First Semester Summary Activity

"What's the point in telling a story if we could not actually tell the story?" Chiwetel Ejiofor said after being the main character of Solomon during the movie 12 Years a Slave. This is a quote from my very first sentence of writing a paper in this class, and a quote from my favorite part of the semester. It was really cool to compare the movies to realistic events. For example, sometimes texts often forget to mention there were free black men, and some of those free black men were kidnapped and sold into slavery, which is exactly what happened to Solomon in the movie 12 Years a Slave, and I had no idea similar situations like that happened throughout the world. 

I have to say my least favorite part of the year was in the beginning. When I did not do so well on the quiz we took applying to the rules of the classroom, I had no idea what to expect after that. It wasn't even on material and I got a 70, how did I expect to do well on material we actually had to learn? History has never been the most interesting subject for me but it turns out that quiz was just a scare and I enjoy coming to this class every day. 

Something I will never forget about and always be able to discuss is the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, the banning of the Chinese from coming to the United States. People were intimidated and scared of the Chinese taking their jobs. It seems as if no one in history has ever loved competition. 

To this day I believe America still struggles with the issue of women being stereotyped as their only work place being the kitchen. Throughout the 19^th century men were against women working with them and continued to believe they were only made to be a man’s companion. In the history text it claims women were paid equally but people always were trying to get them to seem less attractive to factories.  I understand some jobs are for men, and some jobs are for women but I also believe anyone can do anything they put their mind to.

Many events happened in history throughout 1865 to 1920. If I had to name this period of time I would name it the “Coming of Age Era.” This name applies to this period because the south began to incorporate equality as far as African American’s into society, such as the 15^th amendment that allowed African American men the right to vote. America began to progress the economy in the area of developing department stores and the command for goods. Leisure time was also a very important time throughout history because it allowed people who normally did not have time away from work to have less hours of work and more time to spend with their families and friends. Last but not least, the making of factories and machinery within the factories. The machines were able to speed up the process of making products. I name this time the “Coming of Age Era” because it seems as if America was coming to their senses.

Thinking About Success

1- Hard Work 

2- Skill  

3- Opportunity 

4- Luck  

I believe the ranking of these four qualities are from most important factor to least important factor as shown above. If anyone ever wants something they must first be a hard worker, do you think pro football players just woke up one day and said, "I guess I'll go pro."? No, they worked for days, months, and years to get there. But the problem with a football player going pro is they must have skill, skill is very important. You aren't just going to make the team because they think you're cute, it is simply because you are what they want in a player. Then, once scouts see you are a hard worker and skillful, you may or may not get the opportunity to play for their team. That is when luck comes in, if you're lucky, you will be the next pro football player. 

Michael Oher

I chose him as my example because if you have read his book, he beat the odds. He lived on the streets and was picked up by a family who pushed him through playing football and making the grades he needs. Long story short, he is now playing for the NFL. How many people can say this happened to them?

What I Learned

             Something I learned today is who the third's richest person in the world is. At 77, Amancio Ortega, the builder of Zara has made billions. Recently, they have proven that his net worth is $47.4 billion. I also had never heard of Zara, and I would advise fashionable people between the ages 20-40 to take a look. Many other people in this world agree with me that they are successful for a reason, the clothes are cute and not too expensive! Companies similar to Zara are Uniqlo and H&M, they don't only think about the hot new style. They also think of other people in this world, not everyone likes tight and skimpy clothes; but not everyone likes loose clothes.

Amancio Ortega

Letter to home

Dear Mom and Dad,

                            I am living in New York now, and am not doing much work besides cooking and sewing for the household. I have had to move to the city because farming had become more of a male conquered job. But as I keep living here, it keeps getting more and more beautiful. Coney Island is a place me and my friends enjoy to go during my leisure time and it is awesome, it attracts so many people due to the entertainment it has inside. The middle class is becoming higher in the culture we have here and it is making things easier, including the rise of incomes. The members of the wealthy class frustrate me because they don't allow us to go to the hangout places they enjoy, but they are also there just to see and be seen. It's like they want a paparazzi. I believe the middle class has more fun!

                            My job has become a lot easier with my family due to Montgomery Ward's invention of the catalog. I can order huge varieties of goods and have them delivered to my home! Also, there are these stores they like to call department stores and they have so many variations of clothing, food, toys, etc. It makes shopping fun! I do most of the shopping for my family, but I love it because due to the mass consumption most women's clothing styles change quite frequently so I get to buy a new outfit every time I go out. I'm sure you would love this lifestyle Mama!

                           It was hard at first to adjust to the city life, but now I couldn't be happier to be Americanized. This is the place to be. My husband comes home in a better mood every day because they have invented such things called spectator sports, men are able to watch and bond at sloons, baseball is pretty big up here. I'm sure you would love it Daddy. The leisure time we all get has become a normal part of life, it is very often spent in public rather than home, but it is time well spent. 

                                                    Love, Jordan 

ps. I would love a visit from you guys, every culture is welcome. We have our own newspapers and everything! But you must learn english before you arrive.

Me and my Friends I Have Made

Chinese Exclusion Act 1882

Anti-Chinese Cartoons

Anti-Chinese Cartoons

Anti-Chinese Cartoons

Anti-Chinese Cartoons

Anti-Chinese Cartoons

Harvard University Library Open Collections Program: Chinese Exclusion Act 1882

This site was my first site and gave me a great start to the project. I learned who signed the act, how long it lasted, and that it was the first major law restricting immigration.

The Chinese Exclusion Act: Brief Overview

This site helped me realize not only did I think this act was considered racist, but so did many scholars, average citizens, and historians.

The Chinese Exclusion Act: A Black Legacy  

This site told me when anti-chinese began to take place, during the gold rush when more of the Chinese came and occupied jobs it began to create competition on the job market.

Chinese Americans

This site told me the fact that China is the third largest country in the world, and lots of the Chinese wanted to move to the US for reasons like: a better economic opportunity, and others were even forced into contract laborers or refugees.

Chinese Laborers

This site made me aware of the 1870’s national depression, coupled with bank failures, and drought conditions in California which caused an anti-chinese settlement among working classes when the Chinese became the scapegoats for economic hardships.

History Book

The history book was a great source to use, I found out the Chinese lifestyle, what happened before the act to cause the americans jealousy, and found out about clubs that were made against the Chinese.  

The Chinese Exclusion Act had a tremendous impact on the Chinese in 1882. Anti-Chinese began with the great migration from China during the gold rush in 1848. White minors and prospectors began to force taxes and laws to restrain the Chinese from success. Racial tensions kept building when more and more Chinese came and occupied jobs and created competition within the job market. Chinese immigrants were scapegoats because of their willingness to work for lower wages.

The Anti-Chinese continued in 1852 when the governor of California called the Chinese, “one of the most worthy classes of our newly adopted citizens.” White’s became hostile and people began to see the Chinese as rivals with their success, even as threats. During the 1860’s and 1870’s the whites began clubs called the Anti-coolie clubs. Some of these clubs would attack Chinese in streets, and were suspected of setting fires to factories in which the Chinese worked.

Life was hard for most Chinese. They usually worked as the common laborers, servants, and unskilled factory hands. The small number of Chinese women had it the worst, migrating to California for them was mainly because they were sold into prostitution. By 1880 nearly half the Chinese women in California were prostitutes.

All of these actions lead up to the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882. The people believed that excluding “an industrial army of Asidtic laborers” would help protect “American” workers and help reduce class conflict. I believe this is an excuse for the Americans being scared of the Chinese competition.

May 6, 1882, President Chester A. Arthur signed The Chinese Exclusion Act. The act halted Chinese immigration for ten years and banned Chinese from becoming US citizens. This was the first major law restricting immigration to the US due to people believing the Chinese were racially inferior. Many historians, scholars, and average citizens viewed it as racist. I am one of the average citizens who believed this act to be racist as well.

The law came to an end in 1943, although in 1943 only 105 Chinese were allowed per year, which was harming the Chinese immigration policy. In 1965, an immigration act was applied and after eighty years of fighting, the war was over.  

Jordan Loftin

9/11/14

         “What’s the point in telling a story if we could not actually tell the story?” Chiwetel Ejiofor said this after being the main character of Solomon during the movie 12 Years a Slave. I understand where you are coming from when you say certain movies will not teach you historical events, but if you choose the right ones with historical accuracy and brutal truths, it is possible. Children are able to develop great analytical skills and explore real events, circumstances, and attitudes just by watching movies in a critical way, and doing some research. 

         Have you ever seen the movies 12 Years a Slave, or Glory? If not, that may be why you do not believe in learning through movies. With the amount of historical accuracy behind these movies, it can break your heart but at the same time teach you lessons on slavery. According to the critical website of Robert Ebert’s, both movies received ratings of three and a half stars out of four. Robert Ebert was known to have his standards high and these ratings were rare. I am confident that if you watched the movies, you would have the same ratings, if not higher.

         Both filmmakers of each movie had the same intentions, to tell a story about African American life style and not to sugar coat it. They felt the stories needed to be told, and by stories they meant the true stories. In History texts today the Civil War sections often ignore the nearly two hundred thousands of African Americans fighting for the North, the movie didn’t. Like in the movie, the south issued a declaration that any black man taken prisoner in a uniform would be killed. They had a regiment made of all African Americans, some being ex slaves like in the movie, and did you know at first they planned on the black soldiers only being used for manual labor? I didn’t know any of this until I watched the movie Glory.

         Sometimes texts often forget to mention there were free black men, and some of those free black men were kidnapped and sold into slavery. A New York free man was a slave for twelve years after being kidnapped. He was raised under many different owners. How do you think it would feel to be free and then wake up one day and be looked at as less than a human? The man was nothing but confused as to why this was happening to him, and for a long period of time he would look down on other slaves because he still believed he was not one of them.  This did not just happen to one innocent man, but to many. I did not know of situations similar to this until I watched the movie 12 Years a Slave.

         Slaves were not only beaten, but sexually assaulted, and began to wish for their own death. Movies do so much more for visualizing what actually happened to slaves. Both of these movies won many different awards, including Oscars, grammy’s, golden globes, and many more huge awards. 12 Years a Slave made one hundred and eighty seven million dollars around the world, and Glory made twenty seven million dollars throughout the 1900’s. Keep in mind that twenty seven million would be more than doubled nowadays.  I was not surprised to see such good ratings and good rewards towards these movies.

         In conclusion, if you choose the RIGHT movies with historical accuracy and brutal truths, you will not be disappointed with what your children learn. Watching the movie does not have to be the end of it, they can also explore the real events, circumstances, and attitudes by doing some research towards the end. I would give the rating of three and three fourths of a star out of four stars for both of these movies, just because there is always room to improve. I strongly advise both of these movies for your history class, and I am confident in saying your students will learn just as much as I have, if not more.