A Mason-Dixon Line Memory AMERICAN PROSE GEUNWOOK JEONG

Author Do you know?; Mason-Dixon Line/Crownstone/ Vocabulary Summary Opinion Contents

AUTHOR Clifton Davis (1966-Present) An American actor, songwriter, and minister. And he was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Thelma van Putten Langhorn, a nurse, and Toussaint L O uverture Davis, a Baptist minister. He was raised in Mastic, New York. And In a piece he wrote for Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul, he described the racism he suffered growing up during the Pre-Civil Rights Act era.

Mason-Dixon Line was surveyed between by charles mason and jeremiah dixon in the resolution of a border dispute between british colonies in colonial america. It is still a demarcation line among four U.S. States, forming part of the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia. In popluar usage, the Mason-Dixon line symbolizes a cultural boundary between the Northeastern and the Southern United States. After Pennsylvania abolished slavery, it was a demarcation line for the legality of slavery. DO YOU KNOW?

Background & geographic info In 1779, Pennsylvania and Virginia agreed "To extend Mason's and Dixon's line, due west, five degrees of longitude, to be computed from the river Delaware, for the southern boundary of Pennsylvania, and that a meridian, drawn from the western extremity thereof to the northern limit of the said state, be the western boundary of Pennsylvania for ever." After Pennsylvania abolished slavery in 1781, the western part of this line and the Ohio River became a border between slave and free states, although Delaware retained slavery until the Thirteenth Amendment was ratified in The Maryland–Pennsylvania boundary is an east–west line with an approximate mean latitude of 39°43′20″ N (Datum WGS 84). In reality, the east–west Mason–Dixon line is not a true line in the geometric sense, but is instead a series of many adjoining lines, following a path between latitude 39°43′15″ N and 39°43′23″ N. DO YOU KNOW?

The Mason–Dixon line was marked by stones every mile and "crownstones" every five miles, using stone shipped from England. The Maryland side says (M) and the Delaware and Pennsylvania sides say (P). Crownstones include the two coats-of- arms. Today, while a number of the original stones are missing or buried, many are still visible, resting on public land and protected by iron cages. DO YOU KNOW? - CROWNSTONE

VOCABULARY Stepfather: a man is who married to one's mother after the divorce of one's parents or the Death of one's father Bigotry: intolerance toward those who hold different opinions from oneself Discrimination: the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, esp. On the grounds of race, age, or sex Mimeograph: a duplicating machine that produces copies from a stencil, now superseded by the photocopier. Ghetto: a part of a city, esp. a slum area, occupied by a minority group or groups Outrage: an extremely strong reaction of anger, shock, or indignation.

SUMMARY In 1959, he was 13 years old, he lived in a small ghetto on Long Island, New York. His mother worked nights in a hospital and his stepfather drove a coal truck. Needless to say, their standard of living was somewhat short of the american dream. Nevertheless, when his eighth-grade teacher announced a graduation trip to Washington D.C., it never crossed his mind that he would be left behind. Besides a complete tour of the nation's capital, they would visit Glen Echo Amusement Park in Maryland. And the day of the trip, he was only nonwhite in his section.

SUMMARY But come back from the visit of Lincoln Memorial, he heard that he will have to stay the hotel tonight, because he is a negro so that he can't visit Glen Echo Amusement Park, in Maryland. And his teacher told about Mason Dixon Line, and its still working as invisible discrimination line between North and South. So, the management of the park won't let him in, due to he is a negro.

SUMMARY And he walked over to his bed without saying a word, and his mates were asked what happened. And he told them that he can't go to Glen Echo Amusement Park with them. But his white friends were decided to remain in the hotel with Clifton, too. And it filled Clifton with pride. Dondre's golfing teammates- had an important decision to make, like Clifton's childhood friends; Standing by their friend when it would cost them dearly. And when it came time to decide, no one hesitated.

SUMMARY Dondre was astounded by the response of his friends-and the people of Louisiana. The whole state was outraged and tried to make it right. The Louisiana House of Representatives proclaimed a Dondre Green Day. As Dondre concluded, "It goes to show that there are always good people who will not give in to bigotry. The kind of love they showed me that day will conquer hatred every time." And Clifton's friends, too, had shown that kind of love. One of them bought 13 tickets for baseball game, and on their way to stadium, they grew silent as their driver paused before Lincoln memorial.

SUMMARY Then Clifton remembered famous speech at Gettysburg by Lincoln. And he acknowledged that Lincoln had made it clear that freedom is not free. He felt that' Every time the color of a person's skin keeps him out of an amusement park or off a country club fairway, the war for freedom begins again. Sometimes the battle is fought with fists and guns, but more often the most effective weapon is a simple act of love and courage.'

OPINION I agree that there are always good people who will not give in to bigotry, and also these kind of love will conquer hatred. And as Lincoln made it cleared that freedom is not free, we have to fight for freedom. In addition, as author wrote, we can fight with a simple act of love and courage which is most effective weapon. Maybe most important thing is, take a look for people who shorn of their freedom. we have to make it clear that no one shall have a right to live in such a poor treatment.