“Stamped from the Beginning” by Ibram X. Kendi provides a history of America’s racist ideas. Organized into five sections, the book tells the history of not just Black people in America but also how racist ideologies developed over time. This history is also viewed through the lens of categorizing people, events, and concepts into three positions on a spectrum ranging from racist to anti-racist. Of particular interest are explanations of the nuance of items that fall in the middle.
Tag: <span>civil war</span>
A profile of the Reconstruction Era which began a few years before the end of the American Civil War and extended about a decade after its end. From 1863 to 1877 the federal government intervened in the South to clarify and defend the rights of the newly freed as well as to set guidelines for readmitting Confederate states to the Union and their establishment of new governments. With the federal government under the control of Radical Republicans (aka Radical Reconstructionists) new amendments and progressive changes were made to clarify citizenship and expand civil rights.
Released in 1989, “Glory” is a modern classic film featuring Stellar performances from many actors. The movie tells the story of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, its formation, and activities during the Civil War leading up to the charge on Fort Wagner. At this point, the movie has been out for 30 years now so I’ll assume that I won’t be spoiling the movie for anyone by discussing specific events in the film.
A profile of Henry Highland Garnet, an escaped slave who rose to prominence as a fiery abolitionist preacher and called on slaves to rise up and take their freedom.
Freeman by Leonard Pitts, Jr. follows three main characters at the end of the Civil War. Tilda, a former slave woman freed by the end of the war. Her estranged husband, Sam Freeman, who had been a slave but managed to escape to the North. And Prudence Kent, a White woman from Boston whose father was wealthy. It was an emotional roller coaster that had me in my feelings at quite a few points.