“Do you think I’m right?”
To be honest, I’m not exactly sure how I am supposed to answer this question. It appears to be a very subjective question. As I have learned through the feedback of my blogs, I must be careful about talking about my feelings toward history.
I think that the podcast summed-up clearly what we have learned during this course, so yes - I think that your were right. What stuck out to me was the portion regarding the differences between how the Indians and African Americans were viewed by most of the Anglo population. Jefferson stated that, “...Indians were salvageable...” (podcast) The view was not that they lacked intelligence, just that they lacked the proper social skills or structured communities. “Despite the Indians’ highly developed agriculture and well-established towns, Europeans frequently described them as nomads without settled communities.” (Foner 12) Further, “...Europeans considered Indians barbaric in part because they did not appear to live under established governments or fixed laws, and had no respect for authority.” (Foner 13) The notion was that Indians would, “...assimilate or die...” (podcast)
Although both the Indians and African Americans were both viewed as inferior, it was for different reasons. In George Fitzhugh’s essay he claimed that, “...the Negro is but a grown up child, and must be governed as a child...” (Fitzhugh, para 1) It was believed that they were “...fixed in nature...” (podcast) Meaning, that they would forever need to be governed and must remain slaves because they were never going to be able to care for themselves or their families.
Both of those ideologies were extremely racist and unjust and have taken centuries, if at all in some communities, to overcome. That kind of deep ceded hatred is passed down through generations and is still alive and thriving in the South. I am a member of the Southern Poverty Law Center and keep up to date with the happenings of court cases that involve racist motivation.
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