Final project

What does freedom really mean? That's the question we've been exploring all semester through films, documentaries, mock trials, and more. We ended up breaking down each component of our learning journey.

Movies and Documentaries

Throughout the semester, we watched two major films and four documentaries . The films Gone with the Wind and In the Heat of the Night  provided us with a better understanding of topics we were studying, including women's rights and racial segregation. These movies gave us an opportunity to reflect on the material in a more emotional and visual way. The documentaries were equally impactful. We learned about the Reconstruction era, which represented America's greatest opportunity to truly become a land of freedom and equality. We explored the domestic slave trade and its devastating effects on families and communities. The documentary on the Great Migration showed us how African Americans sought freedom by moving north, only to face continued racial segregation in housing and employment discrimination. 

Blogs

The key things I took away from the blog posts were time management, creative writing skills, and the important use of AI. During the semester I liked how each blog post was a little bit different. Some being fully AI, with some tweeks here and there, and others being all our original words. The ones with all my own words on what I observed from watching the movies helped me get creative with my writing and the ones that were AI helped me get creating using AI. knowing the right way to talk to it to get me the right information. 

Mock trials/ Eoto

When we did the mock trials I felt very engaged when listing and presenting  it gave me a better understanding of the topic. Using Ai to create the script was also very interesting. Also when we had a trial on plessy vs ferguson that was really cool when one group argued for segregation while the other argued against it, which forced us to understand both perspectives deeply. I like that we had to dress in proper attire and speak to class like  we were in an actual court room.This level of professionalism made me take the material seriously and truly understand the legal arguments that shaped American history. When we presented and did the research and talked to the class about the topic helped give us a better understanding about it. It was much more engaging than sitting through a lecture because I was able to teach myself and get an understanding in order to teach everyone else. I also think that by doing an EOTO, it made me more comfortable presenting and talking in front of a larger group of people. 

Use of AI

Using Ai was a big thing that changed how we  presented our work and how more organized it made everything. When making the script it made it really easy with fitting all the information into the certain time frame that I wanted it to be .  It was a really good tool even when we had made videos there were definitely some cons though when we ended up making the videos AI put pictures that didn't relate to the topic at all. Another con with ai was that sometimes it wouldn't give us all the information that we needed.which meant we had to carefully review everything and make corrections.

Looking back on this semester, this course taught us to balance traditional learning with modern technology. AI was a valuable tool for organizing our work and creating scripts, but we learned its limitations too. The moments when AI fell short taught us we had to get creative on how to manipulate it to give us the work that we want. As we leave this course, we take with us not just historical knowledge, but skills in presenting, writing, research, and AI that will serve us well beyond this classroom. Thank you for your time.

Mock trial reaction post

The 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case asked a fundamental question: Should states be allowed to separate children in schools by race? The arguments on both sides revealed deep divisions in American society.

Arguments Against Segregation

Those challenging segregation built their case on the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause, arguing that "all men are created equal" must apply to education. They presented powerful evidence that segregated schools were far from equal. Black students attended schools with broken windows and received poor education while white students enjoyed better facilities and resources. The median income for Black families was significantly lower than white families, perpetuating cycles of poverty through educational inequality.

Beyond physical conditions, opponents of segregation argued it caused psychological damage to children. When you separate students by race, they don't understand the concept of working together or seeing each other as equals. Segregation divides communities and teaches children that some people are inferior based on skin color. Furthermore, they argued that segregated schools divided the entire nation, making true unity impossible. The law established in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) claiming "separate but equal" had failed schools were separate but never equal.

School children stand in line at the
Barnard School in Washington, D.C., in May of 1955

Arguments Supporting Segregation

Defenders of segregation relied heavily on precedent and tradition. They cited Plessy v. Ferguson's "separate but equal" doctrine, claiming the Constitution protects equal rights without requiring integration. Some even invoked biblical arguments supporting separation of races.

Parents testified that segregation kept their children safe at school. They warned of practical consequences: wealthy white families would remove their children from integrated schools, and the transition would cause massive job losses, leaving many Black workers unemployed. Justice, they argued, should honor tradition rather than impose sudden social change.

The Verdict's Impact

The Supreme Court ultimately ruled unanimously that segregated schools violated the 14th Amendment, declaring that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. This decision acknowledged that segregation's true harm went beyond physical facilities. It damaged children's hearts and minds, making equal education impossible.

Ai disclousure- used Claude ai to organize the notes I took from the mock trial. put in pictures and added subheadings and links.