Zinn’s reading regarding slavery without submission was truly an eye-opening read. I found the quote from a slave talking about singing and dancing at night after a day that he had been whipped particularly inspiring and extremely grateful for the good life I’ve been born into. His ability to be positive in such an awful situation awes me. I think it was really interesting that a majority of slave owners were afraid of rebellion, yet they tried to make it look as if they weren’t. The fact that religion was used as a means to control was particularly disheartening to me. Reading portions of letters from slaves who were separated as a family really got to me; the injustice done during this period is truly immeasurable. I think Harriet Tubman wanting freedom or death, and nothing else, says everything one would need to know about how awfully slaves were treated.
I find it interesting that in the Jim Crow era, the Communist Party was associated with the defense of young black men imprisoned. I think many people would definitely try to use this to their advantage because if there’s anything all Americans hate, it’s Communism. It is disheartening that Truman’s decision to establish a Civil Rights committee was more of an economic decision rather than a moral one. This coincides closely with what we were talking about in class a lot on Thursday regarding various presidential actions that were, in fact, political more than anything else, such as the emancipation proclamation. It seems like everything important has been up to the Supreme Court in recent years, which is sad given the executive power of the presidency. I find it surprising that the scenario regarding klansman attempting to raid Robert William’s house isn’t used more often in the second amendment debate actually. What happened in Birmingham in 1963 sounds so similar to what is currently happening in Hong Kong today, and when taking a closer look, both groups are fighting for very similar things, both of which involve true freedom. It’s sad that dreams have to explode for change to come about, unfortunately, but if explosions are the only things that have the ability to incite change, then so be it.
I would say that American slaveowners were fearful of rebellion due to the revolts occurring in the Caribbean Islands and South America at the time. While there were fewer revolts in the United States, slaves quietly revolted through everyday culture and small acts such as not working as hard, utilizing spirituality, and running away from plantations.
I recognize the behavior of Black people smiling through pain to be an aspect of the African American culture. So much oppression and pain have been input onto the people and one way that Blacks often respond to this pain is through song and music. It is ironic how slaveowners were so fearful of rebellion to the point of instilling fear into slaves in order to sustain the sense of power and control.