Sunday, January 26, 2014

Henry Demarest Lloyd


Henry Demarest Lloyd was born in New York City on 1st May, 1847. His father was a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church but in 1860 he left and opened a small bookshop. After graduating from Columbia College in 1867 Lloyd attended Columbia Law School. He then worked as an assistant secretary for the American Free Trade Association. He also joined the Young Men's Municipal Reform Association, which helped to overthrow William Tweed, the mayor of New York.
In 1872 Lloyd joined the Chicago Tribune. He worked as literary editor from 1872-1874. In 1874 he became financial editor of the newspaper. Then, Lloyd became the newspaper's chief editorial writer in 1880. While working for the Chicago Tribune Lloyd published a series of articles exposing corruption in business and politics. These articles caused a scene and Lloyd has been described as America's first investigative journalist
Over the next few years Lloyd was a part of the campaign to bring an end to child labor and to achieve clemency for the men accused of the Haymarket Bombing. He was also a strong supporter of women's suffrage and the trade union movement. Lloyd became a leading figure in the reform movement and influenced a generation of political activists including John Peter Altgeld, Clarence Darrow, William Dean Howells and John Dewey. 

Sunday, January 19, 2014

The Battle of Little Bighorn





The Battle of the Little Bighorn, was fought on June 25, 1876, near the Little Bighorn River in Montana Territory. Federal troops led by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer were against a band of Lakota Sioux and Cheyenne warriors. Tensions between the two groups had been rising since the discovery of gold on Native American lands. When numerous tribes missed a federal deadline to move to reservations, the U.S. Army, including Custer and his 7th Calvary, were dispatched to confront them.



The U.S. Cavalry was attempting to force the Indians back to their reservations and divided into three columns to attack. One of the columns was led by Lt. General George Custer. He spotted a Sioux camp and decided to attack it. Indian forces outnumbered his troops 3 - 1. Custer and his troops were forced to rearrange. While waiting for help from the other Cavalry forces, another group of Indian forces trapped Custer and his troops. In a desperate attempt to hold off the Indian warriors, Custer ordered his men to short their horses and stack their bodies to form a barricade to protect them from the Indians.

It took less than an hour for the arrows and bullets of the Indians to wipe out General Custer and his men. Despite having won this battle, the Indians were not victorious. Outrage over the death of the popular Custer led the U.S. government to redraw the boundaries of the Black Hills so that the land would not be part of reservation property, which left it open for white men to settle.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Chinese Immigration and Exclusion

After the American Civil War, Chinese workers migrated to the United States. First, to work in the gold mines, but also to take agricultural jobs, and factory work, especially in the garment industry. Chinese immigrants were active in building railroads in the American west, and as Chinese laborers grew successful in the United States, a number of them became entrepreneurs in their own ways. As the numbers of Chinese laborers increased, so did the numbers of anti-Chinese sentiment among other workers in American. This finally resulted in legislation that aimed to limit future immigration of Chinese workers to the United States, and threatened to divide diplomatic relations between the United States and China.



According to Document A, an Anti-Chinese Play from 1879 called, " The Chinese Must Go," Americans passed the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act because the Chinese complained and expected too much. Their ideas were that they were smarter and should only work and get payed - not the Americans. "Chinaman plenty work, plenty money, plenty to eat. White man no work, no money, die-sabee?"According to Document B, a Political Cartoon from 1871 by Thomas Nast for Harper's Weekly, Americans passed the 1822 Chinese Exclusion Act because the Chinese are not only taking the Americans' jobs but the other immigrants' jobs as well. The cartoon displays immigrants vs immigrants and in the wall on the back many negative things are being said about the Chinese. "The lowest and vilest of the human race."


According to Document C, a speech to the workingmen of San Francisco from August 1888, Americans passed the 1822 Chinese Exclusion Act because, again, Chinese are taking away the Americans' jobs. "The boot, shoe and cigar industries are almost entirely in their hands." 
According to Document D, an excerpt from Lee Chew's autobiography from 1903 called "The Biography of a Chinaman," Americans passed the 1822 Chinese Exclusion Act because the other immigrants envied the Chinese for their good qualities of work. The Chinese were simply better. "The Chinese were persecuted, not for their vices [sins], but for their virtues [good qualities]."

Saturday, December 14, 2013

The Battle of Shiloh



The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburgh Landing, was fought on April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee not far from Corinth, Mississippi. The campaign consisted of Federal Penetration up the Cumberland and Tennessee River. Another battle in this campaign was Fort Denelson. The total of forces engaged was 110,053, 65,085 were Union soldiers and 44,968 were Confederate soldiers. The total estimated casualties was 23, 746. Union - 8,408 wounded, 2,885 missing & captured, 13,047 total. Confederate - 1,728 killed, 8,012 wounded, 959 missing & captured, 1,754 killed, 10,669 total. General Albert Sidney Johnston, commander of Confederate forces in the Western Theater, hoped to defeat Union major general Ulysses S. Grant’s Army of the Tennessee before it could be reinforced by Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell’s Army of the Ohio, which was marching from Nashville. 

Commanders
Union: Ulysses S. Grant (Left)  Confederate: Albert Sidney Johnston (Right)

The battle of Shiloh was said to be one of the bloodiest battles of the entire civil war. More people were killed in the two days that the battle of Shiloh took place then the entire American Revolution and Mexican War combined. Out of a total of 110,053 men, 3,482 were killed in only two days. During the first day of battle Gen. Albert S. Johnston of the Confederacy was killed. After his death Gen. P.G.T. Beaurecard of the confederacy took over command for the rest of the brief yet bloody battle. After the two day battle the Union finally won. As a result of the victory the Union was able to secure their position on the Western front. Thus giving them an advantage over the Confederacy which may have allowed them to finally win the Civil War.



Monday, December 9, 2013

Journey Through Slavery Pt. 4 - Judgment Day

Andrew Jackson forced tribes, like the Cherokees,off of their own land to make room for white settlers and more slaves. Twenty-five million acres were ceased from the tribes. He held a belief in equal individual rights, but he made unjust actions such as Indian Removal but it could be clarified as what Jackson had to do in a position of president, facing the public, the millions of people who would never be satisfied; Jackson seemed realizing the fact way early before his election of 1899, claiming, "I am a Senator against my wishes and feelings, which I regret more than any other of my life."






Harriet Ann Jacobs was a runaway slave. She hid in many places before ending up at her grandmother's house. She hid there for seven years. Relatives would bring her food and watch over her children. She chose this life over slavery. After nearly seven years hiding in a tiny garret above her grandmother’s home, Jacobs took a step other slaves dared to dream in 1842; she secretly boarded a boat in Edenton, N.C., bound for Philadelphia, New York and, eventually, freedom.





Slavery was a huge impact on blacks all around the world, even if you were a free man. David Walker, a free black man, started a private war against slave holders in 1829. He also created "Walkers Appeal." In the appeal he condemned slavery, told slaves to rise against their owners, and charged the nation for being #fake. He smuggled appeals by sowing them into coats of black sailors. Southern officials put a price on Walkers head: $1,000 dead or $10,000 alive.
William Garrison, a white abolitionist and owner of The Liberator newspaper, supported Walker and put his appeal in the newspaper. He wanted to persuade the white men that slavery was a sin.
Primary Source: http://docsouth.unc.edu/nc/walker/menu.html




There were many supporters of anti-slavery. Many risked recapture to speak on anti-slavery, like Frederick Douglas. Men signed petitions to end slavery in the capitol. White abolitionist even stood up for the black. White people knew slavery was wrong but believed if they set frees it would disrupt the constitution or unleash a war. I agree that slavery is wrong and would speak on behalf of the slaves. Its crazy what slaves would do to escape and how much needs to be done to end slavery and racisim and even till this day racisim and segregation still exists.





Mother Ann Lee


Mother Ann Lee was born in Manchester, England on February 29, 1736. She joined "The Shaking Quakers," a religious sect, in 1758. Ann Lee preached to the public and led the Shaker church at a time when few women did either. In 1770 she revealed her vision of the second coming of Christ. Around that time she was given the nickname " Mother Ann" and became the sects leader.  She founded the first U.S. settlement of Quakers, Watervliet, New York in 1774. She died in New York on September 8, 1784.



Journey Through Slavery Pt. 3 - Brotherly Love

Thomas Jefferson played a huge role in the journey through slavery. During the revolution he stated, "All men are created equal." Later it turned out that, that statement only applied to white men. Jefferson often preached one thing but practiced another. In 1793 he was Secretary of State and owner of over 130 humans. Jefferson gave us the Declaration of Independence but also the first to state in writing that blacks and whites can not live together as equals. In 1781, 5 years after he composed the Declaration of Independence, he wrote  notes on the state of Virginia. In the 7th Query he states, "their griefs are transient, their odor disagreeable..." Primary Source: http://docsouth.unc.edu/southlit/jefferson/jefferson.html

Although there were many against the blacks their were some supporters. For example, Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, had a reputation as a friend to the black community. He joined Richard Allen to raise funds for the African church. Later, shown, Rush believed that blacks were immune to Yellow fever and believed the blacks would be of service to him to help cure the whites. That did not work.






Some hope was given to slaves through actions by some men like Richard Allen, Benjamin Rush, but most importantly by a black Virginian slave named Gabriel. Gabriel stole a pig and was took to court outside of Virginia in 1799. Instead of taking the abuse and being told what to do he tackled the white man who called him and bit his ear. He was publicly humiliated and sent to jail.
When out of jail he organized to strike against those holding them in bondage. He made shovels into swords, molded bullets, and recruited men for soldiers of a rebel army.



Fugitive slaves and free men want the country to live up to the promises made in the Constitution, but certain things refuse that from happening. Eli Whitney invented the "Cotton Gin" which made the nation grow, but slavery grew as well. More slaves were needed to work the machines and slavery was moved westward. Primary Source: http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=14