And.... An update yet again!

Hey all,
So, I started my research for my petition as I believe I mentioned in the last post. Sadly, due to the amount of time I have had or haven't had lately, I will not be able to get the petition up by the end of this month. :-( Hopefully, I can find the time to get it up by November.
Thanks for reading!

Research

Below are some links I found when I was researching for my petition:

http://www.thehersheycompany.com/pdfs/Supplier-Code-of-Conduct-Requirements.pdf

http://www.nestleusa.com/media/news-and-features/tackling-child-labor-in-cocoa-farming

Petition for Slavery in the Chocolate Industry

Hello all!!
It's been a while since I posted on here, I know.

I just wanted to let you guys know that I am planning/hoping to have a petition up sometime at the end of September. I hope to make it more official than the last one.

I will post to let you guys know when I have it up.

Thanks!!!

Independence Day

Just a reminder-
As we celebrated our independence and freedom in America yesterday, remember those who are still in bondage- the ones who cannot celebrate freedom. Freedom is something I think lots of Americans can take for granted so easily. So don't take advantage of your freedom. Be thankful, and help make a positive difference in the lives of those who are not as fortunate or free at you.

The Civil War- From Slave to Soldier

I haven't posted on here for so long!!! I wrote this paper about the Civil War slaves for a class of mine. I decided to share it here (it isn't the best... but oh well...).

Although slavery may have "been over" at that period of time, let us not forget that slavery is far from over now. And even though we fought that bloody war and freed the slaves... our same country yet again has slavery in its borders.

A very bloody war once took place on American soil. It wasn't just any war. It was a civil war where brother fought against brother. This war started in an effort to bring the country back together, but it ended as a fight for freedom- freedom for the African-American population. These people were fighters. They joined in the fight for their freedom and came out winning. Some people even say that the war itself was won by them (http://www2.coloradocollege.edu/Dept/HY/Hy243Ruiz/Research/civilwar.html). They revealed that they were real men who were equal with the whites. They showed that they deserved to be citizens of the United States. They endured many, many hardships, but the end result was worth the cost. This is part of their story of not only hardship and pain but also of triumph and success.

At the opening of the Civil War, many of the United States citizens enlisted in the army, but they were not the only ones that wanted to fight. The African-Americans also wanted to enlist. This was not a very easy task for them though. They were black which means they were not seen as being on the same level with the white Americans. They were not even really considered to be human beings, but they were still determined to fight. Frederick Douglass, who was a black leader, encouraged them to fight in order to later ensure them a U.S. citizenship. He said. "Once let the black man get upon his person the brass letter, U.S., let him get an eagle on his button, and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pocket, there is no power on earth that can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship." Thus, they fought for the very right to join in the war.

It was first illegal for the native Africans to join the U.S. Army, but because of the sore need for more troops the government finally decided to make it legal. They were first hesitant about the thought of making it legal for the African-Americans to join the army because they viewed it as a reason for more states who hadn’t seceded to actually secede from the Union. This would have reason for concern. If more did secede from the Union, they would be fighting against more states and would not have these states there by their side. When the blacks first heard that they were not allowed to enlist, they were disappointed, but they didn’t let this stop them. They got together and created a resolution asking the United States Government to let them fight. The first step the government took to make it legal for the African-Americans to fight was issue an act. They issued the Second Confiscation and Militia Act which freed the slaves who had masters that were enlisted in the Confederate army. This was issued on July 17, 1862. Abraham Lincoln also issued the Emancipation Proclamation September 22, 1862, which freed all the Confederates’ slaves for good (http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/emancipation-proclamation). It would go into effect if the Confederates didn’t stop their rebellion. Since the Confederates did not, the proclamation took effect on January 1,1863. This proclamation gave the people something to fight for. Now, they could fight not only to bring the United States back together but also to end this modern-day evil in the country. This proclamation would eventually lead to the end of slavery in all of America.

When it was finally legal for the African-Americans to join the army, many of them were only allowed to serve smaller roles. Since they were not really seen as humans, people didn’t believe in actually letting them fight. Instead, many of them served as doctors, cooks, nurses, and blacksmiths. Some were allowed to actually fight though. In the Spring of 1863, the Bureau of Colored Troops was organized. This organization was to deal with the black troops. It had set, harsh regulations and rules to follow. The Bureau was right under the Adjutant General’s Office (http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/blacks-civil-war/article.html).

As mentioned before, the black population had been encouraged to fight for their freedom. Yes, the blacks were fighting to free their fellow-men. Samuel Cabble in a letter to his wife explains what their goal is in fighting, “Dear Wife i have enlisted in the army i am now in the state of Massachusetts but before this letter reaches you i will be in North Carlinia and though great is the present national dificulties yet i look forward to a brighter day When i shall have the opertunity of seeing you in the full enjoyment of fredom i would like to no if you are still in slavery if you are it will not be long before we shall have crushed the system that now opreses you for in the course of three months you shall have your liberty. great is the outpouring of the colered peopl that is now rallying with the hearts of lions against that very curse that has seperated you an me yet we shall meet again and oh what a happy time that will be when this ungodly rebellion shall be put down and the curses of our land is trampled under our feet i am a soldier now and i shall use my utmost endeavor to strike at the rebellion and the heart of this system that so long has kept us in chains . . . remain your own afectionate husband until death” (http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/blacks-civil-war/article.html). They had a goal which included fighting for their freedom and eventually for their citizenship in the country that had long enslaved them.

They were also fighting to ensure their citizenship. As their leader, Frederick Douglass, had said before, when the war was over, how could they not be ensured freedom from the very country they defended, won battles for, and that some even died for.

Even while they were fighting as soldiers in the army, the blacks were still not treated as fairly and equally as the whites in the army were. For example, their wage was different. A white American soldier was paid $13 a month and did not have any of their pay deducted for their clothing. But the black American was paid $10 a month and had $3 deducted from that to pay for their clothing. If any of the army happened to be captured, it was more likely that the African natives would be treated a lot more harshly than the white men who were captured with them. Even while they were sacrificing their lives, they were still not treated equally with the whites. This was not fair especially because they faced the same challenges as the others in the army.

Aside from the many challenges they already faced because of their color, they faced many other challenges from just being in the army. They were fighting in a war. There was death for many of them and pain and misery for all. They had to endure all of the challenges the other soldiers had to, plus, the inequalities that came to them because of the difference in their skin color.

Things did eventually get better though. In June of 1864, their pay became equal with the whites. For those who had first been allowed to do the actual fighting, they proved something to everyone. They proved that the black Americans were men who could fight. They did not just fight; they fought passionately. For them, they weren’t just fighting to end the war; they were fighting for freedom. This was their fight for freedom.

Some of them became spies and scouts. They were able to recover some very important information from enemy lines. Their skills in this area became very important, and they were named the Black Dispatches (http://www.historynet.com/african-americans-in-the-civil-war). They had begun to prove themselves. They became able to receive higher ranks. Major Martin R. Delany in the 104th United States Colored Troops became the first African-American soldier to receive a high rank in the army (http://www.nps.gov/shil/historyculture/upload/USCT.pdf).

Each of these things was a success. They took part in many important things, thus, proving themselves. They fought hard. They were not just fighting; they were fighters, playing big roles in many battles. Years later, Dr. Dudley Taylor Cornish said, “Had the negro played a merely passive role as spectator during the Civil War, had he served only in his traditional menial capacity as cook and teamster and laborer, that national recognition of him as man and as citizen must have been postponed indefinitely. The Southern position that slaves could not bear arms was essentially correct: a slave was not a man. The war ended slavery. The Negro soldier proved that the slave could become a man" (http://www.nps.gov/shil/historyculture/upload/USCT.pdf ).

At the close of the war, these people had lost many. Out of the around 180,000 soldiers that served (http://www.crf-usa.org/black-history-month/black-troops-in-union-blue), about 40,000 died (http://www.historynet.com/african-americans-in-the-civil-war), but they had won. In 1865, the Thirteenth Amendment was passed. This amendment made slavery illegal. Slavery was over. The former slaves were able to start buying their own land and make a living for themselves and their families. Some stayed with their former masters and worked on their land as tenants instead. The African-American population stilled faced the challenge of overcoming discrimination, and it would take many, many years to overcome it.

With the close of the war, these people still had many challenges to face, but they were fighters. They would fight discrimination till it was over. Because, after-all, they had fought in the war, which proved that they were real men and that they deserved citizenship in the United States. Although it would still take years, the path was finally being cleared for the Americans to realize that the African-American population was equal with the rest and that they were men just like the rest.

Thoughts

Slavery.
A modern-day evil.
Why does it exist? How can people stand to let it survive?
I felt like God had given me a passion to fight slavery. But then, when I felt like He told me it couldn't be ended, I slowly gave up in a sense I suppose. I got too busy to worry about it. I lost the passion I once had to fight it.
My friend said something like- Since you think it will never end, does that mean you are just going to give up and not fight it at all? (Something around those lines)
Okay, they were right. Maybe that's what's been up with me. Maybe I gave up because I couldn't fight it to its death. But that's wrong of me....

Update?

I think it's about time I posted on here.... I've kind of failed at keeping this blog updated.
So, update - Well, sort of.
I have been thinking about how I don't eat chocolate... and then I was thinking what if I was served chocolate- Should I refuse to eat it? Or should I accept it instead of  refusing? I think that if I was on a mission's trip that I would eat chocolate. I'm just trying to figure out about if I am offered it while not on a mission's trip.
I still have to work on the petition. I'm failing at all this. I know.
I'll keep you guys as updated as I can. There just isn't much going on at this point.
Thanks,
Bekah