The Logan Family Saga: Judging the Accuracy of Historical Fiction
Authenticity
Decision:
Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry is authentic when it comes to the Great Depression, the Plessy v. Ferguson court ruling, sharecropping, the KKK, lynching and Jim Crow Laws for the following reasons:
Evidence:
This book is historically accurate when they are talking about the Great Depression. In the book, many things happen concerning money. One of them is that Mary, the mother of the Logan family gets fired from her job as a teacher. You can tell that this hits the family hard because from that point on, they're very concerned with saving food such as flour. This shows effects of the Great Depression because money is obviously very tight for the Logan family and it is historically accurate because many families in the Great Depression had to save food. Racism fits into this because there aren't many other jobs that Mary can work after she gets fired and also that Papa can work after he gets injured. I believe that is because those other jobs may have been "reserved" for whites so that causes the family to struggle even more. There are few differences in the book concerning the Great Depression and racism, but I think one would be the fact that Uncle Hammer is able to afford a car, even during the tough times. This does not mean that situation was impossible at the time, but it was clearly shown in the book that the car was exceptionally rare for an African American to have such a nice car.
In the 1890's, there a was a court case that ruled that separate facilities for whites and colored people were legal, as long as the facilities were of equal quality. This case was called "Plessy vs. Ferguson, Separate but Equal". In the book, the black children went to Great Faith Elementary and Secondary School. The white children in the book such as Jeremy Simms, went to Jefferson Davis. Great Faith ended up getting books that were in bad condition that had been used for many years by white people. Jefferson Davis had buses that took the white children to and from school. These two schools were separate, but from what we can see they are far from equal. While this might not have been what the courts intended when they ruled that segregation was Constitutional (because the courts wanted the facilities to be equal), it was historically accurate. Many of the separate facilities ended up not being equal at all, and the schools in the book are just like that. The "separate but equal" ruling eventually came to affect many parts of life including restaurants and theaters, but these things are not relevant in the book because the book is before that time. These reasons are why I think that the book is historically accurate when they're talking about the Plessy v. Ferguson court ruling.
Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry, is authentic when it comes to sharecropping. The Logans worked on Mr. Granger's plantation and had to pay him. Sharecroppers had to pay the owner of the land. In the book Papa says, "...That cotton is for living on; the railroad money is for the taxes and the mortgage." This implies that the Logans get money for their cotton that they use to buy the things they need to live and they don't have enough money from just the cotton, so Papa has to work on the railroad. This is authentic because most sharecroppers didn't have enough money and due to that they were in debt (so they would have to find another job). Another reason the book is authentic is because in the time period, sharecroppers could be both white and black and Jeremy, who was white, was a sharecropper. The last reason Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry is authentic is because on most plantations there was a store for the sharecroppers. The store on the Granger Plantation was the Wallace's store. Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry is authentic because the Logans worked on the Granger plantation for money, just like sharecroppers did, and had to pay Mr. Granger. However, both white and black sharecroppers were often in debt, just like the Logans and the Simms. Sharecroppers also would go to a store that was on the plantation, and in the book the sharecroppers go to the Wallace's store (until the boycott).
(KKK by Katy) In the book Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry, Mildred D. Taylor does a fairly good job of representing the KKK, or the Ku Klux Klan, during the Great Depression. In the book, TJ says, "Okay. See, them Berry's burnin' wasn't no accident. Some white men took a match to 'em." These men they were referring to were the KKK, and were later called "devilish night men" by Mr. Avery, TJ's dad. This part of the book is mainly accurate. Although I found no specific accounts of men being burned alive like the members of the Berry family, I would not quite call it far-fetched. The Klu Klux Klan did bomb and/or burn many black churches, schools, and homes, killing black citizens inside of them. Also, the KKK lynched many black men and women for many different reasons such as the one Mr. Berry was accused of, flirting with a white woman.
(Lynching by Katy) The topic of lynching in Mildred D. Taylor's books is represent with historical accuracy. In the book Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry, Kaleb Wallace exclaims, "I got me three new ropes!" This is when the white men were discussing whether or not to lynch T.J., and then they suggested to lynch Mr. Morrison and David Logan too. This is historically accurate because lynching was usually in the form of hanging, and usually it was a white group of men lynching a black man or woman. Also in the book, T.J. says, "Tarred and feathered him! Poured the blackest tar they could find all over him, then plastered him with chicken feathers." T.J. then goes on to explain that they did this to Mr. Tatum because he had accused Mr. Barnett, a shop keeper, of overcharging him. This is also historically accurate because black people were commonly lynched for things that were harmless, such as an argument with a shop keeper. Lastly, Mildred D. Taylor also represented lynching with historical accuracy by showing that white citizens who supported black people were also lynched. In the book, Thurston Wallace says, "We just likely to take care of ourselves a n* lover too tonight." All of this shows that Mildred D. Taylor accurately represented lynching during the Great Depression.
In Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry the author Mildred D. Taylor does a good job of representing Jim Crow Laws with historical accuracy. For example, in the Wallace Store there is an area in the back where the blacks are allowed to go to smoke, drink, and dance. They are not allowed in the front of the store, however. Also, the separation between whites and blacks in the school. The white school being Jefferson Davis Elementary and the school for African-Americans being Great Faith Elementary. These are both examples of segregation through Jim Crow Laws. In reality, blacks were separated in schools, public areas, public utilities, and public transportation. The author is also accurate in the incident with the Berry's where one was accused of flirting with a white women, which was not allowed. In reality, a black man commenting upon a white women's appearance in any way could get the man convicted and even in some cases have a death penalty.
Citation:
Braziel, Jana E. "The History of Lynching in the United States." ACLAnet. ACLAnet, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.
The Reader’s Companion to American History. Ed. Eric Foner and John A. Garraty. Copyright © 1991 by Houghton Mifflin Co
"The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow." PBS. PBS. 2002. Web. 19 March 2015.
" What Was Jim Crow." Jim Crow Museum: Origins of Jim Crow. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2015.
(http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/sharecropping)
http://socialistworker.org/2012/06/28/blacks-and-the-great-depression
http://www.lawnix.com/cases/plessy-ferguson.html
Multimedia Presentation: (please link your presentation here)
http://app.emaze.com/editor/@AOQLWFQZ
Example:
Authenticity
Decision:
Evidence:“Sharecroppers ended up living as virtual slaves because of debt.” African Americans could not break this cycle because of the they often had to borrow money to plant crops and buy supplies which meant that they were always owing the owner of the farm—no way to break cycle like we found in the story.
In the story, Granger forces the Logans to pay up on a loan they once took out from the bank. Uncle Hammer has to sell his car in order to make the payment.
Citation: Database: "Racism in America (Overview)." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2015. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.
Authenticity
Decision:
Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry is authentic when it comes to the Great Depression, the Plessy v. Ferguson court ruling, sharecropping, the KKK, lynching and Jim Crow Laws for the following reasons:
Evidence:
This book is historically accurate when they are talking about the Great Depression. In the book, many things happen concerning money. One of them is that Mary, the mother of the Logan family gets fired from her job as a teacher. You can tell that this hits the family hard because from that point on, they're very concerned with saving food such as flour. This shows effects of the Great Depression because money is obviously very tight for the Logan family and it is historically accurate because many families in the Great Depression had to save food. Racism fits into this because there aren't many other jobs that Mary can work after she gets fired and also that Papa can work after he gets injured. I believe that is because those other jobs may have been "reserved" for whites so that causes the family to struggle even more. There are few differences in the book concerning the Great Depression and racism, but I think one would be the fact that Uncle Hammer is able to afford a car, even during the tough times. This does not mean that situation was impossible at the time, but it was clearly shown in the book that the car was exceptionally rare for an African American to have such a nice car.
In the 1890's, there a was a court case that ruled that separate facilities for whites and colored people were legal, as long as the facilities were of equal quality. This case was called "Plessy vs. Ferguson, Separate but Equal". In the book, the black children went to Great Faith Elementary and Secondary School. The white children in the book such as Jeremy Simms, went to Jefferson Davis. Great Faith ended up getting books that were in bad condition that had been used for many years by white people. Jefferson Davis had buses that took the white children to and from school. These two schools were separate, but from what we can see they are far from equal. While this might not have been what the courts intended when they ruled that segregation was Constitutional (because the courts wanted the facilities to be equal), it was historically accurate. Many of the separate facilities ended up not being equal at all, and the schools in the book are just like that. The "separate but equal" ruling eventually came to affect many parts of life including restaurants and theaters, but these things are not relevant in the book because the book is before that time. These reasons are why I think that the book is historically accurate when they're talking about the Plessy v. Ferguson court ruling.
Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry, is authentic when it comes to sharecropping. The Logans worked on Mr. Granger's plantation and had to pay him. Sharecroppers had to pay the owner of the land. In the book Papa says, "...That cotton is for living on; the railroad money is for the taxes and the mortgage." This implies that the Logans get money for their cotton that they use to buy the things they need to live and they don't have enough money from just the cotton, so Papa has to work on the railroad. This is authentic because most sharecroppers didn't have enough money and due to that they were in debt (so they would have to find another job). Another reason the book is authentic is because in the time period, sharecroppers could be both white and black and Jeremy, who was white, was a sharecropper. The last reason Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry is authentic is because on most plantations there was a store for the sharecroppers. The store on the Granger Plantation was the Wallace's store. Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry is authentic because the Logans worked on the Granger plantation for money, just like sharecroppers did, and had to pay Mr. Granger. However, both white and black sharecroppers were often in debt, just like the Logans and the Simms. Sharecroppers also would go to a store that was on the plantation, and in the book the sharecroppers go to the Wallace's store (until the boycott).
(KKK by Katy) In the book Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry, Mildred D. Taylor does a fairly good job of representing the KKK, or the Ku Klux Klan, during the Great Depression. In the book, TJ says, "Okay. See, them Berry's burnin' wasn't no accident. Some white men took a match to 'em." These men they were referring to were the KKK, and were later called "devilish night men" by Mr. Avery, TJ's dad. This part of the book is mainly accurate. Although I found no specific accounts of men being burned alive like the members of the Berry family, I would not quite call it far-fetched. The Klu Klux Klan did bomb and/or burn many black churches, schools, and homes, killing black citizens inside of them. Also, the KKK lynched many black men and women for many different reasons such as the one Mr. Berry was accused of, flirting with a white woman.
(Lynching by Katy) The topic of lynching in Mildred D. Taylor's books is represent with historical accuracy. In the book Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry, Kaleb Wallace exclaims, "I got me three new ropes!" This is when the white men were discussing whether or not to lynch T.J., and then they suggested to lynch Mr. Morrison and David Logan too. This is historically accurate because lynching was usually in the form of hanging, and usually it was a white group of men lynching a black man or woman. Also in the book, T.J. says, "Tarred and feathered him! Poured the blackest tar they could find all over him, then plastered him with chicken feathers." T.J. then goes on to explain that they did this to Mr. Tatum because he had accused Mr. Barnett, a shop keeper, of overcharging him. This is also historically accurate because black people were commonly lynched for things that were harmless, such as an argument with a shop keeper. Lastly, Mildred D. Taylor also represented lynching with historical accuracy by showing that white citizens who supported black people were also lynched. In the book, Thurston Wallace says, "We just likely to take care of ourselves a n* lover too tonight." All of this shows that Mildred D. Taylor accurately represented lynching during the Great Depression.
In Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry the author Mildred D. Taylor does a good job of representing Jim Crow Laws with historical accuracy. For example, in the Wallace Store there is an area in the back where the blacks are allowed to go to smoke, drink, and dance. They are not allowed in the front of the store, however. Also, the separation between whites and blacks in the school. The white school being Jefferson Davis Elementary and the school for African-Americans being Great Faith Elementary. These are both examples of segregation through Jim Crow Laws. In reality, blacks were separated in schools, public areas, public utilities, and public transportation. The author is also accurate in the incident with the Berry's where one was accused of flirting with a white women, which was not allowed. In reality, a black man commenting upon a white women's appearance in any way could get the man convicted and even in some cases have a death penalty.
Citation:
Braziel, Jana E. "The History of Lynching in the United States." ACLAnet. ACLAnet, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.
The Reader’s Companion to American History. Ed. Eric Foner and John A. Garraty. Copyright © 1991 by Houghton Mifflin Co
"The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow." PBS. PBS. 2002. Web. 19 March 2015.
" What Was Jim Crow." Jim Crow Museum: Origins of Jim Crow. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2015.
(http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/sharecropping)
http://socialistworker.org/2012/06/28/blacks-and-the-great-depression
http://www.lawnix.com/cases/plessy-ferguson.html
Multimedia Presentation: (please link your presentation here)
http://app.emaze.com/editor/@AOQLWFQZ
Example:
Authenticity
Decision:
Evidence:“Sharecroppers ended up living as virtual slaves because of debt.” African Americans could not break this cycle because of the they often had to borrow money to plant crops and buy supplies which meant that they were always owing the owner of the farm—no way to break cycle like we found in the story.
In the story, Granger forces the Logans to pay up on a loan they once took out from the bank. Uncle Hammer has to sell his car in order to make the payment.
Citation: Database: "Racism in America (Overview)." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2015. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.