Band of Angels Blog Post

This has been on my mind so much that I have to say it: Band of Angels was so neutral in its' quality as a film that I can't really put any words to it. This blog isn't supposed to be a review so I'll keep it short, but I've never felt so strongly about a film that didn't really make me feel anything. I felt like I was watching Gone with the Wind for a second time over (granted, the casting of Clark Gable probably contributed to this feeling). I even thought the two movies were directed by the same person at one point.

However, there were some things that I found interesting about the film. The difference in the portrayal of African Americans in Band of Angels (usually) starkly contrasts with those seen in Gone with the Wind. Tommie Moore's character of Dollie gives off similar vibes as the stereotypes in Gone with the Wind, but I was surprised by the differences in Rau-Ru, played by Sydney Poitier.

Black characters in Gone with the Wind were portrayed as slaves who didn't mind being slaves. Mammy, for example, was entirely content with her situation, even loyal to her masters after their plantation on destroyed. Rau-Ru, on the other hand, is wise, independent, a leader, and longs for freedom, which he eventually gains.

Sydney Poitier (pictured) was the 
first black actor to win the
Academy Award for best actor.

Rau-Ru calls out Amantha Starr for wishing that she was born completely white and denying her heritage. He was militant too, he was not content to wait for freedom, but he would fight for it too. This surprised me considering the film was released in 1957 when tensions over the civil rights movement began to flare more strongly.

Rau-Ru even sits down his former master Hamish Bond at gunpoint and shuts him up when he tries to get smart. However, he lets Hamish go when he goes a spiel about how he saved Rau-Ru as a child even though he was massacring the rest of his village. Rau-Ru is written to let Hamish go out of respect or feeling indebted, which feels unsatisfying considering Hamish kept him as a slave for what would've been decades.

Despite that ending, the film shows significant progress in what directors were willing to give to black characters, and the importance of these characters. If anything, Band of Angels' most redeeming quality is being able to let the viewer compare the character of Rau-Ru to previous portrayals of black characters. Whenever Rau-Ru was on the screen, that's when I really paid the most attention.

EOTO 2 Reactions Blog

For my reaction blog post to our most recent EOTO, I want to write and do some extra research on the first Ku Klux Klan. I've learned about the second and third incarnations of the KKK in the past, but I haven't really learned of their origins.

When people think of the Ku Klux Klan, they most likely think of its second and third incarnations. White pointy hoods and cross-burnings are the most (for the lack of a better word) "iconic" symbols of the Klan. However, the first Klan had neither, and is the most differentiated out of the three incarnations of the Klan.

3 arrested Klan Members
in uniform in 1871

The original Ku Klux Klan was founded by Confederate veterans in 1865 in Pulaski, Tennessee. Obviously, the Klan's core beliefs were in white supremacy, the re-establishment of a whites-only government. However, they lacked the anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant, and anti-Catholic beliefs that would come with later incarnations of the Klan.

Of course, there are many similarities to later incarnations as well. The Klan quickly became deeply entrenched in anti-black in anti-Republican violence in the South. Assaults, murders, arson, lynchings, and voter intimidation were a large part of the Klan's activities.

Another commonality with the second incarnation of the KKK was that the first Klan was very disorganized. Though Nathan Bedford Forrest was elected as the Grand Wizard of the first official leader of the KKK, almost all chapters operated entirely independently.

For the first few years of the Ku Klux Klan, they enjoyed success. The Klan succeeded at suppressing votes for republicans and black leaders in multiple counties during the election of 1869, even though Ulysses S. Grant, a Republican, would win anyway. However, the Grand Wizard Forrest became disenchanted with Klan.

Nathan Bedford Forrest

In an interview, Forrest called the clan a "protective political military organization" for the Democratic party. However, in 1869, Forrest called for the Klan to disband as he felt that it had strayed from this purpose, upsetting the peace and safety of the public rather than protecting it. Due to the Klan's independent nature, it would continue to operate against Forrest's wishes until the Ku Klux Klan Act was passed in 1871, which made it difficult for Klan members to operate without criminal punishments.

Reconstruction Video Post

The Dawn of the Reconstruction era was a time of massive progress for African Americans. Freed from slavery, many felt that a new age was right around the corner. This enthusiasm made perfect sense; in the early 1870s, it looked like the goal of liberty for African Americans had been almost entirely reached.

Hiram Revels, a Mississippi
Senator, was the first black
member of Congress.

For starters, many African Americans had become members of state legislatures. Less than a decade prior, the idea of a state legislature having African American members was ludicrous. South Carolina even had a black majority in its House of Representatives. On top of this, there were 14 African American members of Congress. Less than a decade after freedom and enfranchisement, this much was achieved at the government level.

Things had drastically improved outside of legislatures as well. Many former slaves and their children were able to get an education at public schools. Thanks to citizenship, black businesses began to grow as well. Both blacks and whites began to operate farms, blacksmith shops, and other essential businesses. There were even black sheriffs and judges.

Still, things were far from perfect. Many African Americans were subject to attacks from white supremacists. The most infamous white supremacist group, The Ku-Klux-Klan wreaked havoc, not only attacking African Americans who were rising in power, but even whites who supported them. Lynchings, arson, and threats from the KKK were a source of fear and anguish for many.

On top of that, Republican and Northern support for reconstruction in the South began to wane. Some republican congressmen started speaking against black involvement in the government, calling the predominately black government in South Carolina either incompetent, corrupt, or both. This gave way to Democrats taking back control in the South, and eventually, the repealing of important reconstruction acts that improved the lives of African Americans.

The Panic of 1873 also greatly damaged the progress of reconstruction. A massive economic crash turned much of the public opinion against Republicans, who held the majority of government control. The 1874 elections were dominated by Democrats, who promised not only to restore the economy, but to end reconstruction.

An illustration of Wall Street at the beginning of the
Panic of 1873

The Reconstruction era was, for a short time, an era of great hope and progress for the civil rights of African Americans. However, the reversal of this progress came quickly, and wouldn't take a turn for the better for decades. One can only wonder how times would be different today if progress had kept marching forward instead of being beaten backward so severely.

The Amistad Mutiny (EOTO 1)

In our last class activity, My group and I researched our own topics to teach to the class and then presented them. I taught a short summary of the events of the Amistad Mutiny. The Amistad Mutiny and the case that followed was one of the first wins for abolitionists in the Supreme Court (United States v. The Amistad). In this blog post, I will give a more detailed presentation of my research.

Sometime between 1838 and 1839, 53 Africans were kidnapped by slave traders somewhere near Sierra Leone or Liberia. They were then sold on the island of Lomboko by a Spanish slave trader and shipped to the Spanish colony of Cuba. At the Havana slave auction in June 1839, plantation owners Pedro Montes and José Ruiz purchased and ordered them to be shipped to their plantation on the other side of Cuba.

Joseph Cinqué

Four days after they set sail on June 28th, Joseph Cinqué (a captured African) lead the slaves to revolt and take over the ship, killing the captain and one crew member. Cinqué and the others ordered the remaining crew to sail back to Africa. During the day, the crew complied, but during the night, the crew sailed north towards the United States hoping to hit land.

On August 26th, the crew's hopes were answered; they were intercepted off the coast of Long Island by the U.S. government. The Spanish crew was set free, and slaves were imprisoned in New Haven, Connecticut to await their trial for murder and mutiny. President Martin Van Buren would've likely ordered for the slaves to be extradited to Cuba to stand trial, but they were charged in the U.S. before he could take action.

Hale Woodruff's rendition of the mutiny

Around this point, the events of the Amistad had become nationwide news. Abolitionists saw this as a chance to both help prevent slavery and present their views on a national platform, so they formed a committee to raise funds for the slaves' defense. Along with donations from abolitionists tourists paid 12 cents for glimpses of the slaves and could purchase memorabilia. Roger Baldwin, an attorney who would later become the governor of Connecticut, led the defense for the slaves.

The slaves' story of their kidnapping was crucial for the defense. The defense was able to find an African man who knew the slaves' language (Mende), along with a British seaman who also knew Mende. Since the slaves were kidnapped from Africa in 1838, they could not be considered slaves under Spanish law, as Spain had banned the importation of slaves to its colonies in 1817 in a treaty with the British government. This ban was entirely ignored by most Spanish colonies and the Spanish government anyway, but it was crucial in a court of law.

Hale Woodruff's rendition of the district court case

Using the argument that the Africans could not legally be slaves under Spanish law, the defense was able to win the district court case in Connecticut. However, the prosecution appealed to the circuit court, where the same conclusion was reached. The prosecution appealed once more. This time, they appealed to the Supreme Court, and the case was accepted. The abolitionists feared this, as the pro-slavery Democratic party held a majority in the court. So, they sook assistance from former President John Quincy Adams in the case.

To the surprise of many, the court overwhelmingly sided with the defense, 7 to 1. Even if the Justices supported the institution of slavery, there was no arguing that Spanish law forbade the importation of slaves into its colonies: regardless if it was enforced or not. Still, the abolitionists were forced to raise funds to return the Africans to their homes themselves, but the government would not cover the cost.

Margru, who was given the 
English name Sarah Kinson

35 of the Africans did eventually return home in 1841, but only a few stories of what happened after remain. The most complete one is of Margru, a young girl. She came to the U.S. to attend and graduate from Oberlin College and return to Africa as a missionary. Joseph Cinqué resurfaced in an African Christian mission in 1879 where he died and received a Christian burial. 

Gone with the Wind Reflection: Hattie McDaniel

Hattie McDaniel

While lauded by critics as one of the greatest films of all time, Gone with the Wind's racist depictions of African American stereotypes are as clear as glass. However, Hattie McDaniel was the first African American to win an Oscar for her performance as the stereotypical "mammy", even beating her white co-star Olivia de Havilland. Hattie McDaniel's story as both a pioneer for black actors and a source for Hollywood stereotypes is one of the most interesting in the film industry.

Hattie McDaniel was born to a family of 13 children in 1893; both of her parents were former slaves. She and her family were performers; her father performed traveling shows with her brothers, and Hattie performed locally with her siblings. Entertainment was a large part of her life, and McDaniel intended to keep it a part of her life.

After working singing gigs and becoming the first black woman to sing on U.S radio, McDaniel moved to Los Angeles where she acted in minor roles in movies. Eventually, McDaniel would score her famous role in Gone with the Wind. Becoming the first African American to win an Oscar was a major achievement for racial progress in Hollywood, but there were detractors.

McDaniel receiving her Oscar

Of course, there were negative reactions simply because McDaniel was black, but there was another reason. Many civil rights activists felt that McDaniel's role as a maid (a type of role that she played more than any other) perpetuated stereotypes of African Americans. They specifically felt that in Gone with the Wind, the role of Mammy helped paint an idealized view of slavery.

Walter White

The president of the NAACP, Walter White, actively worked within Hollywood to discourage producers from having black servant roles in their movies. While these servant roles were the source of McDaniel's critics, they were also her niche and income. A biographer wrote that McDaniel felt that White was trying to "grab the bread right out of her mouth". She also once said, "Hell, I'd rather play a maid than be one".

Once her opportunities in film dried up, McDaniel moved to a successful career in radio. She died in 1952 of breast cancer and was denied burial at the Hollywood Cemetery (one of her last wishes) due to it being whites-only. She was honored with a memorial in the cemetery in 1999. She was also posthumously inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame.