Journal Entry
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In my weekly original journal entry I concentrated on the unequal resource allocation, economic development and lack of assistance in developing free Black communities. These disadvantages were referenced several times throughout the reading. Black employment, access to education, voting, land, financial options, and other opportunities were all limited (Azevedo 2009). After reading the lecture I came to a deeper understanding of some of the Pre-Civil War legislation that allowed these disadvantages to occur, for example, the 3/5 clause pertaining to voting. Under this clause slaves could be counted as 3/5 of a person for purposes of representation (Slide 10). Another example which wasnt mentioned in the readings is the 1831 North Carolina statute. Whites, free people of color, and enslaved were all punished if caught teaching an enslaved person to read or write (Slide 4). The unequal resource allocation, and economic development is continued and heightened after the abolishment of slavery. Although Plessy v. Ferguson established “seperate but equal.” white facilities whether they be bathrooms, trains, school, or buses were always in better condition than the black facilities (Slide12).
The African American Protest tradition is African Americans working to secure equal rights under the law by exercising resistance to the laws in place (Azevedo 133). Men like Frederick Douglass, Nat Turner, and David Walker are known for their stories of resistance (Marable). The lecture was helpful in providing examples of women upholding the African American protest tradition of resistance and exercising agency, a new concept to me. Agency is to exercise control over sexual life; resist exploitation. Harriet Jacobs, who wasnt referenced in the readings, was an extraordinary woman. She took control of her own sex life and chose her own White lover after her slaveholder tried to force her into sex as a teen. She attempted to choose a better future for her children although they were born enslaved. Jacobs demonstrated her love for her children by hiding in a crawlspace for 7 years in order to be close to them regardless of enslavement (Slide 9). Raping these women just to profit from the sale of two slaves showed how strategically and pro maximum profitability slavery was.