• This was set up to get northern soldiers out of the south
• Blacks would have to face power structure of KKK and the south 
• A deal brought to and signed by Hayes

• 1866 Tennessee, started as just a social club
• turned into a terrorist organization
• sought to restore home rule of whites 

• Involved Samuel Tilden and Rutherford B. Hayes
• were put in place to decide which on should become the next president because Louisiana, South Carolina, and Florida couldn't figure it out
• 8 Republicans and 7 Democrats set to look into issue
• obviously the Rep. (Hayes) won

• mandated racial segregation between whites and blacks
• blacks weren't allowed to use the same bathrooms, water fountains, restaurants, public schools, transportation etc

• they said that they were not ready to share power 
• South- increased republicans in House of Reps
• this was because former 3/5 is now 5/5
• now all the slaves count in the voting population so the south/slave owning states have more power
• essentially they are just using them for numbers

• 1864- in colorado the new governor is worried about relationship with the Indians
• led hundreds of men to kill innocent cheyenne
• so gross the things they did to the people
• Col. John Chivington was then forced to resign

• also a methodist minister and abolitionist
• he did not distinguish between good and bad indians saw all as bad
• he had a burning hate for indians

• blacks could now make contracts, sue, own property
• could not own firearms or assemble at night
• whites worried that they might riot or create a rebellion 
• has the south learned?

Congressional Reconstruction

(Also known as the 1st Congressional program of reconstructions)

• republicans kicked the southerners out of congress
•  radical republicans wanted even harsher treatment toward south
• 13th Amendment- freed the slaves
• 14th Amendment- gives Afro Americans citizenship
• 15th Amendment- prohibits govt from not allowing a citizen the right to vote based on color, race etc
• Andrew Johnson hated this and asked states not to ratify, he lost

• a.k.a. Military reconstruction 
• called to divide 10 southern states into 5 military districts
• new constitution convention (idk) had blacks voting
• included black suffrage and 14th amendment

The Attempted Impeachment of Andrew Johnson

• The president attempted to fire his sec of war Stanton 
• the tenure of office act tells us that to remove a cabinet officer the president must get senates approval 

Plot of My Antonia 

Part 1

• When describing a plot it doesn't really have one
• stick to talk about the characters changing over time 
• talk a lot about Jim's attraction to Antonia
• Both Jim Burrden and Antonia can be seen as protagonists 

My Antonia Plot 

Part 2

• basically a memior of Jim Burden (a successful New York lawyer from Nebraska) and his times as a child with Antonia Shimerda
• whole thing is extremely nostalgic
• he is very close to Antonia until tragedy strikes and her father committs suicide 
• they become distant
• he moves into town to go to high school 
• she remains out in the farmlands and becomes a housekeeper for a neighbor 
• starts to see her more 
• after high school Jim gets into Lincoln 
• he takes one more trip out to the country with Antonia to reminisce about old times

My Antonia Plot

Part 3

• Jim's second year at college he spends quite a bit of time with Lena Lingard (a mutual friend of his and Antonia's)
• during this year he decides that he needs to experience something new and transfers to Harvard
• while he is away, Antonia gets engaged to a local and moves to Denver to be with him
• days before the wedding he calls it off and she is devasted 
• she tries to hide a pregnancy but when she delivers, family finds out and does not approve
• when Jim comes back to Nebraska to be with his grandparents before law school he finds out about Antonia's predicament
• he spends a day with her and promises to keep in touch
• after 20 years in New York as a great lawyer he comes back to visit she is married with kids to another Bohemian man named Cuzak 
• they have great laughs and Jim vows to be closer to them in the future

My Antonia Plot

Part 4 and final

• before he returns to NYC he walks the streets of his town in Nebraska and recalls his childhood and experiences with Antonia
• feels that his life has come full circle 
• reflects on what Antonia meant to him 

• remains a consistent character 
• comes from being a Virginia orphan to a successful NYC lawyer for the railroad companies while getting two degrees from Nebraska and Harvard respectively
• the respect that he has for Antonia is great but he often tends to keep her in his memory rather than see her 
•  

My Antonia 

Global Aspect

• Jim is from the US and is very basic
• Antonia is from Bohemia (like Czech or something) and is new to the culture
• even though she is part of a different culture she chases the American dream so to speak in order to get to ultimate happiness
•  takes jobs that aren't always the best to make ends meat and support family
• isn't bothered by others opinion of her
• they struggle to make it America (the Shimerdas are poor and need money)
• the author loved her independence determination and inner radiance 
• book portrays similarities and differnces between immigrants and Nebraskan pioneers 
• we are all people just trying to make it 
• and a good relationship with landscape
• from 1865 to 1880 the population of Nebraska doubled 
• only 16 people living in the county that they lived in 
• ten years later there were 7,000
• the 1890 census lists on 28% of residents were actually from Nebraska (this shows the amount of immigrants)
• 43 % are immigrants

• she is said to show Jim's tranformation from childhood to adulthood
• she is said to be the opposite of Antonia
• Jim fantasizes about her 
• she moves to San Francisco 
• never really has special place in his memory
• craves excitement and autonomy 
• Antonia comes to be part of his memory of being a child
• Lena is the tranformation with her sophistication and being that they are in college together

My Antonia 

Religion

• cultural differences among religion
• this is shown by most Europeans being Catholic and most Americans being Protestant
• for example when the grandparts try to give the Shimerdas food
• the language and attitude is obviously different 
• especially at christmas and the circumstances of Mr. Shimerdas death
• the language barrier is sometimes a problem (story with the snake)
• at Mr. Shimerda's funeral mrs. S asks mrs. Burden to say a pray for him in english
• the culture is different and Jim is offended that they are not thankful for him a neighbor doing chores or charity

• 1866 Wyoming- Fetterman Massacre
• Sioux lured Army into ambush
• Killed 80 under captain. William Fetterman
• did not distinguish between good and bad whites

• was a general demoted to col.
• wanted to be a general again so needed a big hoorah 
• sometimes he makes things up (flamboiant)
• 1876- Battle of Little Big Horn (Custer's last stand)
• Native Americans Confederacy being created 
• Cheyenne + Sioux (sitting bull and crazy horse)
• resisted in Black Hills (gold)
• General Sheridan planned a 3 prong attack 
• Custer wants to be hero so he arrives with 215 men
• refuses to believe his scouts that tell him there is too many indians
• they die

• things they lack or are subject to 
• Military 
• railroads- most important 
• Reservation policy- all indians to be put on Rez
• Dawes severalty acy-1887- devastating to N.A. 
• land from tribe is individual 
• this made it easier to influence individual to sell land because it was hard to do with whole tribe

• 1862 Homestead act
• 160 acres if over 21 or head of family + lived on land for 5 years
• 1900 families were fit, 2/3 of them were not approved
• 160 acres @ $1.25/acre after six months 
• most were approved