Unit Reflections Blog One

In chapter 1, I learned three interesting facts about Africa that I never knew before. The first fact that I learned is that Mansa Musa was the greatest ruler of Mali and the richest man that ever lived. The second fact that I learned is that the ancient Egyptians could have been Africans. The final fact is that Ghana, Mali, and Songhay all had an economy based on trade. I found these facts the most interesting in chapter 1, because they open my eyes to understanding the different societies and kingdoms that the continent of Africa has had and still to this day.

In chapter 2, I learned about the difference between how slavery was in Africa and how it was in America. In Africa slavery was basically what people called a waged slave. In continuation, slaves in Africa were treated as human beings and were taken care of and were even released when their debts, crimes, and or capture through war has been repaid. In America slaves were treated like expendable property, and when the item breaks the masters threw them away. This interested me the most in chapter 2, because it showed me the parallels between slavery Africa and how it came to be in America.

In chapter 3, we learned about professor Sertima who gave the theory that Africans may have arrived in the new world before Cristopher Columbus. In Sertima's theory the Olmecs populated central and South America and were descendants from Africa. Sertima's theory was dismissed and scorned as pseudohistory, people did not want to believe that Africans founded America before Columbus. Furthermore, this reminds me of chapter 1 when the ancient Egyptians were thought to be Africans. This is why I found Sertima's theory the most interesting in chapter 3, because this is on two occasions where the majority of people dismissed the idea that Africans started these points in history.

In chapter 4, what I found the most interesting was the paradox of the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence states that "All men are created equal and have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". The hypocrisy of this statement is that freedom is only guaranteed to the white man and not to slaves. Although, the Revolutionary War ended black people were still in chains even after all their accomplishments to help end the war. It won't be until the Thirteenth Amendment is passed that black people finally gain their freedom from slavery. Its interesting that the founding fathers were willing to fight for their freedom, but would not give the slaves theirs.