Thursday, July 7, 2011
The Novel's Realities
Since Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands is a fictionalized account of real experiences, many of the characters and events can be researched to heighten our understanding of this work. Be observant as you read! Check people, places, and events on the web and share background you discover from reliable sources (Please no Wikipedia!). Share information in your own words (do not plagiarize) and include website visited. In follow-up posts, peers are welcome to extend original post information.
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In Lay That Trumpet In Our Hands, it became well known to the reader that baseball was a big deal for everyone. People had their favorite teams, and players. For example, most people in Reesa's community are big fans of the Brooklyn Dodgers. On the Brooklyn Dodgers is a player who was a favorite of Marvin, and probably a favorite of the black community. This player's name is Jackie Robinson. Robinson could be called a pioneer in baseball. For many decades, racial segregation has kept black players like Jackie in the Negro League. Jackie's major league debut in Ebbet's Field resulted in the Dodgers winning, 5-3. After that, black fans left behind their favorite Negro League teams and paid more attention to the Dodgers.
ReplyDeleteJackie Robinson sets a great example to the black community of his time, and to all communities of modern times. He shows that even if something seems hard, it can be accomplished with perseverance. In this book, Mr. McMahon stopped the Klan's reign of terror onto his family and community.
"Life is not a spectator sport. If you're going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you're wasting your life." -Jackie Robinson
Websites Used: "http://www.jackierobinson.com/index.php"
(and some websites linked from this website)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSusan Carol McCarthy hadn't came up with the ideas for Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands right off the top of her head. She had saw many news clippings from the Orlando Sentinel that described the "race crimes" which took place in Florida from 1951-1952. Along with those news clippings, there was a letter from her father stating "his daring cooperation with the FBI." This letter and those news stories helped her begin the novel. In the epilogue, the author states how Marvin Cully's death was based off the real death of Melvin Womack. (pg. 274.) Melvin had much in common with Marvin-for instance, they were both young citrus fruit pickers in Central Florida. Melvin, just like Marvin, had been "grabbed, stabbed, and shot in the head by local Klansmen." Both Melvin and Marvin also weren't the person the Klansmen were looking for. It was a "case of mistaken identity." Marvin's character, however, was inspired by many fruit pickers that worked in Susan's family's groves when she was a child, who loved to tell stories and were very intelligent.
ReplyDeleteWebsites Used:
1- http://www.susancarolmccarthy.com/bio.htm
2-http://www.southernscribe.com/zine/authors/Mccarthy_Susan.htm
An event that was mentioned in Susan's novel was the murder of Harry Moore and his wife, Harriette, which occurred Christmas Night of 1951. As mentioned on page 150 of Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands, the couple had returned from a family party, which was celebrating their anniversary as well as Christmas. A bomb had exploded under their bedroom, killing Mr. Moore almost immediately. Mrs. Moore died nine days later. There were four people suspected in the case: Earl Brooklyn, Tillman Belvin, Joseph Cox, and Edward Spivey. All of the suspects were involved with the Klan, and all but Edward Spivey had been members of the Association of Georgia Klan. In the end, no one was charged, because Brooklyn and Belvin had both died of natural causes within a year of the bombing, and Cox committed suicide right after his second interview. Spivey had been suspected because of his detailed knowledge, but the officers eventually gave up on the case, still unsure. In 1978, the case was reopened by the request of NAACP. Captain J. Patterson was assigned to the case. When Spivey spoke to Patterson, he was dying of cancer. However, he gave him some vital information: he told Patterson that he knew who the bomber was and wanted to "clear his conscience." Spivey then went on to accuse Joseph Cox, who was by then dead. Now, more than fifty years later, the case is still unsolved. However, many people are still trying to find justice for the Moores.
ReplyDeleteWebsites Used
http://www.nbbd.com/godo/moore/investigation/0608MooreExecSum.pdf
After reading 15sieglerf’s post on Harry T. Moore and his wife, I was reminded of Mr. Moore’s partner and NAACP lawyer Mr. Thurgood Marshall. Mr. Thurgood Marshall was born on July 2, 1908 as a grandson of a slave. Growing up, his father taught him to have great appreciation for the Constitution and law. He attempted to apply to the University of Maryland Law School, but he was denied admission due to the color of his skin. After graduating from Howard University Law School, Mr. Marshall actually sued the University of Maryland Law School for not admitting another black man by the name of Donald Murray. Thurgood then moved to New York where he worked for the NAACP. During his time in New York, Mr. Thurgood Marshall was asked by the United Nations and the United Kingdom to help write the constitutions for the new countries of Ghana and Tanzania. Thurgood Marshall participated in many civil-rights cases including Brown vs. Board of Education in 1954, and this led to his appointment to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit by President John F. Kennedy. President Lyndon B. Johnson then appointed Thurgood to the office of U.S. Solicitor General in 1965. Two years later, Mr. Thurgood Marshall was appointed to the Supreme Court having won fourteen of the nineteen cases he argued to the Supreme Court for the government. During his years in law, Thurgood Marshall represented and won more cases before the Supreme Court than any other American.
ReplyDeleteWebsite Used: http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/122/hill/marshall.htm
‘Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands’ includes several characters, places, and events that actually existed. Searching the web, I found background on Edgar Hoover. Susan Carol McCarthy introduces Hoover into the book on page 24 when Mr. McMahon writes to him about Marvin’s case. He never writes a letter in return. John Edgar Hoover was born in Washington D.C., the son of a federal official. He worked in the Library of Congress while attending law school at George Washington University. In 1917, Hoover not only graduated, but found work at the U.S. Department of Justice. He was at the top of the General Intelligence Division by 1919. His career took off in 1924 when the Bureau of Investigation’s attorney general named him their director. Hoover kept his title when the Bureau of Investigation became the FBI. Some people claim that Edgar had unethical ways of obtaining answers, and he was often surrounded by controversy.
ReplyDeleteWEBSITE USED: http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1593.html
In Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands, The Klu Klux Klan has become a major part in many disasters occurring in Florida. The Klu Klux Klan originated in 1866. Their goal was to make sure blacks didn’t get the right to vote. In the book, The Klu Klux Klan had become known for destroying buildings and killing innocent black men. Men such as Marvin had been cruelly murdered but no one cared because sheriffs like J.D. Bowman were involved with The Klan. The Klan had done much damage to churches and buildings. This happened in real life. After the First World War, The Klu Klux Klan had become extremely mean towards Jews, Christians, communists, etc. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) became a rival of The Klu Klux Klan. In the book, Mr. Marshall and Mr. Moore were members of the NAACP. The Klu Klux Klan chased Mr. Marshall to the airport to frighten him or harm him further. It is very likely that the events that occurred in the book would coincide with real life events in the era of The Klu Klux Klan.
ReplyDeleteAs Geoffrey said in the first response to this blog, it became apparent very early that baseball was a big deal. The community gathered around the radio or occasionally the television. If the Brooklyn Dodgers were home, you were going to hear the famous voice of Red Barber. Walter "Red" Barber was born on February 17, 1908. Red Barber spent his younger years growing up in the town of Columbus, Mississippi. Red Barber first decided he wanted to be a sportscaster when he read a paper written in school over a radio station in Florida. He liked the thought of thousands of people hearing his voice over the radio. He then dropped out of school so he could become a radio announcer. A couple years later, the owner of the Cincinnati Reds asked Barber to be the announcer for the Reds games. Red Barber was the voice of the Reds, Dodgers, and Yankees over the span of thirty two years. Red Barber was easily inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1955. The sad day of October 22, 1992 is when Red Barber passed away; he was ninety four years old.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.radiohof.org/sportscasters/redbarber.html
There are many real life characters, place, and events that happen throughout this book. One that pops up quite a lot in this book is the Ku Klux Klan. The Klan was a very large and well known group of whites who treated blacks very poorly. The Klan was started in May of 1866, by a group of ex-confederate veterans in Pulaski, Tennessee. In May of 1867 a man by the name of Foresst became the leader of the KKK. They wore white hooded robes, and made nightly visits to blacks. On May 17, 1954 the US supreme court brought up the historic decision on desegregation throughout the schools. This made the Klan even more angry and the kept up being mean and hurtful to the whites more than ever. Like in the book where the Klan kills Marvin even though he wasn't the one that they were looking for. Things like that happened in the real world and the Klan would get away with it. Many of the sheriffs in the Florida towns were Klan members and helped them get away with stuff like this. The Klan was a strong group of the early 1900's, and they kept it going until people realized what they were doing was very wrong and that something should be done about it.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.adl.org/issue_combating_hate/uka/rise.asp
http://civilwar.bluegrass.net/AftermathAndReconstruction/birthofthekkk.html
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOn page 188 the author mentions the the primary election. Previously as Emily Hazlett mentioned, Kefauver and Stevenson were running for president against very well known presidents. Little was talked about the current president at the time, Harry Truman. Harry S. Truman was born in Lamar, Missouri on May 8, 1884. In 1922, Truman was elected as one of the three judges in the Jackson County Court House. Twelve years later he was elected to the U.S. Senate. Harry Truman was a big part in passing the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938 and the Transportation Act of 1940. He was elected for a second term in 1940. Truman was elected as Vice President with President Franklin D. Roosevelt. After Roosevelt unexpectedly dying while in office, Truman took over the reins of president. Truman was reelected in 1948 and then he retired after his second four years in office. Truman was know for honesty and efficiency while in office. Harry S. Truman died on December 26, 1972.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.trumanlibrary.org/hst-bio.htm
On page 226 it states that the “…Federal Grand Jury convenes its investigations into the Ku Klux Klan...” This is very important to the book because it is the first time the justice system showed any knowledge that what the Klan was doing was wrong. However, a Grand Jury is not like the jury you think of that sits in front of the judge, listens to arguments, and then says guilty or not guilty. The Federal Grand Jury is a step before that. It is made up of a group of 16(minimum) to 23 people who have been selected and sworn in much like a normal jury. Unlike a jury, a Grand Jury has a term of 18 months (24 if extended) and meets less often. They usually come together only when a prosecutor has a charge the grand jury needs to hear. The meetings are recorded and take place in private “Grand Jury Rooms.” Like in the novel, the Grand Jury uses subpoenas to gather witnesses and evidence. The purpose of a Grand Jury is to decide whether or not a defendant should be charged with a crime in court (the step before a jury). This provides an interesting difference: the defendant does not get to have his/her attorney present in the Grand Jury proceedings because he or she has not been indicted yet. In conclusion, even if a Federal Grand Jury thinks the defendant is guilty, their job is just to say whether or not the defendant should go to trial.
ReplyDeletehttp://campus.udayton.edu/~grandjur/fedj/fedj.htm#Grand jurys term
In this book there are real life places talked about like Florida, but one that I noticed was Ebbets field. Ebbets field is home to the history of the Brooklyn Dodgers. The history of the sport baseball in Brooklyn dates back to the 1850s. Through the first 30 years the Dodgers had many different names such as Atlantics, Grays, Bridgegrooms, Grooms, Superbas, and Trolley Dodgers. Charles Ebbet bought the Dodgers in the early 1900s and thought about building a new steel and concrete stadium because of other ballparks being caught on fire, and he didn't want that to happen to the Dodgers stadium. Construction of the new field began on March 14, 1912. Once all the construction was finished up they could finally play on the field, and their first game was April 9, 1913. Ebbets field eventually had to be blown up for new construction, so the last game played on the old field was on September 24, 1957. Once demolition was over with the scoreboard and lights from the field were used in many minor league stadiums. Ebbet field was a very nice stadium and was used by the Dodgers the same time that Reesa and all her friends enjoyed watching the Dodgers.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/past/EbbetsField.htm
In the book Lay that Trumpet in our Hands, the author uses many names and and places that actually exist in reality. One person in particular that I focused on was on the Brooklyn Dodgers, previously discussed by Geoffrey Wells. His name is Preacher Roe, or Elwin Charles Roe, the Dodger's pitcher at the time. In the book, he is pitching for the only baseball team that has African American players, in which is inspirational for all African Americans at the time. Roe was born on February 26, 1916. He attended Harding University, and was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1938. He pitched from 1938-1954 for the Dodgers, Pirates, and Cardinals. Although, he only pitched for the Dodgers for about six years. His final game was on September 4, 1954, and he died on November 9, 2008 of old age. The place of is death was in West Plains, Missouri, and he was buried at the Howell County Memorial Park.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/roepr01.shtml
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAs I read through my peers' posts, I become more and more interested about the time in American history Susan Carol McCarthy's book takes place. So far, one big part of American history has been missed: cars. Specifically, the DeSoto that Reesa's grandmother owns. DeSotos were marketed by and manufactured by the Chrysler Corporation from 1928 to 1961, 33 years. In the first year of DeSoto production, a record 81,065 cars were built. 16th century Spanish conquistador, Hernandez de Soto, is honored by this car's name. Hernandez DeSoto is featured as a hood ornament on DeSotos. Reesa's grandmother's model is the DeSoto Deluxe, or simply DeLuxe. The DeLuxe was produced and sold from 1946 up to 1952. In 1960, DeSoto production came to a halt. Some DeSoto dealers were angered at the Chrysler Corporation for the sudden cancellation. To people of the time, DeSotos were very recognizable. It is nice how Susan Carol McCarthy included a great car such as the DeSoto, and coupled it with a great character like Reesa's grandmother, Doto.
ReplyDelete"DESOTOLAND"
http://www.duricy.com/~desoto/index.shtml
Many of my peers mention the organization, the NAACP, in their posts. When I first read about the NAACP in the novel, on page two, I was confused as to what it stood for and what the organization did. Founded in 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP, stands as our nations oldest and largest civil rights organization. Over half a million members and supporters in the United States have come together to help ensure the equality of rights to everyone and to eliminate race discrimination. Some of these people included Mr. Thurgood Marshall and Mr. Harry T. Moore. Marshall served as head of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund while Moore was a NAACP field secratary. By 1913, the NAACP had established offices in major cities like Boston, Baltimore, Kansas City (Missouri), Washington D.C., Detroit, and St. Louis. Throughout the tough years during the 1950s, the NAACP won many legal battles. Thurgood Marshall won the Brown vs. Board of Education case in 1954, outlawing segregation in public schools. Clarence M. Mitchell Junior led the NAACP’s Washingotn D.C. bureau to advance the integration of the Army in 1948 and to the passing of the Civil Rights Acts in 1957, 1964, and 1968. Today, the NAACP focuses the most on disparities in economies, health care, education, and the criminal justice system. They still, though, keep their original misson in mind as they work for the equal treatment of every American, no matter what the color of their skin is.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.naacp.org/pages/naacp-history
In the book “Lay that trumpet in our hands, “On pages 33-35, Reesa takes part in a bible drill. During the drill, many different bible verses are quoted. When Reesa reads from Ezekiel 34:12, “As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so I will seeketh out my sheep and deliver them out of all the places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day,” she is reading an actual bible quote from Webster’s bible translation.
ReplyDeleteAnother bible quote read by Billy Roy from John 12:12 and 13 goes, “On the next day, much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went forth to meet him, and cried, ‘Hosanna: Blessed king of Israel that cometh in the name of the lord!’ ” This quote came either from the Webster’s bible translation or King James Bible.
Although both of these quotes had some minor variation from the ones found during my research, the basis of the quotes were accurate, proving Susan McCarthy did have background bible information when she wrote the book, “Lay that trumpet in our hands.”
Sources:
http://bible.cc/ezekiel/34-12.htm
http://bible.cc/john/12-13.htm
http://bible.cc/john/12-12.htm
Although “Lay That Trumpet In Our Hands” is fiction, Susan Carol McCarthy bases a lot of it off of true events. After reading my peers’ blog entries, I realize most are talking about the people and the events that the book was based off of. Personally, I would like to write about something else, specifically, the citrus groves. On page three Reesa first tells us that her family owns twenty-seven acres of prime grove lands. Because of this, I chose to research one of Florida’s top citrus growers, Florida’s Natural. Organized in 1933, they have over 1,000 growers and 50,000 acres of citrus groves. They pride themselves in having freshly squeezed juices that are never imported. Just a few of their different juices include their original orange juice, ruby red grapefruit juice, cranberry-grapefruit juice cocktail, and fresh lemonade. After celebrating their 75th anniversary in 2008, Florida’s Natural treasures the fact that they are now “one of the largest Florida citrus cooperatives of growers.” That is just a little background on one of many Florida citrus groves.
ReplyDeleteSources: http://www.floridasnatural.com/co-op/history
http://www.floridasnatural.com/juices/89oz-crystal-clear-pitcher
In "Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands", there was one man that stood out to me. He helped conquer the KKK in the novel, but when I researched him, I found out that he did much more. Mr. Thurgood Marshall was born on July 2, 1908. He was a child of an activist black community in Baltimore, Maryland. As a child, he was taught to respect the Constitution, which contributed to making him America's leading radical. He worked through the court system to destroy slavery and the Jim Crow segregation system. Before he became the first African American Supreme Court Justice in 1967 and ended legal segregation, he won 14 of 19 cases before the Supreme Court, which is more than any other American. He also won the famous case Brown v. Board of Education, putting a stop to legal segregation in public schools. Mr. Marshall said that even though legal discrimination ended, there had to be more done. Mr. Marshall worked "on behalf of Black Americas...... for all Americans".
ReplyDeleteSources:
http://www.thurgoodmarshall.com/home.htm
http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/122/hill/marshall.htm
I noticed that while reading 15sieglef’s post, she had mentioned Harry T. Moore and Harriette V. Moore, but had not talked about them, rather the people suspected in the case of their murder. I decided to find out a little more about these influential people. Born on November 18th, 1905, in Houston, Florida, Harry was the son of S. Johnny Moore and Rosalea Alberta Tyson Moore. Harry had been a teacher, a principal, and eventually became an Executive Director of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) from 1947 to 1951. He accomplished many things relating to fair treatment for African Americans, and in 1945 was able to increase black voting registration from 5% to 37%! Harriette was born on June 19th, 1902, in Mims, Florida. She was a teacher, also. On Christmas Eve, as said in the book, a bomb exploded in the Moore’s house, killing Harry Moore. His wife died nine days later. Their deaths caused a large investigation towards the Ku Klux Klan, and while no arrests were made, it did decrease Klan activity a bit.
ReplyDeleteWEBSITE USED:
http://www.nbbd.com/godo/moore/bioHarry.html
McCarthy mentions a group in the book many times, know as the NAACP, which Marvin jokes to stand for Negroes Annoyed by the Abuse of Colored People. I found the NAACP website, (naacp.org) and found out that NAACP actually stands for National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. It was founded in 1909, making it the oldest civil rights organization in the U.S. It was founded by a group of white liberals including Mary White Ovington and Oswald Garrison Villard, who were both descendants of abolitionists. The NAACP's vision staement is "to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights without discrimination based on race." In 1910, W.E.B. DuBois established The Crisis, the official journal of the NAACP. I also did a little research on Opalakee and Mayflower, and found out that Mayflower is based off of the town Plymouth, and Opalakee is really a town called Apopka.I found in the epilogue that at least four members of the Apopka Klavern had taken part in the Christmas 1951 bombing of Harry T. Moore's house. I found out that at the time of Moore's death, he was state secretary for the NAACP. Susan Carol McCarthy based her books off of many interesting facts.
ReplyDeleteWebsites used:
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAmooreH.htm
http://www.naacp.org/content/main
I will be adding more information to 15sieglerf’s recent blog about the Christmas night explosion. The local Klan members detonated the Christmas night explosive at 10:20 PM. The blast occurred not even ten minutes after the Moores went to bed. The Moores’ neighbors thought that the bomb was just a Christmas day firecracker. Citizens of Orange Grove Florida soon realized what they thought was a simple firecracker to celebrate Christmas was something completely different. Investigators think that the explosive was a nitroglycerin bomb. Even though the device was not atomic people say that the explosive that was set off was more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Before Mr. and Mrs. Moore’s funeral detectives had to thoroughly search the funeral home under the seats and other areas to make sure that there wouldn’t be another act of terror similar to Christmas night. The F.B.I to this day still doesn’t know who the real culprit of the Christmas night bombing is. The world may never know.
ReplyDeleteMy information has come from:
http://www.pbs.org/harrymoore/terror/1951.html
http://www.history.com/topics/ku-klux-klan
I wanted to know if the bombings in Miami, mentioned frequently in the book, actually happened or were thought up by Mrs. McCarthy. I looked online and found a picture of an old Jet Magazine dated December 13, 1951. It told the story of how the National Guard needed to be called in. 500 Black residents insisted upon being protected from the police after 20 to 25 sticks of dynamite exploded an apartment house. Officers had arrested two Blacks but the 500 member mob demanded they be freed. This wasn’t the first of Miami’s trouble either. Other attacks included: two 16-unit homes destroyed, 20,000 dollars of damage was inflicted on an apartment building, and the Mayor’s wife was receiving phone calls pressuring her. She told the reporter their demand was that “If we didn’t get the” Blacks “out of Carver Valley within the month, it would be bombed to pieces!” The Black residents were not even allowed guns to defend themselves with! Unfortunately, these violent and cruel acts were not figments of the author’s imagination.
ReplyDeleteWebsite used: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vieilles_annonces/3648285989/
did a little bit of research on the people in the book as well, including Thurgood Marshall, Harry T. Moore, and J. Edgar Hoover. Thurgood Marshall attended Lincoln University with his brother, an all black school in Chester County, Pennsylvania. He then went on to attend Howard University Law School and sued the University of Maryland Law School, which had denied him admission because he was black. Thurgood Marshall then became the Cheif Counsel for the NAACP, which was where he was in the story. J. Edgar Hoover graduated from George Washington University in 1917, where he had been studying for a law degree. In 1924, he bacame director of the Bureau of Investigation, which later became the Federal Bureau of Investigation due to his complaints about their power. He worked on many cases after that, and that brings us to the book. Harry T. Moore graduated from Florida Memorial College with a "normal degree" in 1925 and taught fourth grade for two years after that. Harry T. Moore founded the Brevard County NAACP in 1934, and ten years later, over 116,000 black voters were registered in Florida thanks to him. He and his wife were fired from their teaching jobs because of their political activism, and in 1951, Harry T. Moore was killed when a bomb was placed under his bed, as mentioned in the book.
ReplyDeleteWebsites Used:
http://www.pbs.org/harrymoore/harry/mbio.html
www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAhooverE.htm
In the book Reesa visits a dry sink many times. I wondered how they’re made. A dry or wet sinks start out as an underground cave. It’s created when the ceiling of the cave crumples. This creates a huge opening in the ground which, depending on if the cave was above an aquifer, becomes either the dry sink of Reesa’s story or a lake. They’re found all throughout Northern Florida and the water’s only clean part of the year. Most sinkholes are ancient and you can find fossils and artifacts in them. In one sink you can see Saber Tooth Tiger bones coming out of the water! Sinkholes can also make lakes vanish! If there is little rainfall the water level drops and water moves through the underground caverns to the sinkhole. A third of Lake Jackson disappeared in 1999! Not a lot is known about sinkholes, but now scientists can explore the underground caverns and hopefully they’ll find out more. The book mentions Little Lake Annie (page 270) and there’s a not-so-little Lake Annie in Highlands County Florida. Who knows, Reesa’s little Lake could be huge now!
ReplyDeleteWebsites used: http://underwaterflorida.homestead.com/sinkhole.html
http://books.google.com/books?id=NXrygt0m50oC&pg=PA116&lpg=PA116&dq=dry+sinks+in+Florida&source=bl&ots=uJpZM-IyA6&sig=rxXT31PTM9G0BDqcGf-1eMIpphA&hl=en&ei=ORlATqG7AYiJsQKO5-gc&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=dry%20sinks%20in%20Florida&f=false
Like Emily Baldwin, I too wondered how sinkholes are made. I did some research, but it happens that she beat me to it! So, I will just give some extra info that I found.
ReplyDeleteSinkholes are very common in Florida, because underneath Florida, the ground is abundant with rocks that dissolve easily. Limestone and carbonate salt beds are examples of easily dissolved rocks. Flowing groundwater can eat at these rocks, leaving underground holes or caverns that collapse, like Emily Baldwin mentioned. Sinkholes that collapse suddenly are very dangerous. Groundwater fills the caverns that it makes, and then drains away either due to drought, or humans redirecting it for their needs. In a way, the water was supporting the cavern's roof from below. Without the water, the cavern's top, and land above it, crumbles.
Emily also mentioned Lake Jackson almost entirely vanishing in 1999. However, it will be back. The Florida Geological Survey states that the lake drains and refills every 25 years.
http://www.livescience.com/9932-sinkholes-form.html
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/geology/geologictopics/jacksonsink.htm
In "Lay That Trumpet In Our Hands", there were many realistic references made from the fictional story to the real world in the early nineteen fifties. One of the mentions that showed up a lot in this book was the Ku Klux Klan, often referred to in the book as just The Klan. In the book, The Klan was notoriously known for killing African Americans just because the color of their skin was different. They also did other cruel acts, such as blowing up the Miami Jewish Center, St.Stephan's Catholic Church, and other places relating to those specific religions. Adding onto 15milleri's post,in 1944, the Ku Klux Klan was actually dispersed after evidence of second degree murder was found of Klan leader David C. Stephenson, and other important people such as the governor of Indiana and the mayor of Indianapolis. But as the Civil Rights Movement started to grow,the renewal of the Klan also started to re-surface.
ReplyDeleteWebsite Used:
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAkkk.htm
I chose to look up Judge Robert Jackson from the book, mentioned on page 38 of the book. He actually lived during the time and was indeed a judge on the Supreme Court. In the book, they involved him in the case with two black men on trial. He was born in Pennsylvania (Spring Creek) on February 13, 1892 and died in Washington on October 9, 1954. After High school, he worked as a clerk. He then went to the Albany Law School for a year and became a lawyer. For a while, he did very well in his job and got married too. Robert Jackson worked for the U.S. Bureau of Internal Revenue with a little bit of success as well. In the year 1941, he was appointed to the Supreme Court. The president to appoint him was President Franklin Roosevelt. He ended up serving in the Supreme Court. Later on, the current president (a different one) at the time, then asked him to serve as chief counselor for the U.S instead. His last job was serving on the court again. He served the Brown Case to the end and died a few days later (the year being 1954).
ReplyDeletehttp://www.answers.com/topic/robert-h-jackson - main website, I found out the other websites information on this website.
Britannica.com
In “Lay that Trumpet in Our Hands,” they talked about Marvin’s favorite baseball player on page 68. This person happens to be Jackie Robinson. He was the very first African-American person to play Major League Baseball, and was born in 1919. Before famous, he was the youngest sibling in a poor family. At the high school he attended, he played many sports (4) and was voted the Most Valuable Player in baseball. Matthew Robinson, his older brother, was a big inspiration for Jackie because he was so good at running. He went to the University of California in Los Angeles. Jackie was so good at sports that he was the first person there to get letters for four sports he was involved in playing. Unfortunately, he had to drop out of the college due to finances. For a little time, he played football that was semi-professional until World War II began. After the war, he played baseball for the Negro Leagues. Some time after, he was chosen to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945, which helped bring segregation on people’s minds. He ended up working for a restaurant chain and became a member on the board of the NAACP. Jackie ended up being inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Sadly, he ended up dying in 1972 of heart issues. A foundation was made in the name of this remarkable human being and excellent baseball player.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.biography.com/articles/Jackie-Robinson-9460813
Susan Carol McCarthy uses a lot of realistic people, places, and events. Just like many others, I also did not understand much about the NAACP. It was mentioned many times in the book and I wanted to find out more about it. Marvin would jokingly say that the NAACP stands for “Negroes Annoyed by the Abuse of Colored People.” After researching I found out that it actually stands for National Association for the Advancement of Color People. Now with that only saying what it stands for, I was still full of confusion. After more research I found out that the NAACP is a civil rights group for ethnic minorities in the United States. The purpose for this Association is said to guarantee political, educational, social, and economic equality for minority groups in the United States.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.naacp.org/content/main
Since I don’t know a lot about baseball, and baseball plays a huge role in the story, I decided to look up more information the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Brooklyn Dodgers Baseball Club was established in 1883. In the year 1889 they won the American Association Pennant, and in 1890 they joined the National League. Before the Brooklyn Dodgers eve got their name, they had many nicknames which included Brooklyn Atlantics, Brooklyn Grays, and even the “Brooklyn Bridegrooms”. During the 1890s when the team played in Eastern Park, they got the nickname “Trolley Dodgers” because the fans and players had a hard time entering the park. They had a hard time entering the park because Brooklyn had scarce trolley lines at the time. In the years 1949 the Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles. Since they moved to Los Angeles, on February 23, 1960 they demolished Ebbets Field. The Brooklyn Dodgers were mostly well known for breaking the color barrier, and hiring a Negro player, Jackie Robinson. By hiring Jackie Robison they were able to end almost 80 years of segregated baseball.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.associatedcontent.com/article/281319/the_brooklyn_dodgers_history_pg2.html?cat=14
Since the book was so detailed and well written I wondered how she got or came up with all the information. When I reached the end and read under “About the Author”: “Susan Carol McCarthy was born and raised in central Florida,” I wondered if the books plot was inspired by her personal life. As I did some research, it turned out it was. Susan was born and raised near Apopka and Orange County in the early 50’s. Her family even owned a citrus packinghouse on route 441. Unlike Reesa, however, she never understood what was happening in Orange County around that time. Years past, then, in 1991, she received a parcel (in South Carolina where she then lived) from her father. It contained newly unsealed FBI documents and a large letter from her father. It began “I want you to hear from the horse's mouth what I did and why I did it.” Then it went on to explain her father’s secret story, which turned out to be the basis of Reesa’s father’s story. McCarthy’s father did, indeed, steal evidence from Klan headquarters for the FBI. The letter concluded “You’re the writer. Write this.”
ReplyDeletehttp://www.susancarolmccarthy.com/events.htm
I noticed that racial segregation and discrimination was a big part of the book. When I ponder the idea of it, it sickens me. Not only was this a cruel way that the human race hurt itself, but to think it was over the color of one’s skin? Was it really worth killing your neighbor even though they were a good person? Even before the KKK came about, racial differences played a big part in our country. In the 1800’s, slavery became a large part of Americans’ every day lifestyle. After the battle to end slavery was over, blacks and whites still lacked equal rights. For example, on any occasion blacks were not allowed to drink from the same water fountain. This example was even displayed in the book. Reesa had never noticed a sign before. However, if someone of a different colored skin didn’t obey the sign they could be severely punished. From that point forward in the book Reesa vowed never to drink from that fountain again in order to make a small but meaningful stand against racial discrimination. Another way that blacks were discriminated was that they were not allowed to show signs of affection to each other in public places. Their signs of affection were considered very insulting, especially if they were to kiss. One law that was enforced in Georgia was inspired by a barber, who was colored. He was not allowed to cut the hair of a woman or female child who was white. One thing that I had known about, but never really spent time thinking about was the fact that whenever a fight started between the two races, whites would usually be the ones to start them. Reflecting back on this, it sounds like absolute insanity. It seems inhuman that we picked fights with them just because we thought whites were superior. I am almost appalled that the human race would sink so low. After reading this I asked my grandmother if her family had any slaves or had any KKK encounters when they traveled. Being 91, my grandmother knew a lot about the racial discrimination during the era. I found out that my grandmother used to have a colored friend. Her parents had nothing against this boy, but my grandmother had been judged by many others about her choices for who to associate with. This is a deep subject and there were many examples of this throughout the book. It is scary to think that this actually happened.
ReplyDeleteWebsite: http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/what.htm
In the book ‘Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands’ Harry T. Moore plays a large role. After researching him, I found that Harry T. Moore was born on November 18, 1905 in Houston, Florida. Moore began to study at Florida Memorial College in 1919, and after he graduated he became a school teacher in Cocoa, Florida. In 1934, Moore established the Brevard County branch of the NAACP, and in 1944 he formed the Florida Progressive Voters League. This league tripled the enrollment of registered black voters, as we read in the book. Because his successful campaigns made him unpopular with powerful political figures in Florida, Moore was dismissed from his teaching job in 1946. As a response, the NAACP appointed Moore as their organizer in Florida. With the help of Moore, the NAACP in Florida had over 10,000 members by 1948. As we also read in the book, Moore led a campaign against the unrighteous treatment of three African Americans who were accused of rape. Two of the suspects were shot by the Lake County sheriff, one being seriously wounded and one being killed. One month after the shootings, a bomb exploded in Harry T. Moore’s house, killing him and his wife, Harriet. I think it is very interesting to discover how many of the characters and events in the book that are not the slightest bit fiction.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAmooreH.htm
The director of the FBI, John Edgar Hoover, is also frequently mentioned in the book ‘Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands’. Hoover was born in Washington on January 1, 1895. Hoover’s father died when he was just a young boy, and the death of his father dramatically decreased the family’s income. Due to his family’s poverty, Hoover had to drop out of school and find employment. Hoover found work as a messenger boy in the Library of Congress, and spent his evenings studying law at George Washington University. After graduating in 1917, Hoover found work in the Justice Department. Over the next couple years, Hoover organized the arrest and deportation of communists living in America. With all of Hoover’s prosecutions of communists, he was rewarded by being promoted to assistant director of the FBI in 1921. In 1924, Hoover was then appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation. Hoover remained in office until his death on May 2, 1972.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAhooverE.htm
As Ian Miller mentioned, the book ‘Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands’ often refers to the Ku Klux Klan. The Ku Klux Klan, also known as the KKK, was first established after the Civil War in May, 1866, in Pulaski, Tennessee. Many of the leaders of the KKK were once members of the Confederate Army. Klan members would wear white masks, white hoods, and be draped in white sheets as they killed African Americans or people of another race who were directly associated with African Americans. Successful black businessmen were often attacked, also. Because of their brutal and unfair treatment, African Americans often tried to start their own groups for protection. These groups, however, were often “dealt” with by the KKK very quickly. Although very brutal with their tactics, the original goal of white supremacy groups such as the KKK was to prohibit African Americans from voting. After Klan leader David C. Stephenson was convicted of second-degree murder, Klan membership began to drop. Membership continued to decline until 1944 when the group was disbanded.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAkkk.htm
Baseball was a huge part of “Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands”. One of the players mentioned frequently was Don Newcombe. He was the first black pitcher to enter the Major Leagues, something that was not mentioned in the book. He was born June 14th, 1926 in Madison, New Jersey. He originally played for the Newark Eagles in the Negro Leagues, playing there his first season. He then signed with the Dodgers, playing for their Minor League teams until he was called up to the Dodgers on May 20th, 1949. He played with Jackie Robinson and was named to the All-Star team of 1949, being one of the four blacks named to the team. This was a first for this, and he felt very lucky to have been chosen. He continued to be a force in the Majors until he was drafted into the Korean War in 1951. He came back two years later and in 1956 won the Cy Young award as the best pitcher in the Majors. After he retired, Don continued to live a life involved with baseball. In his many years, Don contributed a lot to the sport of baseball and still is involved with the Dodgers today.
ReplyDeleteSites Used: http://www.cmgww.com/sports/newcombe/index.html
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/n/newcodo01.shtml
As people have mentioned before me, a large portion of the book is about the Klu Klux Klan or more specifically at this time the Third Klan. To better explain the Third Klan one must know that an era of a Klan ends after it is disbanded or terminates itself. When the third Klan was formed its main purpose was to destroy social change and black people that wanted better lives. This Klan was formed in Birmingham, Alabama. Like in Lay that Trumpet in Our Hands, many black homes were bombed, so many in fact, that Birmingham’s nickname became Bombingham. Something that was new with the Third Klan was that it had ties with the police. Many instances during violent demonstrations the police would allow the Klan leaders to do whatever they wanted to do before they intervened. The Third Klan had very little resistance at the time partly because there were so many government officials that were in the Klan or did not mind what they were doing. There was so little resistance that even the FBI was preoccupied. They had investigations into Klan activity, but J. Edgar Hoover was more concerned about civil right activists and their supposed links to communism. By 1964 The Klan started to be prosecuted for its actions and once again broke down.
ReplyDeleteSite Used: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAkkk.htm
Thurgood Marshall was born July 2, 1908 in Baltimore Maryland. As a child Thurgood’s father instilled an admiration for our constitution and our laws. After graduating high school in 1925 Thurgood went to Lincoln University in Chester county Pennsylvania where he graduated in 1930 with cum laude, which means to graduate with high honors. Thurgood then went to Howard Law School where he graduated first in his class. A year after graduating from Howard Thurgood works for Baltimore’s branch of the NAACP. In 1935, Thurgood wins his first major civil rights case, Murray v. Pearson. Winning this case caused the University Of Maryland Law School to become desegregated. Thurgood leaves Baltimore in 1936 and goes to New York. While there Thurgood is appointed the position of assistant special counsel for NAACP in New York. From 1940 to 1961 Thurgood works as the legal director for the NAACP. During this time Thurgood wins Brown v. Board of Education which is now considered a landmark case. In 1961 Thurgood Marshall becomes part of the U.S. court of appeals. Then in 1967 Thurgood Marshall Becomes the first African American in the Supreme Court. Thurgood served until 1991. Thurgood Marshall died in 1993 of heart failure.
ReplyDeletehttp://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/122/hill/marshall.htm
http://www.america.gov/st/democracy-english/2008/April/20080501224814myleen0.3645899.html
Harry T. Moore was born in Houston, Florida on November 18, 1905. Harry T. Moore grew up in a small farming community where his father owned a small store and tended to water tanks for the railroad companies. Harry T. Moore graduated from Florida Memorial College at age nineteen with a normal degree. After graduating from college Harry worked as a teacher for two years. During this time he met his future wife Harriette Simms. After teaching in a colored school and later running it Harry joined the NAACP and started his own branch in his county. Harry’s first act as the leader of his county’s NAACP was obtaining equal pay for minority teachers. Harry teamed up with Thurgood Marshall for the legal suit. The suit was lost in the court system but it led other people to file smaller law suits that eventually gave blacks and whites equal pay. Harry eventually became the executive secretary of Florida’s NAACP. For the next ten years of Harry’s life he worked with Thurgood Marshall on equal rights cases until his death in 1951. The case involving his murder was eventually closed with no suspects. The case was reopened in 2005. In 2006 four men, all dead at the time, were found to be involved in the crime Earl J. Brooklyn, Joseph Neville Cox, Edward L. Spivey, and Tillman H. Belvin.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.pbs.org/harrymoore/harry/legacy.html
On August 5, I wrote a comment to this blog. While rereading my comments, I realized I had forgotten to paste my source to this particular comment.
ReplyDeleteSource used:
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAkkk.htm
During chapter 19 of Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands Ressa and her family are at the Tomasini's store watching the big game 7 of the Pennant. This chapter is filled with fictionalized, real life experiences. First are the two teams playing, the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants. The Brooklyn Dodgers debuted in the National League in 1890 and won the championship that very year with a 86-43 overall record. On page 130 a boy asks Mr. Sal' "…Big Nate says they usta be called and Trolley Dodgers?" This is true, fans of the Dodgers called them this because of all the trolleys that crossed Brooklyn in the beginning of the 20th century. The Dodgers original franchise is still intact today. They have moved from Brooklyn all the way across the country to Los Angles in 1957 but kept the name Dodgers. The New York Giants originated in 1883 and also moved across the country to San Francisco in 1957 where their rivalry still goes on today. Don Newcombe is mentioned in the prayer on page 131. Don Newcombe was born June 14, 1926 in Madison, NJ and attended Jefferson High School in Madison. Don was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1946. He was a 4-time All Star and pitched a total of 8 innings. He won Rookie of the Year in 1949, the Cy Young Award in 1956, and the Most Valuable Player in 1956. He also made it to the World Series 3 times, all with the Dodgers. This chapter of Susan Carol McCarthy's book is filled with fictionalized, real life experiences.
ReplyDeleteSites I used:
www.sportecyclopedia.com/nl/bdodgers/brooklyn.html
www.sportecyclopedia.com/nl/nygiantsb/nygiants.html
www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=newcodo01
In Lay That Trumpet In Our Hands the Ku Klux Klan is the main problem in the book and are mentioned very often. On page 222 after Reesa’s Dad stole the Membership book from the Klan they found certain terms in the book. The terms were Exalted Cyklops, Klaliff, Kludd, and Klokard. I was curious what these terms meant of who they were so I looked it up. On the website I found other terms that were not mentioned but were important. I will write the terms of the people from the highest ranking to the lowest. The Imperial Wizard of Grand Wizard was the national chief. He was in charge of the nation and would assign state leaders. Underneath the Imperial Wizard was the Grand Dragon who was the state leader. Then there was the Exalted Cyklops who was the leader of a large area like a city. The Klaliff would then be the assistant to the Exalted Cyklops. The Kludd would then be in charge of an area or a part of a city. Then still better than a regular Klansman, were the Nighthawks and the Chaplains. The Nighthawks were the security or watchmen and the Chaplain would be a preacher. Finally the Klansmen were the lowest rank and dirty job doers of the rest. The whole system worked on ranks and the leader above him would appoint everyone. Also the different rank you were the different color robe you would wear. The Nighthawks wore black, the Grand Dragon wore green, and the Imperial Wizard wore purple.
ReplyDeleteSources:
1.http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080418092228AAaJLWN
The Ku Klux Klan is the main problem in Lay That Trumpet In Our Hands so I wanted to know why the Klan wears the white robes. I wanted to know, not only why they wear white but also why they wore the robes at all. The first reason I could think of was to hide their identities although I thought that there might be a deeper meaning. The robe would hopefully hide their identity when doing wrong deeds. After research I learned that they did use them to hide their identity but that wearing the robes could also have had a deeper meaning. The meaning of wearing robes in the past was for fraternal brotherhood. The reason that most of the robes were white could have been to symbolize the purity of the white race. Another reason it could be white is to symbolize the confederate army and their troop’s deaths in the American Civil War.
ReplyDeleteSources:
1. www.kkk.com
2. http://malaysia.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080508104145AAWWfRq