In this blog, i will discuss the common themes that have appeared throughout the courses in this cluster. Many themes have appeared in the coursework and the most important theme to me would have to be human rights, which is a broad statement in itself. I'm still a little confused on how language is connected with what i'm learning in my other two classes, but i'm sure i'll get it eventually. However, there is a link between Law and Human rights as well as English 101. I believe this because of the books and discussions that we have in each course.
I will be using passages from the books "When I was A Slave" by Norman Yetman as well as "Southern Horrors" By Ida B. Wells and the UDHR (Universal Declaraton of Human Rights)to support my beliefs.
Human rights is a big part of human development. It expands the choices that people have to lead and live the lives that they value; such as shelter and food, health care, protection, privacy, a decent standard of living as well as education. It would be arbitrary if we didn't have any rights at all. Everyday it is a challenge to make human rights a reality, but it seems that we are getting better with the help of the UDHR. No slavery, no toture, we're equal before the law, the right to trial, we're always innocent til proven guilty and the right to a fair and free world are all apart of the UDHR, just to name a few; however, back in the 1800's and as early as th 1900's these rights were irrelevant. To own someone was like the "in thing." In the text "When I Was a Slave," Andrew Goodman (one of the slaves) states "I was born in slavery and i think them days was better for the niggers than the days we see now. One thing was, I never was cold and hungry when my old master lived, and i has been plenty hungry and cold a lot of times since he is gone"(Yetman p52). Even though Goodman wanted for nothing, he was still a slave-someone's property. The only reason why he really wanted for nothing was because he,as well as many other slaves, worked extremley hard on the plantations makeing their own clothes and growing their own organic foods. Robert Glenn (another slave) states "...and freedom was the happiestperiod of my entire life, because those who were torn apart in bondage and sorrow several years previous were now united in freedom and happiness"(Yetman p51).Freedom is what most of the slaves lived for even though fear of being alone without the "help" of their Masters was an important emotion that most of the slaves felt because they were use to the degrating lifestyle; freedom is what we all live for. Most of the slaves were totured and didn't know of a fair and free world.
After the Civil War, when freedom was now the "in thing,"Afro Americanas still suffored. "The government which had made the Negro a citizen found itself unable to protect him. It gave him the right to vote, but denied him the protection, which should have maintained that right" (Yetman p77)Many Afo Americans were lynched for small crimes or crimes that they didn't even commit. They weren't always or never found innocent til proven guilty because the government lost all control."Brutality still continued; Negros were whipped,scourgen,exiled shot and hung whenever it pleased the white man so to treat tham, and as the civilized world with increasing persistency held the white people of the South to account for its outlawry, the murderers invented the third excuse-that Negros had to be killed to avenge their assaults upon woman"(Yetman p77). They were never equal before the law. Out of the thousands of lynchings that took place, there were only two white men that were lynched. Afro-Americans never had a right to a trial. If a crime was committed, someone had to pay even if he or she was innocent.
The UDHR was founded December 10,1948 by the United Nations representatives from all regions of the world.Even women had the right to vote in 1920. If the UN would have adopted the UDHR sooner, the world would have been a better place and slavery might not have been a big part of our history.
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