Martha Jones’ lecture “Birthright Citizens,” given April 10 at 7 pm, helped provide a new perspective when recognizing the struggles of African Americans living during the time of the Civil War. Her new book follows the story of an African American man named George Hackett, a man who pushed boundaries even though his race was extremely discriminated against. Hackett according to Dr. Jones is a man who spent his whole life on who he was before the law. Dr. Jones opened her lecture with two monuments from her home state. The first belonged to the Chief Supreme Court Justice Roger Taney. Justice Taney was remembered most for his ruling in the Dred Scott case which stated African Americans could not be citizens of the US. The other monument was…show more content… Despite these obstacles, Hackett had found a new route to citizenship. Hackett decided to become a sailor. However, the U.S. gave sailors documents to prove they were citizens of the United States in case of conflict with a foreign nation were to arise. This seems rather controversial. How could Hackett be a citizen in the water but not on land? The valuable knowledge Hackett learned while meeting foreign diplomats at sea ultimately helped him in his later arguments against the courts. When Hackett returns from sea, he lives his life in a new way he hadn’t before. He becomes a businessman as well as an example to the citizens around him. Despite his newfound success, Hackett continuously struggles with black laws in his city making it harder for black citizens to accomplish anything. One day Hackett went to court to argue against a white man and wins. This sparked momentum and Hackett continued to fight for his rights. After constantly fighting for freedom, on April 13, emancipation although Hackett had passed away just before the celebration, his contributions remain
