1906+Buffalo+Soldiers+attacked+in+Brownsville,+Texas

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1906 Buffalo Soldiers attacked in Brownsville, Texas Alexandra K. Place photos or graphics in the table below. Save to desktop, then upload by clicking on "file" on the menu bar (above).
 * || [[image:http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=124795&rendTypeId=4 caption="Photograph:Buffalo soldiers of the 25th Infantry at Fort Keogh, Montana, 1890."]] ||

Buffalo soldiers of the 25th Infantry at Fort Keogh, Montana, 1890.

//(Gladstone Collection/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (Digital File Number: cph 3g06161) )//

Write a journal/newspaper style article in which you take a neutral stance (as a reporter) and give the facts about the actual event. What led up to the event? What happened during the actual event? Did it have an “end” or is it unresolved? You are to write about this event __when it happened__, you are assuming the role of a reporter in 1850, 1920, etc., __not someone looking back from 2011__. You need to cite your sources, and they must include information only available during that time period. At least one source must be primary and/or an eyewitness account. **Important - This work will be submitted to TurnItIn.com. We will provide you information about using this helpful resource**!
 * TASK I:**

"Soldiers out of Service" October, 5 1906

Just yesterday, President Theodore Roosevelt issued an ultimatum that the all-black 25th Infantry Regiment soldiers, otherwise known as the Buffalo Soldiers, would be removed from the Army if no one stepped forward and confessed to committing the crime that people have been talking about for months. Since nobody has come forward, all 167 black men have been discharged for a crime that they may not have committed. During the month of August, in Brownsville, Texas, a group of unknown raiders reeked havoc on the small town. At around midnight on August 13th, multiple shots were fired near the grounds of Fort Brown, where the Buffalo Soldiers were stationed after their involvement in the recent wars. It was reported that two were injured, but only one was killed in the cross-fire. Civilians and white police officers at the scene believed that the black troops had gone on a rampage, but due to the lack of evidence and credible eye-witnesses, no one was found guilty; until now. Several days later, one of the men that survived the shooting reported that the persons responsible for the crime had come the troops at Fort Brown (Smith). With that, the Army's inspector general declared the soldiers guilty based on civilian testimony and physical evidence of Army-issued rifles that were found in a heap in the middle of the street the morning after the raid. The general submitted a report to President Roosevelt requesting that the soldiers be dismissed from the army. The President has now followed through with that request and the soldiers no longer serve this country. As for their futures, no one really knows what will happen in the long run. The question is will the soldiers be readmitted soon, or will they have to do the time for the crime that they might not have committed.

Smith, Adriane D. "Brownsville Riot." //Encyclopedia of War and American Society.// Ed. Peter Karsten. Vol.1. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Reference, 2005. 91-93. //Gale Virtual Reference Library//. Web. 19 Sep. 2011. http://go.galegroup.com

Pickens, Donald K. "Brownsville Affair." //Dictionary of American History//. Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. 3rd ed. Vol.1. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003. 549-550. //Gale Virtual Reference Library//. Web. 18 Sep. 2011. http://go.galegroup.com

Task 1: Mastery Rubric A quality news article will: •open with an attention-grabbing headline •identify the author's name and the date of the publication (in the past) • develop the 5 W's in three power paragraphs •paragraph 1: contain an interesting lead •paragraph 2: correctly cite a secondary source (an indirect quote) •paragraph 3: correctly cite a primary source (eyewitness account) •maintain appropriate journalistic voice •read like an article written in the same time period as the event occurred •be free of mechanics and Works Cited errors

TASK II What is the Argument?

Did the fact that African American soldiers were not considered as "full persons" in society give others the ability to take away their right to Due Process? PROMPT 1: Why did the majority of Americans not recognize the rights of members of this group? Many Americans did not recognize African Americans as people in this society because they were not of the same race as the majority. They felt that the black race did not deserve to have the same rights as the white race. Due to the subject of racial discrimination in America, the African American soldiers, known as the Buffalo Soldiers, were deprived of the right to due process. PBS, whose mission is to create content that educates, informs, and inspires, has studied this matter and confirmed “Although there was no trial, and the men were not given a hearing or the opportunity to confront their accusers, President Theodore Roosevelt ordered 167 black infantryman discharged without honor because of their alleged conspiracy of silence”(PBS “The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow“). President Roosevelt, as well as other Americans, believed that the shootings were typical behavior of African Americans in uniform. Thus, even though they rightfully served our country, the Buffalo Soldiers were denied the right that every US citizen has, according to the Constitution. Not only did the Buffalo Soldiers not receive a trial at the time of the incident, but over 60 years later, the soldiers were finally found innocent, a little too late. One soldier, by the name of Dorsie Willis, spent the time it took the government to figure out that the soldiers were innocent shining shoes at a barber shop. Just before he passed away in 1977, he said “Some people feel the world owes them a living. I never thought that, but I figured the world owed me an opportunity to earn a living. They took that away from me. That dishonorable discharge kept me from improving my station”(“Brownsville Affair”). This man felt that because he was discharged, he was not able to live his life to the fullest, the way he wanted to live it, which was serving in the Army. These honorable soldiers were not given the right that they should have been given, all because they were of the African American race. Americans did not see them as people of this country, even though they were some of the few that choose to serve it proudly.

Works Cited: Pickens, Donald K. "Brownsville Affair." //Dictionary of American History//. Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. 3rd ed. Vol.1. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003. 549-550. //Gale Virtual Reference Library//. Web. 18 Sep. 2011. []

Wormser, Richard. "' Jim Crow Stories: The Brownsville Affair.'" //The Rise and// //Fall of Jim Crow//. Educational Broadcasting Corporation, 2002. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. [].

PROMPT 2: How did advocates for the minority group shed light on this injustice?

While many Americans felt that African American soldiers were a disgrace to the country, others believed that they were an asset and should be respected by everyone, no matter what their race was. These advocates represented the minority and they highly disapproved of the lack of civil rights that were given to the African American soldiers. In his article on Oxford AASC, credible writer James Sellman explains that many African Americans believed that entering the military would help them escape all prejudices against the black race. Unfortunately, that was not the case and the soldiers were treated poorly by everyone, from every day white citizens to the President of the United States. Gloria J. Browne-Marshall, an associate professor of Constitutional Law at John Jay College, recalls her father-in-law, who had left the segregated south for a even more segregated Army, saying that he was treated so unfairly by the Veterans Administration that he couldn’t even speak about it without getting upset. Marshall, being an advocate herself, stated that “the African American journey is one of perseverance, self-determination, and a quest for justice” (“The African American Journey: One Fate”). The fight for civil rights was truly a “quest for justice” for African American soldiers. Fortunately, these soldiers had people that respected them and were on their side of the argument the whole time.

Works Cited: Browne-Marshall, Gloria J. "The African American Journey: One Fate." //Human// //Rights// 2009: Vol. 36 No. 4. //American Bar Association//. Web. 4 Oct. 2011. .

Sellman, James. "Brownsville, Texas, Affair." //Oxford African American Studies// //Center//. Oxford University Press, 2006. Web. 4 Oct. 2011. .

The Negro race, like all races, is going to be saved by its exceptional men. The problem of education, then, among Negroes must first of all deal with the Talented Tenth; it is the problem of developing the Best of this race that they may guide the Mass away from the contamination and death of the Worst, in their own and other races. Now the training of men is a difficult and intricate task. Its technique is a matter for educational experts, but its object is for the vision of seers. If we make money the object of man-training, we shall develop money-makers but not necessarily men; if we make technical skill the object of education, we may possess artisans but not, in nature, men. Men we shall have only as we make manhood the object of the work of the schools--intelligence, broad sympathy, knowledge of the world that was and is, and of the relation of men to it--this is the curriculum of that Higher Education which must underlie true life. On this foundation we may build bread winning, skill of hand and quickness of brain, with never a fear lest the child and man mistake the means of living for the object of life. ~ an excerpt from //The Talented Tenth// by W.E.B Dubois
 * TASK III:**

Since the controversy between me and Washington has become historic,it deserves more careful statement than it has had hitherto, bothas to the matters and the motives involved. There was first ofall the ideological controversy. I believed in the higher educationof a Talented Tenth who through their knowledge of modern culturecould guide the American Negro into a higher civilization. Iknew that without this the Negro would have to accept white leadership,and that such leadership could not always be trusted to guidethis group into self-realization and to its highest cultural possibilities. Mr. Washington, on the other hand, believed that the Negro asan efficient worker could gain wealth and that eventually throughhis ownership of capital he would be able to achieve a recognizedplace in American culture and could then educate his childrenas he might wish and develop their possibilities. For this reasonhe proposed to put the emphasis at present upon training in theskilled trades and encouragement in industry and common labor. ~an excerpt from //The Niagara Movement// by W.E.B Dubois

W.E.B. DuBois, **The Autobiography of W.E.B. DuBois: A Soliloquy on Viewing My Life from the Last Decade of Its First Century.**New York, NY: International Publishers Co. Inc., 1968, pp. 236-253.

__Paragraph 1:__ Analyze the impact of the literary or artistic work for the minority group and/or American society as a whole.

The Brownsville Riot of 1906, as well as many other riots in the south, inspired W.E.B Dubois to publish works such as "The Talented Tenth" and "The Niagara Movement". Dubois's essay "The Talented Tenth" countered a system that was supported by Booker T. Washington. These riots were the beginning of a new liberal black political position. This riot in Brownsville caused two differences, the old paradigm and the new paradigm. The old paradigm was created by Booker T. Washington. Washington believed that in order to earn wealth and respect, an African American must become an efficient worker. This way he could gain capital and educate his children. In other words, in order to advance in society, African American people must go through industrial education. On the other hand, W.E.B Dubois gave us the new paradigm, "The Talented Tenth". Dubois did not approve of Washington's beliefs. Instead, he believed that "the higher education of a Talented Tenth who through their knowledge of modern culture could guide the American Negro into a higher civilization"("The Niagara Movement"). Dubois knew that African Americans would have to accept white leadership if Washington had his way. Therefore he wrote "The Talented Tenth" essay to show how 1 in 10 black man can become leaders in writing, education, and government just by being trained in black colleges. All in all, Dubois believed that African Americans were created equal to white people and they deserved all of the same rights white people deserved.

__Paragraph 2:__ CLOSING-- How did the event impact the debate on the argument? This event, the Brownsville Roit, basically started the debate on this argument. It cause W.E.B Dubois to write these essays that showed how he felt about African American's lack of rights. He believed that all men deserved to be treated as equals and receive equal rights in every aspect of life. This event didn't necessarily solve the argument right away, but in time, it helped people realize that all men actually were created equal. An outstanding product will. •showcase a work that expresses a profound idea about your event and the argument surrounding it •be the **best** example available, not simply the first one you find •demonstrate your ability to interpret the meaning of the literary or artistic piece It is difficult to interpret a deeper meaning in an essay. Clearly these excerpts reveal opinions on the issue, but is there anything more emotionally significant you can find? •use the extended power paragraph format as a means to express your understanding of the event, argument, and how art literature and art can reveal emotions and ideas I'd like to see you move from the level of reporting the facts, to a meaningful analysis. •reference sources accurately •mechanics are clean and effective
 * <span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 17px;">TASK III: Artistic Expression Element Rubric **

An outstanding time line entry includes the following: • Opens by identifying you, the author, and your event with a banner headline (see an example of a banner on the top of this page). • Under the banner, in the table place two graphics or photos that illustrates an important aspect of the event. • Thoughtful responses to each prompt are supported by credible sources representing diverse perspectives on the event. • Each response should be posted in order (follow template instructions), contain few mechanic errors and follow the power paragraph format. • The credibility of each cited source is established and internal citations accurately match the Works Cited.• TASK I and TASK II each introduce and cite two new sources; TASK III cites one new source.• The Works Cited lists 5 credible sources from the LC databases.
 * Rubric for the Time Line Page**