Chatting about Freedom

                 Good afternoon everyone. My name is Henry Bibb. I was born into slavery in 1815 in Shelby, Kentucky. My father was a state senator but that didn't matter much, as my mother was a slave, and so was I from the moment I was brought to this earth. My life, like many others born in during this time period, was a life of torment and deprivation, marked all over by a desire for freedom. As a child, I witnessed the brutality of slavery firsthand. I witnessed families torn apart, loved ones sold away, and the daily doings of the white folk that stripped us of our dignity. My early life was punctuated by the pain of losing my mother and brothers to the auction block. This event had fueled my desire to escape from this dehumanizing system.      I attempted to escape numerous times throughout my life, but it wasn't until 1837 that I made my first serious attempt. I've been married and had a child, but the constant sc...

Prior to the civil war, slavery was an important part of Southern culture, which was also tied in religion. Many Southerners turned to the Bible for guidance on the issue of slavery, with some using scripture to defend the practice, while others found passages that seemed to oppose it. The Bible's stance on slavery remains up in the air, as different verses were interpreted in ways that both supported and criticized the institution. Religion played a significant role in shaping Southern beliefs, and the complex relationship between faith and slavery was a defining feature of the culture at that time.    Many religions have condemned slavery, including Christianity, which speaks out against slavery in many ways. Charles Elliot, in his book “The Bible in Slavery,” highlights that the teachings of Christ and his apostles clearly denounces slavery as a serious sin. We also get to see that the writings of Paul and Peter specifically tell slave masters and slaves in ways that oppose...

The Comm3390 video taught me a lot about the Supreme Court and its tasks and operations. The Supreme Court is recognized as the most powerful judicial body in the world, holding a unique and essential position within the U.S. government. One key source of its power comes from the trust it has earned from the people, as citizens generally accept and abide by its rulings. This trust ensures that when the Supreme Court makes a decision, it holds significant weight across the country. Despite its influence, the Court can only take a limited amount of cases. They receive around 100 cases a week, but can only accept 100 cases in the full span of a year.  Something that I found interesting, was the way the nine Supreme Court justices collaborate while coming together on a case. Each justice, with their own legal background and perspective, comes to the case after having done thorough research and developed an independent understanding of the situation. When we observe them questioning la...