Each day we begin class with announcements, show&tell of books/periodicals/articles that I think are interesting and relevant, a reading from a short story or poetry book, and current events.

We discussed the US alliance with Saudi Arabia, the new Homeland Security Act that passed Monday, and the Walmart court case which went into high gear this week.

We spent some time discussing Amistad. We asked moral/practical question concerning ends and means. Tappan says, wouldn't they "have been more valuable in death than in life" by making the Amistad captives martyrs. Joadson disagrees, affirming the dignity of the individuals involved. This ends/means question is continually relevant.

We briefly read about modern indentured servitude of Asian refugees being imported to southern California illegally to work in sweatshops.

Assignment: Amistad paper (due 12/3)
I encourage everybody to look at yesterday's posting concerning slavery.

We discussed Amistad inaccuracies as well as the movie in general.

In groups, then as a class, we chose the most important aspects of slavery learning:
-At first African and European indentured servants were treated as equals.
-three time periods in the development of race slavery (1619-1640 indentured servitude, 1640-1660 de facto slavery, 1660 de jure slavery)
-Bacon's Rebellion (1676) was an important symbolic event that convinced elites in Virginia and elsewhere to more actively separate workers (black/white) so that they would not rise up together.
-There was Native American slave trade where Native Americans were traded for Carribbean Africans.
-Slaves were traded/smuggled illegally, especially after slave trading had been banned in the US and Britain.
-The proslave/antislave debate was not a clear South/North division.
-Abolitionists were a minority.
-slavery is an extremely important part of this nation's history.
-British culture contained racist attitudes before the development of slavery and they actively promoted as race slavery was being developed as an economic & cultural institution.
Assignment:
1-2 page Amistad paper (choices on handout)

Today the slavery projects/papers were due and very few students turned them in. Pitiful.
We finished watching Amistad.
Tomorrow we will discuss Amistad and start to wrap up our slavery learnings.

assignment: Amistad paper & notes on characters (due Dec 2)