Harlem Riots and Ferguson Riots

The way that both the Harlem Riots and Ferguson Riots started are eerily similar.  In the case of the 1964 Harlem Riots James Powell a teenager was shot and killed by an off duty police officer after allegedly brandishing a knife.  A man with multiple awards for stopping an armed suspect, shot and killed the teen out of fear for his life.  The similar circumstances in the Michael Brown case is scary, Michael Brown was shot and killed by an officer, after Brown allegedly went for the officers gun.  The end results are once again similar, as people took to the streets and started to riot.

Destruction of Gotham: The Mushroom

The word from the passage on page 34 of the text that i would focus on is "mushroom".  The word is used to describe Matherson.  Miller talks about how "mushrooms grow, and from reeking compost of it".  What this means is exactly what it sounds like Matherson came from a "reeking compost" a lower class, but even in this type of environment where nothing else could grow, Matherson was like a "mushroom" he was able to grow in the bleakest of conditions. Earlier in the story when we are in the city for the first time, Miller uses it to describe the citizens of New York, the conditions in which people must live and try to thrive in. This was probably more literal, since at this point there was no plumbing so people threw feces out their widows down below, and garbage overflowed, there were rat problems, yet people still lived and grew in these conditions.

1935 Harlem Riots

The Harlem Riots of 1935 was triggered by a small event that never really happened the way it was rumored to have gone down.  A 12 year old Lino Rivera was caught stealing a piece of candy, he was arrested and allegedly beaten.  Rumors them began to spread thag Rivera was publicly beat and killed by a police officer. This sparked an emotional response from the misinformed people, but the misinformation was not the problem, the problem was blacks not being offered jobs at retail stores they can shop at because of the color of their skin. No job equals no money, which leads to housing problems and issues with providing for the family. This rumor was just the last straw that broke the camels back and let loose a flood of emotions, it was what was needed for the people to react to the problems they felt were unjust.

Caesar's Column: The Gorgeous Shell

In Caesar's Column by Ignatius L. Donnelly, Donelly describes the rich as a "gorgeous shell" then proceeds to say that "it is a mockery".  What Donnelly means by this is that on the surface, the rich present themselves as well civilized and kind people, but this is a false "shell" on the inside they are closer to that of "dead men's bones".  They are a cruel and uncaring bunch, only thinking of themselves, and never thinking about how their actions affect others.  Men and women are capable of good, we have gained knowledge and experience over time to learn rightnd wrong.  Yet with all this civility some people are still cruel to one another, and others allow themselves to be corrupted. This is true within the novel, the people who are well dressed, present themselves as cultured, and are considered beautiful, are the people with the cruelest intent. They gain their fortunes by stepping on the back of the poor, they have no regards for rules and break the law because they can get away with it. The outer appearance of their beauty and civility is a lie, because within this beauty is malice.

The Destruction of Gotham

"The Destruction of Gotham" by Joaquin Miller is a very cruel and real story. The manner in which the characters are written gives credence to their believability in our reality. The passage we focused on was that of the newspaper reporter, the man who see the things that go on in the city.  In the passage the reporter is a spectator to everything that is occurring between the two young men, the lady, and the officer.  He witnessed as the officer stood by, took the bribe of the young man with no recourse, and watched him leave.  This fits into the plot of the story because it foreshadows things to come for the protagonist. The phrase "Saw a man and moster exchange glances; saw that all was well understood - this young man, this New Yorker, would deman and recieve of the old monster an account of her stewardship." (16) Is what sets up the whole story. It tells you that this young man, who has money, feels he can do anything with it. This includes claiming ownership over the beautiful young girl. This locks into a bigger idea that Miller has in this story, he writes "A course man of this city once remarked, with more force than grammer, 'That in New York a man can live as many lives as he has money.' Matherson now lived many lives, for he had much money"(37).  He is saying that a person who has money can get away with doing what they want, become who they want, and live however  they want. It ties back to the first passage, as he claims the girl and bribes the officer to stave him from trouble. Money is the one thing that lets him do whatever he wants. This comes back to the report, who from the shadows, is once again a witness to all that is happening to the poor girl.

The Great Railroad Riots of 1877: communism

There is an interesting passage in "The Great Railroad Riots of 1877 by Joel T. Headley, in it he brings up communism.  Headley makes a point to tell us what his definition of a communist is and goes into a discussion about it. The reason I found this point interesting was because the points that he made, which sound positive, he paints in a negative light. Certain points in his principle of what he considers a communist, is something that we now strife to achieve for everybody today. Now we believe in equality, we are currently fighting so that no one person has special rights or privileges over another person due to their place in society. We have   These are the very thing that If you would have brought up in the 1800's, would have caused you to be labeled a communist. Do we then let this opportunity go to waste? Should we continue to push for more equality and transparency in today's society? As it stands the rich still have special privileges and rights over the rest of us. It can be seen when a teen arrested for carrying a small amount of marijuana is given more jail time, then that of bankers who committed fraud and never see the inside of a cell. So we still have a long way to go, but  at the very least we are taking steps in the right direction.

Flour Riot

The Flour Riot of 1837 by Joel T. Headley gives us insight at what happens when people are pushed into a corner, and how far they will go for what they believe is right.  The riot that occurred during 1837 was set off by a series of events and its effects, such as the great fire that caused a shortage of crop, which lead to a scarcity of flour, which in turn lead to the cost of a barrel of flour to go up, and finally causing  greed to taking over as owners withheld excess barrels of flour in order to drive prices higher.  The price of flour and cost of living were too much for those below the poverty line to bear, their families were starving and they were finding it hard to care for them properly. Then for them to read in the newspapers as to what those with money were doing to line their pockets further, was what pushed them towards the ledge. At this point it only takes one person to speak words of "encouragement", to rally them behind their agenda, people like Alexander Ming Jr.  Whether their intentions are good or bad is for you to decide, but it doesn't take much to whip a crowd into a frenzy in the heat of the moment.  Morals are thrown away and passion over takes them, as they decide to destroy Hart & Co for their flours and wheat.  Neither side has theor hands clean in this sad display of human behavior. One side has led greed take precedents over remotely caring what happens to those that will likely starve, only caring about themselves and their riches. The other side has let their passion get the better of them as they turn monstrous with every action taken, to even throw the very thing that they are fighting for out the window and have it go to waste on the floor.  It is then that we must ask ourselves, must we become something we are not in order to right a wrong? Or is there a better way of finding the solution to these problems without losing our morals and beliefs?