Post #7 - Freedman's Bureau

In class this week we learned about the formation of the Freedman's Bureau. This occurred in 1866, and the purpose of the bureau was to help freedmen find jobs, reconnect their families, and send people to school. The part that I struggle to understand is that there were only 1000 employees. I mean, how productive can 1000 people be in assisting around the whole country? Especially since they were so opposed? The comic in class showed us that not only was it an unpopular decision with white people, but the president did not support the bureau either. I'm wondering how effective this particular group actually was, given these simple facts. There were thousands and thousands of slaves released by the emancipation proclamation, so the magnitude of customers demanding aid had to be overwhelming. Additionally, I do not understand how the bureau could have helped freedmen find their families. There weren't databases that they could draw from, but only documents and written proof that they may not even have access to. And to receive this aid, freedmen needed to travel to the location of the bureau, as I would assume, unless of course there were multiple offices. Even if there were additional locations, those seeking the help of the organization who had no money, no place to live, and in many cases, no family had to make their way to a convenient location to check and see if the bureau could do anything to help them. In my mind, that seems unlikely to be very helpful, and not in the least bit efficient. Overall, do you think that the Freedman's Bureau was effective, and if so, how so?

-Chavez Rodriguez

Post 6 - "Rest in Peace"

In "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allen Poe, he ends the story with the phrase "rest in peace." We briefly began to discuss the meaning of this, but did not finish it. I believe that, like the previous examples of dialogue, this has multiple meanings and some irony. First off, it is ironic because Fortunado will most certainly have a rough time of slowly dying in a claustrophobic space, making it not peaceful whatsoever. Additionally, I believe that it refers to Montresor and his inner feelings. As revenge on Fortunado has become all that Montresor seems to care about, it also confuses me. He will be satisfied with the death of this man, but after it has passionately driven him for so long, will he really be at peace in the years following these events? What is his motivation now? We established that Montresor is rather psychopathic, leading me to believe that this will simply branch off into a different unresolved issue. On the other hand, the main character obviously had put a lot of time and effort into plotting Fortunato's downfall, and was very careful and patient during that time. So, the death of his "friend" may be a satisfaction that Montresor keeps with him and quells his insane tendencies. Overall, my question is, what happens to Montresor internally now, and did this murder truly satisfy him? We may discuss this at more detail further on in the week, but after reading the text through in class once, these are my thoughts. 

-Chavez Rodriguez

Post #5 - Cold Harbor Reaction

Earlier this week, we discussed the battles of Gettysburg and Cold Harbor. In the Battle of Cold Harbor, which occurred near Richmond, Virginia, the Confederate forces took the time to build fortifications, and yet the North still attacked. In fact, due to some letters we discussed in class, I know many Union soldiers were expecting to die. My question is, why did the Union commanders attack at all? If the rank and file soldiers even knew the odds of success, the leaders had to have known as well. Did the attack because they were overconfident? So sure that the South was ready to admit defeat solely because they were so close to Richmond? It seems as if, given the circumstances, the generals would have predicted this outcome, and held off from the attack. Instead, 7,000 people died in the first 50 minutes of the battle. A massacre of this magnitude must have been at least somewhat expected. If this was the case, not only would the Union forces be demoralized, but the Confederate forces would be more confident. All of the elements of the battle seemed to favor the South, including defensive positions, the fact that the attack was not a surprise, the morale, and the open field the Union had to cross. Overall, I struggle to understand why the attack occurred, leaving me to believe there were other factors, such as political ones, that influenced the decision.

-Chavez Rodriguez

Post #4 - A Modern War

In studies, we learned that the Civil war was the first modern war, as it was during the mechanization age. Due to technological advances, such as precision manufacturing and rifling, I understand this. However, the other parts that were new to the Civil war do not make as much sense to me. For example, the part where towns and cities were now more likely battle places and that citizen were caught in the conflict does not seem new. In the John Adams documentary, we saw that the city of Boston was caught in the crossfire and bombed by ships for days. So, by that standard, civilians had been parts of conflicts before. This also raises the question; were civilians and towns the target in the Civil war, or were they simply in the way of a more important resource? Additionally, when it is said that transportation and communication were improved, was it referring to organization as well? My first thought is no, as the Battle of Bull Run, which I learned about previously, contained a lot of confusion including uniforms, odd retreats, and people coming to watch the battle. In this sense, organization does not seem like a factor here, but it is important to remember that this example occurred early in the war, and may not be the best example of organization.

-Chavez Rodriguez