Monday, January 19, 2015

SOAPTONE Mississippi Black Codes

SOAPTONE Mississipii Black Codes

Source  

Who wrote the document?  
 

The state government of Mississippi. Governor Benjamin Grubb Humphreys pushed the bill through legislature

What is the author’s background/point of view? 

Humphreys was a native of Caliborne County, Mississippi, and a brigadier general in the Confederate army. Before the war, he attended the U.S Military Academy at West Point. 

Whose point of view, given the topic, is 
missing?  

The oppressed (the now freed slaves) do not have their voices in this piece of legislature.

Do you consider the source a reliable one on this topic?  Why/why not?

The source is reliable to represent how newly freed slaves were still oppressed throughout the nation and shows the ways that southerners sidestepped the Northern government and the 13th amendment. 

Occasion  

When was the document written?  

1866

What does the date of the document tell you about its content?

This decision was created one year after the end of the civil war and Abraham Lincoln's assassination. This tells you that there was still conflict and tension between the North and South and it was during the period of reconstruction where both sides were trying to determine how their relationship would continue working. 

What other historical events were going on during this time?

The end of the civil war and reconstruction were going on at this time. 

Audience  

To whom is the author writing?  

As a legal document the author was addressing the citizens of Mississippi. 

What type of document is this (diary entry, personal letter, public speech,
etc.)?    


This is a legal document. 

Does the private/public nature of the document inform you about its content(is the author sharing private thoughts, making a public pronouncement,
etc.)?

Because this is a public document and not a private letter we do not know exactly what each legislature felt about the decision. 


Purpose  
Why was the document written?  What is the purpose of the document?  


This document was written to address the citizens of Mississippi. It was used to suppress newly freed blacks by taking away opportunities, essentially selling them back to their former masters if they do anything wrong, and taking their children away from them. This document was written to undermine the northerner's attempts to elevate black status and kept the rising freed slaves in check. 

What is the document saying?

See above. 

Tone

What is the attitude of the speaker?

The speaker is condemning towards freedman, free negroes, and mulattos. 

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