EOTO Points and Presentations

                                                                                Associated Press
An old map of America in the 1800's, a symbol of how far we have come.

The Amistad Uprising

One of the most interesting presentations was about the Amistad Uprising. I learned that West Africans were kidnapped in West Africa and placed on a ship. They wanted to return to Africa, but the ship was steered north instead.

Joseph Cinqué became a key leader during the uprising.

The captives fought for their freedom and exposed the realities of the slave trade. Their case eventually reached the Supreme Court, where John Quincy Adams defended them.

The Court ruled that they were free.

This event supported the abolitionist movement and showed the power of resistance. To me, it was a reminder of why freedom matters.

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American Anti-Slavery Society (AASS)

The American Anti-Slavery Society was founded on December 4, 1833. Unlike some people at the time, its members believed slavery should end immediately rather than gradually.

The group spread its message through speeches, newspapers, pamphlets, and petitions to Congress.

By 1840, the organization had around 2,000 affiliated groups and as many as 250,000 members. Frederick Douglass became one of its most influential speakers.

The organization faced opposition, harassment, and disagreements within the movement, but it helped make slavery a major public issue.

One point from the presentation stood out to me.

Freedom is not just an idea. It is something that has to be made real.

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Seneca Falls Convention

The Seneca Falls Convention took place in 1848 at the Wesleyan Chapel in New York. About 300 people attended, and 100 signed the Declaration of Sentiments.

The convention was organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott.

Twelve resolutions were introduced during the meeting. The Declaration of Sentiments provided a roadmap for future progress and inspired people long after the convention ended.

Frederick Douglass also carried and spoke in support of the movement.

The presentation described it as the first organized push, and its influence continued far beyond that day.

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Uncle Tom's Cabin

Another presentation focused on Uncle Tom's Cabin, written by abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe. The novel was first serialized before being published as a book.

The story was written in response to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.

One part of the book tells the story of a mother escaping with her son across a frozen river to avoid being sold. The presentation noted that many of the events were based on real stories.

The novel was banned in many places and helped deepen divisions between the North and South.

What stood out to me was the idea that stories can sometimes influence people more than laws or speeches.

The presentation ended with a powerful point: stories can push people to act because they touch hearts in a way that arguments sometimes cannot.

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Tuskegee Institute

The Tuskegee Institute was founded by Booker T. Washington in 1881. The first class contained only 30 students.

No money was spent on buildings. 

Booker T. Washington

Instead, the students and Washington built the school brick by brick themselves.

Booker T. Washington believed vocational education and practical skills could help people advance more quickly than political agitation. Graduates later founded schools throughout the South.

The school trained Black doctors and helped support the development of the first Black military pilots.

Today, it is known as Tuskegee University and remains an important historical site.

The story showed how hope and persistence can create lasting change.

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John Brown

John Brown was born in Connecticut and grew up in an anti-slavery environment. He believed slavery was a moral evil that required direct action.

In 1855, he became involved in violent conflict in Kansas and later participated in the Pottawatomie killings.

Brown eventually planned a raid to spark a larger movement against slavery. On October 16, 1859, he and 21 men seized a federal armory.

He hoped enslaved Virginians would join the uprising.

Instead, local militia forces and U.S. Marines quickly stopped the raid. Brown was captured, placed on trial, and executed.

Many Northerners viewed him as a martyr.

The presentation explained that his raid increased national tensions and pushed the country closer to civil war.

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Bleeding Kansas

Bleeding Kansas referred to violent conflict between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers in the Kansas Territory from 1854 to 1861.

The violence followed the Kansas-Nebraska Act and increased tensions between the North and South. The conflict helped lead to the rise of the Republican Party. The presentation also explained that the violence influenced John Brown and contributed to his growing radicalism.

Kansas eventually entered the Union as a free state in 1861.

Most importantly, Bleeding Kansas showed that the conflict over slavery had already become violent before the Civil War officially began.

Bleeding Kansas 

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Fugitive Slave Act

The Fugitive Slave Act made slavery a personal issue for many Americans.

The law required citizens, deputy marshals, and government officials to help capture people accused of escaping slavery. Refusal could result in fines and jail time.

Some people who had lived as free men for years were sent into slavery because of the law.

The presentation also explained that earlier laws contained loopholes and were often not enforced in Northern states. Millard Fillmore signed this law to close many of those loopholes.

The law remained in effect until it was repealed in 1864.

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Secession Movement

The presentation on secession explained how tensions over slavery eventually led Southern states to leave the Union. The Missouri Compromise and Kansas-Nebraska Act attempted to balance free and slave states, but conflict continued to grow.

After Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860, South Carolina seceded from the Union on December 20. In February 1861, seven states formed the Confederacy and elected Jefferson Davis as president.

Only a few months later, events moved toward war.

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The Firing at Fort Sumter

The final presentation discussed the firing on Fort Sumter.

Many people in the South believed Lincoln opposed slavery because he was a Republican. After his election, several Southern states seceded and attempted to create their own government.

The infamous illustration

Tensions finally exploded when Confederate forces opened fire on Fort Sumter.

The battle lasted for 34 hours.

Although nobody died during the actual fighting, the event marked the beginning of open conflict between the North and South.

After Fort Sumter, states were forced to choose a side. The Civil War had begun.

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AI Disclosure: AI was generously used in this blog post, yet all of the research was done individually. I personally took notes on each presentation demonstrated in class, then requested that Microsoft Copilot Pro write me a lengthy post only using the notes I took and no other research. I chose to find my own links as well, but AI kept my in the word limit when resphrasing all of my work.

Eight Values Post

  

                                                                            Associated Press
The need to follow your own path no matter where you are headed.

     Introduction

     When discussing identity, there are many levels, whether it is personal, with beliefs, religion, politics, values, and just choices in general. Identity also ties closely with autonomy, which is the power to make personal choices with the information that no other person has.

    This statement relates and intertwines very closely to the concept of Individual Self-Fulfillment that puts an emphasis on the identity and autonomy aspect and the need to put yourself through your own challenges and set your own goals. 

    Through the words of C. Edwin Baker, "Free speech enables individuals to express themselves and thereby create their own identity - and, in the process, perhaps, find kindred spirits. Freedom of speech thus becomes an aspect of human dignity, human agency, and autonomy." 

A values diagram/illustration

    In this blog post, my class, known as Talking About Freedom, and I were chosen to pick one of 8 key values of free speech and media literacy that personally connects with us and can be found most important to us. 

    I chose Individual Self-Fulfillment because I have been through a lot of development that I feel all people should go through separately to form their own opinions.

    

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    History

    Flashing back to December 15th, 1791, was the official ratification of the First Amendment: free speech. From that moment on, freedom of speech became one of the basic American values used by all, whether we recognize it or not. All people use this right to express themselves and share thoughts and opinions; it makes up who we are and sets us apart from one another.

    Freedom of speech has been different from what was provided by other governments in other countries, since they didn't encourage citizens to declare their own opinions about certain things or talk bad/in a way that wasn't accepted by authorities and government expectations.

    One solid example that is known for its lack of citizens' freedom is North Korea. North Korea keeps very strict rules and regulations that could even lead to the death penalty for the most "serious crimes."

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    Personal Instance

    To center more on my personal choice with individual self-fulfillment. Without having my personal opinions and beliefs, I would not have chosen to apply and register for High Point University. This surrounds all growing students as well.

    Freedom of speech is also a current issue, as it has grown lately into a main topic surfacing on social media and in colleges. The new growing generation has some of the most powerful stances, in my opinion, as they all continue to grow and evolve into the next wave of workers and proud career representatives. 

    All waves of students choose their own paths and grow in their own ways, and college assists them in doing so and in continuing to grow. The idea of combining free speech and self-fulfillment becomes a powerful concoction of self-goals; even physical collected data says the same.

This data and evolving discussions prove the significance of free speech in all of our lives.

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Present Examples

   Just to add, another example of conversation regarding the protection of this right is represented by arguments closely related to social media. As I mentioned before, social media is crucial to expressing personal opinions; platforms like Instagram and TikTok do just that, as the apps are filled to the brim with information from thousands to millions of different perspectives. 

Social media

    Some material is still censored by higher-ups, but the will for individuals to continue uploading content and expressing themselves will bring awareness and make progress.

                                               

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Conclusion

    To conclude it all, free speech is how each person finds his or her unique and one-of-a-kind identity.

    With the ability to speak our own minds, asking questions/questioning subject matter, and engage with all materials, each person, young or old, has their own self that is originally theirs. That is why I chose to represent individual self-fulfillment as the most important key value to me.

    

Susan B. Anthony's Legacy

                                                                                                                    Associated Press
At the beloved grave of Susan B. Anthony, many come to visit and leave meaningful items to remember her.

   Who I Am

   My name is Susan B. Anthony, and although many people remember me for fighting for women's voting rights, one of the first causes that shaped my life was the fight to end slavery in America.

   I was born on February 15, 1820, in Massachusetts and raised in a Quaker family. My parents taught me that every person was equal and deserved respect. Those lessons stayed with me as I watched millions of African Americans live without freedom.

    From a young age, I believed that slavery contradicted the values America claimed to stand for.

    Learn more about my background here. 

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    Why I Joined the Abolitionist Movement

    As I grew older, I became increasingly troubled by slavery and the history of abolition.

    How could a nation built on liberty allow men, women, and children to be owned as property? How could families be separated and basic human rights be denied?

    I could not ignore those questions.

    During the 1840s and 1850s, I joined the abolitionist movement because I believed slavery was morally wrong and had to be abolished. My goal was simple: freedom for every person, regardless of race.

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    Meeting Frederick Douglass

    One of the most important people I worked alongside was Frederick Douglass. 

Frederick Douglass

    Douglass had escaped slavery and become one of the most powerful abolitionist speakers in the nation. His personal story gave Americans a firsthand view of slavery's cruelty.

    When I heard him speak, I saw not only a great orator but also a man determined to ensure that others would never experience what he had endured.

    We became friends and allies in the struggle for equality.

    Although we sometimes disagreed about political issues after the Civil War, we stood together in the fight against slavery. We attended conventions, spoke at reform meetings, and worked to convince Americans that freedom belonged to everyone.

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    The Actions I Took

    Many people know Harriet Tubman for helping enslaved people escape through the Underground Railroad. My role was different.

    I fought slavery through organization, speeches, petitions, and public activism.

    In 1856, I became an agent for the American Anti-Slavery Society. I traveled throughout New York distributing anti-slavery literature, organizing meetings, and collecting signatures on petitions demanding an end to slavery.

    At many meetings, abolitionists faced hostility and criticism. Some people believed women should not speak publicly about political issues.

    I refused to remain silent.

    I believed that if ordinary citizens spoke out together, change was possible.

    More information about my anti-slavery work can be found through the Susan B. Anthony House & Museum.

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    My Words on Equality and Justice

    Throughout my life, I spoke openly about equality. 

Susan B. Anthony

    One of my most famous statements was:

"Failure is impossible."

    Those words reflected my attitude toward abolition. Progress was often slow, but I believed giving up would only allow injustice to continue.

    Another quote often associated with my fight for equal rights is:

"I declare to you that woman must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself."

    Although this quote focused on women, it reflected a broader principle that guided my life: every person deserved the opportunity to control their own future.

    More of my speeches and writings can be found here and here.

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    Helping End Slavery During the Civil War

    When the Civil War began in 1861, abolitionists saw an opportunity to permanently destroy slavery.

    Together with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, I helped organize the Women's Loyal National League.

    The organization launched one of the largest petition drives in American history.

    We collected nearly 400,000 signatures supporting a constitutional amendment to end slavery forever.

    Those petitions demonstrated that many Americans wanted slavery abolished and helped build support for change.

    Finally, in 1865, the 13th Amendment was ratified, officially ending slavery in the United States.

    For me, it was one of the greatest victories of my lifetime.

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    How the Abolition Movement Changed Me

    My years fighting slavery transformed me.

    I learned how to organize campaigns, persuade citizens, challenge injustice, and build coalitions. Those experiences prepared me for my later work in the women's suffrage movement.

    The abolition movement taught me that meaningful change rarely happens quickly. It requires courage, persistence, and thousands of people working together toward a common goal.

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    My Legacy

    No single person abolished slavery.

    Frederick Douglass inspired Americans through his powerful story. Harriet Tubman risked her life helping others escape bondage. Countless abolitionists signed petitions, organized meetings, and demanded action.

    I am proud to have stood beside them.

    The abolition of slavery proved that citizens can challenge injustice and make their nation better. It also reminded future generations that freedom and equality are worth fighting for.

    That is the lesson I hope people remember from my life.

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    AI Disclosure: AI was used for almost all of the writing in this blog post. I gave the ideas for a description and overview of Susan B. Anthony to Microsoft Copilot Pro that covered her background, goals, achievements, quotes, and more. I did outside research myself, along with finding images from Google that corresponded with specific segments of the post.

Defense of State v. Mann Trial

The official courthouse in Edenton, Chowan County, North Carolina, where State v. Mann took place.

       Introduction + Background 

     This week, I was assigned a role with five other classmates to role-play as lawyers in a court-style run-through of the State v. Mann case.
       State v. Mann was a case about John Mann, shooting a slave he had rented in 1830 named Lydia. He shot her in the back due to her acting outside of his orders. Mann was taken to court and fined 5$ for his actions and released without any other charges.

     My role was to argue Mann's defense by focusing on the customs/norms/ and traditions of the time (1830).

  

    The Case Everyone Remembers

    When people hear about State v. Mann, they usually focus on one shocking fact: John Mann shot Lydia, an enslaved woman, as she ran from punishment. What often gets overlooked is that Mann's defense was not primarily about the shooting itself. 

    Instead, the defense centered on customs, traditions, and the accepted social order of North Carolina in 1830. According to the defense, Mann should not have been found guilty because his actions fit within a system that most white North Carolinians at the time accepted as normal.

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    A Different World

    To understand the defense, you have to step into the world of the late 1820s.

    At that time, slavery was legal throughout North Carolina and much of the South. Enslaved labor was used on farms, plantations, businesses, and in private homes, making it a central part of the state's economy and daily life.

    From the perspective of slavery's supporters, this system was not temporary.

    It was considered a normal and permanent part of society.

    For readers who want more background on the case and its historical setting, the NCpedia overview of State v. John Mann is a helpful starting point. 

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    The Importance of Authority

    Because slavery was so deeply embedded in everyday life, many customs developed around protecting and maintaining it.

    One of the most important beliefs was that society depended upon authority. People were expected to respect those who held power over them, whether they were parents, employers, military officers, or other figures of authority.

    Supporters of slavery argued that the same principle applied to enslaved people.

    According to this way of thinking, obedience was necessary for order. Without obedience, they believed society itself could become unstable.

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    Why Hiring Out Enslaved Labor Mattered

    This idea became a major part of the defense's argument in State v. Mann.

    John Mann had legally hired Lydia from her owner, Elizabeth Jones. The defense maintained that when someone hired an enslaved laborer, they also received the authority necessary to supervise and direct that labor. 

An illustrated example of slaves being sold off

    To many people living in 1830, responsibility and authority were connected.

    If a person was responsible for overseeing labor, they were expected to have the power to enforce obedience as well.

    You can read the court's Official Reasoning

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    "The Authority Followed the Labor"

    The defense argued that this was not merely Mann's personal belief.

    They claimed it was an accepted custom throughout North Carolina and the broader South. Farmers, merchants, and tradesmen regularly hired enslaved workers from owners to meet labor needs.

    Supporters of slavery believed that this arrangement would not work if hirers lacked authority.

    In their view, the authority followed the labor. If someone was expected to manage the work, they also had to possess the authority necessary to maintain discipline.

    For a summary focused on the legal history behind that argument, see the North Carolina History Project entry on State v. Mann.

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    Fear of Disorder

    The defense also emphasized what they believed would happen if authority weakened.

    They argued that if enslaved people could openly refuse commands or escape punishment without consequences, then the authority of those directing them would lose its effectiveness. From their perspective, challenges to authority threatened the customs and expectations upon which society operated.

    Whether modern readers agree with that belief is beside the point.

    The goal of the defense was to explain how people at the time justified the institution and the power structures that supported it.

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    The Court's Decision

    These arguments ultimately influenced the decision of Justice Thomas Ruffin. 

A photo of Thomas Ruffin

    Writing for the North Carolina Supreme Court, Ruffin concluded that the institution of slavery required what he described as complete authority over enslaved people. He reasoned that allowing courts to regularly review disciplinary actions would weaken that authority and undermine the existing system. As a result, the court overturned Mann's conviction.

    Additional historical context about the Ruling's Significance

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    Why the Case Still Matters

    Today, State v. Mann remains one of the most discussed slavery cases in American legal history.

    The case is important because it openly revealed how defenders of slavery relied on arguments about custom, obedience, authority, and social order. Rather than arguing that the incident was insignificant, the defense argued that Mann's actions fit within a system whose laws, traditions, and customs granted broad authority to those who owned or hired enslaved laborers.

    Understanding those arguments helps explain why the court ruled the way it did and why the case continues to spark debate nearly two hundred years later.

AI Disclaimer: AI was heavily used in the text of this assignment. Although all of the research was manually done, I plugged the information that I had learned into Microsoft Copilot Pro to assist me with compiling my ideas into a 500-700 word blog post, including links that it found online that matched.

Bible Team Challenge

                                                                                   Associated Press
An official copy of the Bible itself, from which all passages originate.

    In class, a partner and I explored the pros and cons of slavery when it came to

the bible. Here are varied passages that demonstrate both perspectives.

       

For slavery in the Bible:

     

     In colonial Boston, a Puritan mentor named Cotton Mather frequently used the Bible as a way to affirm the enslavement of Africans. He justified this by asking white slavers to do this so that they could Christianize those whom they enslaved. This could be due to the fact that in the Hebrew Bible, Moses tells the Israelites to acquire and keep slaves. Link 1

    In Ephesians 6:5, as well as Colossians 3:22, Paul explicitly states, “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ." Link 2

    In the law of Moses, God permitted the Israelites to take slaves from conquered peoples and places, so that they may be able to pay off debts (Exod 21:2-11; Lev 25:44-46). 

Against slavery in the Bible

    “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)

    With this passage, Galatians displays how no human should stay and bear ownership over one human rather than the other. Specific imagery is used as well through the word yoke: a wooden bar that contains animals such as cows to do work, an inhumane device that clearly should not be used against any mortal being.

     “Anyone who kidnaps someone is to be put to death, whether the victim has been sold or is still in the kidnapper’s possession.”

A herd of bulls nailed to a yoke

(Exodus 21:16)

    In this message, slavery would be considered kidnapping in the words of Exodus, as well as “being in the kidnapper’s possession.” This displays the need for change in inequality, such as slavery, in the manner in which slaves are sold off to others. 

    “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” (Proverbs 31: 8-9)

    As this section is read, the importance and equality are clearly valued more than putting one over others when it comes to the amount of rights handed out like an assignment. There was no need to assume a role of slave or slavery; all people of all kinds are fed and tended to, just as they were made equal under the hand of Christ.

Supreme Court Video Reflection

 

                                                                    Associated Press
The present outside view of the Supreme Court in a clear sky.

Supreme Court Youtube Video

Inside the Quiet Storm: How the Supreme Court Really Works

The Supreme Court doesn't shout. It doesn't need to.

As one description puts it, the Court is "the quiet of a storm center." That phrase alone says a lot about an institution built on restraint, but with enormous reach.

Getting a case in front of the justices starts with a petition — a formal ask for the Court to hear it. That petition can come from almost anyone, a prisoner or a president included. The justices call this power certiorari: the ability to pick and choose which cases they'll take.

Once a week, the justices meet in conference to decide what they want to solve. Every case, whether it's granted a hearing or not, reportedly gets the same amount of consideration.

Before arguments even begin, the justices shake hands with one another. It's a small ritual, but it matters — handshaking makes a grudge less likely to take hold.

In the courtroom, lawyers on each side get just 30 minutes to argue (How The Court Works) A strong opening line and a strong closing one, delivered if time allows, can carry three or four lines of thought through an entire argument. Oral argument is meant to make a difference — and it has to. 

Sketch of a current trial

 

After arguments, a justice on the majority writes the opinion, a process that can stretch on for months as other judges step in to help revise. The dissenting side writes too, laying out how the ruling could affect the country.

John Marshall, the Court's first Chief Justice, (Supreme Court Historical Society) once said, "It is the Constitution we are expounding." Not every chapter has been proud — Dred Scott is still called the Court's great self-inflicted wound (The Dred Scott Case) But with 200 years of history and detachment, and a Constitution reshaped by amendments along the way, perspective has grown too.

The biggest surprise? How much respectful disagreement shapes the Court, more so than arguing. In the end, it comes down to this: when the Court speaks, people listen.

AI DISCLOSURE: AI was used in a limited way in this assignment. I took ample notes while watching a 20 minute video about the U.S. Supreme Court. I then personalized those notes by adding my point of view, for example, things I found surprising or interesting about what I learned. I then used Claude AI to help me clean up the text for grammar, spelling, and punctiuation. I also asked the tool to help me shape it into the form of a blog post. I then edited the text, added links, and added images and captions.