The website starts off by introducing the hope and promise for African-Americans. The very first sentence reads “On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves in the rebellious Confederate states.” The website then goes on to explain how African-Americans joined forces with the Union (Northern) forces in order to overcome the Confederates and slavery altogether once and for all. I think it was very crucial for the website to highlight the fact that African-Americans joined the Union war effort. This was a very significant step in the direction of freedom for all those who suffered from slavery. African-Americans joined the same category of every other citizen who died for their country, a patriot. As fear swept through New York City of a Confederate invasion, African-Americans continued to progress towards their ultimate goal, freedom.
Not only was there a struggle for African-Americans here, but also all those who were eligible for the war draft. The National Conscription Act, passed in March 1863, made all single men aged twenty to forty-five and married men up to thirty-five subject to a draft lottery. The website goes on to state, “Carrying ‘No Draft’ signs, they cut telegraph wires and gathered weapons along the way. On the East Side, crowds halted streetcars on Second and Third Avenues and attacked policemen.” People were outraged at the fact of a draft and decided to take action and protest. During this time, there was however, a $300 fee that exempted one from the draft. Obviously, $300 back then was a very large sum of money so most residents could not afford to pay. I like how the website breaks up the events into different, clickable sections. This makes the organization and navigation of the site very simple and user-friendly. This is very important to users, especially college students looking to get through an assignment.
In terms of the Bernstein reading, the introduction (like that of the intro from the website) does a great job of giving the overall summation of the document briefly. This allows to reader to be aware of what to expect from the rest of the reading. In my opinion, the reading does a little further in making the draft riots seem bloodier and more violent. For example, the reading uses phrases such as “a grotesque and bloody race riot” (Bernstein 3). Following this same trend, the Bernstein reading supplies graphic images for the reader to truly understand what went on during these times. For example, there is an image of a lynching complete with a body hanging from a noose and also a picture of a mob complete with weapons firing at all angles. Even though the reading does have pictures to help emphasize concepts, the navigation is not as smooth as the website. Both, however, are effective in getting the overall message across