The 13th Amendment Documentary Study Sheet Notes and Response

13th amendment

-grants freedom to all Americans from slavery the loophole is criminal activity

Slavery —an economic system

-southern government left in tatters

-black criminality emerged

Birth of a Nation

-Reconstruction

-black people fleet south to different section sections of USA

-flip the tables

-defined the movement of civil rights by getting arrested

-turned nightmare into important way for Black people to gain power

-dog whistle: is a type of strategy of communication that sends a message that the general population will take a certain meaning from, but a certain group that is "in the know" will take away the secret, intended message. (urban dictionary)

-Southern Strategy- Nixon used the "criminal" narrative against black people and people of color

-he instituted white people in the Republican Party

-the War on Drugs was the dog whistle, only the elite knew that this was a way to criminalize minorities

-the minorities became the scapegoat for the increasing amount of crime and soon penitentiaries were being filled at a rapid rate

- it became an economic ploy to jail people

-Ronald Reagan: cocaine rise

- Black and Hispanic people jailed for exponentially long sentences for possession of crack

-media fear-mongers as they plastered everywhere black men and hispanic men being put in handcuffs all the time

-black people began to fear themselves

Willie Horton Campaign ad

-image sensationalized

-primitive American fear using old trick of antagonizing and characterizing Black people

-the rapist White America always feared (Birth of a Nation)

Bill Clinton

-3 strikes

-more rise in crime rates

-FBI dubbed the most dangerous criminal

Angela Davis- the FBI

-most wanted, armed and dangerous

-However, simply she was just educated

-She put the FBI on trial with her

-She fought for herself and won

-Bomb blasts: 4 children passed away

-fear of attack forever with Black people, America ignorant to what the life of a Black person is like if they are the ones seen as the danger

ALEC: American Legislative Exchange Council

- private club that writes laws for Republicans; wrote Stand Your Ground--Trayvon Martin

-Stand Your Ground allowed George Zimmerman to walk away, not guilty

-3 strikes also written by ALEC

-prisons were economic benefits

-CCA- always benefitted from ALEC's bills

-crime turned towards immigration

-primatized probation and parole

My response to this is it reminded me a lot of the things I grew up around. Especially the criminalized view of Black people and other POC. Crime and dysfunction were prevalent in inner cities. It was so engrained in our lives, and parents tried their best to lead us along good paths. But I never was "woke" to the racially systemic depth of the life that surrounded me till I watched the 13th documentary. The 13th amendment was always taught as something that ended all slavery and everyone is okay now. Learning that jail and the war on drugs was just the same thing just evolved was eye opening. The sickening thing is learning that racism and incarceration ultimately helps the flow of economy and Capitalism. An unbroken and efficient system that is horrendous.