Supreme Court Case Before 1865

In 1831 in Southampton County in Virginia Nat Turner, an American slave, rebelled by gathering other slaves and going from plantation to plantation killing men, women and children. It was said that the reason he did this was because of religious visions he was getting. The clan of slaves gathered more supporters as they went on but were captured when they ran out of ammunition. When Nat Turner was finally caught he was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. He and about eighteen others were hung.

The impact of this case was that supposedly it set back the slaves even more time from having their freedom. A quote from James Hammond describes this by saying “But if your course was wholly different-If you distilled nectar from your lips and discoursed sweetest music…do you imagine you could prevail on us to give up a thousand millions of dollars in the value of our slaves, and a thousand millions of dollars more in the depreciation of our lands?” From reading this and how the slaves rebel I would like to think that because they rebelled it did set back the cause of their emancipation a little bit. It makes me think that because I think back then the slave-owners were thinking that because they are causing such a disruption then why should they let them be free? If they were going to act crazy like that then should they be treated as humans?

However, I think the slaves had a right to rebel because I can see how they wanted to be free and be treated as equals. Especially after the Declaration of Independence was written I definitely think they had a right to freedom. A quote that I particularly like was by Fredrick Douglas on the fourth of July in 1852 “What to the American slave is your Fourth of July? I answer, a day that reveals to him more than all other days of the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim.” The quote goes on to say how is the Declaration of Independence applied to the slaves and if not then the celebration of independence is a sham.

I think the impact of Nat Turner’s rebellion was that even though he was sentenced to death, slaves who rebelled and tried to fight for their freedom kept the spirit and hope for their own freedom to one day come and to not give up. And they got their freedom and it still goes on today.

Nat Turner Article

and

"Slavery Without Submission, Emancipation Without Freedom" text

Reflection

What are you most proud of on your blog? Why?

I am most proud of how I'm able to take stories and make it so it relates to the topic that was discussed in class and the blog topic given. I'm proud of that because I think it's difficult to relate stories that are normally thought of as irrelevant and relate it to a topic, especially history. A specific story I'm proud of is my McDonalds big mac story. It makes me most proud because how many people can connect a man eating 23,000 big macs in 36 years with communism and the Declaration of Independence?

What will you improve during future blogs? Why? How?

Something I want to improve on in my future blogs is reading other blogs or other pieces of information and incorporating that into my blog, rather then taking information from just one article. Or reading other peoples blogs and writing my own entry and my own viewpoint on the topic. One classmate of mine who's blog I was highly thinking about writing my views on is ANA's blog entry about the designer who couldn't attend his own fashion show. The reason why I don't post other people's article as my own is because I like to have original articles that no one else has. I plan on changing that and just using other peoples articles and writing my own viewpoint on them so that I can not only in cooperate my peer's blogs into my own, but also their viewpoints as well.
I also want to improve on how much I write in them. I know that i can write more on the topic and article I read but to be honest the reason I don't is because I get in a rush to finish my blog and I try to cram all my thoughts and ideas into a quick paragraph. I really want to try to actually take time and think about what I am going to put in my blog and write it in such a way that makes it sound very well thought out. A way I plan on doing this is by not trying to finish my whole blog entry in the amount of time I'm given in X-Block. I plan on starting the entry in X-Block but not rushing through it and finishing the rest of my thoughts at home to ensure I get all my ideas out there.

How has blogging impacted your understanding of the US? The media? Current events? "Old News"?
I feel that writing these blog entries have given me a better understanding of what is going on in society today. I feel this way because when doing this assignment it forces me to read current events and make me think about them and give my opinion on it. I feel that if we didn't have to do these blogs I would carry on not reading or watching the news and still be oblivious to what is going on around me in society.
I feel blogging has also given me a better understanding of events that have happened in the past by me having to read current events and having to relate it to the blog prompts which most often involve having us relate the current event back to the class topic which was usually an event in history.I will be honest my knowledge of important events that have happened in history are not very good but I feel that blogging has given me a better understanding of what did happen. By connecting current events and historical events it gives me a better understanding. I feel that current events are like examples of what has happened in the past. I also think that it has helped me understand the US better today, both the past and the present. Especially when it comes to the government. I have learned a lot about how our government came about but also how it is ran today.
As far as a better understanding of the media goes, I don't think I have a better understanding of it. I like to think that the media is a reflection of the content it is holding (the stories) and the stories are usually stories about people doing strange and obscure things, like killing someone or something. And I don't understand someone who would do something like that. Therefore, I don't think I'll ever really understand the media fully.

John McCain's Renewable Resources Campaign

In the article I found, it talks about John McCain's campaign ad and how he states "Renewable energy to transform our economy, create jobs and energy independence, that's John McCain" but his plan doesn't have any specific spending on renewable energy. The article states that in his campaign it has pictures of wind turbines in the background but he doesn't actually talk about what renewable energy sources he would use. It also states that he has talked more about nuclear power and "clean coal" and has even talked about the cost of it, but has not talked about the cost of the renewable energy sources like wind, hydro power, and solar power, the energy sources that would never run out.

My opinion on this is that its ok how he talks about the nuclear power and "clean coal" and how he pretty much has a better game plan for that rather then the other renewable energy sources. I think its ok as long as he uses those energy sources to help build the renewable energy sources that will never run out. I think if that was his idea that he should have mentioned it because it the people of the US are paying for it in taxes I think they would like to know what they are paying for and would be happier if they know its going to something that is helping build energy sources so that America would not have to rely on oil and foreign countries for it.

Factcheck.org, August 8, 2008

Link to Article

Drilling To Make Things Better

"This is 'yes, but no drilling in Alaska, no drilling in the Eastern Gulf, no drilling inside 50 miles.' This is 'yes, but no litigation reform that will prevent radical environmental attorneys from tying up leases even before a single shovel of dirt is turned.'"

This article was about a bill that was passed on Tuesday that allows the US to drill within states in the US to get oil. I think this is relevant to how our economy is right now with the stock market doing bad and people losing their jobs. I think that America needs to find a way to boost their economy more.

I think that drilling may be part of the answer. My opinion is that drilling in the US will help the economy a little, if not, a lot. If America now depends on other countries for oil and that is money we are spending for that when we have our own oil but won't drill to get it then I think that is unnecessary money we are spending. If we drilled in the US and used our own oil to find more renewable energy sources then maybe one day we would even be able to not rely on oil at all, maybe.

The thing is, is that with this bill that was passed there are a lot of places they are saying that you cant drill. My opinion is is that if you are going to pass a bill saying that you can drill in the US for oil now then we should be able to drill wherever we need to to get the oil.

CNN.com September 16, 2008
NYTimes.com, Eric Dash, September 15, 2008
Stock LINK!
Drilling Bill LINK!

Man Eats 23,000 Big Mac in 36 years!

In FOND DU LAC, Wisconsin there is a man who has eaten 23,000 big macs in 36 years. It is said that he tasted the big mac once and instantly wanted more. He eats at least two everyday and has saved the receipts from every big mac he has ever had.

I feel that this applies to the Deceleration of Independence where it says "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness". If he wants to eat that many big macs then that is his freedom to and if it makes him happy then he can.

At the same time it kind of raises the question for me, if government steps in and changes things, like say back to communism, then this man wouldn't be able to eat this many big macs because everyone would have the same amount of everything.

So it makes me wonder, do we really want government to step into our lives and take care of everything for us, if a possibilty is that we can be converted back to older primitive ways?


CNN.com
LINK!

New Energy Bill

In the article I read, from what I understand, on Friday 100 senators are going to meet at Capitol Hill to discuss a possible energy law being passed. The reason why they discuss this is because of our high energy costs like the high gas prices. They believe that if this new energy law is passed then it can possibly lower gas prices at gas stations.They want to find a new energy source that isn't so expensive. One being off shore drilling. A quote from the article is "While the Republican energy policy is focused more on increased supply ('drill baby drill') and nuclear power generation, the Democrats are more focused on energy conservation, improving the environment and taxing big oils ('tax baby tax'),".

In this article I feel that the Republicans are more like anti-federalists and the Democrats are more like the federalists. The reason why is because I feel the Democrats just want to tax people more keeping them(government) more in power and the Republicans want to drill keeping the taxes lower then the Democrats would. In my opinion the Republicans are more about what the people say and the Democrats are more about what the government says. The reason why is because I feel that what the Republicans do help save money for the people of America while what the Democrats do make the Americans pay more. That's hat I think from this article.

CNN.com
September 10, 2008
Link! to article

Saggy Pants is a Crime
Edited on Sept 25, 2008

From this article it states that it is illegal to show your undergarments or butt. John Locke's philosophy was "Life, Liberty, and Property" are your natural rights. If that was the case now, then if someone wants to wear baggy pants and show their under garments on their own property then they should be able to. But since the Declaration of Independence states "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness"
then I think it should be fine that someone wears baggy pants anywhere because its their freedom to and makes them happy.
If John Locke's philosophy was put in the Deceleration of Independence then I think that the government would have the right more so to say that this person can't be wearing baggy pants out in public, but only on his property. But since the Deceleration of Independence states "Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" then I think it gives the government less right to say this person can't wear baggy pants because it makes him happy. I think especially so because it is his life, his liberty to do so, and it makes him happy. Also, he was on his property also so I think the cop didn't have a right to even bring the man's baggy pants to attention. But they're the government and they can do almost anything.

North Pole Becoming an Island?

It is said that the North Pole may becoming an island. This is important information for those who don't believe that Global Warming is actually happening. Like people who before the Enlightenment who just believed everything they were told. They believed that the king was chosen directly from God. During the Enlightenment though a new concept came about called empercism which was the theory of knowledge being based on evidence and experience. People who do believe in Global Warming are thinking like people during the Enlightenment. The fact that the North Pole is becoming an island is evidence that Global Warming does exist and the Earth is getting hotter. The ice that connects the North Pole is now melting.
This is important for people to know because ships that carry cargo have to route their route so that it doesn't run into the ice that connects the North Pole. But if this ice melts then ships will be able to pass through easily, maybe making it faster to deliver their goods.
So whether people believe Global Warming is happening or not, the North Pole becoming an island is a valuable piece of information that people should know.

"Open Water Circling North Pole? Not Quite"

September 3, 2008, 4:07 pm

By Andrew C. Revkin

LINK! to the article