. He broke the decades-old what some would refer to as the "color line" or "color barrier," which excluded players of African descent from participating in the Major Leagues and Minor leagues.

Look at James Weldon Johnson and what he has been able to do by being provided with an education. I acknowledge that he did go to a segregated High School in Flordia until the eighth grade and then to Atlanta University, which was also segregated. However, he has been able to become an author, professor, lawyer, newspaper founder, and songwriter, all because he gained an education. This is something that can be made more accessible to black people if we end this segregation within our schools.

How is it that nearly ninety years after the abolishment of slavery, we are still fighting for the rights of our own citizens just because of their race? This community has done so much to better America by fighting for our country, representing us on world stages, and uplifting their voices that have been silenced for too long. All they ask, more specifically, all Brown asks for is the right to an education with their fellow Americans. We have come so far as a society; we can not go backward, which is precisely what would happen, your honor, if you were to side with Board today. I urge you to think of the disservice you would be doing to the Black community in this country. Don't they deserve more? 

Mock Trial Reaction: Plessy v. Ferguson

The court was filled with individuals listening to the arguments from the defendants and plaintiffs regarding the Plessy v Ferguson case. Both side's arguments were strong and filled with evidence in favor of their side. I thoroughly enjoyed the mock trial as a whole and felt that it ran smoothly. 

Starting with the side in favor of Plessy, they touched on many reasons as to why he shouldn't have been thrown off the train car by police or fined. The religious argument stood out to me. Paige specifically took excerpts from the Bible that each person is made uniquely by God. Therefore, why should white people be held in such high regard while black individuals are treated so poorly, like in this case, Plessy? Also, they took into account how Plessy was only one-eighth African American, meaning he only had one black grandparent in his lineage. Additionally, they brought it to the judge's and jury's attention that segregation is costing our country an immense amount of money due to the fact that they must purchase double of everything. 

However, the opposing side also crafted a strong argument. The economic argument was quite interesting and argued many solid points. Some of these included having a "black wall street" boosts the economy, having integrated businesses that may scare off customers, segregating people makes it easier for businesses to produce products certain groups want, etc. The mention of segregated education systems was also a key point, discussing how it is pointless to have white and black children in the same schools since black kids won't be able to keep up. 

Overall, I enjoyed listening to all the arguments presented. I believe many of my peers did an amazing job at arguing their side in an effective manner. In the end, the judge ruled in favor of Plessy, determining that he should not have to pay the fine. 

EOTO Reconstruction Era: Civil Rights Act of 1875

The Civil Rights Act of 1875 was first introduced in 1870 by Charles Sumner, an abolitionist and radical Republican Senator from Massachusetts. He was one of the few white male politicians of his time who dedicated his career to supporting the abolition of slavery and advocating for black rights. This bill gave all citizens access to public accommodations such as theaters, restaurants, hotels, and forms of transportation regardless of skin color. Also, it frobade excluding any person from jury service based on their race and required all lawsuits brought under the Civil Rights Act to be tried in federal, not state courts. 

The Civil Rights act specifically stated, "That all persons within the jurisdiction of the United States shall be entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of the accommodations, advantages, facilities, and privileges of inns, public conveyances on land or water, theaters, and other places of public amusement; subject only to the conditions and limitations established by law, and applicable alike to citizens of every race and color, regardless of any previous condition of servitude." This shows how the ultimate goal of this act was to protect all United States citizen's, civil and legal rights post Civil War and slavery.

As expected many if not all the Southerners in the Senate did not approve of the bill, this caused great debate in the Senate. Hours were spent arguing with one another and even became heated at times when either side reused to back down and disregard their beliefs. These arguments were centered around whether Congress had the constitutional right to decide who the juries selected for state courts could be made up of. After many disputes and conversations among the Sentators, those who supported the bill agreed t drop one thing from it. They had decided to eliminate the portion that prohibited segregation in public schools, which would later go on to change the course of history. 

Sumner thought that the Civil Rights Act would be the most outstanding achievement of Reconstruction. He stated, "Very few measures of equal importance have ever been presented." Sumner wholeheartedly believed in his bill and that it would be extremely pivotal in U.S. history. Unfortunately, Sumner did not live to see what happened to his bill. In March 1874 he unexpectedly died due to a heart attack att only sixty-three years old. On his death bed Sumner said to his friend Frederick Douglass, "Don't let the bill fail, you must take care of my civil rights bill." Luicily Douglass made sure Sumner's legacy lived on in American history and with The Civil Rights Act of 1875. 

The bill was brought to the floor for a vote in February 1875 and was eventually passed on February 27th that same year, with a vote of thirty-eight to twenty-six. With the majority of votes in favor of the bill coming from the Republican party. Soon the bill became law on March 1, 1875 and was the first public accommodation law to ever be passed in the United States. 

Reconstruction Documentary Reflection

I learned new information by watching the Reconstruction-Era documentary. The documentary started out with news footage of a 2015 crime that occurred at a historically black church, where a twenty-one year old man opened fire on churchgoers. This highlighted how beliefs from the Civil War and Reconstruction Era are sadly still prevalent today, harming the black community all around us. 

This time in history was when everyone in the country no matter their race tried to come together post Civil War and was filled with both hope and violence. Around 180,000 black men had enlisted in the war and were then freed when the Union had won. The United States had to essentially rebuild. However, this became very difficult after Lincoln was assassinated due to his anti-slavery views and Andrew Johnson was sworn in as President. Quickly, many anti-slavery politicians and activists criticized Johnson. One of the most notable was Frederick Douglass, who noticed that when he went to shake Johnson's hand, he was very apprehensive and smelt of alcohol. Johnson did many unlikeable things that didn't work, some of which included giving white people ways to "keep black citizens under wraps," requiring wealthy Southerners to come to him personally to be pardoned, etc. 

Finding family members after being separated because of slavery was a huge problem at the time. Local newspapers would allow people to put "information wanted" columns in the paper with information regarding a family member they were looking for. People even began walking on foot to places where they had last seen a certain family member, hoping they could possibly find them there. 

Rioting became extremely prevalent in areas of the South where white people couldn't accept the fact that slaves were no longer slaves and were free citizens who must be treated equally. One riot happened in Memphis Tennessee killing forty-eight people where all but two were black, and another shortly after occurred in New Orleans killing forty black people. 

There were a lot of negative occurrences during this time, but there were also some positives, including implementing the Fifteenth Amendment. This gave black men the right to vote. Sadly, when black men went to vote they had to go in groups with weapons in case any white people tried to attack. 

The Reconstruction Era was a difficult period in U.S. history with many negatives and positives. Watching the documentary gave me insight to what this time was truly like.

Gone With the Wind Reflection

Gone With the Wind is a powerful movie that draws viewers in and leaves them with a new perspective. The film was released in 1939  and is set during the 1800s while the Civil War is happening in the South. The movie focuses on Scarlett the main character, and how her life changes from an everyday Southern woman to someone thrown into war. 

At the beginning of the movie Scarlett is a boy-crazy young woman who follows the social norms of society. She is only focused on doing her duty of marrying a man and then having children. Women during this time were viewed as being the ones to run the household, who must listen to men and bear children. Although, this was not the life Scarlett ultimately lived. You see in the film when the women are sleeping at the Twelve Oaks Plantation, and the men are downstairs discussing the war; they get word that war has begun and troops are being sent. Therefore, all the men leave the women behind to fight. This is the start of Scarlett's new life. She moves to Atlanta and works to help injured soldiers at a nearby hospital. While in Atlanta, she gains a new sense of independence. 

Her new independence is shown when Altanata is invaded, and she must flee. She drives a carriage with Prissy, Melanie, and Melanie's new baby, all while the city burns down. The trip back to Tara takes many long and tireless days, but thankfully they make it back safely. 

War changes Scarlett into an independent woman. However, she never moves on from Ashley Wilkes, Melanie's husband. This trait of Scarlett's sticks with her throughout the movie and drives many of her selfish decisions, which makes her more of a controversial character. 

There are also many other important characters shown. One of those is Mammy, played by Hattie McDaniel. Mammy is a house slave to the family and primarily serves Scarlett. She is very outspoken, strict, and protective, serving as almost a motherly figure to Scarlett by keeping her in line and steering her away from Ashley Wilkes. By the end of the film, Mammy is the one holding the family together and helping Scarlett in any way she can.

It is crucial to understand how women such as Scarlett and Mammy were changed due to war and how that affected them overall. We can also connect these characters to actual women who lived during the Civil War. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Gone With the Wind and believe that it gave me a new perspective on women's lives during this time. 

EOTO Reaction

During the each one-teach-one presentations I learned insightful information about pro-slavery and anti-slavery events. However, the anti-slavery events stuck out the most to me. 

One topic taught that I found very interesting was anti-slavery newspapers. Two newspapers were discussed, The North Star founded by Frederick Douglass in 1847 and The Liberator founded by William Lloyd Garrison in 1831. The North Stars motto was "Right is of no sex - Truth is of no color," while the Liberators was "Our country is the world - our countrymen are mankind." Though they were started at different points in history they both pushed heavily for the abolishment of slavery and provided information to American citizens to change their viewpoints. 

Additionally, I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the Underground Railroad. Before listening to the presentation, I was unaware that it was not actually underground. This system was designed as a symbol against slavery that helped enslaved black individuals escape the horrors of slavery. They did this by going to free states in the north such as Ohio or Pennsylvania, and sometimes even going out of the country into Canada. Close to 100,000 people were able to escape slavery due to this system. Some of the most notable figures who helped aid this program were Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and William Still. 

One of my peers also taught everyone about the topic of slavery rebellions and uprisings. More specifically, the revolt led by Nat Turner. This event occurred on August 21, 1831 in Southhampton County, Virginia. It had been said that Turner felt that he was sent by God to hold this rebellion. Turner and the seven other slaves with him killed about sixty people. Ultimatley, Nat Turner was tried in Southhampton County and sentenced to execution, where he was then hung on November 11th. 

Through each one-teach-one, I gained more knowledge about anti-slavery newspapers, the Underground Railroad, and Nat Turner's rebellion by listening to the information taught by my fellow classmates.