KKK:Then and Now

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Chapter 7: Defying The Ku Klux Klan

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The KKK was a fraternity, a group of white males who joined together on the same beliefs  of racism and hate towards minorities and different religions. After it became an association of hate it became a 4 million dollar industry in 1924. The only other "cult" that has seen this kind of success in my generation is scientology. The KKK was an organization that was created to try and keep the values that their slave owners ancestors had, they didn't want to accept the fact that minorities finally had rights, the one that bothered them the most was that black people had rights. The KKK didn't just persecute blacks, they attacked hispanics, jews, pretty much anyone who was not white or christian. Although some newspapers tried to fight the KKK and the success they were having during the 1920's, some would say they did more damage then help. They gave the KKK a global audience where they could reach all corners of the country and this helped create a large generation of racists. The way that Streitmatter shows us the readers the KKK is a diffrent what the history books show us. He shows them for what they were which is a business controlled by greedy people who were willing to kill innocent people just so hate and membership fees increased and there pockets kept growing.          

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Abolition Video

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Abolition: Turning America's Conscience Against the Sins of Slavery

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Slavery is not a fun topic to talk about, it is one of the worst chapters in United States history and its something no American is proud of. Mightier then the Sword by Rodger Streitmatter puts Abolition as probably the second most important achievement in US history after the American revolution. He centered most of this chapter around different journalists who made a difference in this movement like Rev. Elijah Lovejoy, William Lloyd Garrison and all of those who helped start the first African-American newspapers. A lot of blood was lost during this movement, many innocent African Americans were killed, hanged, or burned alive all because they wanted to have what every white man had during that time and that was freedom. This movement also caused another important moment in US history, the civil war. This movement was started with words like "NO UNION WITH SLAVE HOLDERS"(Pg 33). I also feel like Abolition of slavery led to women rights movement. And both movements received the same support from most newspapers, none.   

 

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Reflection to Mightier than the Sword Introduction and Chapter 1

        From what i have read so far, the author of Mightier than the Sword Rodger Streitmatter, sounds like he thinks people are not using the media and journalism to its full potential. In the intro he talks about different events that have changed history and the way we see things all because of journalism. Events like the Revolution, abolition of slavery, and Watergate. In the first chapter he talks about what appears to be the two most influential journalists in history, Sam Adams, and Tom Paine. Without their words the revolution wouldn’t have started or kept going. Tom Paine provided words of encouragement like “These are the times that try men’s souls…the summer soldier and sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered” (pg 22). Without this words who knows if George Washington’s army would have won at Trenton. The author wants people to realize that words can change the way a country feels and change people’s opinions. As Thomas Jefferson stated in his letter to Tom Paine in 1792 “ Go on then in doing with your pen what in other times was done with the sword “(Pg 5).