The 19th President of the United States of America was Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893). He was the first President to have office as President after Reconstruction. He served in the Union Army and the House of Representatives before he assumed the office of Presidency. He was born in Delaware, Ohio to Rutherford Hayes Jr. and Sophia Birchard. His father died early. His mother, Sophia, led the family. Hayes was close to Sophia's younger brother Sardis (or Hayes's uncle). His ancestors came from Scotland who came to Connecticut in 1625. His great grandfather, Ezekiel Hayes was a militia captain in Connecticut during the American Revolutionary War. His mother's ancestors migrated to Vermont for a time. Hayes attended common schools in Delaware, Ohio and enrolled in 1836 at the Methodist Norwalk Seminary in Norwalk, Ohio. At the Webb School, he learned Latin and ancient Greek. He attended Kenyon College in Gambier in 1838. He had a fun time there. He joined many student societies and later was interested in Whig politics. Some of his classmates were Stanley Matthews and John Celivergos Zachos. Hayes graduated Phi Beta Kappa and with highest honors in 1842 plus addressed the class as its valedictorian. Hayes studied law in Columbus, Ohio, and then he studied at Harvard Law School in 1843. He graduated with a LL.B, and he was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1845. Hayes opened his own law officer in Lower Sandusky (now Fremont). He gradually gained more clients and represented his uncle Sardis in a real estate litigation. He was ill in 1843. He visited family in New England. Hayes moved into Cincinnati. By 1850, Rutherford B. Hayes opened his own law office with John W. Herron, a lawyer from Chillicothe. He joined Cincinnati Literary Society, the Odd Fellows Club, and attended the Episcopal Church in Cincinnati yet not being a member.
Hayes would later marry Lucy Webb. They were engaged in 1851 and married on December 30, 1852, at Lucy's mother's house. They gave birth to many children. Lucy and Hayes would be abolitionists. Hayes also defended slaves who had escaped and were accused under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Cincinnati was a free city across the Ohio River from Kentucky, which was a slave state back then. Hayes was a stanch abolitionist, so he worked on the behalf of black people who escaped slavery. The Republicans took note of this. The Civil War came. Hayes at first wanted the Union to let the Confederates go. Ohio voted for Lincoln in 1860. Cincinnati voters turned against the Republican Party after secession. Many don't know that many people from Cincinnati came from the South. Many voted for the Democrats and for the bigoted Know-Nothings. Hayes was gone from the city solicitor's office by being voted out. Hayes worked in a law and joined Union forces after the Confederates illegally bombed on Fort Sumter in 1861. Rutherford B. Hayes was promoted to major of the 23rd Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry. His friend and college classmate Stanley Matthews was appointed lieutenant colonel. Hayes trained for battle. Hayes's regiment fought Confederates at the Battle of South Mountain. Hayes and his brigade later fought at the Shenandoah Valley for the Valley Campaigns of 1864. Hayes and his forces pushed the rebels southward. Hayes had a victory at Fisher's Hill on September 22 and one more at Cedar Creek on October 19. Hayes was promoted to brigadier general and major general. Hayes was praised by General Ulyssess S. Grant. Hayes visited Washington D.C. and observed the Grand Review of the Armies. He and the 23rd Ohio returned to their home state. After the Civil War, Hayes won the U.S. House of Representatives election. He voted as a moderate Republican, but he voted with Radical Republicans on some issues.
Hayes voted for the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States of Constitution. The bill passed both houses of Congress in June 1866. Hayes wanted black freed people to have legal protections along with the South being restored to the Union. Andrew Johnson wanted to readmit seceded states quickly without laws to protect black people in the South. Hayes disagreed with Johnson on that point. Hayes worked to help pass the Civil Rights Act of 1866. He later ran and won the election to be Governor of Ohio. He was a Republican Governor with a Democratic legislature, so he was limited in what he wanted to do. His political views were more moderate than the Republican platform, but he agreed with the proposed amendment to the Ohio state constitution that would guarantee suffrage to black male Ohioans. The amendment failed to pass by his opponent Allen G. Thurman. Governor Hayes supported the creation of a school for deaf people and a reform school for girls. He supported the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson. Hayes ran for governor again to promote equal rights for black people in Ohio. Hayes associated his Democratic opponent George H. Pendleton with Confederate sympathies and disunion. Hayes won reelection, and Republican took the legislature. So, Ohio ratified the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution. That gave black men suffrage or voting rights. His 2nd term was better. Suffrage expanded. There was a state Agricultural and Mechanical College (to be Ohio State University). He wanted state taxes to be reduced and reform the state prison system. He retired from politics temporary in 1872. He paid off his debts during the Panic of 1873 and became Governor a third time. He ran for President in 1786. Hayes campaigned on civil service reform. There was a debate on who won the election. So, Hayes compromised to win the election in exchange for federal troops to leave the South. This allowed Democrats to control Southern states politically and extend Jim Crow apartheid for nearly 100 years afterward. Rutherford B. Hayes was inaugurated on March 4, 1877. Hayes wanted a gold standard and civil service reform. The Democrats never considered him the real President because of the electoral commission that allowed him to be President. Hayes supported Reconstruction policies, but he wanted to end Reconstruction immediately. The problem was that Reconstruction wasn't given enough time to grant black people full equality and justice. The racist backlash didn't end from the neo-Confederates. The Democratic Congress prevent Hayes to defend the rights of black people in the South. Hayes failed to get the South to accept legal racial equality and allow Congress to send funds to enforce civil rights laws. By this time, the Klan, the Red Shirts, and other terrorist groups harmed black people in America. Hayes wanted federal office workers to not make campaign contributions in party politics.
By 1880, Hayes quickly forced Secretary of the Navy Richard W. Thompson to resign after Thompson accepted a $25,000 salary for a nominal job offered by French engineer Ferdinande de Lesseps to promote a French canal in Panama. The Great Railroad Strike in 1877 was about workers seeking just pay. Some protests were peaceful, and others involved riots. Federal troops came to break up a strike against a private company. Hayes deal with silver coins, greenbacks, and foreign policy. He worked with Mexico to stop bandits crossing into Texas. Hayes opposed the racist Chinese Exclusion Act of 1879 (which wanted to ban any Chinese person to immigrant into America). It was passed after Hayes had left office. Hayes was wrong to promote a policy of making Native Americans to assimilate into white culture. Hayes believed that this would cause peace among Native peoples and whites, but Native Americans deserve their own independent autonomy on their own terms. Wars against Native Americans continued like the surrender of Chief Joseph in Montana (and William T. Sherman ordered Native Americans to Indian Territory in Kansas). There was the Nez Perce war and the White River War. Hayes opposed alcohol, so he banned alcohol in the White House. Hayes didn't want to run for re-election. He consulted the future President James A. Garfield on many issues. Hayes invested in educational charities after his Presidency. He worked at the Ohio State University at the Board of Trustees. In 1889, Hayes gave a speech to encourage black students to apply for scholarships from the Slater Fund, one of the charities with which he was affiliated. One such student was W.E.B. DuBois who received a scholarship in 1892. Hayes wanted better prison conditions. He wrote in his diary about economic inequality and how it is wrong to see the disparity of the rich and the poor. Hayes mourned his wife's death. He loved his children and grandchildren. Hayes also in 1890 chaired the Lake Mohonk Conference on the Negro Question. This was a group of reformers to talk about racial issues at upstate New York. He later died of a heart attack at his home on January 17, 1893, at the age of 70. His last words were, "I know that I'm going where Lucy is." Hayes's body is interred in Oakwood Cemetery. Rutherford B. Hayes' legacy is not known to many people. He was not like Andrew Johnson who rejected any equality. He was not a radical Republican. Yet, he did many positive things for Ohio and for the nation. He was not perfect, and Hayes genuinely sought to help the lives of many Americans. He supported voting rights for black people, and he endorsed civil service reform. Rutherford B. Hayes remains a transitional President who saw the end of one era and the start of a new American era of history.
This era of Presidents (from the mid to late 1800's) saw some of the most important developments in the history of the United States of America. They saw a nation that was from half the nation being enslaved to legal slavery being abolished in American society. They saw a nation filled with more decentralized state power to a nation with a higher level of federal government involvement. One of the products of the American Civil War was the increase of the role of the federal government in the lives of the American people. The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the United States Constitution were all about growing the power of the federal government to expand rights to human beings. Progress was made in many areas of life. Yet, there was a very long way to go. Racial pogroms existed against black Americans, the Gilded Age started to harm the rights of workers, and we see the rights of women being suppressed too. The Presidents, during this time, didn't do enough to treat Native Americans with dignity and respect. Reconstruction was a glorious development in human history, but the white racist reactionary backlash ruined its chances to grow into revolutionary change for black people. That is why the Black Codes and Jim Crow apartheid flourished after the end of Reconstruction. The end of this era saw more immigration in America, the continuation of the Guided Age, the growth of Western imperialism, and a prelude to WWI. America changed in many directions. America's legacy is always a mixture of progress and the bigoted backlash against progressive changed merged together. That is why we earnest fight for America to reach its highest potential in what America ought to be (which is a land for justice for all without exceptions). The next era of Presidents will not only see war and global imperial expansion. It would also see new social and civil rights movements (like by Mary McLeod Bethune, W.E.B. DuBois, Booker T. Washington, Mary Terrell, Trotter, etc.) that would combat injustices and seek real change too.
One of the greatest spiritual lessons in the world is to reject occult, inspired nefarious secret societies. One occult inspired group is called Freemasonry. Men join it who are 21 years old or older. The issues with Freemasonry is that its Blue Lodge members are taught deceptions until they reach higher degrees (as proven by 33rd Degree Freemason Albert Pike in his Morals and Dogma book), it claims to have the Light to led people into enlightenment (when the Bible is clear that Jesus Christ is the Light of the World), and Masonry accepts numerous false doctrines (like calling a grown man Worshipful Master, some Masons promoting human godhood which is a heresy, and praising false gods in their rituals plus their own Masonic literature). The Masonic term of God is the GOATU or the Grand Architect of the Universe. God is more than an architect but the Creator. An architect can design structures, but he or she doesn't create them. Some of the modern versions of the Bible demote God from Maker to architect. One of the biggest lessons about spirituality is not to accept holidays that contradict truth. One example is Christmas. In the near future in 2022, I will write about Christmas' true meaning in more detail. Yet, it is clear that Christmas is not required to be celebrated by us. It is not the Lord Jesus Christ's birthday and it's not of God. The word Christmas has the world mass, and the mass is not scriptural. The mass is the perversion of the true symbolic Christian communion. Also, we remember Jesus Christ by the Lord's Supper as found in Luke 22:19. While December 25 was the date in the Roman imperial calendar to have pagan sun worship, the celebration of Christmas didn't have a direct role from the Invictus Sol holiday according to some scholars. Some scholars disagree and mention that the winter solstice is a full season where witches do ritual worship of Nature. What is true is that the Christmas trees, wreaths, the yule log, mistletoe, Santa Claus, etc. either came from paganism or are not related to OT or NT traditions. Santa Claus is a myth. Jeremiah 10:2-5 is clear that: "Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen... For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good." Romans 12:2 is clear that we can't be bounded under peer pressure to be politically correct on Christmas: "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12:2). We have to separate from pagan, unscriptural celebrations with courage. There is no scriptural evidence of the Apostles celebrating Christ's birth or celebrating Christmas. So, Christmas is not of God. Also, on December 25 or on any day, it is fine to rest, to help our neighbors, to enact charity, to help the poor, and to show honor to our family and friends. That's fine. You can do these things without glorifying Christmas. Also, we are clear to reject adultery, harassment, bigotry, murder, abuse, and promiscuity. These evils cause ruination of relationships among men and women, hurt children, and results in a total ruination of the soul.
Centuries ago, many spiritual leaders were persecuted by authorities because of their views on infant baptism. Anabaptist leaders Conrad Grebel (1498-1526), Felix Manz, and George Cajacob were opposed to infant baptism. They wanted to create a church filled with baptized believers with the Lord's Supper as a memorial meal. Zwingli of Switzerland didn't like this as back in the day, both Protestants and Catholics believe in infant baptism. Authorities in Zurich, Switzerland wanted all infants baptized within 8 days of birth or be banished form the city. Grebel opposed the decree since they obeyed the Word of the living God instead of an unjust law. Cajacob was baptized upon confession of his faith in Christ, and he baptized others by immersion. Grebel and Manz were sent to prison. By December of 1527, Felix Manz, Jacob Falk, and Henry Reiman was murdered by the state via drowning for opposing infant baptism. In Germany, Baptist pastor Hans Denk was driven out of a city in 1527. Hans Denk lived in Strasbourg, Germany. Denk was banished from Osiander and lived in Augsburg where he was baptized by Anabaptist preacher Hubmaier. Rhegius persecuted Denk out of Augsburg too. King Edward VI of England persecuted both Protestants and Baptists. In America, there was a law that threatened severe punishments against Anabaptists. In that year of 1644, Thomas Painter was whipped for denying infant baptism. On June 4, 1768, several Baptists were arrested in Spotsylvania, Virginia and imprisoned. Among these were John Waller, Lewis Craig, and James Childs. They spent almost six weeks in prison because of their religious views.
For thousands of years, music has been around to deal with human emotions in many ways. Some want to hate all music, and other people believe every form of music must be embraced without critique. We reject those extreme views. There is always a difference between inspirational, righteous music, and music that seeks to glorify evil. That distinction should always be emphasized. After all of these years of me living on this Earth, I do love and appreciate great music. Music helps my mind to be more creative to write, to read more information, and to analyze how the world works more thoroughly. The music from Mahalia Jackson inspires my soul. The music from Arrested Development inspires the growth of our social consciousness. Songs from the Clark Sisters definitely are legendary. We certainly realize that people can grow and be better, and that is presented by the music from many artists like Lecrae. Jordan Sparks has shown some of the most powerful messages about love, caring, and integrity in our generation. Love for music doesn't mean that we have no responsibilities in life. We do have the responsibility in life to treat people right, to be better, and have a sense of purpose to see that we are more than molecules and cells. We have a mind, soul, spirit, and a valuable intellect that can touch souls in a positive direction. Undeniable, the sounds of great music are priceless examples of glorious forms of enriching power.
For a long time, gospel music has been involved in a myriad of capacities. It has been expressed by people by many folks of every color to praise God, to be inspired for the journey of life, and to experience joy. We live in unique times in world history. We face many viruses, political strife, and a future dealing with numerous issues. Yet, one constant deals with the power of gospel music. Back in the day, gospel music was limited in certain churches. Today, we see massive stadiums hosting gospel concerts in America, Europe, Africa, Australia, Asia, Oceania, and other places of the world. Not to mention that it is important to make known that gospel is not just an individual affair with singers. It's a collective culture. Gospel culture deals with churches, managers, songwriters, engineers, pastors, and the music in general. It's a culture that has great influence in movies and documentaries. Songs from Mahalia Jackson, the Jubliee Singers, and Albertine Walker represent old school legends. Now, we have new school artists like Kirk Franklin, the Winans, Hezekiah Walker, Yolanda Adams, Victory Brinker, Elevation Worship, Tamela Mann, and other people represent the new generation of artists who sing about praising God too. Life is never easy. The common misconception is that every gospel singer is 100 percent perfect. The reality is that gospel artists are humans like us with the same emotions, thoughts, and influences just like any other person. They shouldn't be disrespected or treated less than human. Therefore, gospel music always has a great place on the hearts of tons of people worldwide. At the end of the day, you can show what's real without showing sincere love. Selah and Amen.
Black people were in France for a long time. After 1632, many black people came into France from Martinique and Guadeloupe. Many black people were slaves in France and in the colonies of France. Many black people learned trades. Black people fought back too. The Police Des Noirs in 1777 forced all black people in France to be registered. By the late 1700's, black people fought for independence in Haiti. Black people won, and Haiti was born as the first black Republic in North America by 1804. Boukman, Toussiant, and other human beings led the Haitian Revolution. France abolished slavery in 1794, but Napoleon allowed it back in 1804. Black anti-slavery leaders in France were Adzee Louisy, Lois T. Hoat, and Mondesir Richard. In 1834, the Revue Des Colones was published being the first literary journal devoted to black culture being founded by Cyril Charles Bissette. Slavery is abolished in France by 1848. Tirailleurs Senegalais was created by Louis Faidherbe. The Harlem Hell Fighters or the 369th Infantry Regiment was awarded the French Croix de Guerre in 1919. Aime Cesaire fought for black liberation too in his activism and literature. By 1946, only 50 black people served as deputies or senators. In 1919, W.E.B. DuBois organized the Pan-African Congress in Paris. There were the Nadal Sisters there and the publication of Revue Du Monde Noir, which was part of the Negritude Movement (that promoted Blackness). Josephine Baker was a famous black American woman who lived in France for decades. During WWII, about a quarter of a million African American troops took part in the liberation of Paris. Felix Eboue was buried in the Pantheon highest honor for a French human being. One bill outlawed racial discrimination in 1972. Harlem Desir formed the SOS Racisme to fight racism in France. In 1998, France won the World Cup with Lilian Thuram at the helm. In 2005 and 2007, rebellions occurred in France over racism, police brutality, and economic oppression. Afro-French groups fighting for justice also include the Council Representative of Black Associations (CRAN), Au Dela Des Mots (Beyond the Worlds), and Devoir De Memoire (To Have Memory). Well known Afro-French human beings include: Lassana Diarra, Riner, Myriam Soumare, Isabelle Giordano, Christiane Taubira, Patrice Evra, and Laura Flessel.
Afro-Spanish people have come from Nigeria, Senegal, Equitorial Guinea, the Dominican Republic, and other places. Many Arabic people live in Spain too. Spain always had black people living in it. During the days of Carthaginian colonists and the Roman Empire, black people have lived in the Iberian Peninsula. By 720, A.D., Iberia was under Islamic control. Cordoba was one capital of the Islamic empire. During that time, many Christians, Jewish people, and Muslims walked in the streets without war. There were black slaves from Africa and even white slaves from France and Slavic regions. Abu'l-Hasian Ali ibn Nafi or Ziryab (798-857) promoted toothpaste and deodorant. He wore seasonable clothing and different hairstyles. Ziryab, according to scholars, could be either Persian, Kurdish, or Black African. Ishraq as-Suaida was a black woman who was an expert of grammar and prosody. From the Castilian Kingdom to the mid 1700's, there were about 100,000 black people in Spain. There were many black people in Spanish colonies of the Americas. Black people in Spain faced massive discrimination. Black slaves in the 1400's and 1500's were in Valencia, Seville, Barcellona, and Jaen. Black people were also persecution during the Inquisition. Black people fought back by joining in confraternities. Juan Latino was a black Spanish scholar and author of Austriad. Juane de Pareja was a famous Afro-Spanish painter. Black music like zamba grew. It would be in 1870 when slavery would end in Spain. Groups like the High Council of Black Communities (Alto Consejo de las Comunidades Negras) and the BIBS (Barcelona International Black Sisters that help black women networking in Barcelona) fight for black freedom in Spain. Antionette Torres Soler and Lucia Asue Mbomio Rubio are 2 black Afro-Spanish women who created the digital magazine called Afrofeminas to promote the rights of women of African descent. Judi Oshowole has worked in Barcelona too to endorse freedom for black people in Spain.
By Timothy
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