WEDOB+Essay+CLM

Cameron Maselli Earth 4-11-09  With Every Drop of Blood Johnny’s father has just died from the war. And he wants to fight too. But him and his father made a promise that Johnny wouldn’t fight for Father has said that he fought enough for the both of them. But know there are darkies’ fighting in the war and that is not right in the mind of Johnny. In the beginning of this book Johnny believes that only the whites should have the right to fight in the war and know how to read and write. He also thought that the darkies should be slaves not soldiers. But the meaning of war to him wasn’t that darkies should be slaves it was that they were fighting for states rights. “Why, Jimmy Madison got a whole amendment added to the constitution just to make sure the states hung on to their rights.” (pg 30) But once he met up with the people in the wagon train he saw that everyone had a different way of looking at it. During the ride up to Richmond Johnny got captured by a black soldier and he thought this wasn’t right. He shouldn’t be bossing Johnny around. Johnny just thought of him as a slave. But when Private Turner sees him reading he wants to learn how to read too. Johnny still hasn’t changed his out look on things. Even though he is teaching Private he is teaching him the wrong things. This is because he doesn’t believe that they should know how to read. In this part of the book Johnny stills sees the whites and the darkies as two opposite people. When they get to City Point Private Turner spars Johnny. He doesn’t make him go into the prison camps up north. This just shows how nice the darkies could be and Johnny didn’t know that. Now he is feeling very bad for teaching him wrong. He wishes he didn’t do that. By this time in the book you can see that Johnny is starting to get feelings and is know caring for the blacks. They have to take Johnny’s wagon into the battlefield. When they do this Private Turner gets hurt. And to show his consideration Johnny takes him into the wagon and they ride off so no one will get hurt anymore. But when they stop at a barn the truth comes out. Private knows that he was taught the wrong things and tries to run away but he can’t because he hurt his leg. While he is doing this Confederate soldier take him hostage because he is wearing Union outfit and is black. As Johnny watches this he starts to develop feelings for the darkies. Throughout the rest of the book Johnny is trying to get Cush back. He know sees him as more of a friend then a slave. Johnny gets him back free and unharmed. Just as he is doing so Confederate and Union soldiers come down the road together happily with no fighting. They all can live free know with no slavery. Johnny now realizes what the real meaning of the war is. “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth in this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that **all men are created equal**.”