What I found most interesting in this episode was how the speaker says that with certain songs from black artists, you can hear the different emotions in the singing. The words and the music can either show sadness, happiness, angry, and even hope. The power behind music is amazing.

I find it interesting that the big name of Jim Crow was created because of a white man painting himself black and singing a tune that a black man in a barn was singing. I did not know that the name Jim Crow had anything to do with music. I find it so sad that this type of music had become so popular but its success originated from a white man, when it is classified as black music. Especially white men singing these sings based on how they think black people would have sang them.

What does it mean to be human? After exploring the human origins exhibit I was faced with hundreds of different responses to that question. The response that I liked the most was from Ephrata Public Library. This person’s response was that “being human is to develop and evolve.” I liked this one because from what we know, humans have been evolving since the beginning of time. For a long time, humans have developed and changed so many time to be the version that we are today. Not only do humans change physically, but in every other aspect as well. Emotionally, mentally, socially. The world as we know it changes daily and as humans we are made to have to conform to its changes. There have been so many developments in our lives that people are forced to make them the new normal. If humans did not evolve on certain habits we would still be walking everywhere, writing letters to friends, hunting and gathering, and living in homes that are structurally unsafe. Even when certain human developments aren’t the best, humans adapt to them and either choose to make it better or they don’t. In another 100 years humans will continue to evolve and adapt to the fast changing world. In the world that we live in, being able to develop and evolve is crucial, that’s why they are words that describe what is means to be human.

On this weeks episode of 1619 I learned that the Mississippi River brought so much life, while also bringing so much death. Its muddy waters created soils so rich that they led to the expansion of cotton unlike anything that the world has seen. It also helped to fuel the modern American economy. It helped with the success for the white men. However, it also led to the pain and suffering of black people who got stuck having to do the real work within the cotton industry. I find it interesting that a body of water can control so many different things. The river controls how each mans life will be, either successful, or slaving away doing manual labor. These enslaved African Americans were stuck spending 10 hours just pulling the seeds out of one plant and not receiving any benefit from it. These workers were the reason the cotton industry flourished, yet they didn’t get any of the credit.

What I found most interesting about this episode of 1619 was that Lincoln, even though he was against slavery, he was also against black political and social equality. Lincoln wanted African Americans to be shipped back to a different country after they had been saved from slavery. It was surprising to here that Lincoln had said that he thought African Americans were a troublesome presence and incompatible with the democracy that was designed for white people. It was incredibly shocking to hear that a man who is known for emancipating slaves did not care for them at all. This makes you think of the real intentions of other people with political power who were fighting for the freedom of slaves.

In this week I learned a few things about slavery while listening to the New York Times podcast. It was very sad while hearing that these African Americans who had been ripped from their homes would never see their loved ones again. That just based on the color of their skin they would become slaves in a country that they did not want to go to. I could not imagine being on a boat going to an unknown place and not knowing what was waiting for me there. The fear that these individuals felt is a feeling I could never imagine.

My name is Alexis Sabatelle and I am a junior at SUNY Cortland. I am working on my dual major in Social Studies Teaching and History. I have always been fascinated in the worlds history and how we have gotten to where we are now in present time.

I am most interested in United States History, however, I want to broaden my interests and learn about other countries and their culture. I am interested in learning about Africa because I feel like it is one topic that is not talked about much in high school or other history classes. Since I have such a fascination with how people today have gotten to where they are today, I want to learn about how those from Africa, or still in Africa, have gotten to where they are now and their struggles as well as triumphs. I am excited to learn about those from Africa and their cultures.

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.

— Oscar Wilde.

This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.