Thread by @TeachMrOGrady

My SS Ts were typically older white men at the end of their careers. I “learned” a lot about the places of battles and the number of casualties. That’s about it.

Time to unlearn. Relearn. Teach. #FillInGheGaps

And we’re off! I realize this isn’t EVERYONE, but if I had a nickel for every time I heard someone say the South was THE problem while absolving the North... smdh. Talk about enabling a problem.

I suppose it’s the same as it ever was. Anyone that isn’t DIRECTLY involved in some super racist bulls*** attempts to absolve themselves by pointing to how bad others are.

Check out these few pages. Notice the theme? Notice how STILL TO THIS DAY the same theme of folks terrified to lose their “privileges” still hinders any and all progress? These folks back then would absolutely say they were not racist.

Yo... today I learned Kentucky is currently in the lead for “worst state in America.”

Sure, there’s a lot of states in contention, but this was a doozy. #HolySmokes 1976!!!

This part hit hard. The idea of “husband has a right of property” is... 🤯

Too much of society still believes this rubbish. The venn diagram of “male superiority” and “white supremacy” is a ⭕️.

ALL of this about the 13th amendment... it has me thinking, in regard to vagrancy laws. It’s the exact same mentality of “welfare queens.” I’m sure that connection has been made, and maybe I’ve heard it before... but it hit me this morning and I can’t unsee it.

When the racists figured out they could do it all over again, “legally”... they jumped at the chance. This is what you call “not very surprising.”

On to the 14th amendment. I just want to point out that some things have never and will never change. Chief among them, a large portion of the electorate refusing to accept facts.

Just imagine if this was/is law. Wow.

Reading about the past and historians pulling receipts... Dumbfounded thinking of the ease with which historians will write about circa 2020.

They’ll just be copying and pasting the twitter from some folks like... “no analysis needed - he was a buffoon and a racist.”

Funny how it’s never the “proper time” to give access, equality, and equity to all... I mean, after all, you can’t maintain dominance - nay supremacy - if everyone is treated fairly and equally.

First thing I read about Sumner that was whack.

It’s like I tell my students. Laws can change and do change. It’s the people who make chnage and progress difficult.

“The Negro question” in America.

The “Jewish question” in Nazi Germany.

Smdh. Here’s a tip. If you ever utter the phrase “The ___________ question” referring to a group of people, you’re a total and complete pile of 💩 and you can go 🤬right off.

I for one say rip those damn confederate (small c - eff them) statues to the ground & shatter them into a million pieces.

And if you’re little heart really needs a statue bc books are too hard, then how about a statue of this dude?

Thaddeus Stevens seems to be worthy of one.

Don’t get too excited...

As things began to improve for Black Americans, there was still plenty of people to hate. As usual, these “others” happened to not be white. You see that trend too, huh?

This is another piece I’ve been needing to know. Did the northern Republicans know/suspect the Southerners could Jim Crow things up?

Yes. They did.

Sheesh.

Thaddeus Stevens would have fixed this ish.

So you’re saying wealthy, powerful white men didn’t care about who was beneath them, as long as everyone else was beneath them? Well this is a shocking development.

George Vickers sounds like the kinda white supremacist they’d build a statue for. They should probably be torn down if they exist.

It’s mentioned earlier how the New England states worried the Irish would get to vote too.

You might be thinking, “see, it’s not always about race!”

But that’s because you don’t know the history of Irish immigrants in America.

For example.

picturinghistory.gc.cuny.edu/irish-immigran…

To be sure, it wasn’t only the Irish. As someone of Irish ancestry, I’ve read a fair amount about this. At the end of the day, the Irish were able/allowed to assimilate, eventually, bc of the color of their skin.

1870, you say? And how about now, in 2020?

I read about Lucy Stone in another book recently. Had never heard of her before.

Wanted to take a minute to highlight the challenges facing ppl of the time.

Read this one a few times. Let those thoughts marinade in your noggin for a while.

And then this...

The problem is, some of the worst ppl in American history just keep falling uphill. That’s what happens when only a small portion of citizens get the privilege to vote.

That whole middle paragraph is something, but focus on the highlighted part. The history books will have a section like this on #BlackLivesMatter. Andrew Johnson and all the other racists from back then would be saying all lives m@tter today.

Welp. Apparently that whole “unprecedented” thing we’ve been hearing about since 2016 isn’t all that “un.” Seems as if there’s been quite the precedent. 🤷🏼‍♂️

So that’s it. Book done. Good read. Before I say a few more things, check out this podcast. It’s where I first heard of the book. Please, listen to all of the other episodes too. It’s an absolute miss listen.

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sce…

Now, back to the book. Overall it’s a super deep dive into the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments ratified shortly after the Civil War and ushering in Reconstruction in the post-confederacy (small c) south.

The highlights in this thread were mostly what stood out to me, but in general, I found page after page illuminating in some way. It wasn’t an easy read, but it wasn’t hard either. It was deep. A 4th section discusses how the judicial branch, mostly SCOTUS, played a role.

And that was really critical. I know I’ve offen thought, “clearly xxxxx is wrong/illegal, but THEY just let it happen. Why and how!?!?”

Interpretation and precedent. That’s how.

I don’t think the average citizen, including myself, fully grasps the potency of judges’ rulings.

It’s almost as if Jim Crow was enacted quite easily in the south bc of previous judges me rulings.

(Almost. Too dismissive to say “easily.”)

I’m thankful for this book. It confirmed many of my assumptions and taught me a lot too.

In my class, we watch the documentary @13THFilm every year. My students ask a lot of thoughtful Q’s. Many of which I couldn’t answer before. Now I have a much greater understanding of the nuances of that era.

As always, there’s still a lot to learn.

If you don’t have 5-6 hours to read or the desire to read relatively dense-ish scholary history, absolutely check out the podcast above.

Find a way to consume the information though. It’s loaded with more and more damning evidence of white supremacy culture in America.

This book does an incredible job of showing the challenges of marrying three branches of govt (featuring two distinct philosophies as well as multiple philosophies within those two parties) while reminding us that “the people” still have to “approve” of it all.