Amazing Grace

Dear Readers--

This is it! This is my last Honors 240 blog post! It is in response to the film Amazing Grace and it discusses why the abolition of the slave trade and of slavery itself was such a lengthy process. I don't think it's really my best post, but enjoy anyway (as much as a discussion of slavery can be enjoyed)!

Amazing Grace

Beginning with the European Age of Exploration, which had its start in the fourteen hundreds and continued to accelerate in the fifteen hundreds and sixteen hundreds, the stakes of the European economy (which over the centuries has evolved into what we now call the world economy) were significantly raised. Just a few hundred years before, Europe was a fractured society that survived on feudalism and agriculture. With the dawn of the Renaissance, Europe was fast becoming a sophisticated civilization whose economic hands reached far beyond the fields and pastures. The increased trade with Asia (especially China) brought a wealth of information (most importantly the knowledge preserved and developed by Islamic scholars) and commodities. The royalty, nobility, and the beginnings of the middle class realized that they were missing out on a lot of “stuff.” Thus, the economy grew. As European explorers discovered and conquered new lands, they realized that European nations could exploit the resources of these new lands and become leaders in the growing “world economy” (I hesitate to use that term in reference to this historical period, but I suppose I’ll use it cautiously anyway), perhaps even superior to the empires of the East. Thus, the economy continued to grow. Western Europe was becoming uncomfortably crowded anyway, and so colonies were established and settled in the New World and elsewhere. It was quickly evident, however, that even the excess of Europe could not adequately exploit the vastness of these new lands for all that they could give, nor provide what the motherland, Europe, demanded. A solution needed to be found. That solution was slavery.

Of course this is a very linear, oversimplified version of history, but it is a good explanation of how and why African slavery came to be, at least according to my understanding. Well, those European explorers/settlers/company owners/slave ship captains/slave merchants/slave owners were correct. The incorporation of slavery as a foundation for the quickly growing economy was a very effective means of exploiting the newly acquired land and the resources therein. The rich American soil, owned by English colonists and tilled, seeded, worked, and harvested by African Slaves, nourished many lucrative cash crops—first tobacco and later cotton, indigo, rice, et cetera. The more tropical lands to the south, including the islands of the Caribbean and the South American continent were perfect for coffee and sugar. Agriculture in the new world was much more than friendly Indians teaching helpless pilgrims to fertilize their fields with fish bones and plant them with corn, beans, and pumpkins which grow nicely together and make for a pleasant thanksgiving feast. No, agriculture in the new world was a massive and very successful commercial endeavor. All this was made possible by the institution of slavery. As the colonies expanded and the economy continued to grow, the slave trade continued to flourish so that fresh labor could be supplied. Even Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin in the early nineteenth century, which was meant to reduce the labor necessary for cotton production, stimulated a boom in the slave trade because plantation owners (as a result of the cotton gin) expanded their vision of what they could produce and so expanded their labor force.

Yes, by the nineteenth century, more than two hundred years after the establishment of African slavery in the new world, the European economy continued to grow, as did the economy of newly independent America. England abolished its slave trade early on in the century. Other European powers followed suit or else had already done so. It took America quite a bit longer to follow that example. But why did it take so long for these Western nations to see the light, so to speak, and eradicate a practice that we now so easily recognize as evil? Well, because their economy was huge, it was built on the backs of slaves, its future health depended on the continued exploitation of slaves, and the health of the national and global economy is very important to every nation, no matter where or when in history. Reinforced by, and conversely contributing to, the sway of those economic motivations was a slew of theological and ethical views that confirmed (and, for many people, encouraged) the institution of slavery. It is very difficult for us to conceive how thoroughly integrated was the institution of slavery in the world economy. Even those areas where slavery was not practiced were completely dependent on the raw materials that slaves produced. The best contemporary analogy that I can think of (and this isn’t a very good analogy) is this: the complete and sudden elimination of slavery in the nineteenth century would be comparable to the complete and sudden elimination of gasoline today. The combination of economic, theological, and political reinforcements of the institution of slavery made it so difficult for the slave trade to be abolished.

--Christian Jacob Frandsen

P.S. I don't have a video for you. Sorry. But I would like to say that I plan on revisiting these topics on occasion in future posts. Yes, I wrote these posts because they were assigned and I had a regular deadline. In the future, when I don't have the pressure of time, I'll write more and perhaps go in new directions, beyond the scope of these original prompts. So be sure to continue to read!

Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

Dear Readers--

This is my second to last Honors 240 blog post! Enjoy!

Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address

Lincoln’s second inaugural address is a beautiful piece of prose. Just as his speech was brief, this post will be brief. In fact this post will be much briefer than his address. Still, I want to put down a few thoughts. First of all, I am amazed by the charity—the genuine love—that Lincoln expresses in his speech. I’m sure it took a lot of courage to do this, because there was obviously a lot of hatred for “the rebels” of the Confederacy within the citizenry of the union. But though his words would not likely bring him more popularity or approval, Lincoln said them anyway because they needed to be said. Furthermore, I am amazed by the courage it must have required for Lincoln to so plainly claim that the blame of the war fell not only on the faults of the south, but the faults of the north as well. Any other man might have pointed fingers, yet Lincoln did not. Lastly, I was inspired by Lincoln’s fervent desire, not just to win the war, but to heal the nation and seal up the rift that had torn the North and the South apart and his humble appeal to God to facilitate that healing. He was a remarkable man and this was a remarkable speech.

--Christian Jacob Frandsen

The First Vision in its Historical Context

Dear Reader--

Last week we discussed the Second Great Awakening and the First Vision. Naturally, the blog prompt was about these two events. Here are my thoughts.

One particular aspect of the Second Great Awakening that adds to my appreciation of the first vision (and the restoration as a whole), is the fervor—should I say craze?—that took place at the revivals. The list of exercises was especially amusing. I can’t imagine going to church (perhaps stake conference would be a more accurate analogy) and progressing sequentially through the falling exercise (collapsing into a semi-conscious state), the rolling exercise, the “jerks,” the barking exercise, the dancing exercise, and the laughing and singing exercise (performed with a countenance of joy and peace—a crucial clarification). One painting that Dr. Holzapfel included in the PowerPoint presentation really stood out. It depicted an outdoor sermon at a revival. The preacher was having a grand old time up on his platform, and the benches were full of frenzied members of the congregation exploding in hysterics or swooning and generally reacting violently to the sermon. It reminds me strikingly of the witchcraft practiced among the Bushmen of the Kalahari and other peoples in which medicine men or even ordinary people would work themselves into such a state during a ritual dance that they would pass out and have out of body experiences.

Well, whatever the nature of hysterics of the Second Great Awakening’s camp meetings, real or imagined, we as Latter-Day Saints know that they did not come from God. It is amazing to me that a fourteen year-old boy would be so honest with himself and so spiritually oriented that he would, one, see the hysteria happening around him and not fake the phenomenon in himself even for the sake of fitting in, two, realize that spirituality was so important even though he was not experiencing the same “spiritual manifestations” felt my so many of his neighbors, and three, have the courage and the persistence to actively seek out the truth. It is amazing and fitting and perfect that God would manifest himself to someone who someone who was not accustomed to such hysterics. That the Lord would visit one who sought the truth by study and by faith is a confirmation of my own testimony of the first vision and the Restoration.

--Christian

The Miracle of the Book of Mormon

Dear Readers--

Last week I had the great privilege of touring the Crandall Printing Museum, a small little place tucked away on Center Street. This museum is one of Provo's most valuable, but most unknown, treasures. I had never even heard of it until I read the Honors 240 syllabus back in January, but even then, I knew the name and nothing else. I had very low expectations of the museum--I predicted it would be a bit like the BYU Museum of People's and cultures. I thought it would have a few nice artifacts, some interesting explanatory notes to read, and a few kind docents but remain generally underwhelming. This was confirmed when I first saw it and realized how small it was. Well, I'm happy to say that my expectations were magnificently exceeded.

The tour began with a short lecture and demonstration on Gutenberg's development of the movable type printing press. And when I say demonstration, I mean the docent explained and showed (to the best of his ability considering the time we had) every step of creating just one tiny piece of type (a capital "B"), including fixing the mold into the hand type-cast and pouring molten printers' metal into the type cast to create a brand new piece of type that all of us in the tour could hold in our hands and pass around. The demonstration concluded with us actually pressing two pages of the Gutenberg bible--an exact replica of the original (I pulled the handle on the press--it was fun). I will never see Gutenberg the same way. He was truly a genius and truly inspired of God. What he achieved considering the technology and education of the time was brilliant--so brilliant that no one could surpass his model of the press (at least in terms of fundamental innovation) for more than three hundred years. I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father inspired talented and faithful men to invent and accomplish the things that paved the way for the restoration.

Next, we moved into a little recreation of Benjamin Franklin's printing shop, discussed his career as a printer, and learned about how influential printed literature was in fueling the revolution. There's a great quote that I can quite remember, but it went something like this: "It was the press, not the pistol that won the revolution."

Lastly, we enjoyed a presentation in a recreation of the print shop that produced the first edition of the Book of Mormon. We saw an a printing press of the exact make and model of the press that printed the Book of Mormon. We saw how the pages were configured on the press. We saw how the book was bound and finished. We heard some statistics that were completely mind-blowing--for seven months, the press was running eleven hours a day at two sheets a minute. A group of strapping young men from BYU could run the press at that pace for approximately fifteen minutes before they had to let up. Back in 1830, a team of fourteen year-old boys was running the press eleven hours a day. The pace of binding the five thousand copies of the first printing was even more impressive. The physical coming forth of the Book of Mormon was every bit as much of a miracle as the divinely inspired translation.

I don't quite know how to express my appreciation for this museum. I came out of it ecstatic and impressed and overwhelmed. I donated all the cash I had in my wallet (well, it was only five dollars, but the widow only had two mites, right?) and I encourage any of you who have the chance to visit the museum (and I hope all of you do, the next time you are in Provo) to donate. The Museum has received a sizable donation from the Church to expand, but requires more aid. President Monson hopes that, after the museum has finished it's expansion plans, every missionary in the Provo MTC will be able to go through the museum to gain such a tangible appreciation of the miracle of the Book of Mormon.

Let me know the next time you are in town, and I'll gladly go through again :-)

--Christian

P.S. I just recently got into "So You Think You Can Dance." I know it's not in season, and I don't even have a TV, but I discovered a couple clips on YouTube and was amazed. Here's one of my favorites that I've found so far:



Enjoy!

Women's Rights

Dear Readers--

It is difficult for me to write about women’s rights because I am not a woman and have never had to deal with the type of inequality that women faced in the nineteenth century. I think the key to really understanding and loving history is to draw a personal and emotional connection with the events. I guess I’ll just have to use my imagination this time.

From the beginning of the colonial period of American history, women always filled a very necessary role. The pilgrims and other folks weren’t moving into a nice, new, developed neighborhood across the Atlantic. They were settling an unsettled (at least by their European standard) land. They were fighting for survival and everyone was needed. Men worked hard and women worked hard and equality was generally enjoyed. Any legal inequalities that surely existed between men and women were not likely to be pressing aggravations because both genders had to work so hard to build and maintain society.

As the colonial period ended and the new nation got to its feet, the feminine role underwent a shift. The concept of Republican Motherhood was born, and women were valued because they had the power to bring new Americans into the world and raise them to be model citizens. I’m sure that women’s rights activists from any era would have much to say about Republican Motherhood for good or for bad, but I’m not going to guess or address what such activists might say, nor pass any judgment on Republican Motherhood. Frankly, I don’t know enough about it to determine if it created any significant or oppressive inequality between men and women. The point is, women still enjoyed a respected role in society and were considered useful in that role.

After a few decades, the novelty of the Revolution and new government and the accompanying concept of Republican Motherhood seemed to wear off. By this time, European-settled America had a two hundred-year history and survival was no longer an issue (excepting those on the frontier). All along the East coast, intense labor on the part of both genders was no longer necessary for the economic well-being of the nation and society became economically/politically/et cetera dominated by men. From these conditions evolved a new concept to define the role of women (I wonder what concepts were created to define the role of men): the cult of domesticity. In this new way of looking at femininity, women were still on a pedestal, but no longer considered useful. Men considered their wives to be angels to bless and/or decorate their homes. Women received little education other than in the womanly arts taught at finishing schools. These finishing schools were not designed to help women contribute to society or enlarge their minds, but to help them win a man to put them up on that beautiful, feminine, pedestal. In other words, with the advent of the cult of domesticity, women found themselves in a situation that was undoubtedly unequal. The equity they enjoyed for almost or about two hundred years of American history was abolished.

Once women became aware of their diminished position in society, it was not long before the women’s rights movement began to form and mobilize. Remarkable women demanded and obtained education for themselves and worked to extend that same blessing to the rest of their sex. They gathered and spoke and protested and marched and wrote and the rest is history.

But the question arises, “why did it take so long for the women’s movement to begin and pick up steam?” The answer (at least my answer, however legitimate it is) can be found through the history of the female gender role in America. Whether or not they were legally equal, the necessity of female labor for the survival of early American society resulted in general equality between men and women. Women were useful, needed, and therefore equal. The usefulness of women continued until the nineteenth century when society had changed to the point that women were no longer as useful. This highlighted the legal inequality that was likely already in existence. Once women realized the inequality they suffered, they were quick to speak up, but it took two hundred years of history before that inequality became apparent.

I guess that's why it took so long!

Here's a song from Shrek the Musical that also deals with issues of (in)equality and standing up for one's rights. While I don't agree with the political subtext of this song (I'm sure most of you know exactly what I mean) but the message at face value is pretty good and it's just such a fun song to listen to and watch! Enjoy:

--Christian

Amistad

Dear Readers--

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! I'll have you all know that as I write this I'm listening to the soundtrack of Riverdance and once I've finished, I'm rewarding myself with a delicious bowl of Lucky Charms.

Last week in Honors 240, we watched a pretty incredible film, called Amistad. It tells the story of the controversy surrounding the Amistad slaves and the trial determining their fate. Here's the premise. A group of Africans was taken from Africa in a Portuguese ship and then transferred to a Spanish ship, La Amistad. The Africans took control of the ship, tried to steer it back to Africa, but ended up landing on the East Coast of the United States (I'll be honest. There was footage of the ship heading East, into the rising sun and I don't understand how they got turned around and landed on the East Coast. Oh well, it happened). There was some other business with an American ship who tried to "claim the cargo" of La Amistad. There were four main competing claims (and several smaller parties that were also involved)--the Africans claimed their own freedom, the Spanish owners of La Amistad claimed private ownership, the Queen of Spain (Isabella II at the tender age of eleven), and the Americans who discovered and "salvaged" the "cargo."

The case proved to be very difficult. There was falsified logic, unprovable but true and valid evidence, and of course the problem that none of the Africans involved spoke any European tongue. The case was fought long and hard and decided in favor of the Africans. It was then taken to the Supreme court. The decision was the same, but it was a very difficult legal battle.

The movie stimulated a lot of thinking about a lot of issues. Here are some scattered ideas that stick out a week in retrospect.

First, I'm grateful to live in the circumstances I enjoy. Though the world today is by no means perfect, it's a lot better than it was one hundred and seventy years ago. I'm grateful to be part of an economy that is not founded on human bondage (although some would argue that it is, considering the vast majority of the goods we enjoy are manufactured in sweatshops). I'm grateful that human dignity is recognized and valued in my society. I'm grateful to live in a nation that was founded on the idea of freedom and that has realized that idea as well as any nation ever has.

Next, I'm shocked at the corruption that was and is in politics. It is sickening to know that, even in the nineteenth century, when right and wrong and personal integrity were valued much more than they are today, there were so many in power who were so obsessed with maintaining their power that they sacrificed their integrity. I imagine that the situation is even worse today. That being said, the film made me much more thankful for men of integrity and fidelity who stand up for what is right no matter how such action will affect their careers and integrity. This film showcased several men who were so committed to doing the right thing. It was very inspiring.

I was also very impressed at the power of ideas, educated men, and good public speaking. I don't quite know how to explain this one--you'll have to watch the film, but you'll know what I mean if you. Some day I'll figure out how to articulate thoughts pertinent to this subject and I'll blog about it.

Lastly, this movie made me love John Quincy Adams! For so long I thought of him as sort of a loser who wasn't very effective as president and whom no one really liked. This movie completely changed that opinion, especially if the speech at the end of the movie is similar or identical to the speech that he surely gave in real life. That speech alone is enough reason to watch the movie--it is stunning.

Well, that's all I have to say on the subject for now. Here's some Irish hardshoe for Saint Patrick's Day (random: I accidentally typed thanksgiving and then caught my mistake--I think I've had one to many yummy treats today).



Enjoy!

--Christian

The Federalist Papers

Dear Readers--

A new week of course means a new blog post for Honors 240. This week I'll be writing about the federalist papers, so get ready :-)

Of the federalist papers that we studied, I think my favorite is number ten. It was the federalist paper with which I was most familiar before this class (though I was hardly familiar with it at all, and even now I do not consider myself an expert by any means) and retains its special place in my heart now that we have examined a few in some depth. Why is Federalist Number Ten my favorite, you may ask? Well I really do not know how to answer that question--I am not sure there is any particularly good reason for it, it just is.

I do, however, know perfectly well why it appeals to me, even if I can't explain why it is my favorite. Perhaps the coolest aspect of this essay is that it is so counterintuitively sensible. It addresses a problem that was surely worrisome to the founding fathers and other politicians of the day, indeed any politician of any time and any nation, and offers a wonderful solution in the most surprising of ways. I suppose, incorporating the proper phrase, it can be said that Federalist Number Ten fights fire with fire.

The problem of factions had afflicted every government ever to exist (or almost every government--I suppose the City of Enoch did not suffer from a plague of troublesome factions) and had never been successfully figured out. Leave it to James Madison to discover, or even have the idea that the way to negate the ill effects of factions is to actually encourage their growth!

More amazing to me than the fact that James Madison generated such a novel and unexpected idea is the fact that this new idea completely changed the general concept of a healthy government and a healthy society. It certainly took a while for the idea to sink in; George Washington, who served as President after the writing of the paper, in his farewell address, counseled America to avoid any sort of political division--to cling to unity and avoid and discourage political factions as much as possible. I do not know exactly how long it took for that idea to reverse itself in the general mentality of the people and the politicians, but nowadays, political parties and multiplicity of political groups is usually seen as a symptom of healthy government. Those societies in which separate political parties do not form, for whatever reason, are usually viewed as unhealthy, even oppressive.

The party system which formed in America is a more plastic system of checks and balances that tends to protect the rights, liberties, and freedom of the people alongside the protection built into the structure of the government. The party system produces multiple opposing candidates, all of whom are ambitious and hopefully well-intentioned as well, who all present different ideas and potential policies. The very expression of these various ideas in a competitive setting is conducive to freedom because it gives citizens more choices and is more likely to result in a candidate that will specifically cater to the desires of the general populace. A tyrant is much more likely to emerge from a society without political parties than from a society that cherishes them.

Best of all, I love Madison's conscientious exploration of all the options and possibilities in Federalist Number Ten. He logically examines the different ways that societies have tried to deal with factions, whether through eliminating the causes or manipulating the effects , and constructs a distinctly American solution in a genuine desire to serve the American people.

Well those are just a few thoughts on Federalist Number Ten. I hope they made sense!

No video tonight, but lots of love just the same!

--Christian