The Industrial Revolution and Slavery

For our next blog I want you to contemplate SLAVERY. I know we’ve been spending a good deal of time talking about the Industrial Revolution and the impact that had on the working class and the middle class. We’ve been debating the impact of child labor during the 18th century and the modern system of divide and conquer based on race and/or gender. Why pay someone a living wage today, when you can pay someone less, or in the case of slavery, nothing?

I’d like you to spend at least half an hour on the following site –
http://www.freetheslaves.net/Page.aspx?pid=348. It has several videos (everyone should watch Slavery 101), maps and stories. Give yourself time to absorb what you are looking at. When you are done there, check out this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZTN0TbsRYA on YouTube about modern human trafficking.

How far will people go to get ahead economically? How do we draw the line? Should we?

Death Penalty and the Enlightenment

After studying the Enlightenment, especially the philosophy of Beccaria, what are your thoughts on capital punishment today? Please read a description of Beccaria’s major philosophical ideas to remind you(http://www.iep.utm.edu/beccaria/) as well as a news article from the LA Times about an upcoming issue for the Supreme Court on limiting life prison terms for the young (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dcnow/2009/11/us-supreme-court-considers-limiting-life-prison-terms-for-youths.html ). What are your thoughts?