Artist statement

For my Visual I decided to create a map showing the supplies that the north sent the south. The shows where the supplies started off and how they got to there location and the distance they had to travel.

There are elements of the visual that might not be 100% clear to the person looking at it. One element that might not be clear to the viewer is that the supplies were being sent from the north and not being sent from the south. People may think this because there is no arrow indicating which way the supplies were going. Another element that might not be clear is what time period this is taking place in. People might not know it is between 1865 and 1875 because there is no date on the visual. One last element that might not be clear is how the supplies were being sent to there destination. People looking at the visual might not know what mode of transportation was being used to take the supplies to one point to another.

The visual I created has meaning for the study of the reconstruction era. It has meaning because it shows what the north was willing to send to the south to help them rebuild. We can see from the visual what the south needed to rebuild and how they would use the materials they received from the north.The visual also allows us to see what specific area of the south needed a certain material and shows where in the north the materials were coming from. It also helps viewers see the distance it would take these supplies to reach there destination. lastly it helps viewers understand that there were certain materials that the south was able to produce on their own and didn't need the north to send them it.

Research link

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1feADhbP_qdShAV22oppXhf2WgJNC6mHNZQ05WSd7TCI/edit

Visual link

http://mapmaker.education.nationalgeographic.com/fkiVlhPoXAMc23iJxJU2YH/

Visual link info

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1L_9tP3Jyb000HnnJTXXDt1cnmyMretqZswdVDgisLx8/edit

Artist Statement:

The newspaper I wrote was to represent the Compromise of 1877. It tells the audience what the real cause was for the ending of the Reconstruction Era. There are multiple subtitles aligned with descriptions about it. One of the elements of the newspaper which may be not clear to the reader is that it specifically speaks out to what the hidden details were which most citizens and media probably didn't know or speak about. It has perspectives to it, one which is titled ¨what is occurring in the public¨ and ¨behind the closed doors.¨ On the public side it explains what the main things everyone knew about and what the terms were for the South. The closed doors side tells us about what the Republicans gave to the Democrats in trade for Hayes to become president. The South had more terms compared to Rutherford Hayes just becoming President and the newspaper highlights it. Another element of the visual is that there is an image under the ¨Consequences¨ title which may be a little bit confusing as well but it makes the audience think. It represents both sides, the north and the south and what the end product was. The north ended up losing their aid with blacks and the south was practically in charge even though Hayes was president. This newspaper matters and has meaning for the study of the Reconstruction era because it thoroughly represents what the Compromise was for and in many different perspectives. The era was an impact on American History because blacks were no longer in aid and it gave them a chance to stand up on their own and fight for their rights.

To understand this graphic, you must first know about the Ku Klux Klan, a prominent terrorist group in our nation’s history. The KKK is famous for it’s appalling actions and violence against African Americans and may still be alive today. According to Dictionary.com the KKK is “a secret organization in the southern U.S., active for several years after the Civil War, which aimed to suppress the newly acquired powers of blacks and to oppose carpetbaggers from the North, and which was responsible for many lawless and violent proceedings.” The Ku Klux Klan has had a large influence on the entire country and assisted in changing many things for better or for worse.

Many people know of or about the Ku Klux Klan and it’s part during the reconstruction. However, not many understand it’s true importance during the time. It wasn’t just an ugly mark in our history where thousands were murdered, the Ku Klux Klan made a huge difference in our history that is still influencing us today. The KKK held the south and our country back in time, keeping them from slowly progressing and getting past their racist views. They inspired violent actions and racist views once again, keeping those opinions alive and celebrated. The KKK also influenced the government, keeping racist democrats in power, slowing down the evolution of African American rights. The KKK’s actions more than a hundred years ago are still impacting us today. Their supremacist views and action contributed to our still racist country. Both consciously and unconsciously, our country today is still racist, whether we like it or not.

The two things that may be unclear to my reader about my visual are, the reason why Black Codes were created and how they affected African Americans during this time. This matters because if the reader of my visual is unsure about why Black Codes were created, thy will be confused about the codes themselves and will want me to explain more about how African-Americans were viewed during this time. Knowing why the Black Codes were created would help my reader determine and be able to comprehend the rules that the Black Codes allowed and established. Without knowing the reasons behind these codes, my reader(s), will start questioning the actions of the African-Americans themselves. The way the Black Codes affected African-Americans is also a little unclear, I give and state ways that they could affect African-Americans but I don’t really give examples and elaborate on this. My visual that I created has meaning for Reconstruction, because the 1800-1900’s were years of big changes especially the 1800’s.One of the ways people during this time would express their feelings about these events were through flyers and even newspapers. So, for my visual I made a flyer talking about the creation of Black Codes and the type of rules that were apart of these codes. Black Codes were created right in the time of successful Reconstruction to prevent current free African- Americans from obtaining the freedom granted to them through Reconstruction. Black Codes also affected Reconstruction in a very bad way. They defied the freedom and rights that African Americans were given and they overrided the ¨Reconstruction Amendments¨ with the codes. Because, of this African-Americans could not fully take advantage of the freedom granted to them. Black Codes also connect greatly with African American History because, not only were these codes made and set to just African Americans, but they were something African Americans had to overcome. This allowed them to grow and progress and made room for change. Black Codes affected many of their lives in a bad way. However, just like many other events and challenges  that occurred in African American history, we were able to overcome them through faith, unity, and standing together.

My messages could be distinguished in different ways, but I thought about two messages that would be hard to clarify. The two elements that were hard to clarify were the two pictures in the newspaper. A piece of art can be seen by different people with various perspectives, so it’s important to get the right message across so there won’t be any confusion. The first one is a picture of seven African American men in suits and bow ties. This could produce distinct ideas without the caption at the bottom, however. This picture represents the first seven African American Representatives of the U.S. Congress in the early 1870’s. The picture is a physical piece of evidence that white Americans were getting around to accepting African Americans as responsible people instead of just slaves.

The second picture is the most confusing part of the newspaper because there is no writing portion to back up the thought process of the picture. The second picture is a political cartoon that displays America being rebuilt one step at a time during the Reconstruction Era. The two men in the picture is Abraham Lincoln and a U.S. Governor of Georgia. Abraham Lincoln is lifting a pole which is supporting a ball that turns out to be a picture of the southern states. The U.S. Governor is on the ball and he is stitching up the southern states with a needle and thread. This represents the North supporting the South so they can fix themselves.

This newspaper gets a lot of messages across while educating the reader. Learning about African American participation during Reconstruction is important because most people thought freed slaves didn’t do anything to help America regrow. African Americans educated themselves and thousands in the south, provided labor in rebuilding towns, and provided jobs to churches and organizations, and they did all of this without the North’s help or influence. This independent attitude the African Americans had weren’t well known throughout America to this day, and it’s important to learn about information that is unheard of.

This representation of a 1866 newspaper give you a feel of the time and what was happening then. The visuals and the statements given help any reader to understand the importance of religion and the church during reconstruction. One thing that the reader might not understand is that the picture in the middle is of the Olive Branch Baptist Church. This church is very historically important because it was the first church built after the Civil War. There is a misconception about these churches that most people overlook, but it is documented fact that these churches were not solely built and run by African Americans. In fact white people contributed to the production of the black church. Also not only did black preachers give sermons, but quite a few of them were given by white men. This go to show that in the eyes of religion we are all seen as equal. This newspaper visual was made to communicate to people that, even though most people didn’t see African Americans as humans, and gave them little to no rights, they could still seek refuge. You could say that these churches were a safe haven for the people. Not only did they churches give a place for people to worship, but they also were very involved in their community and took part in any local events. With the end of the came lots of privileges for blacks, but it also came with many responsibilities and burdens. Many people looked to God for answers, and there was no better place to do this then in one of his holy churches.