American Cultures PDF

American Cultures What is Culture? Way of thinking, behavior, food, art, religion, clothing, language, movies and theatre, traditions, holidays; people can have more than one culture = American Cultures, high and low culture, three different kinds of culture as defined by Raymond Williams: Geograp...

American Cultures What is Culture? Way of thinking, behavior, food, art, religion, clothing, language, movies and theatre, traditions, holidays; people can have more than one culture = American Cultures, high and low culture, three different kinds of culture as defined by Raymond Williams: Geography - 4th biggest country in the world, 3rd most populous country East to West: - Plains in the East, to the North Appalachian Mountains reaching into Canada, not that high, Gulf of Mexico - Farther to the West at the Canadian Border 5 Sweet water lakes (Lake Superior,) biggest Sweet Water Lake complex in the World - Great Plains - Rocky Mountains - Great Basin in the west (made up of more valleys and smaller basins, peaks and lakes), Death valley hottest place on Earth - 16 American Territories, 5 of which are inhabited (American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Virgin Island, Northern Mariana Islands) but the inhabitants have greatly restricted rights, especially voting - 4 Different Time Zones ( - Areas: - 50 States - Natural disasters: Earthquakes -- mostly in the West due to the underwater tectonic plates, Tornadoes -- happen on land, smaller than Hurricanes, mid-east to east most often, US area with most occurring tornadoes, funnel visible, Hurricanes -- form mostly over water, on the East coast Florida upwards, Hurricane season June to end of November, 2020 season very Hurricane heavy, Droughts -- The Dust Bowl (1930's) in the Great Plains over years, 1988 North American Drought one of the most expensive natural disaster in US history, Wildfires -- in the West but can happen almost anywhere, typically between May and October has been lasting longer, Floods; Climate Change The Constitution of the United States - Supreme Law of the States created and come into force in 1789 - Preamble, Seven articles and 27 Amendments (first ten the Bill of Rights 1789-1791) on display in D.C. - Preamble -- We the People of the United States... everybody is equal, people govern themselves = Democracy, slavery still existed, only white men who owned property voted, idealistic thinking - First three Articles set up the Federal Government: Separation of powers (legislative/Congress, executive/Presidency, judicial/Supreme and other Federal Courts) = Checks and Balances = equal and independent, check each others power - Bill of Rights 1st Amendment: freedom of religion, speech, press, right of peaceful assembly and right to criticize the government, 2nd Amendment: right to bear Arms, 4th: protects against unreasonable searches or seizures, 5th: due process and self-incrimination (no court can force you to testify against yourself, right to remain silent...), 6th: lawyer, speedy and public trial by a jury, call witness, 8th: no cruel or unusual punishment and excessive bails or fines, 9th: constitution does not contain all rights people have - Reconstruction Amendments: 13th (1865) abolishment of slavery, 14th (1868) regulates citizenship that former slaves are ‚real' American citizens with lawful protections, 15th (1870) right for black men to vote - 18th (1919) prohibition amendment of alcohol and only repealed, 19th (1920) all citizens allowed to vote, 22nd (1951) allowing president only two terms to avoid other forms of rule (Roosevelt exception) - Along with the Declaration of Independence (We hold these truths to be self-evident... Life, Liberty and pursuit of Happiness) most important Founding Documents **Potential Study Questions**: What is the Supreme Law of the United States? United States Constitution; How is it structured? What are the reconstruction amendments? 13, 14 and 15 -- added after Civil War, ended slavery and enabled Black men to vote; When and with which amendment did women get to vote? What are the three branches of the Federal Government? Congress and The Supreme Court Congress: - Legislative Branch (Article I)/Congress: Function to make laws - House of Representatives (435+6 non-voting for Washington D.C and the territories) number of Representatives proportionate to state population (California Most populous), 2-year Terms, Speaker of the House (R, Mike Johnson, becomes President after Vice President) Majority Leader (R, Steve Scalise), Minority Leader (D, Hakeem Jeffries), Republicans have a slight majority - 128 women, mostly Democrats, vast majority white, 13 LGBTQ+ members, majority in both parties Christian (House of Representatives) - Senate (100) 2 senators for each State, 6-year Term, President of Senate = Vice President (D, Kamala Harris), President Pro Tempore (D, Patty Murray, third in line of Presidency succession), Majority Leader (D, Chuck Schumer), Minority Leader (R, Mitch McConnell) can reject presidential appointees, - Advantages and Disadvantages of two Senators per State: working for equality of power, actually disproportionate, black and hispanic people are less represented than white rural people, - Diversity: 72% male, 75% white, 88% christian, 2% LGBTQ+ = most diverse ever, keep getting more diverse, pretty old Congress overall - Bills turn to laws if Congress decides so and President doesn't veto it (unless by a two thirds majority) - Judicial Branch (Article III)/The Supreme Court (SCOTUS) & all other federal courts: district courts & courts of appeals (divided into 13 Circuits) decide a dispute between two parties by interpreting the laws - Nine Justices (1 chief and 8 associates) appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, serve for life until death or retirement, three considered liberal all women, 6 considered conservative one woman The U.S. Presidency and Presidential Elections Presidency: - Executive Branch (Article II)/President of the United States (Joe Biden 46th): must take care that the laws are faithfully executed, must preserve, protect and defend the constitution - 25 Cabinet members (Vice President, Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Treasury, Attorney General -- all department heads) - Lives in the White House/1600 Penn(sylvania Avenue), POTUS, Presidential Seal E Pluribus Unum (out of many one) vs. In God We Trust (1st amendment violation? Freedom of Religion) - Five other Presidents still living Presidential Elections: - Presidential Primary and Caucuses: parties choose their candidates; Democratic/Republican National Convention, delegates elect the nominee, depends on the election results in the state, primaries not held at the same time, primary season in spring - General Elections: people choose their president; Electoral Collage works similar to the primaries, not delegates but electors, number of electors per state = number of members in Congress, low population State have disproportionate power in electing president, + 3 electors for Washington D.C. (but none for the terretories), alltogether 538 electors 270 to win, winner takes all system in 48 States, can win the electoral college without winning the popular vote - Election day Tuesday after first Monday in November (5th this year), electoral collage vote in December, January 6th Electoral vote count, Inauguration Day (usually January 20th) **Potential study questions:** Which article of the constitution establishes the President of the US? Second Article. What is the Cabinet in the context of Presidency? Highest ranking officials in the executive branch, department heads = ministers. What are the two parts of the presidential election? Primaries + caucasus and general election of the public (indirect election, electoral college). Why is it possible that the candidate with more votes still loses the election? Winner takes all concept in 48 States, every state has two senators = small States have disproportionate power John Stewart: Rights act in Indiana disguised as religious freedom act for businesses to deny gay people services 9 years ago, governor Mike Pence denying that he wants to surpress gay rights, change in language after criticism, when gays want rights it's militancy but when Christians deny service it's freedom, some seriously messed up analogies (KKK, swastikas, homophobia) Samantha Bee: **Abortion and religious rights after Roe v. Wade,** talk between a Catholic, Muslim and Jew in a bar, nothing against abortion in Islam and in Judaism it's required if the mother is in danger, Abortion is murder in the Catholic Church, **abortion ban is an infringement of the religious rights of Muslims and Jews that don't believe in Catholic values,** two thirds of catholics don't believe in Roe v. Wade either, fragile men project their own fragility onto God, not only think about reproductive laws as a womens issue, freedom from religion as well The New York Times articles: overturning Roe v. Wade and **enabling states to completely deny abortions,** resulted in political shock waves, anti-abortion demonstrations, Trump vowed to appoint attorneys that overrule Roe, questions surrounding when the abortion happens, danger for life of the mother, rape or incest and abnormalities, „correct the error" about homosexuality etc. too, only men participated in the formulation of amendments -- disregarding women; Bradwell v. Illinois case, God as an entity in court and how people justify their bills, we let God into court, Religion is America's last taboo, about one third pf Americans want to overrule Roe according to a poll, Mexico legalized abortions, Kennedy's speech **Businesses against gays,** somehow don't want to discriminate against either religion or Sexuality, still rule against the couple who wants a wedding cake, court proceedings based on freedom of speech, however lack of formality were discussed instead, **somehow it always comes back to the first amendment,** seen as violation of religious rights; harder to justify not baking a cake for an interracial couple, give second class status to gays, question whether businesses can deny service if it's against their beliefs or it's okay for gays to be denied, argument that same sex marriage was not yet legal is logical, „it's not their identity it's what they're doing"? Difficult to find reliable data: U.S. Census doesn't include religion & How exactly do you define affiliation to religion? = usually religious self-identification, PEW Research Center America's Religious Landscape (2019): decline in Christianity, particularly among Protestants, other faiths already low and pretty steady, rise in unaffiliates caused by generational replacement; women a little more likely to be unaffiliated, Democrats also, though still a majority Christians, South most Christians, West & Midwest slightly lower, Northeast least The Goodwife: takes up baker case, California Civil Rights act, Jefferson's argument is literally centuries old, Religious Freedom Restoration act, always leans on first amendment American History I: America Is Settling In Beginnings: Pre-History to 1763, settlements of indigenous population started around **13.000** years ago from Asia, around 1500 North America comprised between about 5 and 7 Mio. People, over 100 different tribes, not always peaceful, Nordic warriors already reached America ca. 1000 **1492** Columbus in America: Wanted to reach the West Indies, found what today is the Bahamas and called them Indians, first settlements were the Spanish (Florida, Central and South America) a few decades after Columbus, Dutch followed (Henry Hudson, New Amsterdam = New York), English came comparatively late, first foothold Jamestown, Virginia (**1607**), started cultivating tobacco to export, Church of England descendants Plymouth, Massachusetts (**1620**) on the Mayflower = Pilgrims, just referred to as „the New World", Boston, Massachusetts (**1630**) by the Puritans (wanted to purify the Church of England from Catholicism) and quickly prospered, Divided into British Colonies, New France and New Spain Erntedank/Harvest Festival now Thanksgiving celebrated on the 4th Thursday in November, Black Friday afterwards, Columbus Day the 2nd Monday in October, commemoration of Columbus but it's kind of problematic, America named after Amerigo Vespucci who was a cartographer, Notion of America as „Virgin Lands" which is wrong, The founding myth destroyed: what happened to Native Americans (died from new diseases, weren't respected, laborers, different view on ownership of land), down to 600k Natives around 1800, Slavery already introduced at the time in 1619 the first slaveship from Africa in Jamestown, slaves identified by black skin and sometimes even defined by law, slaves were enslaved for life and mothers passed down slavery, by 1790 already around 700k slaves Originally 13 colonies who belonged to the British Empire, the French were close so the Colonies needed the support from the Crown, conflict culminated into the Seven Years' War/French and Indian War mid 18th century, British ultimately won, two important treaties of Paris (**1763**) ended the 7 Years war, relationship between Colonies and Empire worsened a lot because the Empire issued the Proclamation of 1763 prohibited westward expansion, wanted a Reservation for Native Americans, granted religious freedom to the French catholics that didn't leave after the war and tried to pay off war debt by taxes Declaration of Independence: July 4th 1776, declare why the 13 colonies want to be independent of the British Empire: all men are created equal, right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, should any government be destructive to these rights the people have the ability to disband said government and form a new one, if the government becomes to extreme it is „the duty of the people" to change it, several accusations of the Americans about the King of England in and outside of England and the American Colonies, last point „Indian Savages", have often petitioned and been townturned, call the King equal to a tyrant, also asked the British for help, „Enemies in War, Friends in Peace", ask for every power an independent state has, at least 3 representatives per state **Potential Study Questions:** When did the first humans ever come to North America? About 13.000 years ago from Asia, Which was the first English settlement? Jamestown, Virginia in 1607, Who fought the 7 years' war and when? The French and the English settlers during the mid-18th century, Did the treaty of Paris of 1763 improve the relationship between the settlers and the English crown? No, the King denied westward expansion and wanted a reserve for the indigenous people, increased the taxes and wanted to give religious freedom to the French American History II: America Becomes Independent 1763-1789 - Revolution, Constitution, a New Nation: Taxation without representation, paying off the debt of the war with taxes, were lower in the colonies than on the British Isles, BUT the colonies didn't have any representation in the parliament, two conflicts: Boston Massacre (1770) street fight beteeen the colonies and British soldiers, led to a campaign of speech writers against the Crown, Boston Tea Party (1773) response to the Tea Act, threw over all of the tea in the ocean American Revolutionary War/American War of Independence (**1775-1783**) started with Battles of Lexington and Concord (1775) Declaration of Independence (**July 4th 1776/Independence Day**): principal author Thomas Jefferson, „These United Colonies are, and of Right..." and „We hold these truths to be self-evident..." two important quotes to recognize, British Empire wasn't super impressed so the war continued, not all the colonies agreed with the Declaration, roughly a fifth of the white population were Loyalists, other European countries supported the colonies to weaken the British Empire (France, Netherlands, etc), Independent Day singing The Star-Spangled Banner (since 1931) War was ended with another treaty of Paris (**1783**) John Addams & Benjamin Franklin (Founding Fathers: Signers/Decl. and Framers/Const., Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton...) met with British negotiators in Paris, recognized independence of America, Sarah Vowell on Lafayette... United States Constitution (became law in **1789**) created in 1787 and ratified in 1788, First US President George Washington, first political parties formed: Thomas Jefferson (First secretary of State, against big government, Democratic-Republican Party) and Alexander Hamilton (First secretary of Treasury, strong federal government, fear of too much power in people, first nationlist party/the Federalists, primarily in the North), Second President John Addams (Jefferson vice president), Third Thomas Jefferson By 1850 population around 20 Mio., 31 States and 5 territories, Free and enslaved States simultaneously, many Indians tried to reclaim their land but were violently killed, Indian Removal Act of 1830, were forced into present day Oklahoma through the Trail of Tears Reading: The 1619 Project (Mary Elliott) Portugese slave ship with African slaves bound to Mexico seized by English pirates and taken to Point Comfort, Jamestown, Virginia, most slaves dies on the trip but about 20 survived and got sold, set the course for slavery based on race 1455-1775: Catholic church divided rights of Portugese (West Africa) and Spanish (New World), colonization of the New World competition, trans-atlantic slave trade: about 12.5 Mio. black people, status was determined by class and race in the colonies, Queen Njinga, children about one fourth of captives on slave ships, forced migration = middle passage, about 16 percent died during the passage, many contemplated suicide, slave trade provided political power, social standing and wealth, Virginia law of 1662 stating that the childs status of freedom is determined by the mother = generations of new slaves, Bacon\'s Rebellion and shift of class and race, before cotton sugar cane was farmed and it cost a great many lives (dying after 7 years sometimes), slaves were fighting to regain their freedom - Stono Rebellion, then slaves forbidden to assembly, came with little possessions but memories from their homelands 1776-1808: Declaration of independence and it\'s paradox, avoidance of slavery in the constitution, demand for slaves on cotton fields in the south, cotton lands grew exhausted, so Jefferson bought Louisiana from Napoleon, soon after slavery was abolished which created labor shortage, In 1808 act that palced emphasis on domestic not international slavetrade, Three-Fifths Clause, all references to slavery removed from the draft of the declaration, Jefferson was a slaveholder himself though and very racist, Benjamin Banneker, Elizabeth Freeman case in court, Black people largely relied on the faith during hard times, \--\> Mother Bethel AME Church, also places of education, Phillis Wheatly From 1809: Slavery and slaves became gradually more systemic and regulated, Andrew Jackson\'s Plan of Indian Removal, opposition grew and then thirteenth amendment was implemented, Rhoda Phillips, First newspaper operated by African-Americans (Freedom\'s journal), no laws to protect female slaves, Nat Turner\'s revolt killing about 60 people over two days, afterwards laws got stricter and punished by whipping, limited movement of slaves, 1850 Fugitive Slave Act paved the way for the Civil War, slavery upheld to support the economy, Lincoln allowed black men to join the military who made up a tenth, even free people were prohibited from certain things, Emancipation Proclamation freed all slaves in the rebelling States of the confederacy, didn\'t go into effect until the ratification of the 13th amendment American History III: Slavery and Abolitionism 1619: first slave trading vessel in Jamestown, Virginia, 1860: 4.4 Mio. African-Americans and 90% enslaved, throughout the colonial era slavery existed in all 13 colonies, after independence northern States gradually abolished it, southern ones didn't because they were dependent on their plantations (rice, cotton, tobacco, sugarcane), slaves had barely any education, were considered objects/property, many tried to run to the northern States/Canada through the Underground Railroad (not a railway, just a network), originally against kidnapping, some white support, first half of the 19th century dispute between North and South, Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 allowed marshalls to encapture presumed escaped slaves, implicated the North in slavery issues again Frederick Douglass (1818-1895, What to a slave is the 4th of July?) and abolitionist movement to abolish slavery, escaped from slavery himself, Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) Women's Suffrage/right to vote, for Black peoples and women's rights, charged for voting when she „had no right to," Women's Declaration of Independence, Sojourner Truth (1798-1883, Ain't I a woman?) also escaped slavery, first woman to win a custody case against a White man, Harriet Tubman (1822-1913) as part of the Underground Railroad saved about 70 families, worked as a spy during the Civil War, part of Women's Suffrage movement, 20 Dollar Bill plans two major obstacles to Abolitionism: James Buchanan becomes president in 1857, pro-slavery, same year Dred Scott v. Sandford landmark decision by Supreme Court, wasn't even allowed to sue because he was „not a citizen," 1860 Abraham Lincoln wins Election, never ran on the abolishment of slavery, two reasons for winning: Whig party collapsed shortly beforehand, two Democratic nominees, both conflicted because of slavery, southern states declared that they would split off from the US and form their own country = 1861: Confederate United States of America/Declared President Jefferson Davis **Potential Study Questions:** Name the first three presidents in chronological order. George Washington, John Addams, Thomas Jefferson. Who was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence? Thomas Jefferson. When exactly was it signed? 4th of July 1776. Who fought the American Revolutionary War? The British government against the American Colonies, 1775 until 1783. How was the war ended? Treaty of Paris 1783. What is/was the Indian Removal Act? To forcibly remove indigenous people from their homelands in 1830 **Potential Study Questions:** When and where did the first slaveship arrive? 1619 Jamestown, Virginia; Talk about the issue of slavery in the United States... started right at the beginning with the first colonies, Who was Harriet Tubman and what is important about her? She was a slave who escaped from slavery and helped in the Underground Railroad, What is the underground railroad? Secret network of people who tried to help slaves escape to the North, during the 19th century, What was the fugitive slave act? Allowed marshals to capture assumed escaped slaves (especially in free states) without trial and bring back to slave states and implicated the Northern states again in the issue, What did the court case Dred Scott v. Sanford ensue? Slave Dred Scott tried to sue his owner but wasn't even allowed to sue because he was ruled as „not a citizen", what was the reason for the Civil War? Slavery American History IV: From Civil War to Jim Crow - March 1861: Inauguration of Lincoln (wasn't for the abolition of slavery but didn't want it to expand) - April 1861: Beginning Civil War with the attack on Fort Sumter (South Carolina), Lincoln didn't want southern states to split off so he sent troupes, Confederates won but were overconfident - 1863: Emancipation Proclamation = executive order that all slaves in rebellious states are to be free, could then join the Union Army, same year: Gettysburg Address, influential short speech by Lincoln in a new cemetery, referencing the Declaration of Independence (Four score and seven years ago...) honouring the soldiers in the cemetery (government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth = war needs to be won to ensure a democratic government) - April 1865: confederacy surrendered, Lincoln assassinated in a theater (by John Wilkes Booth), war ends in May by Proclamation, same year KKK - Reconstruction Era (1865 -- 1877) Racial Segregation in the South in all public facilities -- Jim Crow laws: separate but equal, Lost Cause myth similar to Austria after WW2, reasons for support: erasing history, having connection to monuments - 1869: first transcontinental railroad, new/expanded industries: steel, steam, oil, electricity, urbanization, Financial sector, bad working conditions: labor unrests, strikes, no protections - Progressive Era (1890 -- 1920): anti-capitalism, President Roosevelt/trustbuster, helped reinforce anti-trust laws, National American Women Suffrage Association and NAACP - World War I (1914-1918) US initially neutral but entered in 1917 after German submarine attacks, affected country greatly -- economy booms during wars (more workers for weapons and women in Workplaces), Women's suffrage increasing **Potential Study Questions:** Government of the people.... Gettysburg Address a speech by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, When did the Civil War begin and end? 1861-1865, What was it fought over? Slavery, What was the period right afterwards called? Reconstruction Era, What were the segregation laws in the south called? Jim Crow Laws American History V: From Depression to Cold War - The roaring twenties: Prohibition act, Hollywood's Golden age and celebrity culture, Great Gatsby, many stock investments, fashion changes of women, new inventions -- rise of consumerism, mass culture and spread of radio and advertisements, wages started to stagnate = Stock Market Crash of 1929 (Black Tuesday) Great Depression, President Herbert Hoover - banks closing down and unemployment as high as 25% by 1933, RFC (Reconstruction Finance Corporation) - New President Franklin D. Roosevelt The New Deal (The three R's, Relief, Recovery and Reform), National Labor Reactions act (1935) makes unionization possible & Social Security Act (1935) basic social safety net, pensions, unemployment benefits, public pushed him to this through strikes, WW2 restored US economy back to normal - World War II (1939-1945): again US neutral at first, then financial help, entered in 1941 after the attack of Japan on Pearl Harbour (Hawaii), declares war on Japan, Germany declares war on the US, April 1945 FDR dies and is succeeded by Vice President Harry Truman, May Germany Surrenders, August Atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki = Japan Surrenders, Aftermath: 400k casualties in America, „the good war/great generations" - Cold War: USSR Soveit Union (against capitalism) vs. US (against communism), countries never directly fought each other, mainly a military/arms race - Specific conflicts/proxy wars: Korean/Forgotten War (1950-1953) after Japan's occupation of Korea ended it was split and divided between US and USSR, North (backed by China) invaded the South (Backed by UN), never a peace treaty signed, Dwight D. Eisenhower succeeded Truman (1953), weapons and space race - J.F. Kennedy (1961-1963 assassination by Lee Harvey Oswald), Cuba and Fidel Castro overthrew pro American government, Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 failed miserably, Cuban Missile crisis (1962), America pledged to never overthrow Cuba again, close to nuclear war, Baby Boom, Red Scare (fear of communist subversion) Senator Joseph McCarthy & House of Un-American Activities Committee, Berlin Wall (1961-1989), Lyndon B. Johnson (previous Vice president) becomes president - Vietnam War (1955-1975) originally a French Colony but withdrew, North Communist South Capitalist, Johnson initially reluctant, won re-election, domino theory, afterwards Nixon president American History VI: Civil Rights and Anti-War Movements During the Cold War, the Civil rights movement was also happening, Black citizens still foghting for equality Successes: - Segregation in Military ends 1948, 1954 Brown v. Board of Education racially segregated schools are unconstitutional, Rosa Parks Montgomery bus boycott in 1955 - Civil Rights act of 1957 = primarily a voting rights bill - two key figures: Malcolm X (also assassinated in 1965) and Martin Luther King Jr., two major disagreements: separation vs. Integration & use of violence - March on Washington (1963) one of the largest rallies for human rights ever, I have a Dream - Civil Rights act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, sex, gender, religion... - Voting Rights act of 1965 ended voting discrimination based on race - 1968 Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. By James Earl Ray -- Federal Holiday Martin Luther King Jr. Day 3rd Monday in January Tatum: Donald Trump and the Legacy of Bacon's Rebellion Trump's 2016 campaign based on racism targeting the white male working class, not realize they are more similar to black workers than white elitists, Trump promises them to save their white privilege, black and white workers started out relatively equal, **Bacon's Rebellion (1676)** changed that, tried to overthrow the then government because he and the working class saw it as unfair, unsuccessful -- elite saw the need to hibder the working class from teaming up against them so they materially elevated the white workers (still and former indentured) slightly from the black ones, **basically trading classism for racism,** ‚**racism is a direct result of slavery**', Reagan and Nixon also based upon this system People became scared in 2016 because of the rise and advancement of blacks -- spike in gun sales, other cultures refuse to assimilate (especially muslims) and are thus targeted more often, Trump for or against immigration depending on what suits his cause, wants to build a wall in the south but not the north because most of the Canadian immigrants are white, stop and frisk policy of blacks and latinos, Make America Great/White again, to be American is to be free, **but blacks were slaves so they weren't free and thus not seen as American and still are not** News Readings Former President Obama **accuses Black men of being uncomfortable with voting for a woman**, pleads support for Kamala Harris, sexism at work, sitting out the vote, „speak some truths", directly compares to himself, last article -- says she has the same experiences as black men, while Trump doesn't, sign of strength putting women down is seen as manly, criticizes Trump's character, no evidence he thinks about anyone else, comparison to Fidel Castro, reproductive rights and cutting taxes for the rich, long time friends over 20 years; Alex Wagner: Harris tries to reach Latino voters in Phoenix, State of early in person voting, Univision (largest Spanish Network), Latino men Trump supporters because of economy and housing, realize they're not similar to him but think **Democrats aren't doing anything economically,** Latino vote has transformed, more English speaking and younger people -- more **americanized, more Trump supportive**, attitude towards immigration different, gender problems kind of started in 2016 with Trump, Latinos would trust a woman, the problem is a lack of trust in Democrats; Nicole Wallace: Trump **relies upon the reaction to his lies to create anxiety and chaos**, himself cast as savior, Washington created a standard of norms and expectations that protect the democracy, Tump threatens that and treats these norms as his property especially in connection to the military, duty of loyalty in different sectors (constitution, public...) but never to an individual person, hold the choice of being able to decide who's in charge, Trump wants to abolish that **Milton** is gone but its dangers are not, post-storm fatalities (power lines, standing storm waters, bacteria, debris...), unstable buildings, increased automobile accidents, misinformation and hate-speech afterwards and before, especially Trump, power and water supply problems and unclear how long it'll take to restore, search and rescue -- response -- recovery, supply chains for medical facilities shut down, longterm mental problems and how to help (mention loss of pets) on responders/helpers too; At least 10 deaths during Hurricane Milton, insurance policies must be kept and enforced, back to back Hurricanes, must have windstorm insurance -- recovery process must be insured in the state of Florida, storms don't care if people believe in climate change, will make improvements to live in Florida, help from lots of other states; super charged rate at which Milton grew, warm ocean water, **primary reason climate change and makes hot waters that drive Hurricanes about 800 times more likely,** journalist claims Milton is a fossil fuel driven disaster, not just a freak storm but going to happen more often, extreme rapid intensification happens more often, additional heat in the atmosphere goes into the ocean; News Readings Ali Velshi: dread and fear in people for the public to feel he is their answer/savior, compared to Mussolini and Hitler -- why can't people see the parallels, normalization of fascist practices and behaviors, working to avoid this normalization, **Trump changed the perception of violence and makes it seem morally necessary and patriotic, get people into ‚survivalism'** (me **or** you), Trump can be called a fascist; The 11th Hour: **3rd party candidates** to change the outcome of some swing states, many newly registered voters Harris needs to win those newcomers over, same thing happened in 2016 to Hillary Clinton where she lost votes to 3rd party candidates, young people are foreign to the concept of voting, Trump still big support from military and police forces; John Oliver on voting: will be an extremely close vote, Trump will not concede gracefully should he lose, history from the last election will probably repeat itself, voting numbers went up after his indictment, subversion tactics of the Republicans, lots **of Americans still don't accept Biden's win as legitimate**, the Heritage group with a probably fake video saying many non-citizens vote which is bullshit, debunking lies and investigations on FoxNews and from Republicans in general, AI surfing through public databases to challenge voters as ineligible based on ethnic surnames, often generate false positives few people can cause huge problems, **handcounted ballots unfeasible**, exculde whole counties if they are suspected to be fraudulent due to wrong counts; Stephanie Ruhle: Biggest Rallye for Harris, moved out of persuasion phase, mobilizing her voters, Trump relies on grievances and anger, some are buying his grievance trope, still repercussions from CoVid in some states and now economically relying on him, voting polls almost not moving, country deeply divided politically, Trump did not put forth anything aginst inflation, making people distrust the election due to 2020, early voting stats have changed from previous years Alex Wagner: **early voting more than 30 Mio. Voters, broken record**s, Republicans are outpacing Democrats in many turn-states, primarily people who are going to vote anyway though, Harris has a modest lead overall, better media and more appealing candidate according to the one guy, many people concerned about the high Republican poles, scandals Elon Musk in conversations with Putin and and heavily pro-Russian Chris Hayes: **Trump trying to appeal to younger men, open sexism and misogyny in the campaign,** less women = more diverse?, new sexual assault accusations this week, gen z women heavily relying on Harris, will talk about abortion bans in Texas, most important issue in the voting, the more they rely on their undiverse base, the more other voters they're going to lose, both candidates on podcasts John Stewart I&II: Democratic governor and nominee for vice president **Tim Walz**, mostly touring swing states, many undecided voters are actually libertarians and Republicans, adressing issues other than economy and inflation, people want to find a reason not to vote Trump and they need to be given that, **rural and urban divided** in p.e. gun policies, dead children in their school means the same in all areas, taking action is overarching goal, workers support a person that wants to automate their jobs, workers need better representation and unions, either buying school supplies or prison supplies; **Trump in McDonald's**, taking the campaign not serious enough, **working with absurdity, for the media to take the bait**, enemy from within discussion, speaker of the house trying to talk around Trumps lies and denying he speaks against other politicians, how to decide whether what he says is true, we think his absurdity renders him benign Schmuhl Reading & Questions Chapter 4: in and since the 1990's the political landscape has changed through the beginning of new ways to report media, **makes it easier to receive information based on what you desire to hear,** used to be an emphasis on facts not personal viewpoints, **people watch less news overall, especially international ones,** relationship between reporting and entertainment, more Polarisation, highest number of people in history that don't trust mass media, presidents need to confirm their method to the time they live in (media-wise): line of the day, baseball advertisements, funny interviews, Obama: media should bring different views, but actually narrows them down, Trump is more of a celebrity, Presidents' different attitudes towrds journalism -- most not hostile but tolerating, understanding it is a vital part of society, exceptions Nixon and Trump, using it to his advantage, supporters resort to other news outlets, discusses the value of truth, how to find reliable sources of information, always look at the other side as well Chapter 7: Trump does not take presidency serious, cares more about the fame, constantly tries to illegitimise other presidents, points out the myriads of contradictions Trump states, **never attempts to reach a broader audience of voters, just the ones that completely share his beliefs,** die-hard Trump fans, ultimately created an alternative reality for them, claim Biden was illetigimate, even though he did better in all aspects and voter turnout was highest in over a century, most citizens have rather low belief in Democracy, Biden took care to restore what Trump abolished, especially hard for him due to COVID, Republicans received death threats for backing a Democrat proposed project, some disparities amongst poll opinions, partisanship has devolved since the 90s, Biden forced to seek out unity in his own party rather than across the two, met with widespread disapproval midterm, compared to Trump's presidency, Trump has a really high number of books written about him News Readings Nicole Wallace: **Trump's Cabinet choices,** inforcement of law depends on people following said law, Speaker doesn't plan to reveal ethics report, politicians brag about all the girls he's slept with, their goal is deconstruction of the rule of law, Trump during his first term: weaponizing the justice department, Matt Gaetz investigation (or lack thereof), no charges just investigations, clash of judicial branch and justice department MSNBC Reports: **Attorney General Matt Gaetz who investigated the Jan 6th case,** still needs to convince the whole grand jury to follow Trumps goal, an effort to threaten people and force them into Trump's alignment, **no legitimate investigation,** as of yet no immunity to government officials, want prosecutors to follow law and oath to constitution, Gaetz would be destructive force, FBI webpage wants to get people arrested before inauguration before he can pardon them, what „adults in the room" will do vs what Trump will do, skipping FBI checks for some of his administration picks, due to upheaval of „embarrassing" information John Stewart: on what went wrong with the democrats, prognoses said it was going to be close but it was not, Democrats raised 1B dollars and a quarter went towards volunteers knocking on people's doors, motive of protecting democracy, **we had a free and fair election but they weren't prepared for Trump winning,** blaming what happened in the past and finding numerous excuses, accused of being too woke and left etc., commercials of Democrats for migration issues and other typical Republican issues, claims that this is not going to last and we don't know what's going to happen in 4 years John Oliver on Trump's reelection: Trump couldn't really believe it either, and how much it has been to take mentally, Trump's former attorney who claimed he'd leave the country if he won but then didn't and said ‚you leave my country', spent million's on anti-trans betwork tv ads, scapegoating after Kamala's loss, actually too early to tell why people voted the way they did, claiming the Democrats are too far left (specifically quoting trans rights), **even though Harris was quite central and reached out to modern Republicans,** Trump's voters have gone up across all kinds of groups, economy most frequent problem cited, won with the same mantra Clinton did, even though during Biden's presidency prices went up due to COVID, even though Trump's first presidency was a mess, **not news that Trump's problematic views appeal to some voters but some people also deny and create a whole other version of him**, What comes next?: already many people lined up for offices, Elon Musk among them who claims he'd cut two thirds from the Harris-Biden Budget, people who are under investigation, Kash Patel as CIA director pursuing people who „helped Biden rig the election" and the media, Biden could grant temporary protected status to immigrants or fill inspected general positions, or extend prisoners sentences to life, confirm Biden's remaining judicial appointments, tells people not to despair, **movements burn out by focusing exclusively on the goal and not on small victories,** trans people in offices, abortion access propositions, democratic views are popular even if democratic candidates aren't, adults need to help Gillespie & Brown Reading & Questions Black women most loyal voting bloc in the US (98% Democratic), intersectionality is important, experiences of gender and racial discrimination make up their voting motivations, gebder didn't use to be considered in voting demographics, females always been more democratic, black democratic support far outpaces national one and has for the last 40 years, gender gap not consistent over the years among Whites and Blacks, some overall trends may mask racial and gender differences need to be further examined, black women most faithful democratic voters for about two generations, Clinton winning the popular vote but not the electoral college, voter tunrout low in some States BUT even if a majority of black people vote their voice may not lead to victories in places where they're not represented in the electorate well, voting turnout gap between races narrowed in the Obama Era Holding offices also important parts of political participation, Shirley Chisholm, some subgroups are overrepresented especially in Congress, even though we are having the most diverse Congress ever seen right now, disconnect between voters and electing Black Women: two schools of thought, double disadvantage theory and strategic advantage theory, strategic intersectionality theory, gender softens ethnicity, intersectional identities want to be represented and recognized, often underrepresented in their groups as leaders and have little influence over in-group members, Black women tend to push legislative agendas that differ from their Black male and White female colleagues, Black congresswomen more likely to interact with issues such as BLM, literature currently discussing why voters choose to vote or not vote for Black politicians, women in politics at a disadvantage in general, reason to believe black and white women are perceived differently, can't be generalized to Republicans, calls for the answer of three more questions in further studies Reading: Karen Cox „Confederate Monuments" Myths and Untruths in American history -- the Lost Cause, argues that the cause of the confederate states during the Civil War was just and heroic and not rooted in slavery, confederate monuments represent white supremacy and a system of beliefs, Lost Cause exists to justify defeat and purpose of the war, journalist Edward Pollard coined the term, slavery needed to be understood as necessary to prevent race wars, efforts to show their beliefs still made during Reconstruction, white southeners didn't want war but only peaceful slavery, indoctrination of southern children key concept of Lost Cause, late nineteenth/early twentieth century new intensity (confederate generals in stained glass church windows??) voting rights in the south demolished and lynching popular, left a spot open for women to voice their confederate opinions mainly through monuments, married to influential men who were sometimes part of the KKK, claiming the burden slavery had on whites because they had to „civilize and christianize a barbarous race", gradual reconciliation between white north and south, started to mean less a generation after the war, Douglass voiced out against the lost cause, Black owned newspapers and journals place to rebel and engaged with the readers, opinion: if the monuments didn't exist, the white South wouldn't be encourage to be racist, complete evolution suggests it was rooted not in history but an alternate reality, Believers have always existed since and still do, Trump also Lost Cause supporter, damaged America's ability to determine fact from fiction News Readings Lester Holt: **most catastrophic wildfires in Los Angeles/Southern California**, at least 5 deaths, struggles to contain them, thousands of acres, power out and schools closed, destroyed homes but people fight to keep their homes safe, not enough water from the firefighters, too much wind, at least a thousand structures lost, some of the most expensive real estate, **people losing everything they own,** air quality rapidly declining, less rainfall than usual this fall Alex Wagner: Trump's response to wildfires, refuses to face climate change issues, doesn't contribute to solutions through his rhetorics, not giving aid to some States in his first term because he didn't like their governors' politics, nobody to advise him otherwise but only people that support his decisions Desi Lydic: Trump promotes Greenland Fantasy, buying (or more invading) Greenland, lays the blame for wildfires on the democratic governor, people taking advantage of the crisis, rather speaks out for insurrectionists instead of finding solutions to help with the wildfires Alex Warren: President Carter's burial, Trump's fight with the recently deceased president, new fixation on expansion of American territories -- **regain force over the panama canal**, as it used to have, Ronald Reagan used to be advocate for keeping the canal in America's possession, ultimately handed over the canal, Reagan wasn't actually concerned with the issue when he became president but Republicans continued to believe in the view, Greenland for „national security purposes", people „don't know of Denmark has any legal right to it", Trump doesn't understand how maps work (he thinks Greenland is way bigger), wants to make Canada the 51st American State and rename the Golf of Mexico John Stewart: January 6th unusually quiet, people didn't know about Jan 6th before last election, Kamala had to certify the votes as vice president, terrorist attack in New Orleans and Republicans trying to make ot about immigration, initially blaming Biden's open borders policy for the attack, Las Vegas exploding Cybertruck outside the Trump Hotel, „another attempt on Trump's life/that was an expression of support/if these are the people that are homegrown, what about the people from across the border/Just bystanders who to look suspicious", eerily normal digital footprints of recent terrorists, makes them more relatable to other people, podcast joke Reading: Martin Luther King „Letter from Birmingham Jail" April 16th 1963: addressing fellow clergymen, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, not only in Birmingham because he was invited but also because of the injustice there, Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere -- Whatever affects one directly, affects all directly, city's white power structure leaves the Black people with no other alternative than to demonstrate, self-purification before direct non-violent action, hoping it results in negotiation through tension, not a single gain in civil rights without determined legal and nonviolent pressure, privileged groups seldom give up their privilege voluntarily, groups more immoral than individuals, tells about the everyday struggle segregation and racism cause just and unjust laws (which may be disobeyed, any law that degrades human personality), difference instead of sameness made legal, also unjust if not everyone is allwed to vote for it, some only unjust in application, civil disobedience nothing new, moderate white man real problem -- Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection, society must protect the robbed and punish the robber, time os neutral but can be used destructively or constructively, King stands between complacent and hateful Black people, stop people from becoming Black nationalists, Oppressed cannot stay oppressed forever, question is not qjether we will be extremist but what kind, some support from white people Disappointment in lack of leadership from the church, some outright opponents of the freedom movement, social issues with which the church isn't concerned, There can be no deep disappointment where there is no deep love, reminding the clergymen of the values and history of Christianity, today's church needs to recapture the values of early Christianity to remain authentic, the goal of America is freedom, the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek, do not support policemen of Birmingham, letter would have been shorter if written from a desk not in jail