In your blog (300 words), identify the main points made by Banneker, how Jefferson answers them, and how is this "Self-Evident" truth reflected in the modern world (not just the U.S.). OR Identify the main points made by Cady in "The Declaration of Sentiments", and how this "Self-Evident" truth is reflected in the modern world (not just the U.S.)
Respond to 1 peers with one specific positive comment and one specific suggestion related to his/her analysis (at least 50 word response). Please attempt to respond to a classmate that does not have a response yet.
The points made by Bannker in his letter to Jefferson address the issue of equality. One of the points he makes that addresses equality is backed by the christian religion. The way he does this can be seen in the way that he says the since God created all of us equally in his eyes. The next point the addresses equality can be seen in the way that Bannker touches on basic human rights. He says that unjust treatment of African Americans is just immoral and goes against human nature. The fourth point that addresses equality can be seen in the comparison of slavery and American relations with Britain pre-revolutionary war. In the comparison Bannker talks of the oppressive actions of the British that seemed unjust; he then compares this to the mistreatment of African Americans. Bannker does this in order to help Jefferson understand how African American feel at the time. The next way Bannker addresses the issue of equality is the way references the Declaration of Independance. He uses this to basically tell Jefferson that you are a hypocrite. This can be seen in the way that he says that according to the Declaration of Independance you wanted equality for all, but Jefferson only gave equality to white men and no one else. The last point that Bannker makes to support his point of equality is clear. The point that he makes is that Jefferson knows that he has the power to make change so he should do it. Jefferson answers to these points by basically saying I appreciate what you pointed out to me I will think about it. However, what Jefferson is really doing is giving Bannker the “run around”. Although equality is a major issue in the U.S., this “Self-Evident” truth about the issue of equality can be seen throughout the modern world. An examples of inequality can be seen in the mistreatment of women is the middle east. These women are mistreated in the way that they are not allowed to get an education. The way that this reflects Bannker is the way that his race had to face inequality just like the women is the middle east. Also the way that the government of these nations do nothing to help these women relates to the way that Jefferson gave the run around to Bannker. This example of inequality is a prime example of inequality in the modern world.
ReplyDeleteI also strongly agree with your accusation of inequality and abolishing of slavery. I didn't catch the connection with the Christian religion, which is interesting and new to me. I disagree with the power that Thomas Jefferson holds because he could be in a situation where he doesn't want to make any promises and if he mainly watches as a political stance.
DeleteIn Benjamin Banneker’s letter to Thomas Jefferson the overall idea that he addressed was that of slavery and the civil rights movement. Banneker knew that Thomas Jefferson believed that slavery was wrong so he took advantage of the situation and came right at him trying to gain leverage for the movement, even though he came out with almost no change after the whole situation was said and done. Banneker’s main points were that the Declaration of Independence stated every man has inalienable rights, but African Americans and other minorities weren’t getting those rights. That as a Christian he should have the belief that all men are created equal, and that African Americans are in the same situation that the colonists were under when they were ruled by a tyrannical Britain. When Jefferson answers back to Banneker he writes his response short and sweet making sure that the matter is discontinued then and there. Jefferson tells Banneker that he will send in his almanac to a place where it can show the world that an African American is just as capable as any white man. Jefferson treats the situation as a brush off his shoulder, throwing Banneker a bone, but making sure it was the smallest bone possible. This kept him in tact politically and let him still push for a civil rights movement at the speed of a tip toe. The “self-evident” truth embedded in this letter and response is obviously racial inequality. In the modern day we are surrounded by racial inequality. If you use the examples of what it going on in the Middle East with Jihad and Isis or even if we look around the corner in our own country at the Ferguson case. The bottom line is that racial inequality is all around us and is easily seen if we just take a look.
ReplyDeleteThe points given in the prompt are all touched on in your piece. This is very well written and comes together nicely. One suggestion is that you follow your first introduction sentence to every explanation. This would make your paragraph flow better as a whole. Overall, your paragraph had great input to the letter and response.
DeleteThe overall main points made by Benjamin Banneker are inequality, slavery, and civil rights. With Thomas Jefferson being a slave owner, he is contradicting himself because he is a big supporter for independence. Banneker wants Jefferson to see that by keeping slavery legal he is going against everything that he fought for in the American Revolution. Benjamin Banneker is African American and is hypocritical to Thomas Jefferson’s decisions and questions his logic behind the concept of him for Independence, but condones slavery. Banneker uses Thomas Jefferson’s words, which were in the Declaration of Independence, in his letter when Jefferson said, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” By Banneker doing this, he’s using reverse psychology and making known Jefferson’s own words that he doesn’t uphold. Thomas Jefferson answers Banneker’s statement of abolishing slavery by avoiding the issue and sending the letter off to be revised. Jefferson doesn’t admit his mistakes or his lack of responsibility and respect towards slavery in his response to Banneker. With Benjamin Banneker being African American, the letter is personal and his own lawful facts and feelings about Jefferson’s unfaithful act to abolish slavery. Thomas Jefferson disregards the letter written by Benjamin Banneker by the looks of how small his response was and his lack of profound feelings towards Banneker’s argument. Inequality pertains civil rights, life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness, of a U.S. citizen and those rights aren’t given to enslaved African Americans. The main issue of “Banneker’s letter to Jefferson,” is the inequality to African Americans. Jefferson says one thing, and does another, and Banneker makes that known in the letter. The “Self-Evident” truth reflected in the modern world is the lack of equality. Not only had African Americans faced inequality, but women. Men were of higher power and women couldn't vote, own land, or be of any assistance to the government. There was gender discrimination and lead to racial inequality. This proves controversy is normal in the world we live in today.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis of Bannekers letter, and Jefferson's response is very well written. I like how you talked about Jefferson contradicting himself, as well as your comments about inequality for African Americans and women. I wouldn't say that gender discrimination and racial inequality proves that there is controversy, but rather that it proves that there is injustice in society.
DeleteYour response is very well written and your opinions are well supported by facts. I agree that Banneker's main points are inequality, slavery, and civil rights. I also agree with your statement that Jefferson contradicts himself because he is a slave owner but that he says he supports independence.Your point about reverse psychology is interesting, I had not thought about Banneker using that strategy but now I can see that he did.
DeleteThe main points that Elizabeth Cady Stanton makes in The Declaration of Sediments are about sexual inequality and injustices against women. She copies the style in which the Declaration of Independence was written in. this could be used as a way to show that women’s fight for equality is comparable to the patriots fight for freedom. In her writing she says that women are deprived of their rights, viewed as property of their husbands instead of as people, and that they are forced to follow laws that they have no voice in making. These are all very truthful arguments, and they show us just how wrongly treated women were during this time period. Stanton also talks about self-evident truths; she claims them to be that all men and women are created equal, they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, and that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This is stated exactly the same in the declaration of independence, but it states only that all men are created equal, leaving out women. By adding women to this truth, Stanton is getting her point across that women are in every way equal to men. I do not think that these self-evident truths that Stanton talks about are well represented today in the modern world. An example of this is in the Middle East. In some Middle Eastern cultures women have no rights. They have planned marriages by their fathers, and become property of their husband. They have little to no rights, and cannot even legally drive cars. These laws and restrictions against women are ridiculous, and go against everything that Stanton was pushing for in The Declaration of Sediments. Although the self-evident truths are not well shown in some parts of the world like the Middle East, I believe that they are preserved fairly well here in America. Women legally can do all the same things that men can do, and they are not socially discriminated against in any extreme way.
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DeleteI find this response to be very well done overall. You answered all of the questions asked wonderfully and concisely, which made it not only pleasant to read but also informative on the subject. One problem that I did find was a lack of some capital letters where they were needed.
Delete“The Declaration of Sentiments” written by Elizabeth Cady Stanton displays the rights that women have been repressed from and are demanding and laws that are unjust due to the fact they only apply to men. This was read to partakers at Seneca Falls, a women’s rights convention. Some of the main points made by Stanton in “The Declaration of Sentiments” are that men have treated women poorly in the past and continue to do so, men and women were created equal, and that not just men but women too have certain inalienable rights given to them by God. Stanton’s overall main point is that women have been deprived of their natural rights and that she, amongst other women, are going to start advocating for women’s rights. Stanton clearly states her main points and then provides evidence for her audience. Some of her evidence or reasons for writing this declaration are that women are forced to follow laws that they did not take part in the making of, women do not even have the rights of an ignorant native man or an ignorant foreign man, and that women have no right to property. The reflection of this self-evident truth can be seen in the modern world in third world countries where they are not as industrialized as the United States. A strong example of a country where women have little to no rights would be Saudi Arabia. The women of this country are not allowed to do some of the most seemingly meaningless tasks such as driving, trying on clothes before they purchase them, and swimming. Discrimination against women can be seen all over the world though, even in the United States where women working full time are only paid 77% of what a man working full time in the same job would make.
ReplyDeleteI think that your response is well thought out. I thought it was interesting to read your response because I could tell that you agreed with Stanton and the points that she made because her essay was so persuasive. I liked how you included statistics to support your argument. I thought that overall it was well written, but there were a few grammatical errors such as missing commas.
DeleteThe main points that Elizabeth Cady Stanton makes in her essay, “The Declaration of Sentiments” are of equality of men and women and how women were treated by men. These two points were enough for her to gain national attention along with supporters at the convention for women in Seneca Falls. She gave this essay as a speech to the people attending the convention and made sure they would recognize the inspiration for the piece. She modeled the “Declaration of Sentiments” after the “Declaration of Independence” which created a strong argument for her cause and helped to persuade people to join her revolution. Elizabeth Cady Stanton made a point of talking about gaining equality for women because in her time women did not have as many rights as they do now. It was difficult for women to get well-paying jobs, have a say in government by voting, and getting an education at a college. These were all readily available to men in this time period because men were viewed as more powerful and capable of being successful than women were. Stanton describes in a list of grievances, similar to that of “The Declaration of Independence,” how women in her time were treated by men in general and the men that these women were married to. She said how oppressed the women in America were feeling because of the lack of equality and the fact that women were not given the rights that were spelled out in “The Declaration of Independence.” Stanton calls for changes to be made in her society and she was clearly successful because of all of the reforms that were made after she started the feminist movement. The truth that Stanton expressed was equality. This is expressed in the modern world because so many different minorities are gaining rights. The road for their success was paved by people similar to Elizabeth Cady Stanton because she proved that people would listen to you if you stood up for yourself.
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you used examples of rights women didn't have including jobs, voting, and education. I thought you had support to why you though the way you did and it was very well written. Nice Job!
DeleteThe main points made by Banneker include, everybody is not equal, Mr. Jefferson has the authority to do something about it, and that Banneker sent an almanac as well in this package. Banneker starts off this letter talking about how he is blessed with freedom, even being an African American in this time period. He then begins to talk about how this is not the case for most other people of his race. He says that many people are still chastised and ridiculed as human beings. He wants these things to stop. Banneker believes that Thomas Jefferson can stop these terrible things being inflicted upon African Americans. He starts to talk to Jefferson in a way that Jefferson can relate. Banneker talks about the Revolution. He says that people rose together to fight the British crown. Banneker believes that Jefferson has the power to rise people up against slavery and the injustice towards African Americans. Banneker also points out and sort of accuses Jefferson of being a hypocrite. Banneker recites some of the Declaration of Independance and how it says that all men are created equal. Banneker says that Jefferson failed to carry this out. The other main point of Banneker’s letter is to give his hand-written almanac to Jefferson. Banneker says that the almanac is a big part of his life and takes a lot of time to configure. This shows how much Banneker esteems Jefferson. Banneker trusts his own work with Jefferson. Banneker talks about how the “self-evident” truths are not upheld in the U.S. In the modern world today, we have improved a lot in the area of having equal rights for many. Compared to the time period in which this letter was written, the modern world doesn’t have slavery, it has equal legal laws for people, and it allows everybody a chance in this world.
ReplyDeleteThese are great points and I agree with you because I saw the same things in Banneker's essay as you did and those were the common points that in Banneker's essay to Jefferson and Jefferson's response.
DeleteThe letter to Thomas Jefferson from Benjamin Banneker is a claim that Banneker is making about equality, freedom, and pride. He states that the Declaration of Independence was supposed to be guidelines for the free people of America but if some people are still not treated like they are free than what was the point. Banneker was quite wordy in his letter showing that we had a lot to say. He stays very proper and serious and tries to show his knowledge by using elevated language. I think he was going for trying to impress Jefferson to allow him to take into consideration of what Banneker had to say. Banneker claims “that is the indispensable duty of those, who maintain for themselves the rights of human nature” by this he wanting to prove a point about how rights should be given to all humans no matter what race. He ends this thought with “ and who possesses the obligations of Christianity, to extend their power and influence to the relief of every part of the human race” he used those words to show that he is a christian and has morals that he believes should be respected. Jefferson’s response was very short. He made note that he respected Banneker’s opinion but he doesn’t directly answer him and tries to avoid the question. Jefferson did not want to say anything that could hurt his reputation and place in government. “The Declaration of Sentiments” is a document that describes the unjusts that women felt from the Declaration of Independence. This declaration by Elizabeth Cady Stanton shows the concrete ways that women felt discriminated against. She used repetition to be organized and serious about what she was talking about. Both of these works reveal that the independence from Britain did not satisfy the people and did not allow them to be equalized in their own country. They also relate to equality, freedom, and pride as Americans which they wanted.
ReplyDeleteGreat perspective on Benjamin Banneker's letter, you support your claim solidly, and your points all make sense and connect smoothly.
DeleteYou have a well thought out response that is supported well by details. A suggestion would be to check grammar and spelling (capitalizing mainly) and possibly explain your main points a little bit more. Otherwise, you did a nice job by also connecting Banneker's letter to Jefferson to Stanton's Declaration of Sentiments.
DeleteThe main points made by Banneker were racial inequality and freedom. Banneker explains to Jefferson that he and his fellow people want to address him, about the problem with the racial inequality in The United States of America. He addresses Jefferson because Jefferson wrote in The Declaration of Independence that all men are free and equal. Banneker wasn’t seeing the equality and freedom of his race and he wanted to know why Jefferson didn’t try to enforce this equality and freedom in public or in the nation after he signed the Declaration, it was like he forgot what he had signed and created in the earlier years. Jefferson answers him with a very short response telling him that he referenced the work to some scientist in Paris and that he was spreading his piece of work because it is great and deserves attention, but it was as if Jefferson was just blowing the topic away and probably didn’t even finish reading it because he really wanted nothing to do with it. This “Self-Evident” truth is reflected in the modern world, not just in the United States of America by there being plenty of very smart and intelligent human-beings in the world and they have topics that they are experts on, but most political figures or people with importance usually don’t care for that topic, so they pass it on to someone else, until it is useless. Banneker’s essay to Jefferson was like one of these topics to Jefferson because he didn’t want to deal with that issue, so he tossed it to the side and had nothing to do with it, yet it was really a big deal for America to have that topic of racial inequality be addressed to people who can make a difference for it. Banneker was worrying about a subject that the person with the most authority wasn’t at the time, sometimes things like that just happen.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your analysis and found it to be truthful about Jefferson's reaction twords Banneker. I think that it would have been better if you maybe reworked your real world example. Overall, I think that it was well through out.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth Cady Stanton makes many accusations against men in the “Declaration of Sentiments,” the most important being that women are denied unalienable rights by men, they are “enslaved” by men, and that women are not being treated equally by men. She uses the Declaration of Independence as an outline, and uses the same format, changing the grievances against the King of England to grievances against white, male, leaders in America. The Declaration of Sentiments uses the same sentence that speaks about how all men were created equal and were given the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but she says “men and women” rather than just men alone. At the time in history that Stanton wrote the Declaration, women were treated almost as slaves by their husbands, who took their money and property upon marriage. She believed that women were being deprived of their rights and were being treated like slaves. Stanton also says that women had no representation because legislature consisted one hundred percent of white, wealthy males. Women were being oppressed by the government because men were making all of the laws that women had to abide by when they had no representation. The Declaration of Sentiments was calling men hypocrites because they they were being treated unfairly by the King when they had no representatives in British legislature, when men were doing the same thing to Stanton and women in America. Stanton’s and other women’s struggles are similar to those happening today throughout the world. In India, hate crimes against females are common. Women are sometimes faced with acid attacks, where, usually, a male throws acid at the face intending to disfigure, blind, or kill the women. Due to violence against women, primarily in third-world countries but throughout the world, feminism is at an all time high. The “self-evident” truth is being oppressed by men, but women throughout the world are working together to fight for all men and women to truly be seen as equals, just as Stanton had done.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you went into detail and specifically told about the fact that Stanton kept the same formatting as the Declaration of Independence because not everyone might fully realize that. Also you included the example of how women in India are treated which really helped in showing the struggles women still face today. Overall, this was a well-written analysis. All of your ideas were in order and the response was very organized as well.
DeleteThe main points that were made in Benjamin Banneker’s letter that he sent to Thomas Jefferson were mainly focused on equality for African American in all aspects of society, not just socially or economically. Banneker talked about how African American have “been looked upon with an eye of contempt; and that we have long been considered rather as brutish than human” which is exactly what happened and wants to put a stop to it. This leads to another point made by Banneker being that he believes Jefferson would support him and other African Americans in a movement for relief for them. He says in his letter that if his belief is true, he hopes that Jefferson would embrace the opportunity and help him out. Jefferson responds to the first point of equality by saying that he thanks him for the letter, and then saying that he does in fact support the claims that were stated about equality with “No body wishes more than I do, to see such proofs as you exhibit, that nature has given to our black brethren talents equal to those of the other colors of men;” This means that he wholeheartedly supports what Banneker was saying and would like to see an end put to the inequality that African Americans were facing. On the other point made by Banneker that Jefferson would support him with creating change, Jefferson for the most part disregarded it. He talked about how it was an issue at hand, but didn’t mention anything really about him taking charge to support the cause. An example of how this “Self-Evident” truth can be found in the modern world, and not just in the United States, is women’s rights in some Middle Eastern countries. Many women are being wrongly discriminated against, like the African Americans at the time the letters were written, just for something so small such as gender and race. Many pushes are being made to combat this persecution and hopefully in the near future it can be something that is eradicated.
ReplyDeleteGreat response. I liked how you included that Banneker wanted equality but not only socially or economically. The quote you used to support how you described his argument were very helpful in persuading and showing that his value of equality was very high. I think that connecting the self-evident part of the response to the middle east was a very good idea. All around a well written and impressive blog.
DeleteThe main point made by Banneker in his letter to Jefferson was that of equality. He uses the fact that he is a Christian, humane, and free as arguments against the inequality given to African Americans. He argues that African Americans are being treated like they are brutish rather than human. He says that they are treated like they are “…scarily capable of mental endowments” (1). He does because it is true and needs to be changed for equality to be achieved. When Banneker talks about being Christian, he says that it is the duty of any Christian to help and protect the rights of any and all who have human nature. He also says that African Americans want equality just how the colonists wanted freedom from the British, African Americans wanted freedom from the Colonists and all other people they were enslaved by. This is not a choice, it is a requirement for Christians and Banneker is saying that this duty is not being fulfilled. Jefferson does not really answer any of the acquisitions made by Banneker in his response; instead Jefferson does things to avoid them while sounding sincere. Jefferson writes and thanks him for his letter and the almanac he sent him, Jefferson says that he has sent the almanac to France in an attempt to make Banneker happy. Banneker’s argument is reflected in the world in all countries, this is so because all races of all kinds have the same rights. What he argued for was fulfilled and the many things that he used to argue were right and corrected by not only people in the United States but those in many other countries and it is still occurring today. Those are the ways that his argument is evident in the world today and it changed many minds and many cultures.
ReplyDeleteVery well thought out response. You used very good examples and supported your main idea very well.
DeleteIn Banneker's letter to Thomas Jefferson his main point is how there is still racial injustice in America and he explains how Jefferson should be able to do something about it. He refers back to the Declaration of Independence and how it clearly states how all are equal no matter their race, color, or religion. Banneker writes in his letter how Jefferson, being a part of the Declaration of Independence, that he should be able to put these arguments to rest and follow what the document that Jefferson wrote says. Banneker then refers to and calls Jefferson some what of a hypocrite. He shows how Jefferson took part in writing the new laws of the free country, but does not do anything to prove he believes what he is saying. Banneker also relates to Jefferson through the American Revolution. Banneker does not question but puts across the fact that slavery and racial injustice is still alive, yet Jefferson put so much work into winning the American Revolution. By referencing the American Revolution and Declaration of Independance, Banneker shows Jefferson how he is somewhat contradicting his own words. Banneker put a lot of thought into the letter that he wrote to Jefferson, and the response from Jefferson seemed to be just like a pat on the back. He responded short and precise, and did not seem too concerned about fulfilling Banneker’s wishes. Through Jefferson’s response, it kind of related back to the main point that Banneker was trying to get across: racial injustice and how Jefferson had the power to change this, but did not. In his letter, Banneker says, “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, and that among these are, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Banneker states how Jefferson said this in the Declaration, but did not do anything to act upon it. This proves the main points that Banneker was portraying: that there was still racial injustice and Jefferson had the power to change it, but did not.
ReplyDeleteYour response was written very well, it touched on all the points that Banneker made in his letter and broke each one of them down. I completely agree on your closing statement on Jefferson having the power, but not doing enough to actually help make a change.
DeleteThe analysis of Banneker’s response covers each main point that he made in detail. You were able to identify the reason why Banneker made references to the Declaration of Independence, and its relation to the enslavement of African Americans. One detail that is missing from your analysis is the reflection of the main ideas to the modern world.
DeleteThe main points that Benjamin Banneker makes in his letter to Thomas Jefferson are the unequal treatment of African Americans and their untrue label as brutish or insufficient mental capacity. He addresses the prejudice and injustice towards African Americans with Jefferson by pointing to the many people that are slaves to white owners. Banneker states that his race is seen as capable of nothing more than being simple laborers. He relates the enslavement of African American people to the rule of the British monarchy over the colonies. Banneker reminds Thomas Jefferson of this because he was a vital member of the revolution and key to making the Declaration of Independence. Banneker says that the freedoms that were fought for in the Revolutionary War, by the colonies, are not given the same level of importance when fighting for African American people, so that they may experience them as well. Banneker’s purpose for writing his letter was to gain political support for the rights of African Americans to be fulfilled. He indirectly says that Jefferson is acting hypocritically by signing the Declaration of Independence, giving freedom to many white men, yet not doing so for the African American race. He says that Thomas Jefferson is not carrying out the statement in the Declaration of Independence stating that all men are created equal and have the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” He attempts to convince Thomas Jefferson to do the right thing and counter the position that African Americans are unintelligent. Banneker sends Jefferson a copy of an almanac that Banneker had written as proof for hi race. Thomas Jefferson responds with a short letter of approval. Thomas Jefferson is reluctant to cover the difficult topic of his signing of the declaration, but states that he wishes for the system to be improved, yet does not promise any action. He dismisses the criticism of Banneker and merely shows approval for his movement. The self-evident truth of Banneker’s main points are reflected through racist, sexist, and general discrimination against many groups of people. Many religious groups are persecuted in the world today, and women are not allowed basic rights in some countries, who do nothing to help the issue.
ReplyDeleteBenjamin Banneker addresses the problem of social equality to Thomas Jefferson, the biggest voice in the Declaration of Independence. He also makes sure to address other problems in the United States of America like, slavery and civil rights. Banneker is arguing that African Americans are being unfairly treated and being viewed as slaves rather than human beings. Benjamin Banneker actually refers back to the Declaration of Independence and uses Thomas Jefferson’s words against him. He leans heavily on the statement that all men are created equal; then Banneker states that the race, religion, color of skin, or gender should interfere with that moral belief. Banneker uses the words of Jefferson himself to prove his point, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Then Benjamin Banneker switches gears, and starts hammering Thomas Jefferson on the topic of slavery, he still does this in a formal and civil matter like the theme of the rest of his letter. He practically calls Thomas Jefferson a hypocrite when it comes to slavery. Although Jefferson leads to the fact that slavery is wrong and immoral in the Declaration of Independence, he is actually an active slave holder himself. The last topic of Benjamin Banneker’s letter is civil rights for African Americans. When Thomas Jefferson responds to a two page letter with a one paragraph response, it really indicates who won the argument and who was prepared to support his claims. Jefferson beats around the bush with his response to Benjamin Banneker and does not specifically make any points or answer any of Banneker’s concerns directly. It really showed how little respect Jefferson had for Banneker. Without officially doing so, Thomas Jefferson practically blows Benjamin Banneker off with the weak and thin answer he gives to him. The “Self-Evident” truth reflected in the modern world of today is the lack of social equality, whether it is for African Americans, foreigners, women, or even white people in some cases. This substantiates racism and social inequality are a given in the world we live in today.
ReplyDeleteInstead of saying "Hammering", you should use formal language in this. Not all people may understand what hammering means so they may be confused. The view of seeing the modern day world having a lack of social equality is totally what I was thinking. Overall a well thought out analysis.
DeleteIn "The Declaration of Sentiments" by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, she describes the social injustices that men have put on women. Some of these injustices include the disallowance of the right to vote, that ignorant men are allowed to vote before women, she would be considered socially and politically dead if she is married, the removal of all land and wages, denial of education, giving a strict moral code, and did everything to create a dependent woman. These traits create havoc because women did not want to be restricted, and most women still wish to have freedom. In modern day these traits are shown by many things. Caucasian women were only allowed to vote in 1920; African-American former slaves who were seen as lower than women in the social view were given the right to vote before women. Throughout all of mankind, women in this culture were only allowed to vote 95 years before today. Today, women are given the freedom to exercise their thoughts and practices if they are married. Unless the woman is involved in domestic violence, she should have to freedom to practice her beliefs. In this modern day men are still stripping women of their wages. Men receive a higher salary than women at most any job. For holding the same exact position, this difference in wages in unjust. Many women are now given the right to education worldwide, but there remain cultures that restrict the allowance of any freedom for women. Today, women are expected to follow a moral code- whether is be their thoughts, clothing choice, or actions. Women are expected to follow a thought process that is not masculine at all, and this strips their freedom. The clothing of women is supposed to be modest, due to them being seen as a distraction in the school place. Women are not the distraction. The actions a woman is to follow according to society must follow the imaginary how-to-be-dainty hand book. Women are not supposed to do anything out of the female normality range set by men. As you can see, there are many social injustices set by man towards women still alive today.
ReplyDeleteThe main points that Elizabeth Cady Stanton makes in “The Declaration of Sentiments” is that all men and women as to be created equal and how at that point in history, women were treated unfairly and were sexualized for many everyday aspects of life. She wrote this declaration in order to earn the deserved rights for woman in the United States at the time. She rights in a way that shows what the men in power at the time had restricted the women from doing. They were not able to attend college, or earn wages, or be given a voice whatsoever. This document was one of the first big pushes to earn equal rights for all women. Although that women’s rights have come a long way, this “Self-Evident” truth is still reflected greatly in the modern movement. Lately, feminism has been such a popular idea and movement in which women are standing up and fighting for every little bit of equality they still have yet to deserve. One example of how these issues are still in the U.S. today revolves around the idea of women’s wages. At the 2015 Academy Awards, during actress Patricia Arquette’s acceptance speech, she included at the end, “To every woman who gave birth to every taxpayer and citizen of this nation, we have fought for everybody else’s equal rights, It’s our time to have wage equality once and for all and equal rights for women in the United States of America.” This shows that even the citizens with the highest utmost respect, still have to fight for equality because they have not received the rights they deserve. Another example that shows the inequality of women throughout the world is through Malala Yousafzai. At age, 15, Yousafzai was shot in the head by the Taliban because she openly spoke of and fought for the rights that Pakistani girls should be able to have to go to school. This was something at the time that the Taliban restricted these girls from doing and Yousafzai was not afraid to stand up for herself as well as all of the other girls. She miraculously survived and is now a Nobel Peace Prize winner. These examples show that there is still a lot of progress to be made in terms of earning full equality in all aspects of life for women, however, Stanton showed that it takes one bold action to lead the way and to stand up for what you believe in.
ReplyDeleteVery solid response, I appreciate the fact that you mentioned Patricia Arquette's acceptance speech as well as the issues women are facing in Pakistan. Very up to date response
DeleteThe, "Declaration of Sentiments", written by Elizabeth Cady Stanton uses parallelism with the Declaration of Independence to create a point in how the "inalienable rights" described in the Declaration were being denied to women of Stanton's time. In Stanton's document, she uses the same general format of the Declaration of Independence; comparing women's suppression by men to the suppression in which the men of America felt when they were controlled by the British King. Stanton listed the grievances felt by women at the time which mainly included how they were denied the right to an education, as well as the right to vote, and were being shut in at home as housewives with no sense of human rights like that which their husbands had. In many senses, women belonged to their husbands as they had little chance to find work or make a living in society and everything in which they owned was owned by their husbands whom were known to spend their days drinking and then return home to beat their wives. The "inalienable rights" of "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness", described in both the Declaration of Independence and the Declaration of Sentiments, has become more of a reality for women of the United states in the present day. Now, women do have the right to vote, to get an education, to own property and do just about anything else; however, there continues to be a struggle of equality for women to earn the same wages as men as well as to get up to the level in ranking which many men hold in business today. Although there is some struggle in the United States, there are other countries in the world where women are suppressed much more than many people could ever dream of in the United States. In some middle eastern countries, women are not only denied the right to vote, but they are denied the right to an education, to drive a car,and to even get a job at all outside of working for their husbands. In many cases women are beaten and abused, and are made to dress in extremely modest clothes for reasons outside of their own religious and moral values. Stanton sparked the feminist movement in the United States, however, this fight for women's rights is a battle in which women have not yet won, yet will strive for every single day for years to come until equality is achieved.
ReplyDeleteOne of Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s main points she address in “The Declaration of Sentiments” is women 's inequality. The Declaration of Sentiments was one of the first documents to fight for women’s rights. The movement gained many followers because of this speech. It is written nearly the exact same way as the Declaration of Independence, the only difference is that it addresses women instead of men. In this this time women were viewed as not important and that they should stay in the house. Some women wanted to do more in the world. They wanted to have a job and make an impact. Elizabeth Cady Stanton wanted women to be able to do more in the world. She shows that women should be able to do more when she talks about how they have no freedom, they are under control of someone else their whole life. If a woman is married, her money goes to her husband. If she happens to have any land that also becomes her husbands. Women are not allowed in public places. There is a different code for men and women. Men were allowed in public places and women were not. As it says in the text, “He has made her, if married, in the eye of the law, civilly dead,”(2). She loses any rights or the ability to do anything she was able to do before. Stanton was one of the first major leaders in the woman's rights movement. In the modern world today women have the rights that Stanton was fighting for back then. Even if she did not completely achieve the rights she wanted she was part of the process of eventually getting them. Stanton didn’t just want the rights for her and women of that time, but for all women in the future.
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