Author: alexisfehring

In John Tyler Morgan’s The Race Question, he addresses his opinion that if African Americans have the right to vote and other freedoms, whites will lose superiority. In 1890, Morgan was a part of a board helping to defeat the Blair and Force Bills. These bills would combat illiteracy among blacks and help the community become educated. Through his writing, Morgan worked to further set the belief into his readers that if blacks were to get more freedom, such as the right to vote, they would become too educated and smart. And that then, blacks would be superior to whites and take vengeance. Morgan, as well as many of his colleagues, worked to instill fear into his readers. Morgan both wrote for his readers to agree with him and side to deny these bills, as well as, for his discourse community. The community of scholars around Morgan also agreed with his racist attitude. Morgan uses the rhetorical appeal of emotion to put fear into his readers about what might happen to our country if blacks had the right to vote. He also uses this tactic to appeal to his discourse community and what they already believe, to keep his title as a trusted author. He gives reason that blacks cannot do the complex things to participate in our US government because of their nature, creation by God. Morgan states that there are physical and mental differences in the two races. “The separation of the races under different governments will alone cure this flagrant evil, by giving to the negro race an opportunity for self-government; and to the white race an unobstructed course in the accomplishment of their destiny. The feeling of unrest among the negros, which has made them homeless, and sweeps them in revolving eddies from one state to another, is a plain indication that they are preparing for a general exodus.” (page 75) The reader could be convinced by Morgan’s piece just from the fear his instills about what could happen to whites and the not so “scientific” evidence of how each person was created. However, his argument isn’t effective and only shows a very racist view of what could happen if African Americans become educated.

Strivings of the Negro People:

opportunity of educating, cultivating themselves is proof that AA could contribute to American life and culture

blacks have a double conscious

negro is a sort of seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted with a second sight in this American world- a world which yields him no self consciousness but only lets him see himself through revelation of the other world

second decade of American Negro’s freedom was a period of conflict, of inspiration and doubt, faith and vain questionings

ideals of physical freedom, political power, school training for social ills became in the 3rd decade dim and overcast

Morgan

the gap: we allow black to vote they will revenge themselves on white Americans; reader: voters

claim: AA will never rise to political and social equality in the US

reason: natural decay as they can’t do the complex things needed to participate in a democratic republic

evidence: mental difference between white and black Americans

counter rebuttal/ argument: it doesn’t matter what their abilities are, they still have legal and political rights

warrant: (shared values Morgan assumes you share with him) we should want blacks to stay inferior (socially)

individual motivation: white votes, disenfranchise possible voters who would vote against him

case/rhetorical appeal/pathos-emotion: using fear

1. 4 rhetorical appeals–
2. Style–How the communicative message within an essay is delivered at the sentence-level.
3. Personal–Moves by the writer to establish a sense of trust between her/himself and the reader and moves made by the writer to appear knowledgeable about the issue discussed in the essay.
4. Emotional–The use of words, allusions, metaphors, and images that evoke emotions from readers and move those readers to action.
5. Reason–Logical cogency, that is, the rational arrangement of a claim, reasons, and evidence.

Morgan is using emotion with style. Morgan uses emotional appeal especially when he talks about the virus concept, scaring the generations to come and giving the people a “picture” of this “virus” spreading.

WEB DuBois

claim- in a world in which whites assumed that blacks were inferior, double-consciousness could lead to the internalization of a sense of inferiority

reason- two consciences become one in a community

evidence- p 143 a world with no self-consciouses

counter rebuttal-

multiliteracies: informed by discourse coming from a single or multiple discourse communities. Multiliteracies allow individuals to “read” people and situations like a text- *as long as the reading fits/conforms to discourse community standards*

Causation: the action of causing or producing, anything that produces an effect

Hoffman- uses “evidence” as a weapon

Morgan- uses shared reading of African Americans and the rhetorical appeal of emotion; the emotion is fear.

1. why does Gould believes that Samuel Morton’s work was not a case of conscious fraud? Morton skews his results to summaries to prove prior convictions. Gould believes that Morton was not a case of conscious fraud because of the confidence and openness he had when publishing it.; living in a time back then when science was objective and above the fray but that is not the case, it was prejudice and not conscious moments of fraud; no one checked Morton on this because this is what was accepted by the discourse community

rhetorical triangle with Morgan

issue: the race question

writer: Morgan

reader: voters

gap: whites are superior

individual motivation: white votes, disenfranchise possible voters who would vote against him

case/rhetorical appeal/pathos-emotion: using fear

Claim- thesis/ if blacks had voting rights/ other freedoms, whites would lose their superiority and blacks may take over

Reasons-

Evidence- “scientific proof” of evolution and intelligence lesser with mixed offspring

The Race Question in the US: John Tyler Morgan

the Blair bill committed federal education funds to the states to combat illiteracy

morgan wanted to defeat the Blair and Force bills- 1890

playing on white fears of racial mixture, he links the effort to secure black suffrage with the attempt to demand social equality

Du Bois proved false such statements as Morgan’s about the lack of AA achievements in art, science or enterprise

morgan’s rascist attitudes as extreme as they seem, were not as intense as those of others writing at the time

if as is asserted by some, the purpose of these amendments was to protect negro race from active hostility of the white race

the conditions of wealth, education, culture and position are equal, discrimination against the negro race shall cease

decided aversion between white race and indian- one has never submitted to enslavement

In Irving’s “Columbus”, it is stated that whole villages of Indians committed suicide to escape the bondage of slavery and invited other Indians to join them in that dreadful work.

race aversion with marriage relations

if blacks being our equals in political privileges, could be absorbed into our race, as equals , there would be no obstacle to our harmonious and beneficent associaion in this free country but neither lsws nor any form of constraint can force the doors to our homes… 73

TMM 82-92

Morton won his reputation as the great data-gatherer and objectivist of American science

the man who would raise an immature enterprise from mires of fanciful speculation

Morton’s Crania Americana – a leader among American polygenists, defended the status of human races as separate, created species

fame from collection of skulls and their role in racial ranking- 3 works on this

TMM 92-104

book Crania represented his prejudices

cubic inches of skull male vs female and white vs black

fills skulls and fills, shakes and sees how they hold up

PvF

1. how the activities match Swales benchmarks for a discourse community: “a discourse community has a threshold level of members with a suitable degree of relevant content and discoursal expertise

this discourse criteria is up for debate in PvF because the authors of this book are maybe educated and relevant but are writing for their audience and to make money, please the Supreme Court and higher up’s, rather than do the right thing with segregation of Jim Crow Laws and separation of blacks and whites

“uses its participatory mechanisms primarily to provide information and feedback” using Case information to provide feedback and opinion on what happened

2. how did the discourse community spread the “knowledge” they were responsible for creating? the authors of the Plessy V Ferguson book as well as the judges and others involved in the case, used their knowledge to express a one sided, bias argument. As well as used their knowledge to make money and please the people by saying what was accepted in society in the topic of races during that time period.

tmm: public speaking, publication, in classrooms

pvf: news, traditional media, enforcement of legislation, books in writing codified (code) – now online

today: professional circles

we get to read different people in different situations – precedents set and hard to overturn after set

3. I think this discourse community set the foundation for American Jim Crow laws by starting to talk about what was going on towards segregation, the problem with slavery and began with the 14th amendment

all prepped from Mirabelli’s triangle with gap:

audience, issue, writer and gap is rights and freedom, laws against segregation

knowledge vs normal- we have to take this into laws and make legislation and enforcement for anything to change

Race Amalgamation: Frederick L. Hoffman

within his paradigm different races occupied different levels on an evolutionary scale; whites highest; africans were “outcases from evolution”

book Hoffman faults the “great attempts at world bettering” that ignored studies of “racial traits and tendencies”

today scientists think Hoffman’s statistics look foolish but the scientific community did not start to move from the paradigm of scientific rascism until 1911because of the publication of the mind of primitive man

question whether crossing leads to improvement or deterioration of races, Gobineau maintains that intermixture of races leads to final extinction of civilization

nott, knox and Perrier hold that intermixtures would lead to decay, while Bodichon declares that the era of universal peace and fraternity will be realized by crossing

cross of white men and colored women is a product inferior to both parents, physically and morally

the crossing of white and colored races in this country is therefore not within the lawful bounds of marriage but outside of the pale of the moral law; an immense amount of concubinage and prostitution prevails among the colored women of the US

offspring of white men and black women are inferior of the pure black

excerpts from Provost- Marshal General:

“I believe in black far superior in physical endurance to the mulatto or yellow negro…”

TMM pages 82-92

PvF p 20-38

by 1911, DV had heard 607 fourteenth amendment cases- issues related to African American rights and corporate casses

Miller says that the primary intention of the 14th amendement was to abolish slavery

the civil rights cases and their consequences:

bradley thought most rights of private citizens should remain social rights and not be elevated to the status of civil rights

the 14th was protecting action by states, not those private parties

1875 civil rights – grants express power in congress by legislation to enforce the constitutional provision from where it derived

grady- advocate for new south

the Georgia Jim Crow law cited by Grady was one of many passed after the Civil Rights Cases

Plessys Argument before the court:

deprived him of his equal protection rights under 14th

majority decision: the oject of the amendment was undoubtedly to enforce the absolute equality of the two races before the law, but in nature of things it could not have intended to abolish distinctions based upon color, or to enforce social as distinguished from political equality or a commungling of the two races upon terms unsatisfactory to either

harlan warned about the consequences of majority ruling, consequences of the positions we take

TMM 62-82

“hardliners” group held that African Americans were inferior and justified to enslavement and colonization

“softliners” agreed this but also believed in rights- right in freedom no matter their intelligence

comparison of AA and apes

Charles Darwin- abolitionist

recapitulation- the idea that higher creatures repeat the adult stages of lower animals during their growth

1. biological determinism – shared behavioral norms, and the social economic differences between human groups—primarily races, classes, and sexes—arise from inherited, inborn distinctions and that society, in this sense, is an accurate reflection of biology
2. two sources that have supported theme of biological determinism- craniometry (or measurement of the skull) and certain styles of psychological testing
3. What have biological determinists invoked when it comes to the issue of race? invoke the traditional prestige of science as objective knowledge, free from social and political taint
4. According to Gould on page 53, biological determinism is useful for: B. groups not in power
5. According to Gould on page 53, for the adherents of biological determinism, changes to a social and political system based on a racial caste system seen as an extension of nature is: D both b and c- a huge cost for enormous cost to society economically and individuals psychologically
6. Gould’s arguments against biological determinism begin by attacking which two fallacies? (page 56) A. reification and ranking
7. In the last paragraph of page 56, what does Gould write is his book is about (his explanation continues onto page 57)? abstraction of intelligence as a single person/ ranking
8. Finish this sentence, which can be found on page 59: “In most cases discussed in this book, we can be fairly certain that biases– though often expressed as egregiously as in cases of fraud- were unknowingly ___influential and that scientists believed they were pursuing unsullied truth___.
9. On page 60, Gould describes biological determinism as a theory of limits. What does he mean by that? ranking is wrong, forces people to feel like they need “to be” somewhere [in the rank, intellectually] and someone should not excel in life just because of their “fortunate” biology

plessy questions

1. the laws passed constitutional standards but were not equal for black vs whites
2. he knew they couldn’t make a clear statement as to who was what race
3. he was 1/8 black so the judge couldn’t be bias
4. he was arrested for violating “equal but separate”
5. civil and political rights protect an individuals freedom, social rights are fundamental rights
6. an effort to push back against discrimination against African Americans
7. abolished slavery
8. whites?

PvF

intro:

looks intelligent but will not let ride in first class car

southern jim crow laws passed at the end of the 19th century

“violent itimidation experienced by AA at the end of the last century– this wasn’t that long ago, KKK

the passage of “Jim Crow” created separate railroad cars, hospitals, cemeteries, restuarants, bathroom and drinking fountains

May 18, 1896 PvF came about to discuss the laws against segregation; Homer Plessy arrested for violating “equal but separate”

resident of upstate NY, Tourgee, thought the only solution to the “race problem” was education – for whites to reduce racial prejudice andfor freedmen to increase economic opp and to inform them as new citizens

part of Tourgee’s strategy was mixed blood to violate the law so question of which people were classified as “color” came about

post civil war- need reconstruction to south

13th amendment abolished slavery but did not fix racial hierarchy, allowed ownership of property and bring suits in court but not vote or serve on court, or testify against whites– whites still had the power in most every situation

14th amendment moved toward Radical Reconstruction but controversial–?

white South in 1867 felt abused when congress passed the Reconstruction act which expanded military involvement and split it into military zones and gave troops power to enforce regulations emanating from Washington

Radical rescontruction created by republicans would bring equal rights to black and white

The Clansman by Thomas Dixon celebrates KKK, Gone with the Wind novel and film spread the south’s vision of a corrupt Reconstruction to an even broader audience

end of recon. came with election of 1876

civil war amendments

civil rights are the nonpolitical rights of citizens of a particular country, tend to occupy a middle ground between political and social rights

right to get hotel room vs right for hotel to refuse who they keep

1866 civil rights act

the slaughter cases and their implications:

first time court ruled on 14 amendement

law of slaughtering below Mississippi river line to protect public’s health but slaughterhouses said not to protect health but to favor companies and grant a monopoly to them; ruled against slaughterhouses

although the case did not involve AA rights, the restraints the majority placed on the fed gov meant that states had regained some of the power that white southerners thought the 14th amendment had taken away\as a result, it mgiht seem that those intent on using fed power to protect AA rights would have had to turn to the dissenters to find a favorable interpretation, Bradley and Field argued for much more federal authority, they did not however, want to evoke the 14th amendment- protect the interests of freedmen

14th amendment potential to keep states from interfering with big businesses

TMM 51-62

social and economic differences between human groups- race, class, sex rise from inherited and inborn distinctions

demonstrate both scientific weaknesses and political contexts of deterministic arguments

science is what it is and we form opinions and hypothesis around it

is intelligence all in the head?

fallicies- abstract concepts into entities and ranking

theologians asking if women have a soul, scientists ready to refuse them a human intelligence

Socrates and Zopyrus

George Eliot appreciated the speical tragedy that biological labeling imposed upon members of disadvantaged groups, expressed it for people like herself—women of extraordinary talent. “I would apply it more widely—not only to those whose dreams are flouted but also to those who never realize that they may dream.”

TMM 51-62

social and economic differences between human groups- race, class, sex rise from inherited and inborn distinctions

demonstrate both scientific weaknesses and political contexts of deterministic arguments

science is what it is and we form opinions and hypothesis around it

is intelligence all in the head?

fallicies- abstract concepts into entities and ranking

theologians asking if women have a soul, scientists ready to refuse them a human intelligence

Socrates and Zopyrus

George Eliot appreciated the speical tragedy that biological labeling imposed upon members of disadvantaged groups, expressed it for people like herself—women of extraordinary talent. “I would apply it more widely—not only to those whose dreams are flouted but also to those who never realize that they may dream.”

How does Mirabelli describe the purpose of this chapter? explores constructed ways of “reading” texts along with the verbal, “performances” and other manipulations of self-presentation that characterize interactive service work, help to diverse positive view of people working as service workers

According to Mirabelli, what does being literate mean when a waiter is using the menu at Lou’s? knowing the process and ingredients in food production, understanding the dictionary definition or standard cook book recipe of food production vs how Lou’s prepares it, social and cultural embedded text

How do waiters “get the jump” in fine dining restaurants, and why, according to Mirabelli, do these waiters do this? when menus are in foreign languages, waiters get the jump by understanding magic words and letting server choose more for them than it being the customers’ responsibility, results in food being ordered because words using to describe food is knowledgeable and sounds good, they want to do this because it puts the waiter in charge vs the customer in charge, upscales because tip, not a job where people last long who aren’t smart

for those who have not read his article, others see service workers as stupid, those who can’t get “real jobs”

gap is writing for other academics to advocate that servers use practical literacy to their advantage, literacy is bigger than the classroom and people already have naturally and do it in the working world

motivation: money, discourse comm belonging for students

TMM 51-62

social and economic differences between human groups- race, class, sex rise from inherited and inborn distinctions

demonstrate both scientific weaknesses and political contexts of deterministic arguments

science is what it is and we form opinions and hypothesis around it

is intelligence all in the head?

fallicies- abstract concepts into entities and ranking

theologians asking if women have a soul, scientists ready to refuse them a human intelligence

Socrates and Zopyrus

George Eliot appreciated the speical tragedy that biological labeling imposed upon members of disadvantaged groups, expressed it for people like herself—women of extraordinary talent. “I would apply it more widely—not only to those whose dreams are flouted but also to those who never realize that they may dream.”