I am enjoying reading The Farming of Bones. Although it is a sad story so far, I feel like it will be uplifting and have a good message to take away. I can't even imagine Amabelle's life. I was adopted so I can kiiiiinda relate, but not really because I was not an orphan. I can't even begin to imagine how life must have been for her growing up without a family of her own. Then, to love someone so much and then be separated from them not knowing whether or not you will see them again must be devastating. I am still reading the book and I am actually getting into it. This is by far the best book we have had to read so far. Ali and I have been working to put together a class discussion for next week to discuss the book with the class.
I apologize for missing class this week. It makes it difficult to do the blog post because I was not in class to participate in the class discussion so I decided to just write a little about what I have read so far and how I am able to relate to it.
I hope you have a good weekend, see ya next week!

POI: Freedom Papers and Documentation

Our discussion in class Tuesday really made me think on the importance of documentation. Documentation has unspeakable power and use.

One use of documentation is to identify someone. As US citizens we all are required to have documentation at both birth and death. We even have social security cards with specific numbers assigned to us. Throughout an American life we are required to obtain a substantial amount of documentation for a variety of things.

 The use of documentation to identify someone ties in heavily with our reading of the Freedom Papers. The narrator is looking at documentation to form stories. It was the documents that fueled the stories to form correlations to the time period. I am amazed at how these stories were formed.

The author uses the documents to form stories but what if there weren't any documents? In a world without documentation family histories and events would have to be both remembered and told orally. This opens the door for stories to be told incorrectly, forgotten, or in our narrator's case, draw conclusions and make them up.

      Different stories of history have been silenced for decades. Freedom Papers took a different approach and filled in the silences. Gender, race, and movement all played a major role in Freedom Papers. All the characters told their personal experiences which made everything come to life while reading.
     Officers of color would lose their commissions and would have to defer to commanders who might send them into battle against those they did not necessarily see as their enemies (pg.33). African Americans were forced to fight wars they had nothing to do with.  They died at the hands of the white man's advantage.  Some slaves had to fight unarmed because white colonists soldiers basically didn't trust them with weapons.  As we saw in the movie, black men were not seen as humans and they had no rights.
     Slaves were often stripped of their identity if they were documented properly. Even if they were originally freed they would have to prove themselves free. Marriage could free women only if their husband was already free. Gender and movement playes a major role in marriage.

   In Troillots Silencing the Past, he expresses how the production of a historical narrative cannot be studied through a mere chronology because of its silences. Freedom Papers is used to fill these silences. The book gives an alternate perspective to that silencing effect that Trouillot talks about. The book gives you a more personal perspective of history during the Haitian, French, and American revolution. I really enjoyed how the book brings together 5 generations and stories. It really shows you the agency of the families and the ways they acted. The book makes history become a little more personal and relatable.
   In Freedom papers we can see the filling of the silences thru the focus of gender and lineage. The book gives you a real perspective on just how dangerous living was for slaves. Mobility is intrenched   starting in the colonial era because people were constantly moving from the old world to the new world. The problem with mobility during this time was the lack of documentation.
   Throughout the book we see the importance of documents and or the lack there of. Even if slaves had been freed previously, they were not always gaurenteed freedom wherever they traveled. For example upon arriving in New Orleans if they did not have proper documentation to prove that they had been freed, they would once again be put back in slavery. During this time everything dealing with gender, race, and "name" mattered when arriving in America and claiming to be "free." She gives us an example of this when Rosalie manages to achieve the freedom with the freedom paper that was valid but it lacked one signature from the governor of Saint-Domingue. The books really give us a realistic perspective of the fragility of freedom.
  Freedom Papers use of archives makes the silencing of history harder to imagine since its told from real documents. Since you know the contexts from which the time Rosali was in, you can relate her papers and presume her positions on the history and make them seem like a full story instead of a partial story.

Freedom Papers

          Freedom Papers displays many different ideas concerning topics like gender, race/ color categories, importance of documentation to identity and citizenship, and both geographical and social movement. All four of these topics link together in some way or another. I have personally been focusing on the topic of movement throughout the book.  I believe it ties into the topics of gender and importance to documentation to identity and citizenship very well.                                                          
          The questioning of if Elisabeth Dieudonne's status could be reversed from free to slave when arriving in New Orleans was one example I found. Her status in Saint- Domingue was free, but could her movement to New Orleans change that status? Many free slaves that moved to New Orleans had this problem. "Once designated explicitly or implicitly as a slave, a person who had previously lived as free would require substantial resources and powerful allies in order to contest that label" (67). This was not only  problem of movement and documentation, but a problem with gender. Many men of color were banned, but free women of color and children were exempted, on the grounds that they "shall be supposed to have left the island above named, to fly from the horrors committed during its insurrection."
         Widow Aubert is another example of this. Her previous labels reemerged in the written record and was to be designated a free women of color. Individuals had to prove their freedom and those who couldn't would most likely be put back into slavery. Some could even be deemed a "fugitive slave" in the absents of their putative master. Sometime individuals freedom was allowed with no questions asked. This process seemed unfair to many slaves that had previously had their status changed before arriving in Louisiana. Movement had a direct effect on these individuals of certain race and genders, and their identities were definitely challenged.

Freedom Papers Blog

Gender, Race and documentation played a huge role in Freedom Papers. Women and children of color were exempted from posting bond and leaving the Louisiana Territory, but men were not. Newly arrived black men, women and children were put to slavery in New Orleans. Also, the governor of Madrid thought it was necessary to humiliate the women in from on their owners.
The white men would use the slaves to fight wars the white men had started, that the slaves had nothing to do with. When Couba acquired, and 3 years later, married his slave, she was automatically freed in Saint Dominique Code.
Lastly, documentation was a bid deal then. Even if slaves were freed, they would still have to constantly prove their freedom with documentation pretty much everywhere.

Freedom Papers-Importance of Documentation to Identity and Citizenship

As we discussed in class, there are many factors that played significant roles in migration. We said that gender played an important role because it was almost a law to treat women as inferior. They were publicly humiliated and constantly belittled. They did not have any say and were not viewed as equals. It was unthinkable for the women to come together and take a stand against the unfair treatment. (Just as it was unthinkable for the slaves to come together in the Haitian Revolution.)

Race and color was also extremely important for obvious reasons. People were defined by their color/race. If you were black, you were most likely a slave or came from a background of slaves. The rights were limited for people of different a race.

The importance of documentation to identity and citizenship was crucial to moving from place to place. On page 67, Scott says “And once designated explicitly or implicitly as a slave, a person who had previously lived as free would require substantial resources and powerful allies in order to contest that label.” Scott puts a face to the name by telling Elisabeth Dieudonne. She was free because of her mother, Rosalie under the acts of the French National Convention and their enforcement by Toussaint Louveture and Andre Rigaud. By telling the stories of actual people that lived to experience society during this time helps to “un-silence the past”. Not only does it document a person’s history, it gives the events more credibility and we are able to feel more compassion.

Freedom Papers really brings together the ideas outlined in Silencing the Past. It is important that we recognize and consider the roles that each of these factors played and continue to play in history.  

African American Heritage Tour

I loved going on the African American Heritage Tour of UA last class.  I actually had no idea it even existed. When we visited the President's Mansion it was interesting to actually see the 2 slave cabins in the back of the President's Mansion.  I guess just by looking at it no one would really ever consider it being the home for many slaves, so I do feel it is really important to have historical markers outside of them so no one will ever forget why they were actually built.

Trouillot definitely makes you think about the way history is portrayed. It makes your question whether or not we are being told the exaggerated story or the real story. So of course as I was going through the tour I kept thinking to myself, is this tour told how the white people want this tour to be portrayed?

Any how, I really enjoyed the tour and thought it to be very informative. People always remember the scene of Governor Wallace keeping the African Americans out of the University of Alabama on Forest Gump, but I think a lot of people forget that we walk where all this history happened every day.

     I really enjoyed the African Heritage tour around campus. Ive had three generations here at the University and have never seen nor heard of the events the impacted the university. I was amazed to find out the events that took place during the protest with Authrine Lacy, like Morgan Reese Phifer is my home school too. Ive been walking up those stairs for four years now and have never once known about this event that changed the university. Its amazing and yet scary to think of how the university used to be and how far we have come now. The University is now almost 15% african american.

   When we went to the clock tower, we read the quotes from only 3 people. That leaves me questioning if that version of what happened could have been skewed. In Silencing The Past, Trouillot explains that history can be silenced in the making of the sources.. meaning they could have every well picked who's quotes went on those plaques in order to change the vision of the event that took place. I would have expected a lot background information to such a big event. I question the universities intentions by only making three statements. 

  Trouillots Book left me questioning everything, at one point had me wondering was what I have been taught all bogus? Are teachers only teaching what they have been taught, or what they thought happened? Throughout the book I found myself frustrated pondering on those questions. I really liked the fact that Trouillot explains history is "both what happened and what is said to have happened." I really liked your explanation of this thru your explain regarding the news. Its so TRUE! CNN will report and say this based on their political views (most of the time) and Fox does the same!  

African American Heritage Tour

   Other than the brutal heat, I really enjoyed taking the African American Heritage Tour. At our first stops at Reese Phifer and Bibb Graves, we read about the story of Autherine Lucy. Even though the court granted her the right to attend the university, the students and white society did not accept her and staged riots to express their rage. Trouillout mentions the idea of scientific racism; the practice of classifying individuals of different phenotypes into discrete races that are either superior of inferior. Even though some groups grew to accept colored people, the majority still clung to the beliefs derived from scientific racism. He also suggests that people had trouble with the idea that by acknowledging the slaves as "humanity" is acknowledging them as human beings that deserve better treatment. Most of the protests against Autherine Lucy took place on the steps of Reese Phifer. It is strange to think about this because I do not think twice as I walk up those very steps every day to attend my class. It gives me a new perspective and appreciation for how far we have come as not only a university but as a society.
   We then walked over to the President's mansion. It was strange to see the separate sets of stairs that were used for the slaves. Trouillout stresses the idea of history being "silenced". History is both what happened and what is said to happen. History is also influenced by the personal beliefs and opinions  of the individual learning about history. Many factors such as gender, race, and religion can influence how you believe events in history actually occurred. Many times, it is just how you imagine the event when you are told about it or read about it. For example, when you read a book and then see the movie, it may not be how you thought. The characters may be completely different then how you imagined them to be.
   I thought that the tour was interesting and it gave me a better, more visual idea of the concepts that are outlined in Trouillout's book. I was able to connect his ideas better and relate them to actual people in history. Learning about a person's real life story helped me better understand the ideas Triuoillot tries to communicate. I was able to put a face and a name to the issues rather than simply learning concepts and hard facts.

Heritage Tour - Courtney Araszkiewicz

          I found the African American Heritage Tour of The University of Alabama to be very informative. I have been on the tour before, but I noticed some things the second time that I hadn't noticed before. Personally I believe the school doesn't inform students very well on its African American heritage. I found that the Foster Auditorium stop was interesting. The clock tower is to pay tribute to Autherine Lucy Foster, James Hood and the late Vivian Malone Jones. These three students were the first three African American students whose enrollment started the universities desegregation. Throughout the tour you can learn about other places on campus that were involved with the universities African American heritage, including places like the Presidents mansion, Nott hall, and Reese Phifer.
          Even though the tour was informative, I have to question the facts. As I was going through the tour, I thought about what Trouillot said about history in his book. He talks about history as "what happened" and "that which is said to have happened." We have the right to wonder if we are being told the truth about what happened and if it is the whole story. The tour around campus proved to be informative, but the school still doesn't put a great emphasis on its African American heritage. The clock tower, for example, had quotes by the three students and a short informative sign. If we want to know the deeper information, we have to go look it up for ourselves.
         The tower is located right by Foster hall where Governor George C. Wallace blocked the entrance to the building so African American students could not enter. He delivered a speech, but eventually stepped aside for students to register for classes. Foster auditorium also has a memorative sign on the building by the front door. We are told about these occurrences, but we wonder if we are receiving the whole story. Trouillot has good points about the meaning of history.