Reflection

I really enjoyed taking this class this semester.  This is the first time that I have taken a humanities course at the University of Michigan, so I was a little bit out of my comfort zone, as most of the classes I have taken have been math or science.  Because I do not have a strong background in history, much of the content of our readings was somewhat new to me.  I really enjoyed learning about history strictly from an American culture perspective.  I consider myself very American and very patriotic, so it is great to now know much more about how exactly our rich history was constructed.  I also liked that this course allowed for debate and discussion of the ethics of America's historical decisions and that the reading for the course was not straight out of a textbook, but that it was from a variety of texts, sources, and viewpoints.

I now feel much more confident in my knowledge and more capable of engaging in academic discussions about American culture.  America truly is a "melting pot" of various ethnicities and I thoroughly enjoyed learning how our narrative has not just been constructed by the agenda of early white settlers, but that groups such as Native Americans, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Japanese Americans, have made (and are still making) America the great nation that it is today.

The Montgomery Bus Boycott

I found this article to be very interesting.  In history classes in elementary school and high school, students always read about and learn about the roles important historical figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks played in paving the way to the end of segregation.  It was very interesting to learn about a woman who clearly played a very significant role in the fight against segregated seating on public buses, but does not have as much notoriety as Rosa Parks.  Gibson Robinson is a very likable character, in that she is very humble and unbiased as she recounts events, making sure that readers understood that there were some white bus drivers who were very nice and courteous toward African-American riders.  In fact, she even acknowledges that most of them were "just doing their jobs."

I was very impressed by how tirelessly Gibson Robinson worked.  She successfully lead a boycott against public transportation and still came fully prepared to every single one of her classes.  Her story is very remarkable and inspiring and it clearly indicates that there are surely many uncovered stories of under-appreciated African-American citizens who worked endlessly to help end segregation in the United States, and these citizens should be commended for their efforts.

Final Reflection

Now that the class is over and I am studying for the final, I can see how much material we have covered and how much I have gained from it. In our last class, we were asked to share one thing that we learned in the class, and I said that I thought the first-hand accounts we read were the most valuable part of the course. I was able to see American History through the eyes of the people that lived it, and it made our country's history - which we have all learned about since elementary school - come alive. 

Reflecting now, I see how each time period and the events that took place helped to shape the culture of the America that we live in today. Before this class started I wasn't really sure what "American culture" even was. Hot dogs and hamburgers? Red, white and blue? Being loud and fat? Now I see the history that we all share and I recognize parts of our culture and our rituals, and I see that while we have come a long way, we still have a ways to go. Perhaps we still struggle with defining ourselves as a nation.

As we continue forward, we all must keep in mind what we have learned in this class. The United States will continue to strive for a more concrete national identity, but we cannot let this struggle exclude people as it has in the past. In defining "American," we have previously left out various groups of people - from Native Americans to Japanese immigrants - that deserved to be a part of this nation as much as anyone else. I just hope that the future is one of acceptance and peace within our country as we continue seeking our identity.

A Consumer's Republic

I found the subject of "A Consumer's Republic" to be very interesting, as the book made many valid points that are often forgotten today.  I liked that she used many examples throughout her writing to illustrate her various points, including many from the Depression and World War II.  She shows how being a citizen in the United States of America in the post-war era has been drastically redefined by consumerism.  I also enjoyed the arguments she made and examples she gave about women and minorities during this time period, and how the effect they had on consumerism was later redeemed through Civil Rights movements of the 50s and 60s.

After reading this thought-provoking book, I feel much more educated about the United States twentieth century economic history.  Although I thought the book to be very interesting, I also found it difficult to follow at times because of the many long, winding sentences that are a part of her writing style.  I found myself having to re-read sections quite often in order to fully understand her argument.  However, I would definitely recommend this book to others, as it does a great job of depicting and analyzing consumerism.

Epic Encounters: King Tut Article

Epic Encounters was a very enlightening article. It really showed race and political relations between America and Egypt, and White America and African Americans. The King Tut phenomena in the 70’s was more than a simple exhibit in the MET, but a catalyst for talks about middle eastern oil and ancient civilizations. On an international scale the King Tut exhibit was a sign of good relations between America and the Middle East. It showed that we valued their culture, and this opened a door for us to secure oil. On a national scale the King Tut exhibit touched on thoughts about race and white cultural supremacy. Many believed that Egypt became such a dominant civilization because of the migration of Europeans and Asians into that region. This thought was displayed in the way the exhibit was laid out and the through reviews that scholars gave about the exhibit. The African American community did not accept this thought about Egypt and its formation as a great ancient civilization. King Tut represented a role model and a connection to a culturally rich past for African Americans.
This article is really well written and showed the Western European mentality about imperialism and race. America only seemed to acknowledge certain people and cultures when it is convenient for them. Without the riches of Egypt and its accessibility to oil would America have been so inclined to improve relations with this country? If Egypt did not have had such an amazing past would white America have been so ready to put their ancestors in an African country? I think that the answer to both of these questions are, no.

Crawford Response

I did not like Crawford's article very much but I did find it very interesting. I think the mood that is taken away from Crawford is very representative of most Americans feelings for the Iraq war. We discussed in class the discrepancy of how the soldier is viewed. Although there was a great deal of controversy surrounding Vietnam, there was a much larger gap of desire to fight that war. People either protested or went to war to show their strong emotion.political stance; however, most Americans today either don't have an opinion on the Iraq war or are strongly opposed to it.

The soldiers fighting in Vietnam had a stronger sense of "our boys" because of the perception that they wanted to be there for the country. Crawford's constant questioning of their purpose in Iraq is extremely symbolic of the lack of a national passion to continue in this war. I thought it was kind of funny that he complains about the "disorganization" of the war, considering that war usually is chaos. He describes an environment of every man for himself which seems to be very contrary to Vietnam. Even though I didn't particularly love his writing, I respect his honesty because even soldiers get scared and he acknowledges this.

Japanese Internment....

It is funny how growing up, in history classes that we take from grade school through high school,
we are taught certain things about life in America and what it means to be American. A reason I am writing this response is to analyze Okihiro's article on the Japanese Internment camps. I can say for myself, from grade school and high school, I was NEVER taught about these camps. I was taught about how evil the Nazi's were and how wrong the Japanese were for attacking us at Pearl Harbor. The Axis of Evil, Germany, Japan and Italy. Those were the real EVIL...It is so incredible how we leave this information out of the general information we are taught as young adolescents about World War II history. It is rather sad and deceiving that during this war, we are taught that we were the victim, Pearl Harbor, and that we were the good guy and did nothing wrong but in reality we forced 120.000 Japanese Americans into camps very similar to what that of Jews were put in during World War II. I think that whatever committe decides what should be taught to young adolescents, especially those that are in high school, should give some detail and facts from both sides, of the horrors that were committed.

King Tut....

The King Tut reading that we discussed in classed was really somewhat kind of intriguing. I had some prior knowledge of King Tut, but I never realized how much a socio-political marker this remain was. The main point of view that came across in this article seemed to be the Middle East vs. the United States. The disagreements about TUT was that was it used for Art purposes or for economic growth. I feel that it should be used as art, but many argued in class that it was used as an economic symbol, more so orientated with us trying to gain a stranglehold on the Oil of the middle east. King Tut was used as a money maker and that is what the US wanted to get out of it.
You can argue either way but that is what I seemed to get out of the readings and out of the discussion. It seems that The upper echelon of the US government feels that the oil in the middle east is somewhat more ours than theres, due to the fact that WE found it using our technology and we helped the people of the Middle East maintain their "product."
It is unfortunate that a great discovery as in King Tut was exploited due to situations like this.

"Amos 'n' Andy" Response

Amos 'n' Andy was a radio comedy in the 1920's to 1950's in America. It exploited the racial stereotypes of African Americas in America in a disgusting manner. The main characters were purposely drawn as stereotypically to African Americans as possible. They had overly full lips and were made to seem extremely lazy. These are two things that are huge stereotypes of Blacks in America today and seemingly have been very big racial stereotypes of that race for sometime.



The creators Gosden and Correll were two people who were very familiar with the minstral traditions of early times. I found this very interesting that they were familiar with minstral traditions and chose to make their show using the stereotypes of African Americans. The minstral shows were also based in theory on the "happy go lucky darky on the plantation"- a seeming stereotype of the timeperiod of the minstral shows.

Amos 'n' Andy had some absolutely ridiculous aspects however there were some interesting things. The things I found most interesting were the creators prior knowledge of the minstral traditions as well as the fact that they blatantly displayed African Americans in a racist manner even in a time where African American civil rights were starting to gain steam in an American culture.

Memorials and Monuments...

In class we had looked over many pictures of the great monuments that are on display in our nations capital. This subject and presentation of material was something that heightened me inside over the past few weeks in the class. The significance of War Memorials in this country I believe to be very important to myself and the rest of the people in our nation. The names on on the Vietnam Memorial symbolize men that have lost their lives to serve our nation. Granted, we went to Vietnam for many wrong reasons and many men died on the battle field due to the ignorance of our men in office making very moronic discussions I believe. However, it is important to never forget those who have given their lives for us.
Yes, some of these memorials were built to not so much "remember" the fallen but instill some form of patriotism for those viewing them, I feel they serve. Having great uncles and great grandfathers that had fought in both World War's as well as Korean and Vietnam, I find it great to have them remembered for what the fought for and died. I have never fought in a war and the present wars that are country has partaken in are questionable to say the least, but I honestly can think the memorials are an honorable way to recognize our fallen in battle.

Gone with the Wind...

In class, we had jumped around from scene to scene with the movie "Gone with the Wind."
What seemed very odd to me was the way professor Hass wanted us to view the scenes of Scarlett with her three different love interests. I found that kind of random because the only relevance I got out of this was the different lifestyle and personalities were all different with all three men. And the another scene where she returns home and her father is schizophrenic and senile due to the loss of his wife.
I mean I guess you can look at the scene on when she is on the field and totally helpless. She yelled up to God and said she would lie cheat or steal to never be poor again and feel as helpless as she was there. This would symbolize significance I guess due to the fact this all took place in the South amongst a girl who was aristocratic and lost it all during the Civil War. I understand this movie is an all-time classic, but I had a really hard time actually sitting thought it. It is more so a chic flick I felt and it didn't exactly keep me tuned in. The movie we had watched about Little Big Horn and Custard seemed way more appealing to me.

I am Joaquin Poem: Reflection Post 4

Rodolfo Corky Gonzales' Poem: "I am Joaquin"
Rodolfo Corky Gonzales was a great figure of the Chicano rights movement in the 1960's in the United States of America. He was a predominant American boxer who decided to start writing poetry and eventually became a key figure in the Chicano rights movement. He started the first ever Chicano youth conference in March of 1969.

His poem, I am Joaquin (Yo Soy Joaquin) is a great embodyment (or what Gonzales thought to be) of the way many Chicanos felt to be in America. He speaks of being neither American nor Mexican, neither Indian nor European. He speaks of the great confusion many Chicanos felt with their identities in the 1960's. He speaks of the combination of identities that many Chicanos felt they truly were. They did not feel that they were specifically confined to one "raza," or "race" in English.

The way Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales uses the voice of Joaquin in his poem to embody and empower the voice of many Chicano Americans was done greatly. The way he does this is very impactful to the reader and the importance of this poem to the Chicano rights movement in the late 1960's is undoubtable. This poem is the basis, or starting point for a great outlet for the Chicano rights. It is the start for Chicano Americans to express themselves through poetry and literature in the 1960's and is a great outlet for the Chicano rights movement.

Gary Okihio's Impounded Reflection

Prior to this reading and our discussion in class I had no idea about the treatment of Japanese Americans before their internment. Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941 by Japan. The subsequent events following that bombing divided the United States from some of its own citizens. The government became suspicious of spies being within the United States borders and focused primarily on those with Japanese descent. The article quoted an approximate 120,000 Japanese-Americans that were sent to internment camps until the war with Japan was finished.

The blatant discrimination and racism that this act shows is simply unconscionable. National security is definitely an important issue that the U.S. government has to deal with, but this takes it a bit too far. Benjamin Franklin said that he who sacrifices freedom for security deserves neither. Japanese Americans fell into this category except they had this sacrifice delegated to them by the government. Our country was founded upon the ideal of freedom, and therefor I think that this ideal should be afforded to all individuals regardless of their race, ethnicity, religion, etc. This action was certainly a mistake and I hope that the government has learned a lesson from it. To be American is to be free, and if we take that away from an entire group of Americans, what is it to be American?

Martin Luther King Jr. Speech: "Beyond Vietnam"

In Martun Luther King Jr.'s speech, on April 4, 1977, he has a much different tone than in many of his other famous speeches. It also happened to be exactly one year prior to his death in 1968. His "I have a Dream" speech was much more national oriented rather than directed at a international audience.

In King's "Beyond Vietnam" he spoke outrightly against the United States of America's involvement in the war in Vietnam. His speach showed the great task he was taking on as being more than just a leader in the "Civil rights movement." King speaking out about Vietnam- and against it no less- showed that he accepted his role as someone of great predominance in the United States of America.

Although Martin Luther King Jr. greatly displays his disagreement with the war in Vietnam, he also ties in United States African American civil rights into his arguments against the war. He points out the sheer absurdity of sending sons, brothers, fathers, and husbands of lower class African American families over to risk their lives in a war for freedoms of those in Southeast Asia- freedoms that had not even been granted to them.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech on April 4, 1967 at New York City's riverside Church was a very impactful speech and in hindsight it shows how many of his political views were extending beyond just the United States of America and, had he not been assassinated, he may have gone on to even great predominance than he already was.

A Chance to Make Good Reflection

This article had many different subjects but I think the main theme was the tough journey that blacks went through in the face of mistreatment by whites. Before the Civil War the Ohio river and the Mason-Dixon line was the line between slavery and freedom. After the Civil War this line had still served as a divider in racial equality. Blacks had many more opportunities in the North and were treated with a little more respect. This is not to say that there was equality in the North, but it was a much more favorable environment than in the South. The Dred Scott v. Sanford case highlighted the issues on a national level when it ruled that blacks "had no rights which the white man was bound to respect." This ruling was dealt with the issue of newly freed slaves in the South, but became applicable to the nation at large. 

This ruling, along with many of the policies that were carried out after that war, show that racism was still very prevalent. Even in the North, were Blacks could migrate for a chance at a better life they were faced with discrimination and unnecessarily difficult circumstances. Blacks were forced to develop public institutions within their own communities in order to ensure they had some equality in education, community centers, etc. Through adversity many leaders emerged that helped the black community pull itself up from its' bootstraps and develop a community in which people could rely on each other. It is unfortunate that blacks had to go through extra adversity in the decades after their emancipation. It is a testament to their resolve that blacks have created an environment in which they can be seen on the most part, as equals.