After interacting with the website, I have realized the importance of relating a course material to the reality in the world. On the same line, comparing course materials with the outside related materials will not be a problem to me. I purpose to improve on my content interpretation skills, and also on the skills of searching for the information over the internet. In my interactions, I have realized that a wide base of knowledge is very crucial for understanding new concepts. I plan to increase my knowledge base on the course so that I stand a better chance to benefit from the course readings.

The ugliness of a chapter in the history of America is brought out in the mention of slave trade. In his letter, Jourdon Anderson talks about the ills the African American received from their white masters, and the period after the civil war reflects a period of liberation of the African American slaves. On the case of Alfred Waud, he acted alongside other actors in a move aimed at encouraging the continued liberation of the other slaves. However, the evidence reveals that liberation did not just happen immediately. Many whites were reluctant to release the African American slaves. Anderson argues in the letter that the slaves that worked for his master did not get paid even a penny, yet his master would like them again with the promise that he would treat them better this time round. It is ironical that the very master who even attempted to shoot his slaves is calling them back with the promise of better things. The evidence brought out by the two accounts is that the conditions of the African Americans did not improve immediately after the civil war.

Works Cited

American Social History Project. Who was Dr. Toer?N.d.17th, Jan 2014. Web

Cohen, R.Jourdon Anderson and the meaning of freedom in the aftermath of the Civil War. National Council for the Social Studies, 2011. Print.