I was very impressed
by Dang’s essay on Henry McNeal Turner. First, she very clearly lays out her
thesis. She argues that the failure of Reconstruction after the Civil War lead
Henry McNeal Turner to stray from his attitude of compromise to adopt and
attitude that was focused on the emigration of African Americans. Second, part
of what makes Dang’s piece so effective is the careful structure she uses to
outline her paper. She uses a three-part framework to analyze how Turner’s
attitudes evolved over time. This allows the reader to easily follow her
argument. Third, Dang effectively draws from both primary and secondary
sources. She draws from a diverse array of Turner’s writings such as his quotes
in newspapers, correspondences, essays and speeches. She then carefully employs
information from secondary sources to contextualize the primary sources and
analyze their content.
Further, the sources
that Dang draws from show a clear evolution in Turner’s writing that coincides
with her argument. The historical events she highlights with help from the work
of other historians provide key context for Turner’s writings that Dang
includes in the essay. For example, she draws from secondary sources as she
denotes Turner losing his seat in the Georgia House in 1868, the rise of the
KKK, and the removal of federal troops from the South, as well as the effect
these events had on Turner’s ideology. Additionally,
Dang’s organization allows the reader to denote the evolution of Turner’s thought.
Rather than treat his change of ideology as a result of some “water shed”
moment, Dang shows the transition in ideology through an effective use of
textual evidence. Perhaps the biggest “turning point” that the essay suggests
comes from Dang’s thorough examination of Turner’s essay, “"Will
it be Possible for the Negro to Attain, in this Country, Unto the American Type
of Civilization.” Overall, Dang’s essay is well organized, carefully draws on
textual evidence, and advances a persuasive argument on the evolution of
Reverand Turner’s ideology.
Jennifer
Ockelmann’s “Don't Fuss, Mother, This Isn't So Fast”
Jennifer
Ockelmann’s opening is very effective; she begins the paper with a captivating
anecdote, which draws the reader in while also managing to be reflective of a
larger phenomenon. Second, I thought it was key to Ockelmann’s paper that she effectively
defined terms such as “modesty” and “modernity” from the outset. Because the
terms are so subjective, it was essential that Ockelmann outline what she meant
by the terms in relations to 1920s America. Ockelmann’s paper seeks to explore
the tension between the modernity flappers convey in their sexuality, dress,
and societal presence and the values of modesty that influenced their lives.
I found the
lenses that she used to examine what flappers meant for modesty and modernity
to be both unique and creative. Today, flappers are often romanticized, and
examining them alongside sanitary pads - a traditionally un-romanticized area -
provided a unique angle for the paper. Further, while the term “primary source”
conjures up ideas of speeches, journals, or letters, this paper draws insights
from advertisements and popular films, which I thought was another particularly
unique way of answering a historical question. My main critique of the paper
comes into play with Ockelmann’s use of a primary source. While her insights about
the films are valuable, I think they get a bit lost in the summary of the films
content. Overall, though, I found her paper to be unique and interesting.
“African-American
Women’s History and the Meta-language of Race”
I found
Higginbotham’s piece to be an effective and important critique of identity
theories that do not acknowledge the importance of intersectionality in terms
of race and other issues. Higginbotham’s piece speaks to the importance of
considering intersectionality as we seek to write about how various historical
events impacted notions of identity. From my reading, it seems that modern
feminists are striving to break out of the historical tendency of feminist
theory to assume that the experience of white women is the same as that of
black women and women from other minority groups, and thus to acknowledge the
intersectionality that was previously unaccounted for in mainstream feminist
theory. What I have read less about, however, is what Higginbotham discusses as
the importance of delineating the “monolithic black community” in order to more
accurately represent the experience of black women. After reading the examples
that Higginbotham cites of the unique nature of black womanhood, I am now
questioning analyses that do not delineate the experience of the “black
community” based on gender, as well as other identities such as sexual
orientation.
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