2.10 - Debating the War in Vietnam

American soldier and group of Vietnamese villagers

This article included a collection of six primary source excerpts, three from U.S. presidents of the time that were justifying the war in Vietnam, and three from groups that were critical of the war. The presidents believed that it was America's duty to get involved in Vietnam to help the civilians there and to prevent Communist ideas and groups from spreading and gaining traction. Groups that were opposed to the war believed that it was not the U.S.'s business to get involved, and that they were only impeding on the peace, freedom, and self-sufficiency of Vietnam, as well as getting thousands of young American men killed in a fight that was not worth their deaths.

2.9 - Mass Incarceration

Inmates on their beds

Prisoners in the Alabama Department of Corrections

Pie Chart of Where and for What Crimes Prisoners are Incarcerated

     Mass Incarceration is a very prevalent issue in the United States, and much of that has to do with lingering racism and a flawed criminal justice system that fails to do its job. One of the problems that our society faces in this regard, is that we don't adequately acknowledge and reflect on our nation's history of slavery, segregation, lynching, and other outright acts of racism. We sweep the facts and memories out of sight and out of mind, and try to act like nothing happened in the first place. While this might seem like an innocent act of trying to forget the horrible things that happened, it is altogether disrespectful to black people, both past and present, to not acknowledge what they suffered and still have to experience. Further more, the legacy of this mistreatment has carried forward into today's world, and although slavery and segregation have ended, blacks are still being abused by the racist tendencies of the criminal justice system.

     The modern criminal justice system presents its racial bias in many ways. The facts are irrefutable that blacks in America are treated poorly with respect to justice and criminality, and are unfairly accused, arrested, sentenced, and much more. African Americans make up only 13% of the total U.S. population, but represent 28% of the arrests, 40% of the jail and prison population, and 42% of the death row members. They are arrested 2.5 times more prevalently than whites are, and are only have as likely to make bail. They are 87% more likely to be incarcerated before their trial, are more likely to be sentenced to prison instead of probation after their trial, and are often charged with harsher sentences than white offenders. Obviously most of these arrests and convictions are appropriate and reasonable, but there are also many cases in which this racial bias has caused them to be unfairly accused and punished. This is the fault of the justice system, police officers, and people in society in general, because the whole mindset surrounding skin color and criminality is something that needs to change.

     Studies have shown that whites unknowingly associate black people with criminality. This causes unfair treatment and prejudice in white communities, and it has leaked over to the police and judicial departments in some cases. Police officers are more likely to stop, search, and act with violence against black people than their white counterparts, which has lead to huge debates in our world today surrounding topics like police brutality. Though black youths make up only 15% of all children in the U.S., they contribute to 35% of all juvenile arrests. They are more likely to experience school suspension, expulsion, and arrest, which further adds to the high rates of childhood incarceration in places like juvenile detention centers. Out of the total 2.3 million incarcerated people in the U.S. today, 46,000 of those are being held in Youth Detention Centers. Many times these youth are placed in these centers because of offenses they have committed that aren't even real crimes. This could mean they simply violated their probation terms, or committed status offenses such as running away from home or skipping school. However, youth detention is not the worst case scenario for these children. One out of ten confined youths are held in adult jails or prisons, but even the juvenile facilities are horrible and similar in nature to the state jails or prisons. 

     Although many people believe that major prisons are the primary issue when discussing criminal justice, they would actually be surprised to learn that local jails play as large or larger of a role in mass incarceration. There are around 600,000 people that are sentenced to prison each year, but 10.6 million jail visits per year. That number is mind-boggling, and although local jails go unrecognized for their role in incarceration, they actually hugely contribute to the issue. The thing is, most of the people housed in these jails have not been convicted, but are rather waiting on their trial and being kept there in the meantime. Most of them are too poor to make or pay bail, largely due to the expense and price of bail in many cases. The median bail amount for felonies is $10,000, which is approximately 8 months of income for the average detainee. This is why so many people are stuck in jail with no alternative, simply waiting for their trial to take place. 

     In addition to the blame placed on police officers for their arrests and judges for their sentencing, prosecutors also play a large role in mass incarceration. In the 20th and early 21st centuries, aspiring politicians would become prosecutors in order to reach positions of political power. While doing this, they would be hard towards criminals in regards to incarceration, as they believed it would help them in their political endeavors, and they were correct. This attitude that became known as "tough on crime" would help them be successful in their attempts for election and re-election, therefore giving them even more incentive to harshly punish defendants they faced. This shaped the criminal justice system into what it is today, and has been a big reason why incarceration rates have increased over 500% in the last 40 years. 

     Restrictions on the power that the criminal justice system has, in all its parts from the judges to the prosecutors to the police department, is necessary if improvement is going to be seen from this rampant issue of mass incarceration. However, that is not the only area that needs to be reformed. I believe that both the white and black communities in our society need to be better in their thoughts and actions. White communities need to be educated on what is going on and why there is so much imprisonment, especially of blacks in America. They need to understand what is causing these issues, and fix the outlook and racial prejudices that they have. Black communities need to come up with ideas for the reform of the typical home life and behavior of their children being raised. They need to figure out solutions for how to prevent violence and criminality in their communities, especially with regards to their youth. If everyone in our society works to better understand and find solutions for this problem that is mass incarceration, then I think that we can slowly improve the situation over time and better ourselves as a nation.

Sources:

EJI Legacy Museum: Mass Incarceration: This source is where I found information on continued racial bias in our nation, as well as the EJI's beliefs on the subject.

ALCU: Mass Incarceration: This source is where I found some background information and statistics on mass incarceration. 

Prison Policy Initiative: Mass Incarceration: This source is where I found lots of statistics and information surrounding common beliefs and myths about the issues of mass incarceration, as well as some graphs with data about the topic.

The New York Times: How Tough-on-Crime Prosecutors Contribute to Mass Incarceration: This source is where I found information on how prosecutors have contributed to mass incarceration and how they have shaped the criminal justice system.

The Sentencing Project: Report on Racial Disparities: This source is where I found background information and racial statistics associated with criminality.

Center for American Progress: Mass Incarceration: This source is where I found information on mass incarceration, especially with regard to women and children.

2.8 - Montgomery Field Trip Reflection

Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery

In our trip to Montgomery, I enjoyed learning about Alabama's history and the racial divides and conflicts that afflicted our state for so long. One of my favorite parts of the trip was hearing the story of the Freedom Riders and their bravery. I thought it was amazing that they knew they would be met with brutal violence and persecution, but still made the decision to get on those buses and be the factor that helped push racial equality forward. They did not hand the responsibility to the next generation, or leave anything up to chance. They put their health and maybe even lives on the line in order to make a change in society, and did not let fear or hatred stop them from their goal.

I also enjoyed the Legacy Museum a lot, and was interested because they brought the history of racial injustice through slavery and segregation and tied it together with the hints of racism that we still experience today. They had a big focus on black prison inmates, and gave lots of stories and statistics to explain how blacks are still being treated unfairly in some modern cases. The timeline of racism in the U.S. was also a very interesting thing to see and think about.

2.7 - Mid-Semester 2 Reflection

Immigrants pulling into Ellis Island

1. The most important thing that I have learned about immigration in the 19th century is that there was so much harshness and opposition towards the arrival of foreigners. U.S. born citizens were so critical of and prejudiced against these immigrants, even though they were escaping persecution or other environmental challenges in their home countries in many cases. Ideas like nativism, which was hostility towards immigrants, arose in this time period, many times out of either fear or prejudice. Americans feared that immigrants would bring radical ideas and practices like anarchism and socialism, would detriment the unity of Protestantism, and would be a hindrance to native workers jobs and wages. These fears culminated in a unified air of xenophobia, where propaganda and anti-immigrant rhetoric ran rampant. These things surprised me because I had always thought that this was a time when immigration was welcomed with open arms and widely accepted.

2. The most important thing that I have learned about immigration today is that although there is much controversy over the topic of immigrants being beneficial or detrimental to our society, it is overall a good thing for the US economy. Research showed that there was not a huge increase in the influx of immigrants to the United States in recent years, but rather a small decrease, contrary to common belief. As long as there is not an overwhelming number of illegal immigrants streaming into the country, I have learned that they can, in fact, affect the US economy positively. They can take menial, low-paying, labor-intensive jobs that might not be filled otherwise, and therefore give the economy and society a boost. They rarely pose a threat to higher-level jobs requiring a large degree of education, and almost never harm the financial well-being of American citizens.

3. I think that the two most challenging aspects of living in 19th century urban settings were the overcrowded spaces for living and the poor sanitation that consumed every major city. I couldn't imagine living and sleeping in a dwelling the size of a small living room with a dozen other people every day. The sheer amount of immigration by foreigners and migration by blacks and southerners created a huge epidemic of overpopulation in big urban cities like New York and Chicago. This lead to not only neighborhoods being filled to the brim, but also even households. Living quarters like tenant houses were filled with tens of family members and strangers to each room, leaving virtually no space to do anything. Not only was this uncomfortable, but it also posed a safety hazard in the case that a fire or other emergency happened to break out. The second aspect that would be difficult to live with was the utterly terrible state of sanitation. There was trash, sewage, and everything of the likes just sitting in the streets, in gutters, and on the balconies of living spaces. This caused disease to spread quickly and easily, in addition to just being an unpleasant public nuisance. Though this was a focus of improvement during the progressive era, it is still a trademark of the challenges of 19th century living.

4. The construction of the Highline is similar to 19th/20th century progressivism in the sense that it was taking something that was bad, and not only getting rid of that detrimental thing, but going so far as to improve it and transform it into something positive. The progressive movement is defined by the textbook as reformers trying to improve things in society like politics, the environment, social welfare, and justice. However, much of this movement was programs and action initiated by the government, for progress as well as out of fear of protests by workers who were angry at the poor conditions of society. The Highline on the other hand was an idea initiated by individuals rather than the government. A few people stepped in when discussion of tearing the Highline down was brought up, wanting to preserve it and transform it into something creative and useful instead of just destroying it completely. They used their connections and networked until they were able to establish a plan and get it approved. It was not a planned out, government-sponsored idea that was initiated in response to an issue. It was a spontaneous, unplanned idea that came together piece by piece with the help of many individuals with many different specialties and occupations. It was a combined effort that resulted in a community project that not only got rid of an unattractive, unsafe old railroad, but remolded it into something completely new and beautiful and creative that the whole community could use and benefit from.

2.6 - Philanthropy

Andrew Carnegie (Left) and John D. Rockefeller (Right)

• Philanthropy - "The desire to promote the welfare of others, expressed especially by the generous donation of money to good causes."
• Different from charity because it doesn't have to be given to people in need, but rather just given to organizations in an attempt to better society or improve a specific aspect of the community
• Charity - "An organization set up to provide help and raise money for those in need."

• Carnegie had retired at age 66 as the richest person in the world
• Wanted to give his money away
• Believed in the "Gospel of Wealth" - idea that wealthy individuals morally obligated to give money back to people in society
• Ultimately gave away 90% of fortune
• Founded Carnegie Institution to fund scientific research
• Started a Pension Fund for teachers and donated 10 million dollars
• Donated money to build over 2,000 public libraries in support of education
• Donated 125 million dollars to the Carnegie Corporation for colleges and schools
• Established Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in support of world peace
• Carnegie gave away over 350 million dollars for philanthropy
• Thought that all one's wealth that wasn't used for supporting one's family should be freely donated to the community
• Main goals/interests were education and world peace 
• Free public libraries

•  Rockefeller donated over 500 million dollars for philanthropy
• Supported education, religion, and science
• Rockefeller was more involved in medicine, science, and religion than Carnegie was
• Carnegie was more involved in education and world peace

•  There are 26 Carnegie organizations currently
• Supporting art, education, international affairs, peace, scientific research, etc.
• Carnegie Corporation of New York
• Council for Ethics in International Affairs
• Dunfermline Trust
• Endowment for International Peace
• Carnegie Foundation
• Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
• Carnegie Hall
• Institution for Science
• Library of Pittsburgh
• Carnegie Mellon University
• Museums of Pittsburgh
• Trust for the Universities of Scotland
• UK Trust
• Hero Fund Commission (US)
• Hero Fund (Belgium)
• Foundation in Denmark
• Foundation in France
• Foundation in Italy
• Foundation in the Netherlands
• Foundation in Norway
• Foundation in Sweden
• Foundation in Switzerland
• Hero Fund Trust (UK)

• Warren Buffett:
• Net Worth of 84.9 billion dollars
• Has donated over 46 billion dollars for philanthropy since 2000
• Formed the Giving Pledge with Bill and Melinda Gates
• Asking the wealthiest individuals to give at least 50% of their wealth for philanthropy
• Pledges he will give 99% of wealth for philanthropic causes
• Use only 1% for family
• Explains that this giving can help others far more, and that keeping 1% of his wealth gives him and his family more than what they need or want
• Donated 2.9 billion, then 2.6 billion more to charities
• Like Bill and and Melinda Gates Foundation and Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation
• Frequently gives to these
• Donated tens of millions to Planned Parenthood Federation of America / National Abortion Federation
• Says he will leave his children 2 billion dollars each
• The rest will be donated for philanthropy 

• If I were a philanthropist, I believe I would invest in medical research and innovation that could lead to breakthroughs and solutions in the medical field. That giving could help accelerate cures and treatments for diseases, physical ailments, and all sorts of similar issues. I would be inclined to invest in this way because I am interested in the medical field, and also believe it would be very beneficial to people and families all over the world.

2.5 - Progressivism

Progressivism Google Docs

2.4 - Urban Race Riots

A destroyed building from the aftermath of a race riot

A black man being taken out of a bus during a race riot

A car being pushed over in one of the race riots

The burned corpse of Will Brown after being burned by a white mob at the Omaha Race Riot

A destroyed house after a race riot

A burned down building after a race riot

Sources:

Henretta, America's History: For the AP Course, 9th Edition This is the textbook source, and is where I got my general background knowledge of race riots and what was happening in the US at the time.
History.com: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 This source is where I found most of my information about the specific race riot that occurred in Chicago, as well as some other information surrounding the riots that year of 1919.
Encyclopedia Britannica: Chicago Race Riot of 1919 This source is where I found supplemental information on the Chicago Race Riot.
Yale University: Walter White: The Causes of the Chicago Race Riot This source gave a primary source in the form of Walter White's account of the factors that led up to and caused the race riot in Chicago, as well as the similarities and patterns between race riots all over the nation.
Chicago Tribune: 'Red Summer: The Summer of 1919 and the Awakening of Black America' by Cameron McWhirter This source tells the events and factors that caused the riots in the Red Summer of 1919, while using information from another journalist, Cameron McWhirter.
Chicago Tribune: The 1919 Race Riots This source gave a summary and some statistics about what the riots in 1919 were like.