Notes

The Civil War ended in 1865 and with it came in the end of slavery. For much of the South this meant some pretty extreme changes. Southern states had difficulty recovering from the war and
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reentering the Union. This period was known as Reconstruction. What does that word sound like it means to you? Well, we know that construction means to build, so reconstruction literally means to rebuild the country. Five years after the Civil War in 1870, the 15th Amendment gave African American men the right to vote. This image is an illustration showing African American men
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voting for the first time. The southern part of America was largely dependent on farming and with the end of slavery came a new system of farming known as sharecropping. Sharecroppers were people who participated in this new system. After the Civil War ended, plantation owners were allowed to keep their land, but they could not force enslaved
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people to work their fields. This meant that they could not rebuild their wealth through farming. Formerly enslaved people were now free but they also faced new challenges, such as where to live and work, or how to earn money. The plantation system ended and sharecropping was developed.
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Formerly enslaved people farmed lands that they did not own under sharecropping agreement. They paid the landowner rent with the crops that they grew. The system was informal and varied from place to place. But sharecropping was often exploitative, meaning that the sharecroppers didn't always get a fair deal. Now you're ready to check your understanding of America after the Civil War.
Section 4
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TEACHER: Over the next several lessons, you'll be reading parts of the novel The Land by Mildred D. Taylor. As you know, the context or the situation surrounding this novel is post-Civil War America, and the narrator Paul is a formerly enslaved child living in the South after the war. The story takes place, or begins, when Paul is about 9
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years old and continues on through his teen and adult life. Paul's mother is African American, and his father and former owner is white. So this creates complicated relationships for Paul, who lives on his father's land, a southern plantation like the one you see here on your screen. Both Paul and his sister Cassie experience what it's like to
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be a teenager of mixed race parentage. Paul has half brothers who are white, and he has a good relationship with his father and with his white brothers, as well as his mother and sister. But life is not simple for Paul. He faces some struggles because of his identity. You see, Paul does not feel accepted by either whites or African Americans outside of his family.
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Whites look at him as though he's African American, and African Americans who live on the same property as him see him as white. So this book really takes a look at what life was like for children of mixed race parentage as they were growing up in the South after the Civil War and the abolishment of slavery.
Section 5
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TEACHER: You've been considering the lesson question, how does historical context affect conflict? To answer this question, you need to fully understand the historical context of the novel. You already know that the main character, Paul, lives on a plantation after the Civil War. And you've just learned about post-Civil War America, a
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period known as Reconstruction. You also learned about sharecropping, a new system of farming after slavery was abolished. And in fact, this image on your screen shows a family of sharecroppers. You also saw a profile of Mildred G. Taylor's book. As you can imagine, a book with this context will be full of complicated conflicts.
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Next, we'll review conflict and the different kinds of encounter as you read the novel.
Section 6
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TEACHER: Conflict is a struggle between opposing forces or characters. And there are two types of conflict, physical and social. Physical conflict includes character versus character, which occurs when the two characters are in a physical fight, or when they're trying to physically harm each other. Another type of physical conflict is
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character versus nature. This is when a character is battling against the elements, or relates to something out of the character's control, such as weather, pollution, or an animal. Physical conflict is usually external, because it happens outside of the character. That means it has to do with an outside force that the character does not necessarily have control over.
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The other type of conflict that you'll approach or experience in the novel is social conflict. In The Land, there are three different types of social conflict. Character versus character is one of them. This could be an argument over different beliefs. Character versus character can also be a social conflict. This would include an argument between two people,
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conflicting desires between people, opposing goals, or emotional struggles between people. Character versus self could be a moral dilemma. This occurs when a character struggles with a moral dilemma, or needs to make a difficult or challenging decision. It's an emotional challenge involving one's conscience or sense of self, so they're identity.
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Character versus society occurs when a character refuses to conform. When a character fails to obey the laws of society and the norms of society and gets punished for it, the character is in opposition to or against society. Social conflicts have internal roots, or begin inside the character. It's based on thoughts, beliefs, or values.
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Notice that the character versus character conflict can be both physical and social. The other conflicts are usually just one or the other. Take a moment to check and see if you understand the difference between physical and social conflicts.
Section 8
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TEACHER: Now that you know a little bit about the novel The Land and conflict in general, let's take a look at this passage. Mitchell lives on Paul's father's land because his family are sharecroppers on the property. Mitchell is African American. And he and Paul are the same age, which makes them peers.
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As I read the passage allowed, follow along and think about whether the conflict shown here is physical or social. Well, I didn't figure anything out quick enough before Mitchell walloped me again. And again. Finally things got so bad, I told my daddy about Mitchell and about how he and the other boys too were always picking on me.
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Notice that Paul uses the word walloped. Walloped means to hit. So you can identify this conflict as a physical one. Now, think about what type of physical conflict it is. In the last line, we see that Mitchell and other boys were always picking on Paul. So these are clues that the conflict is a character versus character conflict.
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That's because there are two or more people involved. In this passage, we see that the narrator Paul and Mitchell are in conflict. Now, it's your turn to identify a type of conflict in a passage from The Land.
Section 10
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TEACHER: You're almost ready to begin reading the novel The Land, but first, let's meet the author, Mildred Taylor. Mildred Taylor is an African American author from Jackson, Mississippi. Many of her stories, including The Land, are written about her own family's history. The books are fiction, but they're based on true events.
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She primarily writes about slavery and post-slavery issues. Her books often deal with civil rights and the treatment of African Americans. One of her most famous novels called Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is a sequel that takes place after The Land. Taylor wrote many books about struggles faced by African Americans in the south.
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She depicts the life of slavery and post-slavery through the events in her stories. Many of her characters are well developed, and through their point of view, readers experience what life was like for African Americans in the south at the time. She received the Coretta Scott King Award, and in fact, her books are well known and well respected. Many of them are also award winning.
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Now you're ready to begin reading The Land. And remember to think about conflict as you read.
Conflict and Character in Mildred Taylor's The Land
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