p1.+Dixiecrat+Bloc



=Group Members and Rolesmedia type="file" key="period1-groups-dixiecratbloc.mp4" align="right"=  =Group Slogan = "Our country will fail unless Negros are for sale."
 * Emily- Speech
 * Luke- Debate
 * Lia- Photographer, Icon, Tv
 * Katie- Mailer
 * Sydney- Print Journalist
 * Alea- Radio, Video

=What Your Group Wants -- Plan for New Constitution= =Bullet Points of Your Plan= =Orator: Text of Your Speech= 
 * 1) Stay away from the Issue of Slavery
 * 2) Make sure the few plantation owners with a lot of land have weight in Congress
 * Stronger national government
 * But not one that restricts the bartering of Negroes in anyway, not even taxes
 * Keep the nation together and strong!
 * 2/3 Majority to pass legislature
 * Stress national unity and colonial togetherness
 * 3/5 Compromise

media type="file" key="dixiecratbloc-speech-p1-2011.flv" width="640" height="360" Fellow delegates, you must ascertain that I speak to you neither as an enemy, nor as a friend. No, I speak to you as a brother in arms, a fellow soldier who has fought too long and too hard in this battle of independence. Though many of us may have not shed physical blood in our united front against Britain, all of us are struggling now to save a country that, forgive me, is falling to pieces. Let us not cover our disunity with a blanket of lies and half-truths. Our new-born, hard-earned country is riddled with sicknesses: sicknesses of apathy, of failing economy, of rebellion, and who may foretell what infects us next, save our Lord, himself?

And how can one passively listen to these issues without a rage of fiery passion? Were we not a joyfully cohesive nation, bound together as one in a fierce duel against Great Britain? Were there not those who scoffed at our underestimated alliance? Those who would bet their own gods that we would fail? Did we not prove them wrong? So I ask you this, fellow soldiers in the battle for liberty: what are we lacking now that we had in the past? Let me answer. We lack agreement, we lack accord, we lack harmony, unison, union, we lack unity. Let me ask you this as well: How can we foster the growth of a United States of America, without unity? The fact is this: together we can fight, apart we are doomed to fail. And really, what could please Mother England more than our eventual failure?

And yet, instead of focusing on our people, the people we stand here to represent, and instead of focusing on our nation, yes, //our// nation that we are entitled to save, we have managed to tear ourselves upon the issue of persons of servitude. The Crispus Attucks Coalition will argue the of “morality”, and of “natural rights”, but that is not the true issue!

We are bankrupt. Shall I repeat it? Maybe in different words- our country has no money. We have no economic credit to our name. Our different monetary systems and collective indifference to the state as a whole has left us struggling. We are even bankrupt of spirit, of the lighthouse that is the patriotic soul. That we can all agree on, yes? We are weak on two fronts: the political front, and the economic front. Proposing to swear off of the Negro workforce, the driving force of the little economic strength we have left- the force that produces the food, clothing, and supplies for not only our nation, but our families, is a preposterous, if not intangible, goal. The objective truth is this: The country will fail unless Negroes are for sale. If you want to debate morals, go ahead, but will starting an ethical war be worth driving the third stake into a rapidly splitting nation? Is it worth breaking the already fragile American spirit? If you truly want to save the country our forefathers have died for, the issue of servitude in itself //must// be omitted out of our new Constitution all together- at least for this present, unstable time when we must focus on becoming a country of 13 united states and not a powerless body of 13 disunited pieces of land. Possibly in 1807, when the nation can confidently stand on its two feet and securely walk the path of independence will we be strong enough to debate these secondary interests, but for now it is just not possible. If we must, for these present times, and for the sake of a united nation, yield to some sort of legislature, the Dixiecrat Bloc is willing to accept the 3/5 Compromise. Otherwise, in regards to Congress itself, we demand a 2/3 majority in order to pass any legislature- as this allows a more stable level of agreement.

Nevertheless, do not be fooled. I speak not for myself but for the gentlemen that have elected me. They covet dignity, pride, and independence as gentlemen of the plantation. If we continue to fight amongst ourselves on inferior issues, rather than the nation itself, these men will not hesitate to secede. For their pride would much rather accept dignified failure, than accept a “nation” that struggles over half-important inter-colonial squabbles and then proceed to call themselves “united and free”. These gentlemen are able to accept either the victory of a joined country or the failure of a broken country, but they will not accept a cowardly false state of in-between.

Therefore I urge you to remember what bright prospects we imagined, and what sweet dreams we dreamed about the future of our country when we fought for this battle of independence. We must take these actions in order to live to our name as The United States of America.



=Debater: Possible Objections to Plan and Your Replies=

"Slavery is immoral" Immorality is not the issue here. The constitutional convention was called to maintain the stability and prosperity of this great nation, and it is clear that slavery is one of the only industries that's keeping America's economy afloat. Addressing the issue of slavery now would divide the nation as quickly as it divided from England. Letting that happen is significantly more immoral and lead to much greater wrongs.

"If not now, when?" In 1807, simple as that. We're not proposing to leave slavery off the table. We are only recognizing the fact that mentioning slavery in the constitution now would pull the nation apart. The issue of slavery should be re-addressed in 1807, and then discussed. This will lead to the best outcome.

"Great as the evil of slavery is, a dismemberment of the union would be worse." James Madison

=Why Our Plan is Good:= Our plan is good because it keeps the economy stable in the fragile forming country making it possible to create a foundation for which thus nation is to be built off of. It also is a way to keep this nation together as a whole and not be split onto two separate nations, neither of which would be able to survive on their own.

=Print Journalist: Write Up of Convention Activity= Earlier this week in Philadelphia, the fathers of our great nation met together to reestablish a constitution due to the failure of the Articles of Confederation. There met an eclectic mix of people, ideals, and philosophies on how to run and maintain our new born country. On the front with James Madison representing the Virginian plan and (NJ people) representing the New Jersey plan, was the battle of the small states versus the large ones. The small states stated their ideals, for each individual state, regardless of size, to have one vote in congress to keep the Government fair and the voice of the minority states heard. Virginia, representing the larger states, however, was not convinced. They loudly proclaimed their intentions for representation by population, “ All citizens,” declared James Madison, “[should] be given equal representation without being granted too much or too little of it! ” With the Virginian plan, states would be represented by their masses, so a “table of two isn’t equal to a table of 50” (Madison). New Jersey, however, rebutted that a small state would always be undermined in this system. “[We want] something new, but NOT an entirely new constitution as the Virginia plan suggests.” Explains William Patterson of New Jersey, “[We are] one state. One vote. One country.” Benjamin Franklin played the mediator and suggested a “great compromise” where both ideas are advocated.

Slavery was another controversial concern at the convention in Philadelphia. While other parties deemed it a subject too disputable to be considered during tough economic  and political times, the Crispus Attucks Coalition would speak of nothing else. They brought forth the ideal of abolition of slavery. Allegedly, if you are to own slaves, “ you are not contributing to the economy,” stated spokesperson George Mason of Virginia. The Dixiecrat Bloc, with representatives Roger Sherman (CT) and Charles Pinckney (SC), however, suggested we wait to deal with slavery “ <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">1807, when the nation can confidently stand on its two feet and securely walk the path of independence will we be strong enough to debate these secondary interests.” (Pinckney). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> For now, Pinckney suggests that the states focus on Unity, for without it, our nation will collapse into the smug hands of mother England. James Madison, representative of the Virginian plan, agrees that addressing slavery in the present state of things would be mortal. The Crispus Attucks coalition, nonetheless, insists that the subject is too dire to wait and that the fate of the Negroes is at stake. George Mason (VA) quotes Thomas Jefferson, a slave owner, in their rebuttal “ <span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Many delegates of the meeting agree that before people like Jefferson and the Members of the Crispus Attucks coalition criticize slavery, they should get rid of their own slaves. George Mason, on behalf of the Crispus Attucks’, also suggests, “ <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">I am here not to hamper your economy or to ruin your plantations.” The majority of the food in the colonies is grown on plantations. Removing them, at the present time, would devastate the economic state of the colonies. The price of food would skyrocket, many plantation owners would go bankrupt, and the nation potentially could fall apart. As the Dixiecrat Bloc believes, we should put the issue of slavery aside for now. They will represent three fifths of a person, and this great nation can think of a solution at a later time, perhaps is 1807. In the end of the convention, when asked “could the nation survive if we threw it [slavery] under the mat?” the Crispus Attucks’ agreed henceforth confirming the Dixiecrat Blocs’ stance.

=TV PSA= media type="file" key="DixieBloc.m4v" width="480" height="480" =Radio PSA= media type="file" key="dixiecrat.wav" width="300" height="50"

=Come Check Us Out on Facebook:= =Action Photographs:=