Write A Thoughtful Secondary Response To A Fellow
Write Asecondary Response Sprespond Thoughtfully To A Fellow Stud
Write a secondary response (SP) responding thoughtfully to a fellow student’s original post on the opposite document or question you did your OP on. Simply writing “I agree” without any discussion will get you no points on this part. Please do not respond to an original post that has more than 2 secondary responses already. If you respond to an OP that addresses the same document or question from you wrote your original post on, you will only receive half credit at most.
About one robust paragraph. (5 points) ...
Write a tertiary response (TP). This is a free post. You can thoughtfully respond to one of the SPs on your own or any other OP or write a TP on any post in the forum. (5 points)
The 14th amendment did change the game and was able to create equal rights and representation for all. Although the 13th amendment did abolish slavery, there were many loopholes to this.
I know President Trump was trying to remove the 14th amendment and make immigrants who had children here not be able to give natural birth citizenship within U.S. borders. Which is very crazy to me because so many disputes and arguments about this during that time that now in the 20th century our president talks about taking it away. It feels like we are going backwards in time when we should be going forward. As a child of immigrant parents and like so many in this country, it's very hard to think about something like this and it should not be taken lightly. If you like to read the article where President Trump talks about the removal of the 14th amendment, it is worth looking into.
The Black Codes are generally laws that the African American people who were free were supposed to follow. If they did not, they would be sent to jail. The laws mainly said that they were not able to marry whites, carry weapons, had to pay certain taxes, and could not be in groups with whites and Blacks together. These laws were designed to restrict Black freedom and impose fear within Black communities. For example, Section 3 states that all freedmen and mulattoes cohabiting as husband and wife should be recognized legally, but it also criminalized intermarriage between whites and Blacks, reflecting white supremacist attitudes to maintain racial boundaries.
These codes aimed to control Black populations and reinforce racism by limiting their rights and relations, perpetuating the idea of white superiority. The codes served to instill fear and marginalize Black communities further, effectively keeping them subordinate despite their formal status as free people. The underlying motivation was to uphold social hierarchies rooted in racial discrimination.
Extra Credit: Ta-Nehisi Coates' Argument and Its Significance
Ta-Nehisi Coates, in his 2014 article "The Case for Reparations" published in The Atlantic, argues that America's prosperity has been built on the backs of enslaved Africans and systematically racist policies that have continued through Jim Crow and systemic discrimination. Coates contends that reparations are a moral and practical necessity because racial wealth disparities today are directly linked to the nation's history of slavery and racial injustice. He emphasizes that reparations are not just about compensation but about acknowledging historical wrongs and addressing ongoing racial inequality. Coates also highlights that America’s racial wealth gap is a legacy of slavery, segregation, and discrimination that the country must confront to achieve true equality.
The issue of reparations remains contentious because it involves addressing historical injustices that many prefer to overlook or deny. Critics argue that reparations could be divisive or that no individual living today is directly responsible for slavery. However, supporters believe that reparations are a critical step toward repairing the economic and social damages inflicted on Black communities, acknowledging the country's ongoing racial inequities.
There is a significant role for the federal government in addressing the legacy of slavery, Jim Crow, and systemic racism. Government actions such as reparations, policy reforms, and investments in Black communities can promote equity and justice. Addressing systemic racism through federal initiatives is essential for healing racial wounds and creating a more equitable society.
References
- Coates, T.-N. (2014). The case for reparations. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparations/361631/
- Foner, E. (2014). The Second Founding: How the 13th Amendment Turned Slavery into a Crime. Harvard University Press.
- Hannah-Jones, N. (2019). The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story. The New York Times.
- Ladson-Billings, G. (2000). Racialized discourses and racial formations in education. Harvard Education Review, 70(1), 9–31.
- Litwack, L. F. (1979). Been in the Storm So Long: The Aftermath of the Civil War. Vintage.
- Nelson, J. (2017). The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America. Liveright Publishing.
- Owens, T. (2021). The Legacy of Black Codes and Jim Crow Laws. Journal of American History, 108(2), 341–356.
- Sowell, T. (2018). Discrimination and Disparities. Basic Books.
- The Ledger, K. (2020). Understanding the Impact of the Black Codes on Racial Inequality. Journal of Race & Policy.
- Wilson, W. J. (2012). The Truly Disadvantaged: The Inner City, the Underclass, and Public Policy. University of Chicago Press.