Tyasia Rose
Professor Young
The New Jim Crow
19 March 2017
Chapter 8
“They quietly pleaded guilty to forty-five counts of peonage and conspiracy to hold blacks in slavery.” (451)
- My interpretation of this part of the reading is the ideology of progress being made in America by this case being tried through the court system. The actuality is that no progress is really being made by this because the sentencing that the white men were faced with was moreso like a slap on the wrist than a punishment for their crime.
“Judge Jones sentenced each of the men to one year and a day in the federal penitentiary in Atlanta” (452)
- The sentencing in this case honestly angered me because of the cruel and unusual punishment that black people were faced with for less severe “crimes.” Black people were sentenced to a legal lifetime of slavery for “crimes” such as not being employed or looking at a white woman but yet these white men were sentenced to one year and a day for forty-five counts of peonage and conspiracy to hold blacks in slavery. This part of the reading proves my point that although it may have seemed like some good would come out of this case there really wasn’t any progress being made.
“Helms testified he was beaten nearly every day by Turner's son, Allen, or another armed guard. ”(460)
- I included this quote to reflect upon the collaboration amongst the white community to keep the enslavement of blacks ongoing back then as they do now. The reason why there is such a large amount of the black community failing in today’s economy is because of the joint effort amongst whites. Michelle Alexander proves in her text, The New Jim Crow the various examples of the ways in which the government has set up a system to keep the black community down. One example that she provides is, The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986. The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, “Authorized public housing authorities to evict any tenant who allows any form of drug-related criminal activity to occur in or near public housing premises and eliminated many federal benefits, including student loans, for anyone convicted of a drug offense.” This law allowed individuals who were already targeted by law enforcement and have paid their debt to society to not get back up.
“Finally, the lawyer portrayed Helms as a "shiftless negro" enjoying his moment in the spotlight at the expense of the federal government.” (461)
- My analysis of this quote is blame the victim. This defense is highly used when law enforcement officials are captured on video wrongfully treating Black people. In spite of the evidence presented disciplinary actions are hardly ever taken against these law enforcement officials. Instead of holding them accountable the court system and the media always find a way to explain how the Black person is responsible for their own death.
“The strategy was designed not to prove that Helms hadn't been captured and sold—since the Turners admitted those facts—but to mock the black witnesses and discredit any white men who corroborated them.” (462)
- The “mock” statement in this quote is what made me decide to include it in my assignment. The mocking technique is faithfully used today as a defense regarding racism. Often when racism is discussed there are a number of individuals who will forever mock its existence in today’s as if it’s really an illusion despite the videos depicting police brutality, the facts demonstrating racial disparity in the prison systems, and the amount of poverty in urban areas.
Chapter 9
“ virtually all Americans viewed the presumed higher and lower racial order of whites, blacks, and native Indian tribes as mandated by God.” (473)
- I included this quote to relate back to Blumenbach’s work regarding the scientific theory of the natural superiority of the white race. Another significant point connected to this quote is the use of religion to denounce the Black race similarly to Richard Mather’s belief that, “African American slavery was natural, normal, and holy.”
“Blacks are "a vast sluggish mass of uncooled lava over a section of the country, burying some sections and affecting the whole. ”(477)
- In today’s society Blacks are seen as a hindrance in the economy’s development and the government looks for a variety of reasons to blame any kind of downfall on the black community. I see a connection between this quote and Nixon’s war on drugs because for his campaign Nixon essentially pointed the finger at urban community individuals who were primarily Black for the lack of economic growth.
“From that claimed evidence, Dr. E. C. Ferguson extrapolated that the "negro is monkey-like; has no sympathy for his fellow-man; has no regard for the truth, and when the truth would answer his purpose the best, he will lie. He is without gratitude or appreciation of anything done for him; is a natural born thief,—will steal anything, no matter how worthless. He has no morals.” (481)
- This quote is how the American economy justifies the unjust treatment of Black individuals. This analysis of the Black race as formulated the ideology of all Black men being “gangstas, thugs, and deadbeat fathers;” along with the ideology of Black women being “loud, ghetto, and ratchet.” The work of Ferguson relates a lot to the infamous work of Blumenach. Combined both of these ideologies have instilled a belief of the inferiority of the Black man and the superiority of the White man.
“When a black man in Henderson, North Carolina, refused to give up his reserved seat in a local theater to a white patron in April 1903, he was forcibly ejected. When he resisted being removed, the black man was shot dead by a policeman.” (489)
- This quote is a reflection of the minimal amount of progress that has been made between the police and the black community. The significance of this quote is it proves how easy it is for a black person to be killed by police for the most foolish reasons.
“Negroes Attack Police" blared a headline over an account of a fight that broke out on West 62nd Street after an Irish policeman shoved a "disrespectful" black man on a sidewalk.24” (492)
- This quote reminds me of how the media often turns Black victims into criminals. There has been a number of tragedies where a Black person is unjustly killed by the police and they are often blamed for their own death. The media has a habit of using past mugshots of these individuals and headlines such as, “gansta, thug killed by police” to lessen the sympathy for these wrongfully killed individuals.
