Reflection on a Discussion on U.S Constitution Day Paper Example

The discussion that was held at the school was about sociology work and aimed at discussing the issues that affected black people, particularly women, since the 19th century up to date. Racial segregation of the blacks by the whites dates back to decades ago when the slavery regime existed. During the slavery period, the black people appeared to be objects before the white people and the United States Constitution granted the power to the white slave masters to do whatever they wanted with their slaves. As we were celebrating the constitution day, the guest speaker Mrs. Roberts, speaks about the suffering that black women went through. She narrates how black women have been wrongfully arrested and presented in court due to drug use during pregnancy as compared to the white counterparts.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Learning such information provided new ideas to the knowledge I had about the black community and slavery. Initially, I understood that slave masters had control over their slaves; however, I never understood that women had no control over their body during pregnancy since the slave master controlled even the woman's movement (Cowling, Machado, Paton, & West, 2018). Subsequently, I had not learned about the racial segregation that persists in the United States whereby several black women were arrested and presented in court during their pregnancy even when they were in the maternity ward. This was unlike the case against white women which meant that even after the constitution was passed, racial stratification persisted.

The information that surprises is that in 1988, the medical professions of Carolina and the justice system collaborated in arresting women who were pregnant. Once a woman was admitted to the hospital and tested positive for drugs, the police would be called to come and make an arrest. Consequently, expectant women would be taken in cuffs to jail even when they were in labor pains, or immediately after they gave birth. Having such knowledge improves my understanding of the injustices in the judicial system that need rectification even in the modern-day society when the U.S constitution is functional (DiNardo, 2017).

Understanding such knowledge through the speaker enables me as the listener to understand the underlying issues affecting society. Furthermore, the speaker takes time to break down the information and help me understand more about the prevalence of the injustices to women at the maternity ward. Moreover, the speaker enables me to understand the connection between the occurrences in the slavery regime and the modern-day mistreatment of women whereby the judicial system [as per the 1988 cases discussed] acts as if it has total control over women (DiNardo, 2017). Also, the explanation that the speaker provides about the slavery regime and connects it to the issues of 1988 provides the best experience as it appears like discussing the history and connecting it with modern issues for my better understanding.

Conclusion

To conclude, the discussion was held on U.S Constitution day, and the speaker was adept in providing an understanding of history and connecting issues of the slavery regime and modern society. Slavery regime existed at a time when the constitution did not protect the blacks. At the time, slave masters had total control over the body of a pregnant black slave. Similarly, the reporting of pregnant women and the incidence of police making an immediate arrest of women in labor wards sufficed to mean that segregation persists even with a functioning constitution. The experience I had at the discussion meeting provided crucial knowledge that improved my understanding of the changes the nation has achieved in the provision of freedom and justice.

References

Cowling, C., Machado, M. H. P., Paton, D., & West, E. (2018). Special issue of Women's History Review-Mothering slaves: motherhood, childlessness and the care of children in Atlantic slave societies.

DiNardo, C. (2017). Pregnancy in Confinement, Anti-Shackling Laws and the Extraordinary Circumstances Loophole. Duke J. Gender L. & Pol'y, 25, 271.