Jena-6

On December 4, 2006, six black students from Jena High School in Jena, Louisiana were charged for the beating of a white student. The event followed months of racially charged activities, the most notable of which was when three white students hung nooses from a tree at the high school. So when the “Jena-6″ were charged with attempted murder, protests began and spread throughout the country.  It was argued that the charges were excessive and racially discriminatory. For some, the events in Jena have come to symbolize the continued racism that pervades the nation.

My questions for you, my students, are these: Do you think racism is as prevalent as it was a half century ago or even a generation ago? What are some possible solutions to the problem of race in America? Has there been improvement in race relations? If you can cite statistical evidence for your opinions, it would be very helpful.

Is Britney Spears Worse Than the Puritans?

In our U.S. History I course today we talked about the strict moral code the Puritans embraced. One of the students argued that they “pushed their views on others.” It was argued in class that the antithesis of Puritan sanctimony is Britney Spears who, it has been argued, is “a symbol of everything that’s wrong with American society.” Were the Puritans correct in attempting to adhere to this code or is the Britney Spears philosophy of “live and let live” more worthy of our admiration?

Mayan Human Sacrifices

The Mayans believed that the giving of blood to the Gods, especially the rain god Chac, would make these deities look upon society with favor. As a result, the practice of ripping the hearts out of human beings for sacrifice to the gods was a common activity in Mayan Civilization. The Spanish conquistadors, no strangers to brutality themselves, looked upon this practice with horror, when they arrived in the New World in the early sixteenth century. My question is this: Was the Mayan practice of human sacrifice simply an acceptable cultural phenomenon that demands respect or was it an unjust taking of human lives that reflected the “uncivilized” nature of this society as the Spanish saw it?