Human Not Property.

The Dred Scott Case
People & Events
Dred Scott's fight for freedom
1846 - 1857
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2932.html

I found this piece of writing on PBS Online
This relates to topics in class because we have been studying slavery as well as some things about the Supreme Court Cases.

Dred Scott was a black man yearning for his freedom, after being a slave all his life. First Scott offered his owner $300 for his freedom which was refused. After that he took it to the courts. He sued for his freedom in 1847, that was his first trial and he lost on a technicality because he could not prove that him and his wife were owned by the widow Mrs. Emerson. A year later he went to court again and the St.Louis circuit court ruled that Scott and his family were free. Two years later the Missouri Supreme court reversed the decision of the lower court forcing them to be enslaved again. They went through many trials and they were denied of their freedom. In 1856 Scott went to the supreme court which had many biases about slavery because most of them were hired by presidents who were for slavery and they owned slaves themselves.

In 1857 the decision of the court was read which stated the following, "-- a staunch supporter of slavery -- wrote the "majority opinion" for the court. It stated that because Scott was black, he was not a citizen and therefore had no right to sue." Which is like basically saying that because they were black they are not considered human more like property and therefore they are not citizens and they cannot sue. A precedent that they used was that because Scott was black he was not citizen and he could not sue. The causes of this decision would have to be the following:
The southern slave owners took it well.
The decision made many northerners very angry they were "outraged" as said in the text.
Something else that was cause by this decision would have to be , that it greatly influenced the nomination of Abraham Lincoln in the Republican Party and then later into the elections.

This subject connect to modern America because there is no slavery now but certain races are still seen as lower than the white race. There is still a lot of racism and discrimination, in some countries more than others. There are groups who still want what we had back then, they feel that some races are abominations, an that they are lower. I don't think that is a good thing because we all live in this country as free men, the way it should have been since the beginning. Somethings that I ask myself would be, Why were black people not seen as humans like everyone else? Why was there slavery in the first place if we are all equal? Those are just some things that I think about. We are all created equal, we all are human and we all have the same rights.

Reflection....

What are you most proud of on your blogs? why?

I am most proud of my blogs because I actually kept up with the dates that they were due. I was able to finish all of the blogs and find good articles to connect to classroom topics, and I can write what I think about the topic. I get to put my own input into the Internet which is most likely read by people, and they can see my point of view. Something else that I was the most proud of on my blogs was that I was able to write a lot for all of the blogs. Usually I tend to write a little bit for each topic and I have never liked the fact that I do that. Sometimes my mind has to train of thought for certain topics. I just totally blank and have no idea what to write about. This time it was a little different, I think that it was different because in class we actually describe the topics and we discuss them wit each other, that helps me get a better understanding about what I am learning. If I know that topic that I am trying to connect to other current events, it is way easier to find an article that does connect and I can write about it and how they connect to what we are currently learning in class.

What will you improve during future blogs? why? how?

Something that I am going to improve in future blogs would have to be the information that I put into my blogs. I have to make sure that all of what I am writing is accurate. If I have any false information in the blog then that is not good because then anyone who may not know about that topic can just go and read my blog and they will probably believe what is on there because I'm sure that everyone doesn't research everything that they read. If people believe false information then it is not good because then they think of something as right when it actually isn't. Another thing that I would probably change about my blogs would have to be that format that they are in I would want to organize my thought better so that things can make sense in my blogs. The way things are setup is always important because one little thing can mess up the flow the you have going in your blog, those little things can lead to confusion of the reader, or also it just might not look appealing to the eye, people like to read things that look like they are good.

How has blogging impacted your understanding of the ; U.S, the media, current events, "old" news (i.e. the constitution, fed papers, etc.)?

The blogging has greatly impacted the way that I view things around in me including the U.S. , the media, current events and old news. For the U.S it has changed my views because I get to learn about a topic first in class that has to do with the U.S and then I have to take that information and go and find something in articles that connects to that. There are many different things going on that can connect to topics we learn in class and by me having to find them, I learn new things by reading news articles. In the news articles there is information on things going on in the U.S. so I learn more every time I read an article. In the media I already knew that there is a lot of false information that is given about people. In the media they are always either trying to make someone look bad or look good. I've noticed that if you are someone who is in the public eye you have to be very careful with what you say because any little thing can be misconstrued, and then people can take that little bit and make you look so bad. The media as I have learned does that a lot people can say one thing that is false or they can say something that bashes something or someone else , and that is taken and people make into a big thing and there is controversy, then those public figures have to come out and analogize or clarify anything that they have said.
This helped me a lot with current events because when we had to make class connection we mostly had to do it with events that have recently happened. By doing this I am looking up things that are happening now and I am able to see what is going on in the world a round me which is really good. It is always good to be aware of what is going on a round you because something may happen and you will have no idea. Current events tell you what is happening now and you need to know that because thy could be warning you of something that might happen, and if you are not informed on these things when the time comes you will know nothing about it. The way that old news is Incorporated into this is because we learn about these things like the constitution or the fed papers in class and then we have to take those things and connect them with things going on now. I think that something always connects with something else you can find it with many things. We are learning something old which is actually in the new.

inacurate info (Edited on 9/25/08)

Maverick Misleads
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/maverick_misleads.html
Published:September 4, 2008
Found in Factcheck.com

This article shows that there are things that are broadcasted, spread out into the world for people to know about them and they aren't even legit. This can happen in many cases when it comes to politics, or even general things. Everybody wants to be seen as the best representative so they either bash their opponents or they try to compare themselves to them, or someone else who was thought of as a great leader. They use inaccurate information for many of these things and it is kind of weird because, the representatives don't write what they say themselves I'm sure that they have someone who writes it for them. They just deliver it to the audience, I think that everyone should do some extreme research on the topics that they are speaking about that way they can say the truth and not what they think is the truth. I took a speech class over the summer and one thing that I learned about public speaking is that when you are making a speech your information has to be backed up by some sort of evidence or citation. Especially if you are speaking to an audience who is well informed on the subject. This will keep you from getting embarrassed then or any time after when your "facts" are proven invalid.
Someone can take What you just said if they know that the information is false, and they can call you out on it which does not make the speaker look good at all. I think of it this way if you are going to speak to an audience you have to know what you are speaking about, you can't just go up and improvise because there are facts to things and I am certain that someone in that audience may know a little bit more about he subject than you do. So it i always good to be prepared and know your topic well.

BANKRUPT!!!

Wall Street in Worst Loss Since 2001

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/16/business/16paulson.html?_r=1&
hp&oref=slogin

By STEPHEN LABATON

Published: September 15, 2008

Found in the NYTimes

Right now the stock market is in a crisis they are crashing, all of these banks are losing their business, and all of their money. When people hear about this crisis they feel that their money is not safe they are taking out all of their moneys from certain banks and that is not good for the bank. The banks are loosing a lot of money and that is not helping anything at all. Everyone is going to panic and start taking their money and moving it somewhere else. If thats keeps on happening a lot of banks are going to go bankrupt, and loose their business. Some advice that I would give on this matter would be, let the government help these people get their business back in order, but they should not entirely bail them out. If the Government were to bail them out fully, it would be like nothing ever happened. This should be a lesson to those companies, that did not do a good enough job in managing their money and business. The reason why the government should help the Lehman Brothers is because they are a bank that is holding peoples money so it would benefit us as well as their company, but like I said before the government should help a little not fully that way these companies won't become dependant on the help from the government , and think that every time they have a problem that's where they look for help.

Man wants prison

Elderly Bank Robber Looks Forward To Prison


This story was found on CNN news as well as KGET News

This relates to the Thomas Hobbs Philosophy of the social contract, where you will do whatever, and use your own strengths to protect your natural rights; Life, Liberty, and Property. This man spent most of his life in jail and now that he was out he felt as if it was easier being in jail, than trying to go on in life outside he , had no one to lean on and he had no extra help, for his needs in the outside world. I guess he felt happier serving time than trying to make it on his own, he went into the bank knowing what he was going to do. He did it on purpose because he knew he was going to get caught and he wanted to go back to prison. In this way he did something for himself he used his own power and strength to get happiness. He was in and out of jail for most of his life since he was eighteen and he felt that being in prison was an option that he had and he wanted it. So he did something tho get what he wanted.

One against the Other

Thai Leader Faces Challenge in Streets and Courts

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/world/asia/03thailand.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=anti%20government&st=cse&oref=slogin

By SETH MYDANS and THOMAS FULLER
Published: September 2, 2008

Found in the NYTimes.

This article is about the pro Gov, and anit-gov. They have protests in Bangkok some leading to violence.

This connects to something that we are studying in class right now, Federalists and Anti-federalists.

In this article they talk about the anti-gov trying to get rid of the government, which is like the anti-federalists. They did not think that we needed a government or anything that had to do with it. On the other hand there were the Federalists which did believe in having a government to help and protect the people. This is something that they said in the one of the Federalist papers # 10. "The friend of popular governments never finds himself so much alarmed for their character and fate, as when he contemplates their propensity to this dangerous vice." It is basically saying that someone who wants a government or is for the government , will not be shocked with some of the choices that they make. In this article there were two groups protesting . There was the anti-gov who wanted to get rid of the government and the pro-gov who were trying to get what they thought out, for the anti-gov protesters to hear it. Sometimes protest are not the best thing because some of them may lead to violence. Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej was being confronted because he is part of the government, he felt attacked and wondered what he had done to all of these people. Its not him that did something, it is just the fact that some people are not getting what they want, not everyone gets what they want there is always that other factor to everything.

Man Faces Murder Charges After He Admits to Suffocating Student
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/nyregion/03student.html?scp=1&sq=murder&st=nyt

By CHRISTINE HAUSER
Published: September 2, 2008

Found in NY Times

Thesis
A 22 Year old man is being faces being charged with murder after he suffocated a student, in his own apartment, and then carelessly staying there to watch a movie.

Class Connection (s)
This article connects to John Locke's Social contract
and The Rule of Law concept.

This article connects to John Locke's social contract - People let the government exists to so that their natural rights (human rights) protected. It connects in that this 22 year-old man murdered another person therefore taking away one of his natural rights , life, and now according to laws that have been established the government has the police to arrest this man and he goes to trial. They are trying to convict him of murder that way he will go to prison and other people's natural rights are being protected. It also goes into The Rule of Law concept were in a rule of law country you must follow the laws, or else you will pay the consequences. Here this man did not follow the law and he murdered somebody, therefore he must now be convicted and he will have to be in prison to pay for what he did.

Money makes the world go round.

At McCain’s Convention, Big Money Still Talks
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/05/us/politics/05donate.html?hp

By MICHAEL LUO
Published: September 4, 2008

Found in NY Times

The thesis of this article would that Robert Wood Johnson IV is millionaire, and he is one of the biggest donors to many of the big conventions ,and exclusive sanctums.

I think that this article presents the persuit of happiness because, Robert Wood Johnson IV was doing things for others to, but it was going with his beliefs or what he cared about and he was glad to donate all the money, and plan fundraisers for John McCain's campaign in order to support the Republicans. So he was helping a campaigne who was struggling to raise money, by making fundraisers or by donating money himself. Which was very benificail to McCain's campaign. Somethin else that I got from this article is that his daughter has type 1 diabetes and he has also given millions to find a cure for that, because he loves his daughter and does not want anything to happen to her. So to him trying to find a cure for this disease he is happy .