The Past and Its Present

The Past and Its Present Impact

Word Count (Part I): 768

The Past and Its Present Impact

Part I.

I was most deeply affected this semester by what I learned about slavery and inequality as a whole. I always knew from my early school years that slavery was a terrible part of history and that slaves were mistreated, but I was very dismayed to learn just how deep my lack of knowledge on the subject was. This semester it started to become clear to me, that even today, historical figures like Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln are glorified for their opposition to slavery, and while I do not wish to diminish the good facets of these figures, I cannot help but ask myself why I remember those names being drilled into my head as a child in school, but until this semester I had not heard of such people like Jourdan Anderson or Harriet Jacobs.

In the Declaration of Independence, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" …except for anyone that is not a white male who owns property (is what it should have read if the whole truth had been exposed). I do not intend to disrespect or discount this monumental document, but as I look at this time in history through a different lens now, I cannot help but feel the bitter-sweetness that is attached.

It was through the video clip of Amistad, that I felt and emotional appeal, a need, to know more about this time in history. To put faces with such indecencies, and see history gruesomely come to life made me feel ashamed of many of the early American people who condoned such moral depravity. Thomas Jefferson opposed slavery, but in my opinion, where was his back bone to rise higher against it, and where were the others who should have stood up with him and joined hands with all people to say "we won't build a nation of so-called equality at the expense of using others for our stepping stone"? The glorified Andrew Jackson revolutionized many of the election processes of our nation and helped cultivate democracy, but where was the justice for his imposition towards Native Americans and his support of slavery?

Throughout the learning process in this course, I was able to connect-the-dots of history to the present time. I can see the filthy debris of slavery and inequality still polluting the very fiber of intolerance in this nation today, and now I can recognize it for what it is. So many times, I have heard people say, "slavery