Levine Discussion

I forgot to mention in class today that there may be some high school students joining us in class next Wednesday for our discussion of Levine. They are from Carnegie Vanguard High School in Houston and will be visiting Rice with their class to check out a college course.

For your required comment on this book, I would like you to write something addressing ONE of the following prompts, based on your reading of the Levine book:

1. How does Levine explain why, when, and how Confederate officials began to embrace the idea of enlisting slaves as soldiers? Based on what you’ve learned about making causal arguments in your position papers and in our in-class discussions, do you find his explanation persuasive?
2. The title of the book is “Confederate emancipation.” Is “emancipation” the best word for what Confederate supporters of slave enlistment were envisioning? How did their notions of “emancipation” compare to the ideas we’ve seen in the “Emancipation Proclamation” and other federal policies like the Confiscation Acts?

Optionally, after addressing your prompt, you may also use your post to discuss anything that you found surprising, confusing, or particularly interesting about the book. I believe it is the Brownians’ turn to comment before class.