What did you learn that you did not know?
How does the knowledge shape your capacity to raise questions about the meaning of words?
What are some questions that you have pondered since my visit to your class?
Information about the Dred Scott Case
NEW POST TO EXPLAIN Supreme Court Justice Nominations in Recent U.S. History
Here was a younger Joseph Biden before he became our Vice President
From this video, what branch of government confirms a nominee to the Supreme Court?
Whose nomination failed and was it political and, if so why?
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Here is a clip of the nomination hearing of the current (circa March 2014) Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Chief Justice John Roberts.
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Here is a clip of how our first Latina Supreme Court Justice had to address questions during her confirmation hearing.
Does this give you an idea of the politics involved in the process of the nomination, hearings and approval of the members of the Supreme Court?
NOTE
Post your responses before I visit to discuss Plessy v. Ferguson
I learned a lot in the class today with Dr. Moffett. I learned that Dred Scott had a wife and children. I also learned that all words have three meanings: what you think it means, the denotation, and the connotation. One example of this was in class today when Dr. Moffett said that Dred Scott was a "bad" guy. He was using the connotative definition. We all understood that he did not mean that he was a reprehensible man, he meant that it took a certain tenacity to file a law suit for the freedom of himself and his family.
ReplyDeleteKnowing all three levels on which a word is used can help you form questions. You can understand a literary work in many different lights and question the way the author intended the word to be taken. You can find the many different meanings in poetry and form your statements in a way that will most effectively portray your point. You can also better understand others and question what is meant but their inquires and statements. This helps to avoid confusion and receive the optimal level of learning and comprehension.
Some questions raised in my mind about the Dred Scott case are:
What were the ages of his children at the time of the court proceedings?
Did his children go with him to the free territory for work, and if not had their father won his freedom would they have been eligible to leave with him?
How was the case considered justifiable?
Why would a lawyer have taken the case when at the time "slaves" were considered no more than that of a pair of trousers?
How would a trip to a free territory have constituted him to be free if his "owner's" address was never changed? He set foot on the territory but he never had his address changed.
Would it not have it been more easily justified to sue for his earnings while in the free territory?
Forced labor was inhumane however in the mindset of the majority of the people at the time how would this case have ever made it to the Supreme Court?
Thank you Dr. Moffett for your time and great insight. I thoroughly enjoyed the presentation and hope to hear from you again.
Thank you for the quality of your thinking and the comprehensive application of your reasoning through the time period.
DeleteI will be posting videos and links for your review.
Lincoln's famous question,"Can a territory legally keep slavery out of it?" and of course the Southerners responded with,"Can a territory legally keep slavery legal?" All due to popular sovereignty. Which I don't agree with in this case because a man should look at another man as an equal and not a lesser being.
ReplyDelete-Damani D
I learned that Dredd Scott has a family with two children
DeleteThe question on my mind is that how did the court get that far if most of the people in charge thinks slaves are lesser beings and they would never set a slave free by his own accord.
i learned that dred scott just wanted to be free with his wife and two daughters and that there are three different meanings to words.
Deletequestion: what happened to Dred scott's wife and 2 daughters after he died
What did you learn that you did not know?
ReplyDeleteI learned that slavery is not the definition of a group of people, nor is it to a race. It is defined as the condition of being an involuntary-servant, or working under involuntary servitude.
How does the knowledge shape your capacity to raise questions about the meaning of words?
It helps me look at the words that we have today and question them to see what they really mean, and how our generation has changed it or related it to something else totally not relating to the original meaning.
What are some questions that you have pondered since my visit to your class?
Even though this was not on the same topic, I brought up on how you and Mr. Conway felt on the Minimum Wage Debate. This was something that interested me as a teenager and as a young adult. As I would like to know about how my future will be.
You question of wages will be an important question for the future and it is important that you pursue it.
DeleteI highly recommend that you review the following research approach through our U.S. Congress:
1) The Standing Committee on labor in the House of Representatives ((http://usgovinfo.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=usgovinfo&cdn=newsissues&tm=27&gps=132_4_1280_856&f=00&su=p284.13.342.ip_&tt=2&bt=2&bts=2&zu=http%3A//www.house.gov/house/CommitteeWWW.shtml)
2) The HELP Committee in the U.S. Senate (http://usgovinfo.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=usgovinfo&cdn=newsissues&tm=108&gps=322_4_1280_856&f=00&su=p284.13.342.ip_&tt=2&bt=2&bts=2&zu=http%3A//www.senate.gov/pagelayout/committees/d_three_sections_with_teasers/committees_home.htm
3) The U.S. Department of Labor (http://www.dol.gov/)
I found your style of teaching very admirable and informative. I never even heard that Dred Scott had a wife! I also began to understand the true meaning of words and the effect that they can have on a person or matter. I still wonder why the court even bothered considering the case under the circumstances that he had this title of slave. Other than that I have a general idea of the effect this event truly had.
ReplyDeleteI understand that Dred Scott went to a free state with his slave owner. However, since he went to this free state, wouldn't that make him a free man? Just like the underground railroad, all those runaway slaves were going North to be FREE. Once their foot touched that northern soil, they were free. So what happened here that made him remain as property? Did the Fugitive Slave Act have anything to do with that? Also, I was not aware that he had a family that he loved and cared for. They were his motivation as you said earlier. I would like to thank you for the time you put in with us, especially during R-Time. I hope to see you again soon.
ReplyDelete-Diamond Williams
P.S. Welch's Grape Juice ♥
Yes!
DeleteGrape Juice for life:)
Your responses are very thought-provoking and demonstrate your commitment to the human side of all policy matters. I am very appreciative of the invitation to return and I look forward to sharing more time with you all, when I am invited again.
I learned that there is not only just one meaning to a word; there are at least there. Those meanings are the denotation of a word, the cultural meaning, and the meaning we give them. Another thing that i learned was that Dred Scott had a wife and two daughters and that was why he filed a complaint to the Supreme Court.
ReplyDeleteWould and could this also be in a historic example to how when Frederick Douglass crossed into Northern Territory and was brought back as a slave to Edward Covey? Although, Dred Scott was never really released as a free man from his property owner. Frederick Douglass set out to find education and freedom just like Dred Scott set out on a quest to find out how he could achieve freedom for him and his family.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I learned during our time with Dr. Moffett was how the meaning of word can differ and how those words affect people. I learned that a word has its dictionary meaning, or denotation, as well as a cultural meaning, or connotation. However we can give a word a meaning beyond its literal or cultural meaning. An example of this is the word slavery. The better word, or group of words in this case, would be Involuntary Servitude. The word slave, is sadly associated with the with the illiterate African servants, which was what they were, of the pre-civil war days. A slave can be defined as someone who is owned by another man and forced to obey, or as a person who is strongly influenced or controlled by something, which could mean that that person is in an ignorant, brainwashed state. Dred Scott, while he some what fits the first definition, he does not fit the second. He had enough free will to realize that he had been brought into a free area and that he should be free as a result. While is clear that Scott was in an position of involuntary servitude, he was not a slave. He clearly had enough free will and common sense to realize that he should be free and that his family should be free as well. The above mentioned information helped me to learn how a word can become misguided because of how we, humans in general, look at it.
ReplyDeleteWOW!
DeleteWe all GLOW as we grow! The power of the word should never overcome the use of language to empower humanity to rise to higher levels of humanity!
I never realized that word choice could have so many implications beyond that of the basic dictionary definition. I was familiar with denotation and connotation as those are elementary literature terms but I now see how the owners of involuntary servants were able to use their superior education to keep other men in bondage. These servant owners feared education as they knew that slavery was in the mind and education was the key to their servants' freedom. Dred Scott had no outstanding education but still had the brilliance to realize that he could make a case for his freedom. This event makes me truly appreciate my own education to an even greater extent. One question I have however is how did the Missouri compromise get passed if such a large portion of the nation was against its very existence? Were the majority of the supporters of the compromise from the North? Did they consider that such a law of controversy could help spark a conflict like the civil war or did they see such a battle as inevitable and use this as a last-ditch effort?
ReplyDeleteKobbe:
DeleteWow--The quality of the question is superior to any one answer, so I suggest that you become the class expert on the discussion in congress over the Missouri Compromise. It is important in U.S. History.
Here is a perspective from a good sige on the web:
Henry Clay, U.S. senator from Kentucky, was determined to find a solution. In 1820 he had resolved a fiery debate over the spread of slavery with his Missouri Compromise. Now, thirty years later, the matter surfaced again within the walls of the Capitol. But this time the stakes were higher -- nothing less than keeping the Union together.
There were several points at issue:
¥ The United States had recently acquired a vast territory -- the result of its war with Mexico. Should the territory allow slavery, or should it be declared free? Or maybe the inhabitants should be allowed to choose for themselves?
¥ California -- a territory that had grown tremendously with the gold rush of 1849, had recently petitioned Congress to enter the Union as a free state. Should this be allowed? Ever since the Missouri Compromise, the balance between slave states and free states had been maintained; any proposal that threatened this balance would almost certainly not win approval.
The Compromise of 1850 accomplished what it set out to do -- it kept the nation united -- but the solution was only temporary. Over the following decade the country's citizens became further divided over the issue of slavery. The rift would continue to grow until the nation itself divided.
cited from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2951.html.Retrieved on 26 February 2014)
Hi, Dr. Moffett. It's me, Phylencia, the young adult who spoke with much zealousness whenever called upon.
ReplyDeleteOn the flip side, I learned that Dread Scott had a wife and two daughters.
And that may have been the very main reason why he sued.
I also learned there are three definitions to a word, what you think, what your friends think, and what the intellectual dictionary meaning.
Now that I know all three meaning, I will know what questions to ask, just so that I will be on the same page as the person I'm talking to.
Question that I have pondered upon:
You have a doctorate degree. Is that why you are referred to as Dr. Moffett or are you on the way to getting it or do you just like the way it sounds, like Dr. Dre?
How are you Ms Phylencia?
DeleteThanks for making sure I associated a moment in time from my visit to you as an individual-Respect!
Yes, I have an earned doctorate in education and I was once a public school teacher of social studies too. I respect your teacher and, as a professor of education, I believe that giving back to students in high school, when time allows, is very important. I am very glad that you asked, so you can distinguish the difference between Dr. Dre and me with the use of the term.
I respect the work and business visionary impact that Dr. Dre has over the industry and what he has accomplished is legendary.
As you may know, he teamed with Jimmy Lovine and they are giving 70 million to the University of Southern California-
I can only give you 70 million thoughts toward educational excellence, but I respect his use of the term doctor because he has become an expert in his field-Respect!
Here is what USC News wrote about his gift to their campaign:
Born in Compton, Calif., hip-hop pioneer/producer Dre began his career as a member of the World Class Wreckin’ Crew. In 1986, he co-founded N.W.A. and won critical and commercial acclaim with the group’s 1988 landmark rap album Straight Outta Compton. In 1992, Dre released his solo debut, the G-funk masterpiece The Chronic, which Rolling Stone hailed as one of the greatest albums ever made. With the launch of his own record company, Aftermath Entertainment, in 1996, Dre went on to discover and nurture such next-generation hip-hop superstars as 50 Cent, The Game, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem. In 2006, Iovine and Dre co-founded Beats Electronics, a high-performance headphone and sound transmission company intent on recapturing the fidelity of the studio. With its expansion into smartphones and car audio systems, Beats by Dr. Dre has captured 40-percent market share of the entire billion-dollar headphones industry. - See more at: http://news.usc.edu/#!/article/50816/jimmy-iovine-and-dr-dre-give-70-million-to-create-new-academy-at-usc/
I learned that when you hear a word there are 3 definitions to it. The first is your definition. So basically what comes to your mind when you hear the word. The second is the dictionary defintion. This is pretty easy to understand, look the word up in the dictionary. And the third is the cultural defintion. This one means to observe how this word is used in society.
ReplyDeleteKeep glowing and growing!
DeleteThis is from Stephanie Ahrens I do not have a Google account. I learn Dred Scott was also fighting for his family and his wife was helping. This knowledge help me understand why the civil war happen and with more info there more questions. The question I have is that if there is no free state because involuntary worker are property then with the underground rail road can the owner of these people can go back and take back there property.
ReplyDelete-Stephanie Ahrens
Thanks for your thoughtful responses and I suggest you read the history of te Fugitive Slave Act.
DeleteI learned that Dred Scott's case was a great influence on how the court handled the discussion of free slaves and how to classify them based on what where they have lived/been.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: How exactly did Dred get the idea to declare freedom.
There are various historical accounts. When I visited St. Louis's Old Capitol Courthouse, I found the information shared to be very insightful. I would highly recommend that you view multiple accounts of his story and form a perspective. This is the challenge of discussing historical events: The perspectives of several sources will help explore the historical facts.
DeleteI learned that Dred Scott was a very misjudged man in the time of slavery. Even though this man was recalled as a slave, he was "personal property" which is not a slave. All this man wanted was to have a free life for him and his family. Words are very powerful like Dr.Moffet says. Words control everything you say in all ways.
ReplyDeleteQuestion- What happened to Dred Scott's family after he died, and did they make it too freedom?
Great thought and question related to the family.
DeleteAccording to a citation from the National Park Service website, the following occured:
Ironically, Irene Emerson was remarried in 1850 to Calvin C. Chaffee, a northern congressman opposed to slavery. After the Supreme Court decision, Mrs. Chaffee turned Dred and Harriet Scott and their two daughters over to Dred's old friends, the Blows, who gave the Scotts their freedom in May 1857. On September 17, 1858, Dred Scott died of tuberculosis and was buried in St. Louis. His grave was moved in the 1860s to Calvary Cemetery in northern St. Louis, and marked due to the efforts of the Rev. Edward Dowling in 1957. Dred Scott did not live to see the fratricidal war touched off at Fort Sumter in 1861, but did live to gain his freedom. The ultimate result of the war, the end of slavery throughout the United States, was not something Dred Scott could have foreseen in 1846 (cited from http://www.nps.gov/resources/story.htm?id=196.Retrieved by Dr. Noran L. Moffett on 26 February 2014 for Ms Claytor's Class)
I learned that you aren't a slave just because some one as you. he is under unvolunteray sovernitude. words are very powerful they have three different meanings.
ReplyDeleteI learned that words have three meanings: what you think it means, what the word really means, and what popular culture accepts as the meaning. Dr. Moffett also said that being a slave is a condition( thinking of mind) and since Dred Scott was a free thinking man he didn't believe that he was a slave.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI learned that Dred Scott was not just fighting for hisself but also filed for his family as well. He also had sisters.He was under involuntary servitude, which was just a pretty way to say that Dred Scott was a slave. His words were very important in order for him to fight and understand his rights.
ReplyDeleteI learned that Dred Scott not only fought for his freedom, but for his family. My question is: Why was the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional? In the Dred Scott case Chief Taney was a former slave owner and was one of the justices for the case. He had let his slaves free, but went against Dred for his freedom. What I'm trying to say is that if he could let his slaves free, then why couldn't he help Dred get his freedom for his family.
ReplyDeleteI learned that Dred Scott did not only go to court for his own freedom, but for his family's freedom also. I also learned that words have three different meanings: its actual meaning, it's cultural meaning, and what you think it means.
ReplyDeleteI learned that the Dred Scott case was not just for Dred Scott himself but for the Scott family. The one thing that I do admire about him is even though he was in a state of involuntary servitude. He kept his mind free which led to him writing his name in history by fighting for his freedom.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: Could Dred Scott have been punished for trying to sue his slave holder?
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI learned that Dred Scott had a wife and two kids. I also learned that words can have more than one meaning. (connotation, denotation, and what you think it means). I also didn't know that slavery was basically sugar coated to be called involuntary servitude.
Question: How did Dred's wife help him when dealing with the supreme court about their freedom?
I learned that words may be seen with strong simplicity but have a deep meaning. Through words of the compromise they were able to keep Dred and Harriet Scott from receiving freedom... Also one thing you did was consistently question our questions which in the end helped get our own non persuaded response so thank you
ReplyDeleteWhat I learned is that the Chief Justice Roger Taney was opposed to slavery but still argued against Dred Scott's freedom.
ReplyDeleteWhile at first something like that would be strange, I think the reason he may have done this is, in a way, he hoped that people would change.
Taney had a very good argument against Dred Scott. Slaves weren't counted as people under the law at that time, so no, Dred could not argue in a court. Also, slaves under the law WERE property and so it could be argued that the Missouri Compromise was in violation of the fifth amendment. So by the case, the judges only had two decisions: say that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional or say that slavery was wrong and should be abolished. In a way, Taney was putting the offer on the table. Unfortunately it didn't work out in the favor he would have liked, but it did show the mindset at the time. Slavery was a blot on America's "freedom" stance, and this case was one that would further make progress. It was one baby step to something more. Freedom for all.
Something I learned that I did not know about Dred Scott, was that instead of him fighting to get himself free he was fighting for the freedom of his family. Another thing would be is that in class as Dr. Moffett stated in class was that Dred had two daughters and while the trial was going on they were not allowed to keep the money that they earned instead they had to give it to the sheriff.
ReplyDeleteThere are many ways to define just one word. All of these meanings depend on what the person who is actually listening. Being a slave could be physical control or mental control. I think Dred Scott was a very smart man by defending himself and his family in court. He was a very great influence to all. Words will always have 3 different meanings and will affect everyone in different ways.
ReplyDeleteI learned that Dred Scott had to hide in a box to get to freedom. I didn't even know who Dred was fully until yesterday when Dr. Moffett explained what happened to him. I learned that Dred Scott fought for his freedom and it was easier to understand when Dr. Moffett interacted with us and split the classroom in half from the free to the enslaved.
ReplyDeleteLaci Midgley- I learned that Dred Scott was not as selfish as I presumed, he cared and fought for freedom for his family. He had a wife and two children to care for, and they acted together as a family to fight through the trial. Words are the most important thing in this world, If it wasn't for words we would not have education. Words created our foundation on history, science, and other subjects. In modern times, pop culture has changed the meaning of words. We have so many different definitions, or better said as, interpretations of words that we are in a way decreasing our level knowledge through time. Some examples are ratchet, word, hot, and etc. After your astounding visitation and lecture, I have wondered if Dred Scott's family have carried on to being an activist for rights and freedoms. Also, did Congress create any laws concerning slavery that was derived from the Dred Scott Case?
ReplyDeleteI think that Dred Scott's intelligence in handling this situation enlightened us that our education is imperative us. It really gave additional motivation to excel in my schoolwork.I thank you for visiting our class and giving us inside info into the situation. You gave us a lot info outside the boundaries of the textbook. -How did Dred Scott have the brilliance to figure out he could take this to court?Is it possible he sneaked books to get his education?
ReplyDeleteI learned that Dred Scott has a wife and two kids. He filed a lawsuit against his owner because he traveled to Wisconsin where slavery was banned by the Missouri Compromise. When he had to go back, he refused and sued because he believed he was a free man.
ReplyDeleteGoing a little off topic, I also learned that words have many different meanings. Overtime people create new definition to words. Most of the time, the change has a bad connotation. For example, the word “gay” means happy but people gave a new connotation for the word which means homosexual.
Since your visit with our class, I have pondered the meaning of different words and how each word could have more than one meaning. For example, cheese could mean the actually food cheese or some people could say that they have a lot of cheddar meaning money. Words now can have literal and cultural meanings so we have to know what context it is being used in.
ReplyDeleteDr Moffett,
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting our classroom and supplying us with a deeper understanding of the Dred Scott case. When you asked us the question of what we learned, I couldn't come up with a response quick enough. This was because, not only did you answer our questions and taught the class but, you provided us with even more thought provoking questions that changes our views toward a lot of things. All the information that you supplied us with, in a stylish fashion, was quite overwhelming. I, myself, got a good insight on what type of person Dred was and why he did what he did. You get "unfeigned" with the students to, not only grab but, steal the class's attention. You stimulated our thought in a way that no textbook could ever do. Thank you, Dr. Moffett.
Wow!
DeletePJ: your comments touch the core of my soul as a professor-teacher of content and pedagogy. I have always believed that the subject of history and the social sciences is where we have a chance to learn from the past to ensure a better future!
However, it begins and ends with respect the student and subject as equal partners in the process of stimulation toward knowledge acquisition through high order inquiry.
I am humbled to know that my unfeigned appreciation of you may have been matched by you for me!
The beauty of the word choice to describe my connection is very appreciated because that is my life story. I am geniune and I connect with youth because I do not nor will not forget what my life has taught me about living and learning in this social order.
I hope that your thoughts are representative of the whole because I am truly humbled and respect your selection of terms to describe my inner-core and its representative relationship to what I tried to share with you all
The history of the root word (FEIGN) suggests the following:
"1250–1300; Middle English fei ( g ) nen < Old French feign-, present stem of feindre < Latin fingere to shape, invent, feign"
You are absolutely correct-I am unfeigned!
I really enjoyed your lecture and it taught me a lot about the Dredd Scott case. Your lecture gave me a new perspective on how words can be interpreted and how important word selection can be. I also learned how important questioning is. I was wondering what you think about the terms kids use nowadays, and how the English language is progressing? Your lecture was very informative and helpful and I look forward to the next time you can come and speak to our class.
ReplyDeleteWhat did you learn that you did not know?
ReplyDeleteI learned that Dred Scott had a strong and inspiring love for his wife and daughters.
How does the knowledge shape your capacity to raise questions about the meaning of words?
It makes me think a lot about what to say and how to say certain things. You should always care about how you say things to people or how to question people. Words are powerful. Words are weapons to use to express your knowledge about a certain subject.
What are some questions that you have pondered since my visit to your class?
I wonder how Dred Scott would have found people who support his beliefs. It wasn't fair that he had to go through everything that he went through. People are people and that's that. It wasn't fair. Dred Scott loved his family very much and it showed. Dred Scott proves that if you love something or want something to be a certain way you should fight for what you believe in.
I learned that Dred Scott was not just a man, he was a standard that was set for black people at the time. I learned that the word slavery was not just for African American people. I learned that slavery has a bad connotation towards black people. One of the main questions I have for you is: Why are you so interested or What interest you the most about Social Studies?
ReplyDeleteHow does the knowledge shape your capacity to raise questions about the meaning of words?
ReplyDeleteKnowledge is the acquaintance with facts, truths, and principles as from study or investigation. The key part of this investigation and study because in order to do either of these things you must ask questions. Words give power and transform those with the knowledge to use them into powerful people. People that know how to decipher and probe the use of words learn how strong a word can become when used in the correct context of a situation; the word slavery usually would make people think of a people not a condition. Hitler, leader of the third Reich of Germany during the 30's and 40's used words that were duplicitous and able to deceive those into the illusion that they were superior to others. In ambitious people knowledge leads them to ask questions; the path they choose may make them famous or infamous on how they choose to word and use those words.
Thank you Dr. Moffett and Mr. Conway for taking your time to come to our class and presenting to us your thoughts and knowledge you had available. I greatly enjoyed the presentations and gained a great deal from them. You two were so enthusiastic about your presentations that it took a grasp of me and made me want to learn and think about the subject at hand. I learned that all words have three meanings to them. How we view the word, the dictionary meaning of the word, and how our society views the word popularly. For example the word used in class "wack" Dr. Moffett used the word as a synonym as crazy or insane while Mr. Conway used the dictionary meaning that would be to hit or to strike, and also how society popularly uses it is how Dr. Moffett used it. I have no questions that i have to ask becuase you gave me so much information that i do not need to ask any further questions. Thank you for coming - Krystian Garcia 3rd period Civics.
ReplyDeleteHello Dr. Moffett, is Cedierdra', one of the students who is heading to freedom. Well, yesterday I was very interested in the class discussion. i learned that Dred Scott had a family, and that is the reason why he sued. He was also very intelligent because, he knew that he could be considered as a free person since he had stepped foot on free land. I also learned that a word had three meanings: the dictionary definition, what you think it means, and what your culture think it means. i also learned that you like grape juice. Thank you for your time and effort in teaching our classes.
ReplyDeleteDr Moffett
ReplyDeleteI learned a lot of what was said when you have visited our fourth period class yesterday. I learned that Dred Scott deserved that he was a free man cause he had stepped foot on free land. What I also learned that was not in our textbook was he had a wife and two kids something I would have never guess that he had. When you spoke I noticed you made it really fun for me to understand more clearly at the lesson at hand. I really hope to see back in our class because I learned a lot just from the way you spoke to our class.
Dr. Moffett,
ReplyDeleteDuring your visit I learned that Dredd Scott had a wife and children. I love how there is a love story behind this case, it tells me that the case isn't just about a man that stood up for himself, it is about a man that stood up for his family. A question I pondered during your discussion is: What part of his family do you think he stood up for? Did Dred Scott stand up for the love of his children, or the love of his wife? (Oh, by the way, I learned which way north is from where I'm standing.)
-Brianna Thompson
I learned that Dred Scott had a greater motivation than just his personal freedom. Dred Scott was already a free man, because man could neither enslave him intellectually nor psychologically. He had a family. A wife and two daughter, who were him main reasons why his desire to be a free man was so profound.
ReplyDeleteI also learned the three definitions of a word: dictionary, secular and personal.
Did the case affect his family? and do you think it affected the aspirations of his daughters?
Hi Dr. Moffett, I am Shakyra and I really enjoyed your lesson yesterday on Dred Scott. I learned a couple new things, one is that Dred Scott had a wife. I had never heard about or saw her. Another is that a word has three meanings; What society thinks, what you think, and what the Dictionary says. The knowledge of the Three definitions of word to me means that it can come across differently to different people because of the different meanings. One question I have pondered upon is that since he had been taken to the free lands would be considered free in your opinion?
ReplyDeleteI learned that Dred Scott had a wife, Harriet Scott, and two daughters. I also learned that all words have three meanings: the dictionary meaning, what we think it means, and the popular culture meaning.
ReplyDeleteDear Dr. Moffett,
ReplyDeleteI was highly astonished when you started to speak, I could tell right away that your words were going to be very deep about the subject.
When you told us to stand, close our eyes, and turn the way we thought led to freedom, really helped visualize how it was for a person, who was being held as a slave, to decide what way to go not knowing much of where they were going.
I strongly agree with your statement that Dred Scott was not a slave, no one in those times was one, so I would not refer to him as "slave". He was being held captive one and treated as one (very unfairly), I am not ignorant of that, but that fact is of no matter. He was a human being, as equal as all of us.
I can not imagine the strong fear that he felt when he filed a suit, still obtaining the title "slave", But all honor and recognition shall be given to him for bravery, courage, and strength. Also love towards his family, I am completely sure that his act was determined by the fact that he had a family to support.
Thank you for teaching us in depth about Dred Scott.
DeleteI am humbled to know that trying to give you my best matters to you about the subject of the lesson and the content's impact on your thinking!
This is very important to know that the word slave should not cause you to think of any group of people or race of people; rather a condition that is imposed upon people. The laws of the U.S. prior to the passing of the 13th Amendment to our constitution enable the condition of involuntary servitude to exist.
I learned that there were 3 meanings to each word which are what you think it means, dictionary meanings, and the popular culture meaning. These can help because me and the one I'm having a conversation with will be on the same page. Since Dredd Scott was considered property I did not know he was able to sue anyone. How many years was he held in Slavery ? And since you like grape juice so much, didn't slaves pick grapes and make it themselves ?
ReplyDeleteThis samantha ahrens. Sorry had to use my brothers
ReplyDeleteDread Scott is a great an because he just not fought for his freedom but his family freedom. For his family being mostly woman and black most of been hard. I leared so much thank you. I mostly like the how talk and show Dread scott.
I learned that a word bears three meanings; the dictionary definition, the way society defines it, and what you as an individual believe what it means. It has also been brought to my attention that slave is more of a state of being, rather than a way to describe a person who is property. 'Involuntary servant' is indeed a better term to use. What had been mentioned about Dred Scott's actual purpose of taking a stand is another interesting fact. Your visit had been immensely informative and I had been fascinated throughout the whole session.
ReplyDeleteThanks for spending time time with us and teaching us the true meaning of the Dred Scott and how he escaped. I didn't know she had a wife and children at all.i also know that a word has three meanings. I will use this to answer and ask questions better.
ReplyDeleteDear Dr. Moffett,
ReplyDeleteI was absent the day off your visit to our classroom and I sincerely regret this. There was a classroom discussion on Wednesday 26, 2014 about your visit the day before. Since I failed to be in school during your lecture I watched the videos that were on your blog. Although they were not a substitute for a college professor as yourself speaking they were very informative.
From my prior knowledge I was aware that politicians and all people in general will do what is necessary to gain what they want an example of this is gerrymandering. What I learned from this video was that in certain situations even our commander in chief will lie, cheat, and deceive others. Also in our classroom discussion I learned that there are the three meanings to words. There is denotation which is the dictionary meaning of a word. Then there is your own personal meaning to the word. Finally the most important in my eyes is the connotation or societal meaning of a word.
This is the most important to me because what you think about a word does not matter to the rest of the world. If you use a word that has a negative connotation but is positive in your mind then you could offend others. Also words have power and if you misuse this power the effects could be horrible. Some of the "worst" people in the world were the best with words. The charismatic genius Hitler used his words to cause a holocaust this is an example of how powerful words can be.
Question: If President James Buchanan figuratively twisted one of the supreme court justice's arm to choose proslavery then why was this vote valid?
Dear Doctor Moffett,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Max Kilgore. I am terribly sorry I was not at school the two days you were speaking for our class. I had gotten my teeth pulled and was at home resting. While I regret that I did not get the chance to hear you speak about the matter, I did take it upon myself to look up the "Dred Scott Case" and read it over. In this reading I learned that Dred Scott was an African American slave who's owner had him living in different parts of the country, some of which had abolished slavery. His owner passed away in a northern state leaving Dred Scott a free man. Later he ventured back to Missouri to visit the owners widowed wife and family and help them out. The brother of the owner returned home from New York and wanted Scott to remain with his family as a slave once more. Scott, having already been a free man once, was not going back to the shackles of slavery. This event sparked a court case that debated whether or not Scott was considered a free man. Unfortunately, Dred Scott lost this case and was forced back into slavery.
I am again dearly sorry I was not able to attend and wish I could have. Thank you for taking the time to visit my classroom and talking about this case in depth. It is a big help :).
~sincerely,
Vincent Max Kilgore
I appreciate your post and I look forward to discussing Plessy v. Ferguson!
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