Walk of Death

      The Trail of Tears has always been a reoccurring topic discussed in history classes I have taken. Just as we’re (students) are taught, they were forced off their land and were considered, “backward and ignorant”, therefore had to learn the Christian way of living. However, many of the individuals interviewed in the film we saw in class, stated that we need to learn about the history of the Cherokee population because a lot of facts are left unsaid and I feel that’s what I really gained insight to. I always thought they were forced to do what they were told by the whites such as changing their lifestyle and learning the European culture. But, I learned they actually wanted to adapt to white customs in order to keep their homeland. And, most of all they were successful in doing so. Doing everything the right way, regarding changing their ways and participating in the missionary schools, chaos still broke out when two leaders, Elias Boudinot and John Ridges wanted to marry white women. Now, the issues among the Cherokee people were about “color”. They proved they are capable of the same things white can do, yet this served as a new excuse for them to suffer from oppression.

       It just doesn’t seem to make sense that a group of people were treated less than humans by the same people who welcomed them with open arms at one point. Looking at the big picture, the real reason of it was purely greed. Wealth was the motive, which is what President Jackson wanted and of course he had the support in the Cherokee genocide and obviously the power to do so. It was survival of the fittest, a concept in Social Darwinism. In the case of the Cherokee population, money was something to fight for, not for them, but for the whites which is why the Cherokees couldn’t testify against whites, sell land, mine for gold or have freedom of speech. Even the sympathizers and intellectuals had to be eliminated.

     Everything has to be done to make sure wealth was in the hands of the whites and only them. As we discussed, global genocide is evident throughout history as a repeating event. And unfortunately, we’re not safe today either. Greed drives people to do bizarre things, whether it’s on a big or small scale. A lot of times, wants are placed on top of needs. It  makes me think of a small example like the MTA and their greed when it comes to raising up the fares, with the poor economy and middle class struggling enough already. But, of course, there are always excuses as to why their actions are justified.

Slave & Citizen Claims

      Last Tuesday was the first day that I joined my Violence in American Art & Culture class, in discussing Slave and Citizen. I thought many of the passages that we went over together throughout pages 1-52 were very interesting. As we analyzed quotes and tried to translate it in a language to better understand what Tannenbaum was trying to explain, I realized there were a lot of statements that actually made sense and can be applied to in today’s world. One such example is, “The shadow of slavery is still cast ahead of us”, suggesting that slavery was still going to exist in the future, even after the Emancipation Proclamation or 13^th amendment. I feel like this statement also has a deeper meaning; the underlying root of slavery such as hate will also linger in the minds of those who feel a sense of superiority over others. Just like we were talking about in class, the end of slavery failed morally to free the white man because it still exists in his mind. I think this is absolutely relevant even now in certain places; the prejudice against other based on the idea of “race”. One thing such as a law can’t change the way people feel or think about others.

     On another note, I realized that the major claim we pulled out from the text and our discussion is the following line; “For in Brazil the Negro and especially the mulatto, had an access to the culture and a role in social life unknown in the U.S.”. Basically, I feel this means that although slavery exists in different parts of the world, the actual system of how it operates differs. One claim which supports the major claim that I found complex and interesting was a concept in science and religion. I think on page 46, I realized how one religion or beliefs can be interpreted in different ways. On one hand, the British believed science above Christianity and race is biologically unequal, while the Spanish believed everyone is equal and have souls.

     As I take it all in, I believe the fundamentals of human nature are the basis of what we discussed. The idea that some individuals are better than others is obviously something that has always been in history as we can see.