Lydia  Maria  Child

Hello, my name is Lydia Child. I was known in my lifetime as an abolitionist and women's right activist. I was born on February 11, 1802 in Medford, Massachusetts. My parents, Susannah Rand Francis and Convers Francis, raised me in Medford as the youngest of six other siblings. My father was also anti-slavery which influenced me from a young age. In 1829, I married my husband, David Child, who was a lawyer and editor for a journal in Massachusetts. 

I was introduced to William Lloyd Garrison in the 1830s which began my literary career. It took three years for me to fully commit to becoming an abolitionist. After doing thorough research, I decided to start writing about slavery along with women's rights as a way to make a career for myself. I was able to publish books such as "Flowers for Children", "Fact and Fiction", and "The Freedmen's Book" among other which were all published within the years of 1829 to 1868. I was able to use my career as a way to fight for what I thought was right.

As many women did in that day, my life was not without struggle. Due to my beliefs and my gender, many sales of my books plummeted due to their contents and I had to give up my job in an editing company due to the struggles I was facing everyday. Through this, I still held strong to my beliefs and refused to relinquish them due what others said. 

During my lifetime, I was able to meet several Woman's Right's Activists like, Lucretia Mott, Lucy Stone, Mary S. Parker, and Harriet Jacobs. I was able to edit Jacob's work and mailed out copies and arranged different interview opportunities. I went to and was invited to several suffragist movements in our long fight for both the end of slavery and women's rights. 

This lifestyle continued until my death in October 20, 1880. At 70 years old, I died of heart disease in Wayland, Massachusetts. As my final calling card, I gave money to "The Home for Aged Colored Women", my family, friends, colleagues, and many other abolitionists. I lived a very fufilling life and hope the legacy I left will be continued on for years.

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Supreme Court Blog

 S U P R E M E   C O U R T   B L O G
   

 The Supreme Court has been around since the late 1700s, deciding how certain laws should be applied to different cases. In this video, we learned how the Supreme Court works and how all nine justices cooperate with each other.

The Justices who overlook the Supreme Court, are appointed by the President and then confirmed by the Senate. There is no fixated timeline for how long each Justice can serve. They can serve until their death or until retirement unless something else were to happen.  Each Justice has to work in unison with each other to create an united front in an actual case. 

Actually getting a case to the Supreme Court is as difficult as it may seem. Cases have to go through several processes to be seen by the Supreme Court. This video goes through the procedures of having a case brought to the Supreme Court. Different cases go through different systems based on the severity of the case. There is Regional Level, State Level, and then the level in which the Supreme court would take the case. 

The two videos gave the structure of the Supreme Court and why it works the way it does. These different rules and traditions have been in placed for years. Every little detail and rule that comes along with the Supreme Court helps it remain the way it is today. 

Learning about how the Supreme Court works and why helped me see more of how America's Justice Systems works which helps us then understand why certain things have to happen regarding Supreme Court cases. Different cases require different things and while one person may think it can be a Supreme Court Case, the Justices ultimately have the final decision. 

The Nine Justices way of deciding which cases get to be brought to the Supreme Court kind of works similarly to how a Jury decides whether a person is guilty or not. They all sit in a room and then majority rules. once a vote is decided, the Justices obviously need to study and speak about the case and how to proceed with it. 

Another thing is that once a case is decided, reporters are given information early on so they can go ahead and print about it which then draws attention to the case. this means that different sources are able to print about the case as it actively goes on. 

Like I said, a Supreme Court case is a meticulous task, everyone involved has to take extra care and think everything through just to decide whether or not the court needs to represent a case. 

   In the past, the Court has made decisions in which have brought anger and a bad reputation. If the Court were to have a bad reputation this would put not as powerful and authoritative, while lawfully they are, in the eyes of the people no one will want to listen. It is extra important in the Supreme Court's case that they take extra time to look over their work to make their final decision.

Everything that the Supreme Court is today is all due to how it has evolved over the years. Each change improved it which in turned has improved the Court's authority. The Court has represented multiple cases over the years (a very famous one being Roe v. Wade) but aside from this, they have represented so many others like:

• Marbury v. Madison

• Gideon v. Wainwright 

• Lawrence v. Texas

• Miranda v. Arizona

That is only a small list of all the Supreme Court has done. In writing this, I've learned several things myself that have educated me and helped me understand more of our government and Judicial Branch.

Bible vs. Slavery

 Is the Bible for or Against Slavery?

    During the time of legal slavery, the masters would use several passages from the Bible that alluded to the Bible encouraging slavery. Other arguments have been fought using other verses that prove the Bible does not in fact encourage slavery. it is an on going fight that I believe is still being fought today.

    Slavery in the Bible has been talked about a number of times such as in Exodus with the Egyptians enslaving the Israelites and in Genesis when Joseph was sold into slavery. In both of these stories it is shown how God turns both of these situations around for good. The slave masters in the past times would not have shown the slaves these passages due to not wanting them to rebel or gain a sense of nonconformity.  

In the Bible, there are multiple accounts where slavery is mentioned as not being right or wrong. In the letters that Paul writes to Philemon about Onesimus, the slave, Paul is sending his son to Philemon to be free from slavery and to save himself. In the article about Paul and his son it states "...seems to have allowed a runaway slave to seek asylum in the home of a friend of the family". Paul also writes his letters to advise slaves to obey their masters while also addressing the masters in telling them to treat their slaves with kindness. The Bible also addresses slavery in Exodus 21:2-6 where we see the conditions under which Hebrew slaves could be free after six years of service but allows for the possibility of lifelong servitude. That could be perceived as more of a Indentured Servant rather than a life long slave depending on the circumstance.

Within the Bible there is multiple areas that mention slavery, even though each area might not agree with each other the Bible does not give a define response to slavery. The only verse speaking to slaves can be found in 1 Peter 2:18, "Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh." While this may look to some that God is condoning slavery, all this verse really says is that slaves should obey their masters. There is no definite way to understand how he meant this, but in every story in the Bible, God used each trial to help those who called out to Him in the end. Ask and they shall receive. 

The Bible does not confirm that slavery was okay even though it is mentioned.