hellfire club

Rachel Valle

Hellfire Club

When I first picked my topic I had not done a lot of research on it and just judging from your blog that I had previously read I thought there would be a lot of very interesting information. However, after I started researching the topic I found how little there actually is on the subject and that brought my paper to a whole different topic. I did do research on the subject and found out more information, however it was solely on the role that Benjamin Franklin played in the club. Most of the facts I learned matched up with the ones I had already read in your blog like, who the club was started by, Sir Francis Dashwood and who the members included mainly talking about Benjamin Franklin. However, I could only find one website that even dare talk about the awful things he and the club did as a whole and even that did not go into anymore detail than you did on your blog as well. I know my topic was to write on the matter of the club and what they actually did in it to who participated but I am choosing to steer off this topic a bit. This part of my writing is coming strictly from feeling as there is no facts to back up what I am about to say other than the fact that I had a hard time researching this topic. America is supposed to be known as a prestigious country which is represented by these great men who came together from Britain and formed colonies to build the country we know and love today. The US government and citizens will do anything to maintain this image for the outside world and even for its inhabitants, and writing about something like the hellfire club which includes our very own perfect Benjamin Franklin would mean belittling the very country which holds everything we stand for and one of the most well known historical figure of that country. I think that it is so wrong how much we keep things like this issue in the dark, America has a right to know who was representing us and things they did when they were building this country. However, this scares people and no one wants to take responsibility for knowing these things so people keep the information away from the public and refuse to share what sexual endeavors our founding fathers participated in. I am sure that Benjamin Franklin was not the only one in clubs having drunken orgies behind his wife’s back, but I am also sure that we will never hear about the other sexual events and activities most of the founding fathers participated in because what kind of image would that bring to America the great.    

Sexual Assault and How UNCC Handles It

By Stefanie Testa

According to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN), every 2 minutes someone is sexually assault in the United States. Sexual assault is, by definition, any sexual act that is not desired by the other person. There is usually a threat or forcefulness by the offender and can include kissing, touching, and rape of all nature. Every year, it is estimated that there is close to 240,000 cases of sexual assault. Given that number, it is quite surprising to learn that more than 60% of sexual assaults are not even reported. Although the survey by the U.S Department of Justice states that the rates of sexual assualt has fallen by more than 50% since 1993, it is still a very prevalent violent crime. Of the crimes commited, the survey also suggest that 80% happen to victims under the age of 30. [1]

That poses the question, how many college students are sexually assaulted each year, and what are the procedures and measures that colleges and universities take when such horrific events do occurr? 

Statistics show that one in five college women reported being raped sometime in their lives.[2] That is 20 percent. As stated above, we know that that percentage is even higher when you incorporate the incidents that go unreported. So if that is true, 20% of the women at our university, UNCC, will be or have already experienced sexual assault. Given that we have 26, 571 students currently enrolled, and 50% are women, that means roughly 2,657 of us are victims. [3]

So how does UNCC deal with these events should they happen?

University policy states that these offenses are taken very serious and that is not tolerated by any means (hopefully not). 

When I look up “sexual assault policies” on the college website, I am brought to a page for prevention. Here, you can find awareness tips and a guide to reduce the risk of becoming a rape victim. They also tell you where and to whom you can report an assault. All great resources to be aquainted with. [4]

I have a little issue with the “reduce the risk of becoming a rape victim” page, only because no one asks to be raped. The awareness tips tell you to mindful of the kind of situations in which you involve yourself, which is good advice, but sexual assault can happen anywhere, by anyone, and to anyone, and I do not believe you can “reduce your risk”. That is like saying don’t wear particular clothing because it might get you raped. 

Furthermore, I’ve only been aware of two reported cases of sexual assault on campus since I’ve been a student. Because I am a sophomore, that is approximately one a year which is a relatively small number compared to the statistics stated earlier. In such events, university police send a campus-wide e-mail that depicts the details of the crime in efforts to keep us informed, and in hope that someone will have information pertaining to such an occasion. 

What happens to the offender? Some cases go to the criminal court system, and some land on the desk of the Dean of Students. In cases where the victim doesn’t report directly to the police, you can go online and fill out a confidential Blind Report in which someone will investigate accordingly. 

Overall, I was very surprised to find out that we have a thorough process layed out for preventing and dealing with sexual assault cases here at UNCC. Its rumored that other schools might not treat these events with such sensitivity and importance. 

In addition, sexual assault is not a new crime against humanity. We learned this has been ongoing (in this country atleast) since the conquest of the America where settlers used sexual imperialism to exort their power and control over the Natives.[5] We saw even more sexual assault in the Victorian Era where girls were being sold to “owners” and forced into the sex trade from an early age. These brothels and houses of sex for most of the girls during this time was the only world they knew.[6]

To conclude, sexual assault has always been a serious issue. It is not tolerable in any way, shape, or form and I was glad to find that there are many resources on campus that can help a person deal with these unsettling occurrences. 

The Truth About Ben Franklin

Back in the day I remember listening to my teachers talk about one of our founding fathers named Ben Franklin, and how he was such an influential man to the United States of America. I also remember watching documentaries in high school about how he discovered and invented many things like the bifocals, the discovery of electricity, the lightning rod, franklin stove, mapping the gulf stream, and even flippers for swimming[1].  There were even Disney movies like National Treasure that were based on Franklin and how much of an amazing person he was.  However it wasn’t until I took this class and did some reading where I found out that he wasn’t the historic saint of our country like many, like I did, perceive him to be.

When I picture Benjamin Franklin I think of a chubby looking man with goofy glasses with long grey hair, getting zapped by lightning.  When reading “Ben Franklin- Founding Father, Man Whore, M.I.L.F. Chaser, and Possible Serial Killer?!?!” from Crystal Moore’s blog, I find that our founding father was kind of a horny male.  Quotes like, “in the dark all cats are grey” and that since all animals walk upright an old woman gets wrinkles because all the fluids go down to the genitals to keep them nice and plump.  While we were fighting during the American Revolution, he was also chosen to travel to France to receive allies.  The main reason he was chosen was because of his flirtatious ways with women [2].

Another fact that I found startling was that he was a member of the hellfire club.  The hellfire club was a secret satanic society who performed black masses and sexual orgies.  The club was found beneath a church in England.  Members of the club would have sex with prostitutes and do sacrifices to Satan [3].  In more recent time, in 1998 Benjamin Franklin’s old house in France was being remodeled, and workers dug up 10 bodies, which consisted of four adults and six children.  Researchers claim that the bones were around 200 years old and that they show signs of being experimented on and mutilated.  Some of the bones were sawn in half, and a skull was found to have several holes that were from a drill.  Historians believe that Franklin worked with a friend named Dr. Hewson who founded British surgery and practiced on these “patients” for satanic purposes.  [4]

After reading and researching I find it hard to look at Benjamin Franklin the same.  Even though he was one of our founding fathers and introduced many beneficial elements to the United States, he has many strange and disturbing historical facts about him, that almost seem hidden from people if you do not actually look out and research them.  If it was not for this class I would have never knew these facts and would continue you to see Franklin as a Saint, like many today still do.

[1] “Benjamin Franklin's Inventions, Discoveries, and Improvements” http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/info/inventions.htm (accessed February 28, 2014).

[2] “Ben Franklin- Founding Father, Man Whore, M.I.L.F. Chaser, and Possible Serial Killer?!?!”

http://sexualizedsociety.blogspot.com/2014/01/ben-franklin-founding-father-man-whore.html (accessed February 28, 2014).

[3] “The Satanic  HELLFIRE CLUB!”

http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/Illuminati/hellfire_club.htm (accessed February 28, 2014).

[4] “Benjamin Franklin”

http://www.worldviewweekend.com/worldview-times/article.php?articleid=7104 (accessed February 28, 2014).

Is Everyone Really Equal in Today's Society?

 By: Allyson Wiggs

In today’s society, we think of women to be equal to men because we know how far women have come. Many years ago, in the colonial era, women had very few rights. They could not partake in politics of jobs. The women’s main role was to raise the children and to take care of the home.[1] This seems very strange to us now because we think of women as going to school and getting a job where she would get paid equal to what a man gets paid. Although we think men and women have equal rights now, they do not.

Many people do not realize that there is an amendment for equality that has not been passed for many years now. This amendment is called the Equal Rights Amendment. The object of this is to ensure equality no matter what the person’s gender is.[2] After the Civil War, many women started getting jobs and doing more things throughout the community which is when the hope for this amendment happened. Around this time is also when women received the right to vote which made them really feel as if they had a bigger part in the community. There are many people who support this amendment, but just like any other controversial topic, there are many people who do not support it. The people that are not in support of this often use the excuse that they were afraid if women gained equal rights then they might get sent into war. They were also afraid that all the work that was done to protect against abortion and homosexuality could possibly be reversed with granting equal rights.[3] Women and even men have been hoping that this amendment will be passed for many years now, yet it has still not been passed.

In my opinion, I think it is crazy that this amendment has yet to be passed. It completely blows my mind considering the way women and men are treated in today’s world. They are treated completely the same in almost all cases. Women have gained all the rights men have over the years. For example, women can go to school just like a man does and get a degree to be a doctor. If both the man and woman are doctors, the woman could possibly even make more than the man if she is better at her job than he is. I personally do not think enough people are educated on this topic. I think that the majority of people do not realize that men and women do not have equal rights in the constitution. If more people realized this, I think it would be made a bigger deal. Overall, I believe that women and men are already treated very equally, and that it would be best for the Equal Rights Amendment to be passed because then it would only confirm the way we already act as a country.

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[1] “Women's Roll Before and During the Colonial Period.” http://www.webconnections.com/mes5th/colonialwomen_b4.htm (accessed February 28, 2014).

[2] “The Equal Rights Amendment.” US History. http://www.ushistory.org/us/57c.asp (accessed February 28, 2014).

[3] Francis, Roberta. “The History Behind the Equal Rights Amendment.” The Equal Rights Amendment. http://www.equalrightsamendment.org/history.htm (accessed February 28, 2014).

The Ethics behind Sexual Commerce

                                The Ethics behind Sexual Commerce

                                                By: Dominique Spence

During the Victorian Era, prostitution became more conventional and was brought into the forefront. Sex was not only for procreation, but for enjoyment as well. Women were now more in control of their sexual behavior and didn’t need a man to dictate their choices for them. No two prostitutes had the same experiences. Asian prostitutes were brought over to America with false hopes that they would have a better life, but most were put into the sex trade. Women were drugged, beaten and tortures to make sure they complied for their customers. There were also different classes such as the parlor prostitutes, bawdy house prostitutes, crib houses prostitutes and the streetwalkers[1].

Just like the Victorian era, it is hard to really pinpoint why women end up becoming prostitutes today because there are many factors to take into consideration. Although, negative reasons to participate in prostitution include greed and addiction. These women are attracted to large sums of money and some need the money to pay for their drug addictions. Some women, on the other hand, have a “somewhat better” reason for prostitution including paying for university costs or getting out of poverty and their unhealthy living environments[2].

Today, if you are a prostitute you are considered to be trash or the bottom of the barrel. Surprisingly, there has been great debate on whether or not prostitution should be legalized. Proponents of prostitution believe that prostitution is a victimless crime between two consenting adults and provide individuals with freedom of choice. They see prostitution as a way of reducing crime rates and allowing individuals to openly express their sexual freedoms. Alternatively, opponents consider prostitution as a morally wrong act and degrading against women. Prostitution ultimately makes women look like a piece of meat and sometimes abused. In my opinion, prostitution is a very dangerous occupation and could ultimately come with dire consequences and does exploit the female body, but I can also sympathize with someone if it is their last option.

The dangers associated with prostitution would scare people away from participating, but sometimes there no other choice. Some of the diseases related with prostitution include sexual transmitted diseases such as HIV, Chlamydia and Syphilis. Prostitution can cause more than just physical pain, but emotional issues as well. Prostitutes can develop low self esteem, depression and suicidal thoughts and even PTSD[3].  People have many different viewpoints on prostitution and I think this will continue to be a hot topic in the future.

 

 

 

 

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[1] Moore, Crystal. “The Ethics behind Sexual Commerce.” Class Lecture, The History of Sexuality in America from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, February 27, 2014.

 

[2] Schwartz, Allan. "Mentalhealth.net." Last modified April 12, 2011. Accessed February 28, 2014. http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=42821.

[3] Moore, Crystal. “The Ethics behind Sexual Commerce.” Class Lecture, The History of Sexuality in America from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, February 27, 2014.

Treatment of African-American Women During Slavery

*Warning! Graphic pictures!*

 

 

 

 

By; Brandi Tillison

 

 

The Treatment of African-American Women During Slavery

 

 

     Often when slavery is discussed in history, it is taught in a way that the female side of slavery isn’t discussed. It would take years for me to describe every detail of what African-American women went through during slavery, such as how they were treated by their fellow African-American men, but I will stick to the sexual abuse and dehumanization the women went through. So I will put a warning for this blog post: if you are sensitive to reading about sexual assault, then please proceed with caution. My goal isn’t to offend or trigger anything for anyone who reads this.

 

     Now skip from the beginning of slavery to 1800’s, the way African-American women were treated didn’t change much from when Africans were first brought over to the New World. Sexual assault wasn’t a concept that was too far from reality for African-American women during slavery. This was partly because the Constitution didn’t view AA(African-American) people as humans, only 3/5 human. This law alone stricken the humanity from AA women and made them seem like animals more than actual humans. Also the age range of the women did not matter. [1]In 1808, the rape of slaves increased due to the growing need for more slaves. This was because of a federal law that was passed which put a ban on the importation of new slaves. So rape was a way to ‘increase’ the slave population.

 

     There was always a stigma with being sexually assaulted. There is one in present day, but picture yourself as a slave woman and how dehumanizing it was to know you couldn’t even testify your case in court. [2]The trial of Celia 1855, is a perfect example. Celia was 19 years old and after enduring five years of sexual abuse from her slave master, she finally killed him. Her case set off a windstorm of emotions for the state of Missouri. Her trial came at an interesting time in which there was rising support for ending slavery, but nonetheless Missouri still had slave laws in tact at the time. The judge in her case made any chance of her getting an acquittal near impossible. The judge then charged her with 1^st. degree murder and she was to be hung.

 

     A case like the previous one wasn’t uncommon during slave times. Knowing the chances of you getting killed for being raped, and then having the nerve to testify about it often put fear into African-American women. This I believe is what drove them to keep their silence knowing if they dared to say anything they would be killed for it. I also think the stereotype of the ‘strong black woman’ came from. Knowing of some of the tortures AA women went through, it may seem like a ‘befitting’ stereotype, but it’s not. In fact it strips African-American women away of being able to show any type of emotion. As if saying ‘you can’t feel pain you’re a black woman’. It is inhumane to tell a race of women they can’t feel emotion because of melanin in their skin.  This stereotype is clearly perpetuated in today’s society and it is a clear shame to see. I hope my blog gave whoever read it some insight as to what was going on to AA women during slave times. Maybe in my next blog I will talk about what the 1900’s were like and the affects slavery had then as well.

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[1] NA, NA. Boundless, "Women and Slavery." Accessed February 28, 2014. https://www.boundless.com/u-s-history/slavery-and-reform-1820-1840/slavery-in-the-u-s/women-and-slavery/.

[2] Douglas, Linder. NA, "Celia, A Slave, Trial (1855): An Account." Last modified 2011. Accessed February 28, 2014. http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/celia/celiaaccount.html.

Who Was Madame Restell and Who Were These Women?

By: Kylie Wallace

Madame Restell or Ann Lohman was an abortionist in New York city during the early 19th century. She was given the name “wickedest woman in New York” at the time but was very shamelessly wealthy from her practice.[1] During this time period in New York giving abortions was merely a misdemeanor but by 1870 performing an abortion was worth 20 years in jail.[1] Madame Restell wasn’t ashamed of what she did, and even paid off bondsmen as she was always under investigation and in and out of The Tombs.[1] 

Three of the big reasons Madame Restell was under such a close watch by the time of her death were Mary Rogers, Mary Applegate and Ann Maria Purdy. Mrs. Purdy was a married woman who seemed Madame Restell’s medicine rather than abortion, but when that failed came to her again this time for the surgery simply because she wasn’t ready to have another child.[1] Mrs. Purdy died 15 months later due to a condition caused by the abortion, but only after she identified Madame as the woman who preformed the abortion.[1] After a long process she got free by a technicality; she wasn’t given the opportunity to cross-examine her accuser and was given a retrial however, her accuser was now dead therefore there wasn’t ever a retrial.[1]

Similarly, Mary Rogers was a beautiful cigarette girl who seeked Madame Restell’s services and died because of it.[1] Mary Rogers was Edgar Allen Poe’s inspiration for the story The Mystery of Marie Rogêt.[1] 

One of the more impactful women that Madame Restell “helped” was Mary Applegate. She was a single woman impregnated by a stockbroker whose only motive to do anything was his reputation.[1] May Applegate had her baby at Madame Restell’s estate and theres different stories about what she did with it but she most likely put it up for adoption.[1] However, the people in the city thought she took it and killed it so they mobed around her house and wanted to “burn it down and drag her out.” The police protected her.[1] 

Everything I’ve read about her and talked about points me towards thinking she’s just a woman who had a practice that no one agreed with! I think they made a big deal about certain women because they had an importance in the society, I’m sure there were other girls who suffered or died due to her services who just weren’t as forward. In todays society we do plenty of things that are dangerous however, we do know more now so it’s easier to be safe. I disagree with the was society was viewing what was happening and more importantly the way they were dealing with it.

[1], "Victorian Gothic: Much of Madness and More of Sin," Who Was Madame Restell? (blog), June 18, 2011, http://www.victoriangothic.org/who-was-madame-restell/.