American History From 1730-1877 And "Free State Of Jones" Analysis

The 1st Great Awakening or Great Awakening was a time in colonial America, specifically around the 1730’s through 1740’s, where there was a religious resurgence throughout the colonies. It emphasized the importance of Christianity and religion as well as challenging the existing, traditional authority. There were many factors that lead to the Awakening, one of which was the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment, in short, was the opposite of the Awakening. It focused on moving away from religion and making judgements based on facts and logic rather than one’s faith. Another factor was that people tended to be less religious and pure which resulted in them not going to church often.

There were two key people involved in the Awakening, Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield. Edwards was famously known as a preacher and has been said to have started the Great Awakening. He delivered his famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, during the Awakening and it is still respected and studied by many Christians today. Whitefield was a skilled public speaker, also known as an orator, and along with Edwards he was able to convert many people through his preachings as well as raise awareness about personal salvation. Both Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield were considered to be “New Light” which was those who were for the Awakening and favored it. Whereas those who were against the Awakening and resisted it were called “Old Light”.

As a result of the Awakening, there came to be a division between the newer and older ideas as well as more branches of Christianity being developed. The new branches led to the development and increase in religious diversity and freedom since many more people started to embrace the idea of religion. However, the idea of religious diversity and freedom wasn’t the case in all of the colonies. The Awakening also brought the colonies together and unified them to develop a sense of colonial identity.

If the 1st Great Awakening never happened, the world we live in may not have been the way it is religiously. The Awakening encouraged the idea of Christianity and because of that Chrisitjanity is one of the major dominant religions in the world with the most adherents.

1754-1800 (Benjamin Franklin)

Benjamin Franklin, a founding father of the U.S, is noted by many people for his actions towards helping the British colonists gain their independence from Britain, most commonly during the American Revolution era. His early career as a printer and experience in journalism were beneficial in drafting and editing various important, written documents that aided the establishment of the U.S.

To start off, in 1776, Congress selected him to go to France and ask them to aid the colonists in the American Revolution. As a result, in February of 1778, France signed an alliance with the colonists which provided them military needs such as soldiers and financial resources which would be essential to the victory of the colonists. He continued to arrange and draft the Treaty of Paris (treaty signed in 1783 between the colonists and Britain that concluded the American Revolution) to accommodate and argue for the needs of the colonists. Franklin was also responsible for establishing the first political cartoon and the Albany Plan of Union which was initially used to join together the thirteen colonies and British against France but was later used to unite the colonists against Britain. The actions and efforts that he has taken makes him an important figure in U.S. history because without him, the colonists may not have been able to gain their independence and the United States of America may not have been created.

What makes Benjamin Franklin an interesting person is that he has signed major documents like the Treaty of Paris, U.S Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence, all of which played a vital role to the establishment of the United States. This shows he was an avid supporter of independence from Britain and he was actively involved in making sure that happened.

Benjamin Franklin aided the colonists by reaching out to France, negotiating the Treaty of Paris, and creating the first political cartoon which was soon adopted by many people as a way to communicate mainly political messages. Political cartoons have been so influential that our modern day government still uses them to this day.

1800-1848 (Louisiana Purchase)

One of the most important purchases the United States had made in the 19th century was the Louisiana Purchase. The Louisiana Purchase benefited the country in many ways such as allowing the U.S to gain twice as much land as before and promoting expansion. It has played a great role in making the United States the country it is today.

The Louisiana territory, which was located west of the United States (at the time), originally belonged to France and was given to Spain in an agreement for land but was given back to France in 1802. One of the cities included in the territory was New Orleans. The U.S wanted New Orleans because it was located at the end of the Mississippi River which provided an ideal location for trading.

Thomas Jefferson, the president at the time, decided to send two people, Robert Livingston and James Monroe, to go to France and come to an agreement about purchasing the city. Jefferson directed them to negotiate in getting either New Orleans, access to the Mississippi River port, or certain areas in the Florida territory for ten million dollars. Since the French’s original plan to build an empire in the Americas was becoming unsuccessful, they proposed to the U.S all of the Louisiana territory including New Orleans for fifteen million dollars. At first Jefferson was hesitant about the purchase, but he soon agreed, and the Senate approved the deal. On October of 1803, the Louisiana Purchase was made and the size of the U.S increased drastically.

Soon after the purchase was made, Jefferson told Meriwether Lewis to scope out the new land and Lewis selected William Clark to accompany him on the journey. Together, they went on an expedition, Corps of Discovery, to create a map of different functional routes and make known about the existence of Americans on the land to ensure that other countries do not claim it. They faced many hardships along the way but with the help of Sacagawea, a woman they met along the way, they were able to accomplish their goal.

Besides the size increase, the Louisiana Purchase led to the beginning of Manifest Destiny, a concept of expanding westward and across North America through God. The purchase also led to the Homestead Act which, going along with Manifest Destiny, promoted migration to the west and establishing settlements for a low price. Many people started to migrate and move to the new lands which caused the government to also allow the Oklahoma territory to the Americans even though it was closed off.

The Louisiana Purchase influenced settlement in many ways and sped up the process of westward expansion when it was first purchased, but it continues to greatly impact us and remain influential today because without acquiring the massive land that made our country twice as large, France could have possibly been next to the U.S, and our country may not have been as large as it is today.

1844-1877 (Dred Scott v. Sandford)

Inequality has been apart of the United States for many years, but it had especially heightened during the 19th century, more specifically, with the Dred Scott and John F. A. Sanford case. Dred Scott v. Sandford was a court case that was taken to the United States Supreme Court in the 1850’s, and it established the inequality of gaining freedom and citizenship for African Americans and slaves. It was this legal case that also contributed to the country’s differences in the two divided areas and ultimately led to war between the North and South which came to be known as the Civil War.Dred Scott was originally a slave in Missouri because the state was considered a slave state as part of the Missouri Compromise. His owner was John Emerson and since he was a part of the military, he frequently moved and took Scott with him. One of his moves was to Illinois which was considered a free state and from there went to the Wisconsin territory which was considered a free territory as well. Emerson and Scott returned to Missouri in the 1840’s, and Emerson died a few years later. After his death, Scott tried to buy his freedom from Emerson’s wife, but she refused and he decided to sue for his freedom. His argument was that since he moved to a free state and territory and lived there for a certain time, he was released from slavery and considered free. This case was against Emerson originally, and a few years later Scott was granted his freedom, but the decision was later changed by the state supreme court.

Emerson’s wife soon left Missouri, and Scott’s new owner was John F. A. Sanford. Scott decided to go the federal court and sue for his freedom again, but they still concluded that he was a slave. The United States Supreme Court decided to take on this case because by doing so they would be able to acknowledge if the Missouri Compromise was lawful and if current slaves and their future generations were considered citizens by the Constitution.

The chief justice at the time was Roger Brooke Taney and he stated that slaves are not U.S. citizens and the Missouri Compromise was unlawful. Taney’s reasoning was that when the Constitution was being written, they didn’t aim to associate black people with the name “citizen” especially slaves. The Constitution had specifically seperated black people from being citizens so that the states can continue to participate and allow slavery. Taney also stated that states didn’t have the power to give anyone their U.S. citizenship and that slaves are a part of slavery no matter the territory they are in because they belong to their owners.

Out of the nine justices, seven, including Taney, said Scott was not a citizen because he was a slave while the other two said that he was a citizen. Scott ultimately was not set free because his argument of gaining his freedom came from the Missouri Compromise and that was declared as unlawful. Scott’s case was discharged because he didn't have the power to sue since he wasn’t considered a citizen. Even though slaves were definitely not citizens, it was still unsure if free black people were. The court’s decision was lastly changed again after the Civil War and the thirteen and fourteen amendment.

All in all, this decision negatively changed the way people looked at the Supreme Court. The court at the time seemed very corrupt and were ignorant towards African Americans and blacks. There were many things that could’ve been done differently starting with the fact that Scott’s case shouldn’t have been dismissed. The court should have granted him the right to become a citizen and have his case go further since he was born within the Constitution. This case also showed the power of white supremacy and how it impacted the society not only at the time but for the years ahead.

Film: Free State of Jones

When you think about a film that challenges societal regulations and incorporates heroism, bravery, and selflessness, Free State of Jones will often come to mind. It shows how a man named Newton Knight started a rebellion to bring a change in the way the government regulated the country and its people. The film explores the brutal life and obstacles faced in the South for not only blacks and slaves but also for poor white men and women in the mid 1800’s.

The film starts off in 1862 by showing men in the Confederate army marching on command and fighting the opposing team, the Union. A man named Newton Knight was apart of the Confederate army but instead of fighting in battles, he would take care of soldiers who had been hurt, injured, or shot since he didn’t agree with the idea of slavery. He comes to find that his nephew had been recruited in the army as well and while in battle, he was shot. When he decided to take his nephew home to Jones County, Mississippi, he was soon labeled as a fugitive and was forced to flee. He finds himself in the swamps with other runaway slaves that are hiding out just like him and together they form an alliance with other poor farmers and start the beginnings of their rebellion towards freedom.

The film mentioned the 20 Negro Law which was established in 1862 by the Confederate Congress, and it stated that if a person owned twenty slaves or more, they would be able to go home and be excused from the Confederate army. Since Newton was against slavery, he didn’t own any slaves and when he left to go back home, he was not excused which caused him to become a fugitive and wanted by the Confederate. Also the film accurately showed that Jasper, Newton’s friend, left the army because the 20 Negro Law was passed and he believed the many poor people who were fighting in the battle were dying for what the rich wanted and longed for.

When Newton returned home, he finds the Confederate army raiding and taking the belongings of a family from a court order. They say they’re only taking 10% but in actuality they’re only leaving 10%. This depiction is accurate because during the Civil War, armies would destroy people’s houses and barge in to gather supplies and food from them. In many places that were controlled by the Confederate, people stayed hungry, there was inflation, and things started to overcrowd.

Families were separated, especially those that were enslaved because they provided labor for the military. Soon, the rebellion started with gathering the runaway slaves and poor farmers from the swamps and creating the Knights Company. They started to indirectly attack the Confederate army by going to farms and taking the crops before the army could take it for themselves. The Confederate later found out about their schemes and they would respond by burning people’s properties and farms, as well as bribing them. Even though the Confederate were after them, they didn’t stop and later established their own county.

Many years later, a court case comes to be about Newton Knight and Rachel Knight’s great-grandson, Davis Knight. Rachel was a slave who was apart of the rebellion and through it all, Newton and Rachel fell in love and had a child. Davis fell in love with a white woman, but it came to be that he had violated the law by marrying a white woman because he was considered 1/8th black which met the minimum requirement to be considered colored. At the time of the court case was the time where blacks and whites were separated and they were not allowed to be engaged with one another. Blacks would also be the ones who would get accused and punished for violating laws over white people. Like in this case where Davis got sentenced for five years in prison, whereas his wife didn't get any punishment.

Although the film showed many aspects that were historically correct, there were some details that were portrayed differently in the film. Such as when the film showed Newton leaving the army because of his nephew dying. Historically, Newton was actually laid-off by the General so that he was able to go home since his father was dying. Afterwards, he came back to the army to help those who were injured and hurt, but finally left as a fugitive when he found that the Confederate had taken horses from his family. Also a character in the film, Moses, wasn’t actually historically correct. The film created Moses to show how Newton would come together and create friendships with the slaves and runaways. Another thing left out was that Newton was actually taken in as a prisoner because he and ruined everything he owned, including his livestock because he wouldn’t come back to the Confederate army

Newton Knight was able to lead his rebellion through bravery and courage, he stood up for what was right even though there were many opposing forces coming at him. He defied the government and brought a change in the society at the time. Free State of Jones captured Newton’s successes, hardships, and failures and Newton Knight will always be remembered for his actions and legacy he has left.