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What is the democratic path toward justice?
The Declaration of Independence promised in 1776 equality for all men, but in a nation that supposedly pursued justice, the ground was far from even. Fights for civil rights throughout the 19th century proved that justice was not at the forefront of the nation's founding, as America struggled to live up to its promised ideal of equality. Several lessons from historical civil rights battles can still be applied to America today. These methods of reform sprouted from notions that appeared revolutionary at the time, but later came to be viewed justly. During the summer of 2022, House Divided Project interns Charlotte Goodman, Gracie Perine, Jordan Schucker, and Forbes created this website as a model for students completing the Knowledge for Freedom Seminar hosted by Dickinson College. This website contains three separate close readings of relevant documents with embedded videos, in addition to a final essay which discusses a necessary balance between political strategies to achieve changes in a democratic government. By analyzing these works, the interns discovered that the best way to achieve just change is found somewhere in the intersection of radical and pragmatic approaches to political action. We hope this website will help students learn about the fights for freedom and justice in the Civil War Era and beyond.
The Declaration of Independence promised in 1776 equality for all men, but in a nation that supposedly pursued justice, the ground was far from even. Fights for civil rights throughout the 19th century proved that justice was not at the forefront of the nation's founding, as America struggled to live up to its promised ideal of equality. Several lessons from historical civil rights battles can still be applied to America today. These methods of reform sprouted from notions that appeared revolutionary at the time, but later came to be viewed justly. During the summer of 2022, House Divided Project interns Charlotte Goodman, Gracie Perine, Jordan Schucker, and Forbes created this website as a model for students completing the Knowledge for Freedom Seminar hosted by Dickinson College. This website contains three separate close readings of relevant documents with embedded videos, in addition to a final essay which discusses a necessary balance between political strategies to achieve changes in a democratic government. By analyzing these works, the interns discovered that the best way to achieve just change is found somewhere in the intersection of radical and pragmatic approaches to political action. We hope this website will help students learn about the fights for freedom and justice in the Civil War Era and beyond.
About the Authors
Charlotte Goodman, Gracie Perine, Jordan Schucker, and Forbes are interns at the House Divided Project for the Teagle Knowledge for Freedom Seminar during the summer of 2022. They worked together to construct this website with models of Close Readings, Embedded Videos, and a Final Essay.