What I Learned From “Talking About Freedom” and Why It Became One of My Favorite Classes

When I signed up for Talking About Freedom, I didn’t expect the class to be as engaging, modern, and unconventional as it turned out to be. Most general education classes follow a predictable formula—lectures, readings, papers, quizzes. But Talking About Freedom broke that pattern in a way that actually made the learning stick.

Between using AI tools, participating in mock trials, creating blog posts, and working within a unique class structure, the course felt less like a requirement and more like an experience.

Below are the parts of the class that made the biggest impact on me.

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Using AI as a Learning Tool — Not a Shortcut

One of the most valuable parts of this class for me was getting to use AI throughout our assignments. Ai is here to stay, and Talking About Freedom helped me learn how to use it ethically and effectively.

I never used AI to copy and paste answers. Instead, I used it the way it should be used — as a tool to enhance work I already created. I’ve always struggled to condense my thoughts into clean, professional writing, so having an AI tool that could take my ideas, my notes, or my raw paragraphs and help me organize them made a huge difference.

Even this blog post started as my own thoughts and script — AI just helped me polish the formatting. That’s the power of AI when you use it correctly: it doesn’t replace your effort; it strengthens your final product.

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Mock Trials: Stepping Into History

The mock trials were my favorite part of Talking About Freedom. They weren’t just assignments — they were immersive experiences.

Instead of memorizing facts about past Supreme Court cases, we stepped into the roles of the people who lived through them. Arguing real cases made me understand the motives and pressures each side faced. It made the history come alive in a way that a textbook never could.

Mock trials pushed me to think critically, communicate clearly, and collaborate with others — all skills that extend far beyond one class.

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Blog Posts That Actually Felt Like Real Writing

Another part of the course that I enjoyed more than I expected was the blog-style assignments. At the end of the day, they were still basically essays — but formatting them as blogs completely changed how they felt.

Adding pictures, headings, and layout elements made the assignments more creative and more fun. It almost tricked my brain into thinking I was a real author publishing something people cared about instead of a student turning in another typical paper.

This approach made me put more effort into my writing, and honestly, it made the entire class feel more modern. It’s a simple idea, but a brilliant way to make schoolwork more interesting.

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Why the Unconventional Structure Actually Worked

The biggest thing that set Talking About Freedom apart was how different it was from a traditional lecture class. Everything was interactive, hands-on, or directly tied to real experiences.

I also appreciated that we were rewarded for paying attention. The quizzes were always based directly on our notes, which made the class feel fair and straightforward. If you showed up, took good notes, and stayed engaged, you were set.

The class didn’t rely on busywork or random assignments — everything had a purpose. Because of that, the learning felt natural instead of forced.

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Final Thoughts: A Class I’ll Actually Remember

Between the integration of AI, the immersive mock trials, the creative blog posts, and the unconventional yet effective structure, Talking About Freedom became one of those rare classes where I felt like I was genuinely learning — not just completing assignments.

It was modern.
It was interactive.
It was honest.
And it taught skills I’ll use long after the semester ends.

Talking About Freedom didn’t just teach me about the concept of freedom — it taught me new ways of thinking, writing, and learning. And that’s something I’ll remember.

 

Reflecting on What I Learned from My Classmates’ Civil Rights Era Presentations

Introduction

Today’s class presentations on the Civil Rights Era ended up teaching me a lot more than I expected. Instead of just reviewing dates or major events, each person focused on different parts of the movement—some positive, some negative—and it all came together to create a clearer, more realistic picture of the time period. Hearing these stories from my classmates made the era feel more human, more complicated, and more intense than what you usually get from a textbook.

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The Negative Side: Violence, Resistance, and the Fight to Hold Onto Segregation

One of the biggest things I learned was just how organized the resistance to civil rights really was. Several classmates discussed the rise of the Ku Klux Klan during the 1960s. I didn’t realize the KKK wasn’t unified at first—they started as separate, independent groups and only later came together. What shocked me most was learning that many politicians, sheriffs, and other authority figures were part of the Klan, giving racism institutional support.

My classmates also highlighted the tactics used to push back against desegregation: violent intimidation, harassment of civil rights workers, and rallies meant to scare anyone demanding change. The explanation of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in 1963 was especially powerful. Hearing how four young girls were killed brought the brutality of the era into sharp focus.

The presentation on Freedom Summer in 1964 added another layer. The story of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner—three volunteers murdered while investigating the burning of a Black church—showed just how dangerous activism was in the South.

Another classmate explained Massive Resistance, the movement to delay or block school integration after Brown v. Board. The “stand in the schoolhouse door” story stuck with me: a governor physically blocking two Black students until the federal government stepped in. It was a clear example of how far states were willing to go to fight desegregation.

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The Positive Side: Major Victories and Real Progress

Even with all of the violence and pushback, the presentations also showed how much progress was made. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 enforced the promises of Brown and created the EEOC, while the Voting Rights Act of 1965 led to Black voter registration jumping from 23% to 61% by 1969. Hearing those numbers helped me understand the scale of change.

Another classmate focused on the NAACP, and I learned how early leaders like W.E.B. Du Bois and Ida B. Wells fought lynching and eventually helped win Brown v. Board. Others covered grassroots actions like the Greensboro sit-ins, the Freedom Rides, the March on Washington, and the Montgomery Bus Boycott—all of which showed how everyday people pushed the country forward.

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Conclusion

Overall, my classmates helped me understand the Civil Rights Era as a constant back-and-forth between progress and resistance. The movement’s biggest victories didn’t happen easily—they were fought for, pushed for, and defended against powerful forces trying to stop them. Hearing these presentations made the era feel alive and showed me how complex the fight for equality really was.

What I Learned from In the Heat of the Night

By Ian Portuondo

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Introduction

Watching In the Heat of the Night opened my eyes to how powerful a single story can be when it’s built around real social tension. On the surface, the film is a murder mystery. But underneath that plot is a lesson about race, respect, and what happens when two completely different people are forced to rely on each other. Even though the movie came out in 1967, everything it talks about still feels relevant today.

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A Clear Look at Prejudice

One of the biggest things I learned is how racism isn’t always loud or violent. Sometimes it’s the quiet assumptions people make before ever learning someone’s name. In the movie, Virgil Tibbs is automatically treated like a suspect simply because he’s Black and from out of town. His actual identity—a highly trained homicide investigator—is ignored at first.

This shows how damaging stereotypes are when people in power let bias guide their choices. The movie doesn’t sugarcoat it. Instead, it forces the audience to sit with the discomfort and recognize how quickly judgment can replace truth.

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Respect Formed Through Conflict

What surprised me most was the relationship between Tibbs and Police Chief Gillespie. At first, they clash at every turn. Gillespie is hostile, insecure, and clearly shaped by the racist environment around him. But as Tibbs proves his skill, attitude, and integrity, Gillespie is quietly forced to rethink his assumptions.

Their respect for each other grows—not perfectly, not dramatically, but realistically. This taught me that progress doesn’t always happen with big speeches. Sometimes it happens in small, uncomfortable moments where someone realizes they were wrong.

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Courage in the Face of Hostility

Another major takeaway is Tibbs’ courage. He chooses to stay in a town where he is clearly unwanted and unsafe. He stays not because it’s easy, but because it’s his job and because he refuses to let racism dictate his actions. His calm strength is one of the most powerful parts of the movie.

His presence challenges everyone around him—and that’s the point.

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Final Thoughts

Overall, In the Heat of the Night taught me that fighting prejudice doesn’t always mean grand actions. Sometimes it means challenging assumptions, demanding basic respect, and standing firm in who you are. The movie uses one investigation to tell a much bigger story about justice, identity, and human dignity.

Even today, its message still hits hard—and that’s why it remains important.

 

What We Don’t Usually See: My Thoughts on the Day-to-Day Life of Enslaved People

By Ian Portuondo
Talking About Freedom Blog — December 2025

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A Perspective We Rarely Focus On

After watching my classmate’s video on the day-to-day life of enslaved people, I realized how little we usually talk about the daily realities of slavery. In class, we focus on big events—laws, rebellion, abolition—but not the ordinary routines people lived through every single day. This project made those experiences feel more personal and human.

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Life Defined by Exhaustion and Survival

The video showed how enslaved people woke up before sunrise and worked until they were completely exhausted. They slept in overcrowded shacks with dirt floors and had almost no time to rest. Clothing was basic and scarce. In the winter, many had nothing more than a single blanket to keep warm.

Seeing these details laid out made me understand the constant physical and emotional strain enslaved people lived with. Their homes weren’t places of comfort—they were places of survival.

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Inside the Slave Market

Another section that stood out was the description of the antebellum slave market. Enslaved people were inspected, priced, and sold like commodities. Families were separated without warning. Everything was recorded in ledgers as if they weren’t human beings at all.

But even within this system, the video emphasized how enslaved people resisted. They preserved their culture, protected family ties, and showed incredible resilience.

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Risking Everything for Freedom

The video also explained how enslaved people attempted escape. They followed the stars at night while bounty hunters used dogs and footprints to track them down. Strangers sometimes hid them, risking their own lives to help. This part of the video showed how desperate and brave someone had to be to even attempt escaping slavery.

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A Wider View: Slavery Beyond the U.S.

I also learned about slavery in Britain. The story of James Somerset, whose court case ruled that slavery wasn't supported by common law, was interesting—especially because the British slave trade still continued after. It wasn’t until people like William Wilberforce pushed Parliament that Britain passed the Slave Trade Act of 1807 and eventually the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833.

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My Final Takeaway

Overall, the video helped me understand the human side of slavery—the exhaustion, the trauma, the resilience, and the small everyday moments that history books usually skip over. It gave me a deeper appreciation of just how hard life was for enslaved people, and how strong they had to be just to survive each day.

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Ai Dislaimer: In class I watched a video made by one of my fellow students. During which I took good notes. I then uploaded the notes to ChatGPT and gave it this promt. "Write a reactionary blog post around 300 words. In my class I took notes on a video and captured my reactions and the info shared in the video. Use these notes to write the post." 

 

Reconstruction’s Unfinished Work: What I Learned From the Documentary

By Ian Portuondo
Talking About Freedom Blog — December 2025

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A Modern Tragedy That Led Us Into the Past

The documentary we watched in my class opened with the 2015 Charleston church shooting—not to focus on that event, but to make a point: the racial hatred that fueled that attack didn’t appear overnight. It’s rooted in history, specifically the Reconstruction era.

That intro grabbed my attention immediately. By connecting present-day violence to decisions made over 150 years ago, the documentary made Reconstruction feel urgent and alive—not just something stuck in a textbook.

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Reconstruction Begins: Freedom, Uncertainty, and Big Questions

After Robert E. Lee surrendered on April 9th, 1865, the country entered a period filled with both hope and chaos. Enslaved people sought safety with Union troops, families tried to reunite, and 150,000 Black men enlisted in the Union Army.

Something I really didn’t realize before watching the documentary was just how essential Black soldiers were in securing the end of slavery. They weren’t passive observers of their own liberation—they helped win it.

But the documentary kept raising a massive issue: What does freedom actually look like?
Who is a citizen? What rights do they have? How do formerly enslaved people build new lives in a society that had never treated them as equals?

The nation had no clear answers.

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Lincoln’s Final Vision—Cut Short

One of the most shocking things I learned was that Lincoln’s last speech included the idea that some Black men—especially soldiers—should have the right to vote. That single idea was enough to enrage John Wilkes Booth. I never understood how directly Lincoln’s assassination was tied to Black citizenship until now.

It showed me how fragile progress was.

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Andrew Johnson and the Collapse of Possibility

The documentary didn’t hold back about Andrew Johnson’s role in making Reconstruction fail. Frederick Douglass immediately distrusted him, and it became obvious why. Johnson didn’t believe Black Americans deserved equal rights.

The Freedmen’s Bureau, led by General O.O. Howard, pushed hard to establish fair labor contracts and redistribute land—famously known as “40 acres and a mule.” Before this documentary, I assumed that was more myth than reality. But it was real policy… until Johnson reversed it.

The scene that stayed with me the most was Howard having to tell freedpeople that their land was being taken back and returned to former Confederates. People started singing in church—not out of joy, but as a way to cope with heartbreak.

That moment made me understand how much potential progress was destroyed in an instant. Without land, many freedpeople were forced into dependency that lasted for generations.

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Rapid Progress and Violent Backlash

Another thing that surprised me was just how much progress Black Americans actually made during Reconstruction. Black men were elected to office. Federal troops protected southern Black communities. For the first time, the United States genuinely tried to be a multiracial democracy.

But the backlash came fast. White gangs attacked Black voters. Southern leaders pushed the “Lost Cause” myth to rewrite history. Racism became the barrier that ultimately shut down Reconstruction.

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The Biggest Lesson I Learned

The documentary made one thing extremely clear to me: Reconstruction wasn’t just a period of the past—it’s the foundation of the racial debates and inequalities we still see today. By failing to answer basic questions about citizenship, land, rights, and equality, the nation left wounds that never healed.

The Charleston shooting was the film’s reminder that we are still living with the consequences of Reconstruction’s failures.

And for me, that was the biggest takeaway.

Ai Disclaimer: While I watched the documentary I took thorough notes. I then put those notes into chat gpt with this prompt "use these notes i took on a history doc we watched in my law class to create a 500 word blog post. make it in the style of a blog." I then uploaded the notes I took for it to use.

 

Mock Trial Reflection: Plessy v. Ferguson

By Ian P. | November 2025 | Talking About Freedom

Our class’s mock trial of Plessy v. Ferguson brought one of America’s most defining Supreme Court cases to life. The case centered on Homer Plessy, a fair-skinned man who was one-eighth African American, arrested in Louisiana for sitting in a “whites only” train car in violation of the 1890 Separate Car Act. Plessy’s lawyers argued that the law violated the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, while the state defended segregation as a matter of states’ rights and “separate but equal” treatment.

Representing Plessy’s side, the arguments focused on equality, morality, and practicality. His lawyers (in our mock trial) claimed the Louisiana law contradicted both the Constitution and basic human dignity, citing that God created all people equally. They argued that segregation damaged the economy by doubling costs and restricting the labor market, while also inflicting deep psychological harm by labeling Black citizens as inferior. If segregation were upheld, they warned, it would have no logical end—spreading into every aspect of daily life.

The state’s lawyers (in our mock trial) defended segregation as a reasonable policy designed to preserve order and reflect local tradition. They claimed that the 14th Amendment protected civil and political rights but not social equality. Citing examples like separate schools in Boston, they said that separation was not born from hatred but prudence. They also argued that segregation was economically necessary, claiming most train passengers were white and companies needed to cater to their preferences to avoid financial loss and potential racial violence.

Through this mock trial, I better understood the deep moral and legal tensions that defined Plessy v. Ferguson. While the state’s arguments appealed to practicality and tradition, Plessy’s side reminded us that justice cannot exist without true equality. Experiencing this debate firsthand revealed how one ruling in 1896 legitimized segregation for decades—and why standing up to injustice, even when it is “lawful,” remains vital to progress.

 "Gone With the Wind" Reconsidered: Strength, Survival, and the Shadows of the Old South

Few American movies have been revisited so many times with such interest—and debate—than Gone With the Wind. Each new watch reveals more and more about its multidimensional characters and inciting portrayal of the Civil War South. Scarlett O'Hara, Mammy, Melanie Hamilton, Prissy, Belle Watling, and Aunt Pittypat—shows how Gone With the Wind is a romance saga and a seminar on women's endurance of catastrophe and desperation.

Mammy: The Conscience and the Backbone

Hattie McDaniel's Mammy is still one of the movie's most powerful performances. Far beyond the stereotype of a loyal house servant. Mammy is the moral and emotional center of the film—a Greek Chorus type who berates and advises the white people around her. From her initial hot rebuke—"You ain't got the sense that God gave a squirrel! —from her staunch presence near the film's conclusion, Mammy is the real pillar of Tara. Even while the movie sentimentalizes slavery, McDaniel brings a human and authoritative presence to a figure who could otherwise have been reduced to caricature. No wonder she was the first African American to take home an Academy Award, a pioneering feat in 1939 Hollywood. Her later remark—“I’d rather make $700 a week playing a maid than $7 a day being one”—reveals a sharp awareness of her position in a racially divided industry.

Scarlett O’Hara

Vivien Leigh’s Scarlett is selfish, cunning, and often ruthless—but also a survivor. At the start, she embodies the shallow Southern belle: flirtatious, pampered, and dependent on men for validation. Yet the war strips away that illusion. Piloted to restore her family's fortunes, she becomes fiercely independent, asserting control over her own life in ways that few women in her time dared. Scarlett's transformation is typical of the manner in which wartime disruption naturally stirred women to new roles of leadership and employment. As women moved into factories and offices during World War II, Scarlett shows us that crisis can unlock resilience. Her famous vow—“As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again”—is not just personal determination; it’s a declaration of survival in a world that underestimated her.

Melanie, Belle, and the Quiet Power of Empathy

If Scarlett is fire, Melanie Hamilton is grace. Olivia de Havilland’s portrayal of Melanie offers a different kind of strength—quiet, forgiving, and compassionate. She upholds her crumbling world intact with devotion and concern, even for Scarlett, who hates and betrays her. And Belle Watling, the madam, who quietly supports Confederate troops and demonstrates more moral strength than most of the "respectable" women. Both of these women remind us that actual dignity has nothing to do with social position, and that bravery takes many forms.

Rhett Butler and the Morality of Profit

Clark Gable's Rhett Butler is a hard-nosed cynic in the face of the illusions of the Old South. War profiteering, he seethes through rose-tinted ideology that obscures other sight with catastrophe. His opportunism is an uncomfortable question: is it immoral to make money out of anarchy, or realistic? Businesses and individuals still make money now from war—be it through arms, oil, or rebuilding contracts. Rhett's character is a reminder that there will always be those who find opportunity in suffering during any war.

Facts and Lies in an Imperfect Masterpiece

Gone With the Wind certainly sugarcoats the atrocities of slavery, presenting the antebellum South in rosy tints. But beneath its flaws are commonplaces about ambition, determination, and man's frailty. One can appreciate both its artistic merit and its historical provincialism. The film is not a truthful exploration of history or race, but does present timeless pieces of survival and pride—most notably its women, who, in many ways, transcend the roles defined for them. In its staging of Gone With the Wind, we recognize it not only as a romance epic. It's a mirror—of the shame and glamour of America's past, and of the obstinate contradiction of those who lived. Mammy's voice, Scarlett's obstinacy, Melanie's sweetness, Rhett's world-weariness, all combined present an image of a society—and of a human race—trying to survive the gusts of change.