World Wars In Historical Society

      When one thinks about the World Wars, they think about the fighting that went on and the lives that were lost. However, most don't think about the little things that went on during the wars. It was the little things I found out when visiting the New York Museum of Historical Society, that surprised me and intrigued me. The propaganda that were used and the types of businesses that were involved in such horrible acts amazes me.
      IBM, the computer company, was given a government contract to work on weapons to assist in the war. IBM was sent the U.S. Carbine typically used within the army and asked to work on it. What they came up with was the IBM M1 Carbine, which became the standard firearm during WW II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. IBM greatly benefited the United States Army in the long run. Did you know that IBM also assisted the Nazis in identifying the Jews in the concentration camps? The numbers tattooed onto the Jews arriving at the camps were made with IBM technology in order to keep track of them. Their medical records were kept in order with their certain number. You never realize who you're buying products from and what kind of dark history they come from.
      Another part of the World Wars that surprised me were the different types of propaganda that was used. Like did you know Hitler himself went up against the Daredevil and Captain America? During the wars, comics were used to make Hitler look like a villian that needed to be brought to justice. In others, they portrayed him as some type of evil monster or zombie that needed to be destroyed. These types of propaganda were used in order to anger men and younger boys and get them to stand up and rise against the hate and join the war. When you look at the numbers, propaganda obviously had an effect on the people of the United States.
      During the years 1941-1945, the U.S. armed forces reached over 15,000,000 men and women. Within the army alone there were 10,420,000 men and 90,000 women fighting alongside one another for a cause. So many of them lost their lives for a better world and a better life for their families. When you hear specific life stories of lost soldiers, it really touches the soul and makes you feel how their families must have felt. One soldier named Frederick Harris was a U.S. Private 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Division stationed in Europe. Back home he had a beautiful wife and 6 month old son waiting for him to come back to them. Frederick's division landed in Normandy on June 7th,1944 in order to gain control of the regional crossroads known as Saint - Lo. He was wounded on the 1st of August and died the next day. Mrs. Harris didn't find out about his injuries until the 20th and his death until the 25th. In a letter they explained that he must've died due to shock and blood loss. The fact that she didn't hear about it until later in the month, meant that his whole division must've been completely eradicated.
     Going through exhibitions like this really touches one's emotions and opens their eyes if they really pay attention. The way it was laid out was pretty much from start to finish of the world wars and seemed to get more serious along the way. Most who visited the day I did, seemed really intrigued and most looked like they could have possibly lived through one or both wars themselves. All were quiet and showed total respect to those honored within the exhibit and the pieces within. Although I may have learned about the world wars in school, you never really appreciate it until you see things first hand and take the time to understand what those people went through.

Civil War Photography

     Have you ever wondered what life was like for Americans during the Civil War? I got a chance to get a glimpse into that era when I made a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The new "Photography of the Civil War" exhibit was quite an experience and an a real eye opener. My initial feelings about the exhibit while walking through was a feeling of sadness and terror. The way the exhibit was placed really forces you to look deep into the photos and see the horrors that was going on during that era. The fact that all rooms were completely silent also assisted in the feeling of sorrow.
     All throughout the exhibit, there were people that seemed to truly appreciate the pictures for what they were; a peek into the dark days of American history. Although I'm sure most were tourists and older people, they were all quiet and marveled in the photos hung up on the walls. While I made my way through, it seemed to tell a story and showed how photography was used through the years to benefit and to record what was happening.
     A couple photos really stuck with me throughout the exhibit and really touched me in different ways. In the beginning of the tour, I came across a picture of Seargent Alex Rogers holding the scarred flag of the 83rd Pennsylvania Volunteers, 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 5th Corps in 1863. Seargent Rogers proudly posed for the camera while holding the torn colors. His core fought on every Eastern battlefield and suffered the second highest number of deaths of any Union regiment. This man has been through so much, and yet he stands with conviction and pride for his beliefs. One has to be courageous to be able to see what he has and continue to fight on.
     Towards the end of the tour, they began to show photos of how photography benefited the doctors and surgeons. Doctors would take pictures of limbs and patients that were in conditions that were unsure of how to deal with. Taking the photos allowed them to teach others of how to deal with certain injuries as they came along. Obviously during those times, there were no boundaries of what can and cant be photographed.
     The one photo that touched me the most of all was a photograph called "Ruins of Mrs. Henry's House, Battlefield of Bull Run, March 1862". The photo alone told the story and nearly brought a tear to my eye. Mrs. Henry was an octegenarian widow which because of infirmities was unable to leave her home. Her home along Bull Run Creek was the site of a severe battle that raged on and threatened her safety. Thanks to her childrens help, she was able to escape to a gully and survived the first attacks. Unfortunately, the fighting increased in ferocity and forced her to return home in the midst of battle. She was later found amidst the rubble dead of bullet wounds. That one photo really showed that anyone could get hurt whether they were fighting or not. Anyone was susceptible to harm, no matter where you were.

No Justice for Servants of Color

     The way people of color were treated in the early 1900's is very different than today. The way that situations were handled were different as well. In the short story "The Lynching of Jube Benson" and the novel The Sport of the Gods, the black servants were perhaps the best you could find. They cared for their masters as if they were family and would do anything for them. Unfortunately, in those days the masters never fully felt the same way.
     In "The Lynching of Jube Benson", the doctors servant is thought to have murdered his wife. In the Sports of the Gods, Berry the main servant is thought to have stolen hundreds of dollars from his masters younger brother. Neither were truly guilty of the crimes in which they are being charged for, but their masters didnt care to take the time to figure that out. As soon as any little bit of evidence was found that made the servant look suspicious, they jumped on them without even hearing them out. To do something like that, they were obviously not as fond of them as the servants were to their masters.
     However, in the short story, the Doc eventually finds out that he was wrong and knows he has to live with what he did for the rest of his life. What he did was wrong and out of anger. In the novel, when they found out that the servant was innocent, they were quick to hide the truth due to the fact that it would make his brother look bad and ruin his family name. After all the black servants had done for them over the years of working, they were wronged and see no justice. Both stories seem to be very similar in the way the dialogue is written and I could see it being from the same author. Many similarites and several differences that make the stories great in their own ways. Both express the hardships that servants of color had to endure even when it was never their fault.

Slave and Citizen's Point of Difference

       In the book Slave and Citizen, Frank Tennenbaum writes about the differences of slavery between the great ol' USA and places like Brazil. His main point in the book is that although slavery was practiced in both countries; the slaves in Brazil were treated better and were allowed more freedoms of their own. What were the reasons for their different ways? In class some said religion; others said science. I, on the other hand, believe it was due to the color of their skin. Although there were white men in Brazil, they had a different viewpoint on the women of color there. Many actually made families with them and were wed to them. In the U.S., this would be thought of as blasphemy.
       Since one can buy their own freedom in Brazil, they were also able to purchase their own slave workers. If one former slave could buy another slave; they would be more lenient to them due to the fact that they've been in their shoes at one point. Treat others how you would want to be treated. Thats the reason slaves in the South were allowed so many opportunities to get out of that lifestyle. The married colored women surely had an effect on the way their white male husbands saw the slaves they owned as well. No one can know for sure, but one can always speculate.
     In the U.S. at the time, there were surely more whites than any other race and they believed they were the top of the food chain and the most evolved. In Brazil, people of color could walk around without any worries. In the United States however, they were surely to be stopped and questioned. In some cases they were taken in custody and beaten. Brazil saw people of color as what they are; people. The United States saw them as merely property and a source of income. They could never open their eyes, and see that the men they use and abuse are men that were created from the same "God" and should be treated as men.

1 Ounce of Violence Throughout History

     All throughout history there have been many cases of violence and bloodshed among people of different race and cultures. In the 1800's, European settlers began to travel the world in search of new lands and what they found there was not what they expected. In many cases such as when the British landed in Tasmania, the white travelers saw the aboriginals they found to be nothing more than beasts. Thousands of "aboriginals" were settled over the years all around the world, just due to the fact that they did not share the same ideals as the Europeans.
     Even though this has gone on for many years, i've never really taken the time to really think about it. Just reading about these things and hearing it told by others has really opened my eyes to the world and how damaged it is. I mean even the Declaration of Independence, which i see everyday at my place of employment, speaks of bloodshed that must be spilt to ensure happiness and freedoms. When you really listen to the words written, it really seems more like a campaign to recruit men in the 13 colonies to rise up against the British and fight for the rich landowners in the "pursuit of happiness". According to the Declaration, all men are equal and it is their "God" given right to fight for their freedoms and liberties.
     Like most campaigns, it was based on lies. "We hold these truths to be self-evident" has to be the biggest lie of all, which is quite humorous. This quote says that what they say is truth just because they know its true, and yet they do not practice what they preach. They "know" that all men are equal, and yet they treat african americans as slaves? Are african americans and others of color other than white not men? They were created by the same "Creator" and made equal, so why are they not treated equally? David Walker said it best in his appeal to all men of color. "Are we MEN! ! -- I ask you, 0 my brethren I are we MEN? Did our Creator make us to be slaves to dust and ashes like ourselves?" That line of his appeal really hit me harder than most because you can really feel the tension and emotion in what he was saying. In his appeal he stresses to other men of color to rise up and fight for what is right. The white slave owners have no right to be called their master, since their only master is Jesus Christ.
     Even today, there are still many who believe people of color are not comparable to them. However, i would sure love to know what it is about them that makes them any less of a man? We are all equal and should be treated as such. Hopefully one day everyone will think this way. Perhaps its time for a new declaration to be made? Perhaps its time to let go of the past full of bloodshed and move on to a future with a true pursuit of happiness and freedom for all despite the color of your skin.