Question 1

Please respond to the following in a minimum 200 word post.  Be sure to comment (minimum of 150 words) on a classmate’s post

·         ONLY USE THE WEBTEXT AND COURSE MATERIALS FOR THIS DISCUSSION–NO OUTSIDE SOURCES!

·         Go to Section 3 of this week’s Webtext titled, “Lives of Slaves” and review the videos shown in the section. Next, briefly summarize the day-to-day activities of a typical slave’s daily life. Using resources from this section and the supplemental resource featured this week, determine three (3) differences in experiences between slaves then suggest two (2) reasons why the experiences may have differed.

House of Bondage: Realities of Slavery found at http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/albert/albert.html

Student example from this discussion……..

The day-to-day activities of a typical slave’s life included terrible working conditions, long hours, beatings, and dehumanization.  While some plantations differed on the treatment of slaves, the overall injustice of bondage was very much the same.

For plantations that did not require quite as much extensive labor, such as rice harvesting, the slaves worked under what was called the task system.  Once their daily chores and duties were completed, they were allowed leisure time with their friends and/or family. 

In other places, such as the cotton plantations of the South, life was much more difficult.  The slaves worked in what was known as the “gang system” in which they had slave drivers standing over them to ensure they worked non-stop or they would get beaten and whipped. 

In this week’s Supplemental reading of “House of Bondage: The Reality of Slavery,” Aunt Charlotte pointed out some differences between living in Virginia and Louisiana.  In Virginia, she could attend church and have prayer meetings on Sunday which was observed as a day of rest. In Louisiana, Sunday was not observed as a day of rest and they were not allowed to worship or pray or else they would be beaten.  They did not have the freedom that was allowed on some of the other plantations.

One of the biggest reasons why slaves were treated differently is based on the religion of the master.  It seems the Protestants wanted to share the teachings of the Bible with the slaves, even if only to make themselves feel better about the situation.  The Catholics in the Deep South did not observe the Sabbath on Sundays, and they did not allow or practice the teachings of Christianity amongst the slaves they owned.  They would be punished if caught worshipping at all. 

Another reason is based on the type of plantation and cash crop being grown and harvested and the amount of greed and power held by the master.  The bigger the plantation, the more slaves that were needed to work the fields.  They were driven hard and not allowed very much time for them.  If the master leaned toward the idea of paternalism, they were more likely to be allowed a little bit more freedoms during their down time. 

QUESTION 2

“Eyes on the West” Please respond to the following in a minimum 200 word post.  Be sure to comment (minimum of 150 words) on a classmate’s post

ONLY USE THE WEBTEXT AND COURSE MATERIALS FOR THIS DISCUSSION–NO OUTSIDE SOURCES!

Before the American Revolution, England had prohibited colonists from migrating westward beyond the Appalachian Mountains. Explore this week’s Webtext materials; then, discuss five (5) factors that led to further westward expansion. Select two (2) of the five (5) factors you previously stated that you believe were most significant in getting Americans to migrate west. Include emerging federal government policies that were a cause and a result of westward expansion

Native American Blog on Manifest Destiny found at http://blog.nrcprograms.org/manifest-destiny/

“Racism in the Civil War North” Please respond to the following with a minimum of 200 words and be sure to comment on a classmate’s post with a minimum of 150 words

BASE YOUR DISCUSSION ON THE WEBTEXT AND COURSE MATERIALS AND ONLY USE AN OUTSIDE SOURCE SUPPLEMENTALLY AND IDENTIFY IT IN YOUR POST AND COMMENT

After Lincoln officially announceed the Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863, the Civil War enveloped a two-fold purpose: fighting for reuniting the Union, and prohibiting slavery in captured confederate territory. This action set off a chain reaction that led to draft riots, which demonstrated Northern racism and casualties between blacks and whites. Go to Section 2 of this week’s Webtext titled “Why the North Won”, and view the resources provided for the section discussing the New York City Draft iots.  Next explain three (3) ways that these riots supported the ‘myth’ of the anti-racist liberals of the North and the difficulties facing free African Americans.

Be sure to include which Union states held slaves throughout the Civil War and why this was an ongoing problem for Lincoln and the Union.