June 11- Lectures June 11, 2008

Well, it was really wonderful to find out that Penn University really is a beautiful college. Where our dorms are must be the ‘bad’ part of campus.

The 34th St. subway stop is MUCH better than the 40th St. I actually didn’t mind traveling by subway. Wouldn’t it figure, the final day of subway travel is when I discover the ‘nice’ area.

We actually stayed on campus for our lectures. What was really exciting was the classroom actually had left-handed desks! That never happens, does it Sheila and Donna?

We had two lecturers today, David Waldstreicher and Robert Engs. David is the author of Runaway America which talks about Ben Franklin and slavery. Thomas Jefferson has a poor reputation mainly due to the fact that he owned slaves and fathered children by one. Benjamin Franklin, on the other hand, has a reputation that seems to put him on a pedal stool. However, Franklin owned slaves also! Both men, in my opinion, were hypocrites. They spoke anti-slavery; yet, both men had slaves and never freed them.

So, why does Jefferson seem to get the bad rap and not Franklin? Dr. Waldstreicher explained it well- With Jefferson, the evidence that supported his views and use of slavery was abundant and public. Franklin, however, hid his personal views well. In his autobiography, that was written not long before he died, he never mentioned it. Both these men were powerful politicians, who dealt with economic issues. Even though they were anti-slavery, they had to look at the economic-standing of their country.

Matt, I am going to borrow your analogy if you don’t mind! “It is like smoking; people know the dangers but do it anyway.” Jefferson and Franklin knew it was wrong, but they couldn’t stop.

This is a great teaching lesson for kids. When dealing with controversial issues, such as this, it is important to look at it as a debate. One must research and find materials that support their stance. With history, facts don’t always tell us what happened. It is interpretation of the facts that lead us to believe what happened.

The second speaker, Dr. Robert Engs, spoke about the Great American Slave Rebellion. Slaves won the war, however, they were denied their right to tell their history. The black soldiers and laborers were essential to Union’s victory. When teaching the Civil War to my students, I will be sure to include the four regiments of African-American soldiers, and their contributions to the Union Victory. This also put a different twist to the Emancipation Proclamation, and the reasons behind its creation- helped define the war aim, helped with the man-power, and neutralized Britain so they wouldn’t join South’s cause.

The power of freedom was best described by a former slave, In slavery, I have no worrying; in freedom, I have a family and land to support which causes me worrying. However, I would take the freedom!

After the two lecturers, I went back toward Independence Hall. (This is where I discovered the 34th St. subway stop!)   There, I visited Franklin’s Underground Museum and Carpenter’s Hall.

I think more people need to learn from this quote: