City Life 100 Years Ago: An In-Class Essay About Changes in Food Production

Just last night, as I was finishing up my research for this in-class essay, my parents were preparing dinner and a game to go to a holiday party across the street. My dad was in charge of cooking the pork tender loin. I was quite jealous, as I was ready to embrace the Christmas spirit and be done with all my work. However, a bit over a hundred years ago, taking some meat out of the freezer that was probably cut in another state and casually heating it up on the grill would have been unheard of.  I would have been in awe, rather than slightly peeved, if this was earlier than 1880. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the economy of the United States changed exponentially. America went from a rural economy to one that had a huge emphasis on industry. The immense railroad expansion accomplished in the 1800s created an interconnected national market where goods could be sent from one end of the country to another. The University of West Georgia's website headed "Late Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century Economic Trends" explained this phenomenon. It was intended to be a handout for a college course, and it truly painted an accurate overview of the time period's patterns. Mass distribution and production were also emphasized more during the turn of the century, according to the site, because of industrialization and urbanization, and the developments that followed spurred the creation of new industries, including industries in food production and manufacturing. This all led to more diverse diets for the American people.

One industry that developed that improved diets nationwide was the meat packing industry. One man, Gustavus Franklin Swift, founder of Swift and Company, promoted the use of the refrigerated rail car to ship meat. In his biography in an Encyclopaedia Britannica article, “Gustavus Franklin Swift, American Businessman”, it is stated that he was originally a butcher. Livestock was usually shipped first from Chicago and slaughtered upon arrival, but Swift thought finding a way to keep meat fresh during shipping would be profitable. The first shipment of meat in a refrigerated car left for the East in 1877. It was designed by an engineer he hired. His company was formed by 1885. The capital of Swift & Company increased from $300,000 to $25,000,000 in eighteen years, according to the biography; his predictions of profit were undeniably correct. It is hard to imagine that there was a time where it would be more common to see a shipment of cows on a train that it would be to see a car full of chilled hamburger patties. There are ten grocery stores within ten miles of this exact spot that probably have meat slaughtered in every corner of the country. The companies that provide it are so incredibly commonplace, and are now safe and trusted by the public. However, they would not be in existence if it were not for people like Swift.






Gustavus F. Swift










An article from PBS titled "Made in Chicago: The Refrigerated Rail Car" looks at Swift's accomplishments and the history of the meat packing industry briefly. It notes that the engineer Swift turned to was named Andrew Chase. His designs for a refrigerated car had air passing over ice in bins at the top of the car. This worked because, as the article explains, heat rises, and so the cool air sank down and the warmer air rose to exit out of the ventilators. Swift could then ship all over the United States. The meat business was revolutionized, was well as the average American diet. People did not have to worry about the meat being spoiled because of this scientific method of keeping it chilled. People can get the nutrients they need, even if they came from far away. If they want, they do not even have to have seen their food alive.








Gustavus Swift's Refrigerated Rail Car




As a result of these developing industries, most Americans could reap the benefits of refrigeration. To this day, even most less wealthy people have fridges. This trend started at the turn of the century, according to "Safe Ice" by Hugh S. Cumming, which was found through JSTOR. This information was actually from Public Helath Reports, in which sanitation and health risks of the developing ice industry were later examined, but it gave an excellent introduction into how the ice industry was developed. The demand for ice had many causes, according to the source. Urban populations and general well-being were both increasing. This prosperous urban population demanded more food from rural areas. Transportation was greatly improved, as mentioned before, so trade and commerce increased, and more wealth could be spread. A natural ice industry developed in the New England and northern waters. Natural ice was cut and packed in the winter and then distributed by train across the country. The growing accessibility can obviously be connected to the success of refrigerated railroad cars. Without each other, neither could have thrived.

As the demand for transporting food longer distances increased, so did the demand for ice in places that were not ideal for delivering ice. This prompted the development of artificial ice. Carre invented an ice machine in the 1860s, but it was not commercially successful until the 1880s, Cumming explained. At this point, perishables were able to be transported almost anywhere. Cities grew to depend on the long-distance shipping of perishable food and people could easily have access to food from distant places. This industry led to ice becoming common and easily accessible. Within this time period, as stated by Cumming, "methods have been perfected until nearly every hamlet in our great country has its ice supply and none but the poorest and most isolated of our people are deprived of its blessings." Americans from all statuses could have improved diets because of developments in industry.

Finally, the tin can industry was vastly expanded. Tin cans were not invented in the Gilded Age and have been around for much longer. In fact, tinplate, sheets of steel with thin coatings of tin, existed as early as the Middle Ages, according to “An Introduction to the Tin Can” by Jane Busch from Historical Archaeology, which was found through JSTOR. This introduction went into much detail about the history of the development of cans. They were used during western expansion of the United States and the Civil War. However, around the turn of the century, canning methods were improved exponentially, and technology advanced so that they could be mass produced. Scientific studies of bacteria in cans of food caused cooking methods to be developed in the 1890s. It was a long process, but eventually, because of these developments, the tin cans came about that are used today. They are much safer and more sanitary than any food packaging methods of the past, and can be shipped to spread hearty sustenance over hundreds of miles. As a result of tin cans, ice, and refrigerated rail cars, the average person can have a cheap, clean, safe can of chicken soup without decapitating a local chicken.

Can production was mechanized in 1876 with the "Howe Floater", following the trend of industrialization. This system involved the sealing of the ends of cans by rolling them in solder, an alloy, as Busch went on to explain. This method was improved with the "Little Joker" in 1880. A semi-automatic machine was invented that soldered side seams of cans in 1883 by the Norton Brothers. The entirety of can-making could be done with a machine. 2500 cans were made per hour, where a decade ago, only about 60 could be made, and in the early 1800s, less than half a dozen could be made an hour. Obviously, when more food can be process, more food can be distributed. More food equates to more well-fed people.

With a hole-and-cap can, according to Busch, the edges of a piece of tinplate were overlapped and soldered together, and then two round disks were soldered to the body of the can. The top would have a hole in it, and food was put in through the hole before a cap was soldered on.












Hole-and-Cap Can










Folded-End Seam of Hole-and-Cap Can (found next to Busch's explanation)



Switching to the sanitary can was revolutionary, as "An Introduction to the Tin Can" made clear. Can ends were attached by crimping edges together, and a rubber gasket would make an airtight seal. Charles Ams replaced the rubber gasket with a compound of rubber and gum in 1896. The Ams Machine Company introduced a machine that applied it automatically to cans in 1897. It also crimped the ends to the can's body in a double seam instead of a single seam, a method that was perfected in the twentieth century. These cans were only soldered on the outside to eliminate sharp edges. Busch noted that this was more sanitary and healthy and could hold more food. Enamel developments that lined cans also improved the safety of cans and made sanitary cans more like today's cans. The only difference is that more recent cans have been developed to use less metal. Busch's article explained that the public had accepted sanitary cans overall by the 1920s.

Locked, Double End Seam of the Sanitary Can


Modern Sanitary Can

These changes in the way people prepared and purchased food led to better diets and healthier Americans, according to the textbook, American History. In the first twenty years of the 1900s, life expectancy increased by six years, as said in Chapter 18, which explained the effects of industrialization and urbanization. It was absolutely correct. Industrialization set off a long chain of events, as explained in this essay. Without industrialization, there could not have been these many areas of development in the food industry. Without these developments, Americans' diets would have remained as simplistic as they were in the early 1800s. Thanks to industrialization in the 1800s, people can easily acquire healthy, safely food in the 2000s.



List of Sources

Textbook- American History by Alan Brinkley, 2007

JSTOR- “An Introduction to the Tin Can” by Jane Busch, Historical Archaeology, 1981, Volume 15, Number 1
University of West Georgia, “Late Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century Economic Trends”, History Class Notes 2014
PBS, American Experience, “Made in Chicago: The Refrigerated Rail Car”, 1999-2003
State of California, Cal Fire, Archaeology Program, “Cans”, 2012
Forgotten Nevada, “Cans”, 2015
JSTOR- “Safe Ice” by Hugh S. Cumming, Public Health Reports, August 7, 1914, Volume 29, Number 32
Encyclopaedia Britannica- “Gustavus Franklin Swift, American Businessman”, 2015

Race and Genes

I learned about how race is more of a societal concept than actual fact today. It's fascinating that race has absolutely no genetic basis. There is no single absolute way to distinguish one race from another. We are all incredibly scientifically similar. I read one fun fact that says that fruit flies have more genetic variation than humans. On top of that, looking at the genetic variation that does exist between people, about 85% of it is between individuals in local populations. Any given two people in one population are likely about as genetically diverse as two people in two different populations. Most variation in the genetics of people are caused by mutation.

Philanthropy

Today, as I said in class, I was reminded that there are a TON of problems that need to be addressed. Honestly, it's just overwhelming how much there is that needs to be done. In class, we discussed starvation, hunger, homelessness, education, disease, climate change, infrastructure, humanitarian efforts, military development, terrorism, and the spread of sports and music. There are plenty of areas of need that we did not even mention. If I were to be a philanthropist, I wouldn't know where to start. You would feel bad for ignoring other needy people.
My homework research brought to my attention that donating to the arts can be perceived as selfish. I read that Carnegie was often criticized for being a socialist because he gave back so much to education. If I had a lot of money, making the world a better place would be much harder than need be.

Thinking About Success

Luck, opportunity, skill, and hard work are all essential to economic success. If I were to rank them in order of importance, I would put them in the following order:

1. Hard Work
2. Skill
3. Opportunity
4. Luck

There is no form of success in the world that can be accomplished without hard work. No matter the level of skill one has or his or her circumstances, one cannot achieve his or her goals unless he or she is willing to put in the effort. Skilled individuals can become complacent; they will not advance if they are lazy. A genius like Thomas Edison would not have invented anything if he never tried.
Even if someone were to have the perfect opportunity to succeed, he or she needs both the proper work ethic and the skill to realize it is there and exploit it.
Finally, luck can be helpful, but one cannot rely on luck for success. It is necessary to work hard, rely on skill, and take advantage of all opportunities. One cannot expect any good fortune. It could be argued that luck is vital to areas like the stock market. Whoever takes that stance, though, cannot say that investors do not also need to work hard to investigate stocks, have talent and experience working with investments, and exploit the promising opportunities that they see. It is best to expect the worst and be prepared through other methods. In other words, one should make his own luck.

Exploring Business and the Clothing Industry

Today, I learned about the supply chain management of Zara, H&M, and Uniqlo. Before an hour ago, the only insight I could have given about these companies would be that I liked Zara better than H&M.

Apparently, I might like Zara because it's main goal is to stay right on top of trends. It is able to do this by restocking its stores as rapidly as twice a week. New clothes are available almost before customers even realize they're the new style, which is to their advantage.

Zara's "more basic T-shirts, sweaters, and the like" are ordered before the beginning of the season, but this only accounts for about half of its designs. The other half is produced in places closer to headquarters, Portugal, Turkey, or Morocco, as the trends come along. This would not have seemed particularly impressive to me before, but I read here that adapting to the sudden changes in the fashion industry is much less prevalent in most retail companies. Eighty percent of products are ordered in advance in a typical business model.

The other two companies compared to Zara are still successful, but make more long-term decisions.
I wonder how this will play out for them as the world continues to become more fast-paced.

Here is Zara's website. Its clothes look really cute.

"Savage"

According to Dictionary.com, a "savage" is "uncivilized; barbarous" and "savagery" is "an uncivilized or barbaric state or condition; barbarity".

This passage was read from an online history textbook from 1887. The three pages briefly analyzed Indians' appearance and way of life. Their descriptions were obviously outdated, as they were portrayed in a negative, primitive light. It is unsettling that educators gave this information to students in 1887.
When the word "savages" was entered into the online textbook's search tool, it referred to Indians every single time, as if they were barbaric and uncivilized. The term was mostly used in the context of some sort of conflict. Either the "savages" were killing Englishmen, being attacked, being conquered, or defeating or massacring an enemy.

If I was an American student studying this text as impartial truth, I would view Native Americans as extremely violent people. I would think them unintelligent after reading that instead of books, they wrote "rude figures" on tree bark or stones. The descriptions of their methods of torture by burning alive is terrifying. Additionally, I would believe that they were ugly and unfashionable, since it describes Indians as having "small, deep-set, and snaky" eyes and wearing marks painted with "hideous devices." Overall, this book portrays them as destructive and unsophisticated. I would like to think modern text is more flattering.

News About Indians and a Diary Entry

From the Library of Congress, I found a newspaper, the Weekly Arizonian, from 1869. It was based in Tucson.

One article called "The Indian" complained that Arizonians were victims of the Apache Indians. It said the Apaches stole and damaged the people's belongings and properties. It also claimed the Apaches injured and killed the people of Arizona. The article complained more about the military, saying it sent an inadequate amount of troops to Arizona to defend the people from the "brutal nature" of the Apaches. It then gave a huge list of all the Indian attacks in a period of eighteen months and stated that the next year and a half could be just as deadly if more help was not sent promptly.

After reading the rest of the front page of this paper and doing additional research on Tucson in this time period, I composed a diary entry from the perspective of a Tucson resident in 1869. It is found below. Britannica High School, the Library of Congress, and the City of Tucson website were used for the additional research.


July 17, 1869

Dear diary,

I must confess this long string of violence in the area is quite distressing, and I muss express my worries. For over a year, there has been attack after attack and raid after raid from the Apaches. The ladies at the market usually have some news about it. My husband wishes for the military to send more troops as aid. Many men have been killed, I'm afraid. I've even heard of two hundred of mules and horses being stolen, all at a time, between the Miembros and Apache pass. It distresses me even more when I hear of women being held captive by the Apaches. Now, wouldn't that be terrifying? Yet it seemed a bit impersonal until now. There was an attack on a wagon around Sulfur Spring about a week ago. The men were forced to flee, leaving behind the mules and other expensive property. One man even died from thirst, as they then trekked by foot. The newspaper did report all this recently, but I heard much of the details about it from my sister, Margaret. She is acquainted with the wife of the man who perished. They are very close, in fact. I cannot bear to think what comes next for that poor woman. I hear they have five children, and only one young son!

I suppose all of this violence is to be expected in such a new area. Why, Arizona was part of Mexico only about fifteen years ago- within even Thomas' lifetime- and only became its own territory in 1862. I can only hope there is not much violence here in Tucson in the future. It is the territorial capital, and about 3,000 of us live here. Does that not allow a higher level of safety and sophistication for its people?

Thomas is away, all grown. My, my. I cannot believe it. He is hard at work on the Memphis and El Paso railroad. Apparently, in the last four months, this railway has been endorsed twice, and it is before Congress. It seems all the men ever talk about is these new railroads being built across the country, but I am glad for Thomas and his bright future with the company. When he writes home, he tells me that the Memphis and El Paso will be built within five years. He told me that there was even a proposal for the first 300 miles to be up and running by October of next year. I suppose that is remarkable, yet it saddens me to think of the next five years his father and I will share alone, without him. I worry for him, as well. Back in last January, I heard about an Indian attack on a Colonel Lewis' train in Tubac. The driver was injured. There was another train-related attack on May 11 on Camp Grant Road where three men died. I'm sure their are similar accounts throughout the West. I hope nothing of the sort happens to my boy.

I do wish to express my thoughts about news circulating from the South. I heard some gossip in the market today about a ruling from the Supreme Court in Georgia. It created quite a ruckus even out here in the West! Marriage was officially prohibited between white and black persons for the rest of time. It seems a bit silly to me. My husband refuses to talk about it with me, though, so I can only note it here. He says I shouldn't worry of such things.

I must go! The market and my duties are calling.

Anne

(Here is an image that reflects this diary entry.)

Deep Thinking

"Our use of social media for news is selective and intentional so that we may tend to remain interested only in things we are already interested in. On the other hand, professional news outlets like newspapers expose readers to information on a broad range of topics. This helps me to see what other people are interested in or think is important."

Newspaper History and Analysis

According to Dictionary.com, a newspaper is: "a publication issued at regular and usually close intervals, especially daily or weekly, and commonly containing news, comment, features, and advertising." It can also refer to the organization behind the newspaper or a particular edition of a newspaper.

As explained on Britannica School High's article about newspapers, the first routine newspapers emerged during the early 1600s. The movable type printing press allowed different newspapers to come into existence in Europe, like in Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy. The earliest American newspaper came about in Boston in 1960. It was called Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick. However, it only survived one publication before Massachusetts's colonial governor put an end to it. The Boston News-letter was more successful. It became a weekly publication after it began in 1704. Another early paper, also in Boston, was the Boston Gazette. It began in 1719.

I looked at a modern newspaper that I found in my own home. The Huntsville Times from Sunday, October 11 had its front page covered with the titles, "State's best fall colors naturally nearby" and "State's Black Belt countries fight 'nothing here' image." This paper wishes to convey to the reader is that now is a great time of year to go on a hike and enjoy the nice weather, but it also brings up the importance of racial issues in the South. The next few pages feature stories relating to prison reform, the death penalty, and recent court cases. Additionally, there is an eye-catching article about cancer research that will occur locally at HudsonAlpha.

If a newspaper is called a "newspaper of record," it means that a notably large community of people rely on it, and it known to be dependable, as Wikipedia clarifies. The New York Times was the first in the United States to be tied to this term. However, another U.S. paper that can also be categorized as one is the Washington Post. In addition, the Los Angeles Times.

As newspapers have modernized over time, so has human communication in general. Social media is now one of the main ways, if not the main way, that people stay connected and aware. Twitter and Instagram can spread information across the world instantly with just a few clicks or taps. Physical newspapers can only spin out news daily at the most. Social media accounts can also be personalized to one's preference; what one does not follow, one does not have to see. This cannot be said of the newspaper; everyone gets the same one, no matter their interests. Also, the Internet probably saves many more trees than the world's newspapers of record. However, the modern newspaper beats social media in many other areas. A smart phone, though it gives access intellectual content and relevant information, provides many distractions and temptations. Anything from a text to a Candy Crush notification can stray a reader from learning about world events. In contrast, a newspaper has all pertinent material organized neatly for the reader. Additionally, social media is the opposite of social. A person reading a newspaper invites intelligent conversation from the people in his or her environment. The bold headings are easily read by anyone around. A person reading an article on a laptop or cell phone, however, does not tempt anyone to start a discussion of world events, because he or she might very well be playing Candy Crush or texting an in-law. No one wishes to pry into his or her social life, so that person remains isolated, even if they would be pleased to discuss current events. Whether this trend toward Internet-based news is a step in the right direction or not, though, it seems that it continues to grow more and more popular.

This image sufficiently illustrates the human connection brought about by reading a physical newspaper that is mentioned in the above discussion.

First Quarter Reflection

Liddy Malone
10/2/15
H-Block
I Pledge LM


     I think this past quarter in US History has been a cohesive learning experience, because it helped me with my “big picture” outlook of the Civil War and directly afterwards. When I think about it, I have not been taught American History since 8^th grade, and even then, we only got up to the Civil War. This year, we reviewed all of that, then went further. I was truly able to put my limited previous knowledge together with new information with a relatively quick overview of everything from slavery in the South to Western expansion.
     My most significant growth has been this strengthening of general understanding and relevance. I totally recognize that I have many holes in my understanding. It was much more difficult in World History I and II to actually recognize what we were learning as real events, at least until later in the courses. This year, what I learned was closer in time and distance, so it was much more personal and enjoyable. I enjoyed understanding how slavery and Reconstructed still impacts the present socioally and economically. Though I hope to learn more this year about history that directly impacts me today, it would also benefit me to practice understanding the relevance of historical events that are not as obvious.
     Honestly, I have enjoyed this year much more than any history class I have taken. I feel like it is less mechanical than others, and I love that it is based on discussion. I did not take AP US History this year because history was one of my least favorite subjects and I did not want to pour in superfluous energy to something I did not love. However, I am really liking this year. I hope we keep connecting American history to current events in an interesting way so I can continue to develop what I know about America. It would be extremely cool to me if I could grow to tie what we learn to even the current presidential elections.  Either way, I am excited.

Native American Research Day- Fast Facts Inquiry Research

Today, the entire class period was set aside so that we could learn more about some aspect of Native American history, culture, or current issues. I decided to investigate cultural appropriation, as I had read a little about the matter when it applied to African American culture on Twitter, and I wanted to learn more. Cultural appropriation is when one takes an aspect of another culture and acts as if it is his or her own. This is a largely negative trend and is offensive to the cultures it borrows from.

TIME Magazine outlined the topic excellently by examining the difference between cultural appropriation and simply showing appreciation for a culture.

It discussed how, first of all, the importance of clothing to this complicated area of controversy, since clothing is so intrinsic to a sense of cultural identity. I learned that "[...] putting on another culture’s clothes is a greater claim to ownership and belonging than sampling sushi or buying a burrito for lunch." In this analogy, cultural appropriation is like identity theft.

I began to understand more about the difference between what is offensive and what is flattery when I read from the article that to be aware of their distinction, attention has to be paid to: the significance of the garment being worn to the culture it references, the similarity of the garment to the garment actually used by the culture, whether the culture desires for its style to be emulated, and whether or not there has been a trend of oppression or discrimination against the culture.

So, it makes more sense that Pharrell Williams received an abundance of backlash from the public when he wore a Native American headdress on the cover of a magazine. He had no idea what the headdress meant to Native American culture. He just wore it because it looked cool. He did not simply take slight stylistic inspiration from Native American attire; he copied it exactly. Additionally, Native Americans definitely have a history of oppression. This was cultural appropriation of Native American culture.

Other recent culprits are Karlie Kloss of Victoria's Sercret and Heidi Klum of Germany's Next Top Model.  Klum promoted a photo shoot titled "Redface" in which contestants of the show modeled as Native Americans. It was racist and offensive; it sexualized stereotypical Native American culture, and it was not even accurate.

This is an extremely derogatory tendency of modern society, and since I looked into it more today, I am outraged.

Film Essay

Liddy Malone

Film Essay

In the exhilarating glory days of elementary and middle school, there was no greater joy to my classmates and I than when a teacher rolled in an ancient, enormous television on a tall, black cart. “We’re watching a movie!” we whispered excitedly to each other. It was a treat, and we were excused from the usual schedule of worksheet after worksheet. However, even then, it was not a day off. Even fictitious movies about the historical time periods we were studying gave us a better understanding of the topic. This phenomenon applies to us even more as post-pubescent high school students; as we grow more mature, we can glean even more understanding from films. Using a critical attitude and a bit of outside research, a viewer can watch a movie and learn plenty about events and time periods of the past. For example, because of the films Glory and 12 Years a Slave, our history class became more familiar with the African American struggle during slavery and the Civil War. This is thanks to the visual element of learning that movies bring to the table.

Glory, directed by Edward Zwick, was made in 1989. It was a popular film, grossing $26,830,000 in the United states with a budget of about $18,000,000, according to IMDb. It also received a plethora of awards. The New York Times article by Vincent Canby lists several, including Denzel Washington’s award from Hollywood Foreign Press for Best Performance by an actor in a supporting role in a Motion Picture. James Berardinelli expresses in his ReelViews review of the movie that, because of its acknowledgement of African Americans involved as soldiers during the Civil War, Glory is incredibly unique. This is one reason for its popularity. It tells the true story of the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts, which was the first black regiment in the Civil War. An argument barely has to be made that watching a well-made motion picture about a true story, especially one that sheds light on a time of history that is rarely punctuated, is beneficial to the education of viewers.

As Vincent Canby notes, Glory is based on two different books- “Lay This Laurel” by Lauren Kirstein and “One Gallant Rush” by Peter Buchard. It is also based on the personal letters of Colonel Robert Shaw, who leads the regiment in the movie. Canby applauds how the characters excellently serve their purpose of setting the scene, accurately portraying the history behind it. He also praises the great depiction of the 54th attacking Fort Wagner, saying it “...comes as close to anything [he’s] ever seen on screen to capturing the chaos and brutality…” Many students, such as myself, are visual learners. Watching this movie “capture” the nature of Civil War battles helps me picture and understand the true feeling of the war at least as much, if not more, than my history book can.

12 Years a Slave helps me visualize the life of a slave in much of the same way. Even more popular than Glory, this film, as I learned from Box Office Mojo, grossed $187,733,202 worldwide. Britannica Academic notes how gripping it is to both its audience and critics because, like Glory, it sheds a unique light on the time period. It explores the cruelty of slavery. It follows one character, Solomon Northup (whose narrative in 1853 actually gives this film its story), but gives deep insight into the struggles of slaves and their horrific conditions in general. I can vouch for this description; this film allowed me to feel like I was there with Solomon. Its vivid images made my understanding of the horrors of that time much clearer.

Catherine Shoard’s article from The Guardian expounds upon the motivations of director, Steve McQueen. He wanted to create strong visual imagery of slavery. He stated, “When you see the ins and outs of it, it does something different. And if that starts a conversation- wonderful, excellent.” Here, he is speaking about the emotional, rather than intellectual, thought inspired by seeing the harsh slave conditions, rather than reading about them. As my jaw dropped several times while viewing the movie, I agree that he succeeded in making an excellent visual representation.

Without watching these movies, my knowledge of slavery and the Civil War would be much more narrow. While studying the cold hard facts is undoubtedly important, a visual element, like a movie, that goes along with any subject matter is an excellent supplement. It truly allows a more complete understanding, because it forces the viewer to see it for him or herself. Though a history book can have paintings, those are just snapshots. In contrast, a motion picture can truly provide “the whole picture.”



My image: visual leaning.

Sources

Glory (United States, 1989) from Reelviews by James Berardinelli

Glory (1989) from the New York Times by Vincent Canby, December 14, 1989

• Overview
• New York Times Review
• Cast, Credits & Awards

Glory director Edward Zwick discusses motivations behind the film, by Michelle P. Perry, The Tech, MIT newspaper, 1990

Box Office/ Business for Glory (1989), IMDb

12 Years a Slave awards article from Encyclopaedia Britannica Academic, 2015

‘12 Years a Slave’: An essential story, well told at last, by critic Steven Rea, The Inquirer, Philly.com, October 25, 2013

Box Office Mojo summary, 12 Years a Slave

Steve McQueen on 12 Years a Slave: ‘It’s not About sugarcoating history,’ The Guardian, by Catherine Shoard, September 7, 2013

How 12 Years a Slave Gets History Right: By Getting It Wrong, The Atlantic, October 28, 2013, Noah Berlatsky

Practice Incorporating a Quotation

In the Civil War movie Glory, the narrator, Colonel Shaw, is isolated from his men in the Massachusetts 54th by an incredible social barrier. However, as the story progresses, all the men become closer and more united in the war effort. By the end, in their final battle, a sense of brotherhood is evident between the infantry. While addressing this phenomenon, the author of a review from Reelviews, James Berardinelli, wrote: "In the heat of the fight, men are color blind."

I refreshed my memory on the importance of both paraphrasing and incorporating quotes and their appropriate uses during class today. First of all, I was reminded that going line by line through a passage I want to paraphrase makes it difficult to avoid copying entire phrases, which is to be avoided in paraphrases. I became better at hyperlinking. Also, I learned that it is just as important to accurately convey what the author is saying. Additionally, I was reminded of how useful quotes can be in my writing. Sometimes in the past, I avoided using them because of an incorrect mindset that they are an "easy way out" of sorts. However, a pithy quote can often be beneficial and supplementary to an essay or paper. I will definitely use them more in the future.

This is what Mrs. Lawson wanted me to learn today:

• Only use a quote when it adds power and style to my writing.
• Always make it clear, from context, that I understand the full meaning of the quote.
• Whenever I quote or paraphrase, always be transparent about the source and how I'm using it.
• If I use an author's exact words or phrases, to any extent, I have to use quotation marks and give credit.
• If I use another author's presentation of facts or ideas, but put their ideas in my own words, I better have a good reason for doing that, and I MUST give credit.
• Hyperlinking is so easy, there is no excuse for not being transparent about my sources.

I truly believe that I understand these concepts entirely. Let's go.

Paraphrase Practice

The following excerpt comes from a review of a Civil War movie, Glory, from Reelviews Movie Reviews.

"The historical backdrop against which Glory transpires is mostly historically accurate. In fact, a great deal of effort went into getting the details correct. The main events shown in the film happened much as they are depicted, some of the key characters (Shaw, Frederick Douglas, etc.) existed, and the outcome was as Zwick presents it. Many of the secondary characters are either partially or entirely fictionalized, but they are intended to represent a broad cross-section of the types of men who joined the Massachusetts 54th. The danger in this approach is that it becomes easy to trivialize the individuals, turning them into types rather than people. Fortunately, Jarre's screenplay avoids the trap. The characters in Glory never seem less than three-dimensional."

Though not all of the characters in the film Glory are based on real people, a handful, like the narrator, Colonel Shaw, actually existed during the Civil War. Many other aspects of the movie are historically authentic, as well. A large amount of the director's effort was spent perfecting small details. While plenty of the characters playing smaller roles were created solely for the movie, their personalities and backgrounds give an accurate representation of the nature of soldiers in the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. The screenplay goes above and beyond mediocracy by excellently developing these fictional characters instead of making their personalities paper-thin or overly stereotypical.

Blog Post 1 - Empathy & History

Empathy and sympathy are two somewhat related concepts that can be easy to muddle together. However, there is a key difference between them that is important to understand, especially in a history classroom. While having sympathy is relating emotionally with another person who is struggling or suffering, having empathy is understanding another person's perspective in a certain situation on a strictly intellectual or logical level. It is sometimes necessary to put empathy before sympathy in many professions, especially a historian's. Though sympathy is a highly valued trait of an emotionally sound person, having empathy can lead to having pure, unbiased understanding, even when it is difficult.
For example, I can empathize with my mother, even when she is telling me to do something that frustrates me exponentially. I am a "neat-freak". I am a perfectionist, and I am nervous, choosy, and stubborn. All of the above apply. With all of these characteristics, it bothers me more than almost anything else when my messy, sometimes careless younger sister leaves her dirty towels on the floor and her open jars of peanut butter on the countertop. What is even more infuriating is that it is a household rule of my family that I cannot nag her about it. My mother is particularly stringent about how siblings should not give each other parental directives; that is entirely up to her and my dad. It is so frustrating when my sister does not clean up after herself, because I feel like they do not get on to her as much as they should. Nevertheless, like a historian, I can empathize. I have never had children, and I hate the rule, but using unbiased logic, I can understand why the rule is in place. My mother does not want one of her daughters to have any unnatural power over the other. She does not think it is my place when I nag, just like she does not think it is my sister's place to yell at me for other reasons. I do not support the rule in any way, as a bossy, stubborn teen, but I can understand it intellectually. I get why it's a rule.
Anyone studying the past must master empathy. There are plenty of instances where it might make a person uncomfortable to "walk a mile in the shoes" of some of the infamous characters in history. Understandably, it is less burdensome on the conscious and more uplifting to put oneself in the position of a hero. However, if someone does not understand the perspectives of all of the people who shaped the present, at least in a purely intellectual way, they cannot truly understand history. They are leaving out the "why" and "how" from their knowledge of the time.
Here is a photo of the kind of mess my sister makes on the daily. She stinks. Here is a photo that visually represents empathy to me.