Reconstruction Video Reaction:

 This video begins by asserting that the Reconstruction Era served as the backbone for anti-black hate crimes. After the Civil War had ended, America was optimistic that it would be reconstructed better than ever before. In addition, African Americans were optimistic to the new ideals and laws being pushed forward. The Reconstruction amendments were passed and The Emancipation Proclamation helped support the abolition of slavery. The government's outlook on Reconstruction was divided once again between the North and the South. 

The newspapers started to highlight the separation of slave families and Abraham Lincoln continued to support his ideals. Lincoln tried his best to convince the people that African American men should have the right to vote, but due to his progressive views, he was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in 1865.

 After the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson rose to power as the new President of The United States. Unlike Lincoln, Johnson had very complex views. Johnson grew up as a poor white southerner who resented the planter class, whom he believed to be at fault for the country's issues. Johnson also displayed racial tendencies which was evident when he refused to shake the hand of Frederick Douglass.

 Many other southerners were determined to preserve their old way of life while most of the northerners were ready to move forward. Black Codes were created during this period to guarantee that there was as little change to slavery as possible. The Black Codes were more specifically designed to keep African Americans subordinate, indefinitely. 

Tensions rose among the states and riots broke out in Memphis and New Orleans. Despite this, the 1866 midterms provided a solution as Republicans took up the majority of Congress and pushed the new phase of Military Reconstruction. The decade of Reconstruction wasn't entirely easy for African Americans and the rest of America to endure, but it absolutely shed hope to the future that was yet to come. 

Gone With The Wind Reaction:

The movie, Gone With The Wind (1940), portrays the horrific reality of of the Civil War and its destructive effect on everyone and everything involved. 

The movie has a very aged feel to it and the costumes, scenery, and language are all very representative of older times. 

 The film takes place in the South and follows the story of a young woman, Scarlett O'Hara. Scarlett is a part of a wealthy family and is portrayed as a rich and spoiled young woman. Scarlett finds herself in a sort of love triangle with her best friend, Ashley Wilkes, and her love interest, Rhett Butler. She does everything in her power to win over Rhett, but realizes that she is being desperate and is only acting the way she is in order to please him. 

Although the movie highlights the romance of Scarlett O'Hara and the brutality of The Civil War, it had deep rooted topics that are easily identifiable to us today.The is recognized for its questionable and controversial portrayal of African Americans and slavery. The most prominent African American character, Mammy, is played by the Academy Award winning Hattie McDaniel. Between Hattie's performance and the structure of the movie at the time, the aspects of slavery were apparent to more modern audiences. The most prominent example of an offensive slave stereotype was through an African American slave named Prissy. She was shown as being dumb and having trouble speaking properly. The slaves were also abused often and belittled frequently, which shed light to the unfortunate reality of how slaves were actually treated. 

I am not normally a fan of older movies, but I think that Gone With The Wind is a great example of how far we have come as a society. Although the movie displayed uncomfortable and socially unacceptable topics, it did its job to provide our generation and future generations with an idea of how life was back then. 

State Vs. Mann - Mock Trial Reaction:

 Today was the trial of John Mann vs. the state. John Mann was accused of assaulting and attempting to murder a slave. This slave's name was Lydia and she was only working for Mann temporarily under the jurisdiction of her owner, Elizabeth Jones. John Mann had allegedly beat Lydia and in attempt to escape Mann, Lydia tried to run away. This decision led to John Mann shooting Lydia in the. back, heavily wounding her. 

Both Mann and the state presented their perspectives with reasonable and firm arguments.

The state pushed that the actions of John Mann violated the ten commandments by bringing harm to others and by attempting to kill another human being. Slavery is the foundation of the country's economic structure. Without slaves, our economy would collapse, so why can't they be treated with respect? They should not be abused and trafficked like animals. Instead, they should be treated with better living conditions. There has to be a reason that Lydia and slaves alike run away, so maybe if they were not mistreated then they would be more willing to cooperate. In addition, Lydia was not owned by John Mann. He was simply having her work for him under the authority of her owner, Elizabeth Jones. Since Mann did not own her, he had no right to punish her. Mann should have been charged with assault and battery.

John Mann argued that his actions were justified and were within the legal bounds of their situation. Thus he felt that his $10 fine should be appealed. From Mann's perspective, Lydia running away was her "traveling without permission." If he had not taken action, there is no telling what Lydia would have done once she got away and may have caused harm to other people. If she had done this, it would be John Mann's fault as he was in charge of monitoring her for the time being. This made him feel twice as obligated to make sure that she did not cause havoc in the community. It was argued that punishment was a key component in maintaining control of the system, and without it, the entire system would fall.