| Page | Item | Description |
| 23 | “I hate contemporary politics and probably will always be a Troy.” | Some of the other spellings of “troy” are “troi” and “troye” both of which come from the Greek city of Troy and mean either soldier or foot-soldier. In context, this must mean that, Swille doesn’t like politics and he considers himself a soldier.
NameMeaningsDictionary. “‘Troy.’” Namemeaningsdictionary.com, namemeaningsdictionary.com/meaning-of-the-name/25466/what-does-the-name-troy-mean.
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| 23 | “…the Emperor of France was scoffing at this…this nation, as you call it. They were snickering about your general unkempt, hirsute and bungling appearance-bumping into things and carrying on.” | The ruler of France at the time was no an Emporer, he was a president. It was President Napoleon III. France was more sympathetic to the South, but not due to the fact that they had slaves. The Confederacy had a more aristocratic regime and the North disrupted their trade routes due to blockades so the French was no happy with them and Lincoln was not popular with the French.
O’Neill, Michael. “France’s Involvement in the U.S. Civil War.” Synonym, Leaf Group LtD, classroom.synonym.com/frances-involvement-us-civil-war-23781.html. Portes, Jacques. “The Hidden Lincoln in French Opinion.” American Studies Journal 60 (2016). Web. 8 Nov. 2017. DOI 10.18422/60-09. |
| 23 | “We call our War the Civil War, but some of the fellows think we ought to call it the War Between the States” | “It’s not that the name “Civil War” was chose, it’s just the one that was popularized. War Between the States is still an acceptable name.
Hassler, Warren W, and Jenniver L Weber. “American Civil War.” Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 21 July 2017, www.britannica.com/event/American-Civil-War.
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| 24 | “Davis’ slaves are the only ones I know who take mineral baths, and when hooped skirts became popular he gave some to the slave women” | This may or may not be referring to Jefferson Davis or a man named Joseph Davis.
If it’s talking about Joseph Davis: “When hoop skirts became fashionable, they may have heardl ocal whites joke that “Mr. Joe Davis would have to widen his cotton rows to allows the [slave] women to get through.” Hermann, Janet Sharp. “Pg 31.” The Pursuit of A Dream, University Press of Mississippi, 1999.
If it is referring to the President of the Confederacy: “His dealings with the race and his private utterances show that he regarded the negro as quite capable of reaching a higher civilization, that he believed slavery to be a more or less temporary status and that he was a most considerate master.” He was nice to them but nothing about hoopskirts. Fleming, Walter L. “Jefferson Davis, the Negroes and the Negro Problem.” The Sewanee Review, vol. 16, no. 4, 1908, pp. 407–427. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/27530928.
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| 24 | “Where were you educated, in the rutabaga patch?” | A rutabaga is a root vegetable that is a cross between cabbage and a turnip. It’s not very expensive and it can grow anywhere.
Undersander, D J, et al. “Rutabaga.” Rutabaga, Alternative Field Crops Manual, hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/rutabaga.html.
The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. “Rutabaga.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 4 June 2015, www.britannica.com/plant/rutabaga.
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| 24 | Lincoln meeting with Swille | Lincoln is meeting with Swille because he needs money to fund his side of the Civil War. Swille is on the other side but still ends up loaning him the money since Lincoln has said that the war has put the union in serious debt.
Stodola, Sarah. “Civil War at 150: Debt Lessons From Lincoln.” The Fisal Times, The Fiscal Times, 12 Apr. 2011, www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2011/04/12/Civil-War-at-150-Debt-Lessons-from-Lincoln.
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| 24 | “And when he brought that savage Black Hawk, on the steamboat Winnebago, he treated the primitive overlord with respect due an ethnic celebrity” | Winnebago is a manufacturer of motorhomes but people have used the word “Winnebago” to mean “motorhome” regardless of who the manufacturer is.
“Winnebago.” Urban Dictionary, www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Winnebago.
In the book Black Hawk is a Native American. Native Americans were often referred to as savages. Historically Auburn did not begin with this poetic name for it was first named Black Hawk after the Indiana Chief Black Hawk, famous in history as fighting with the British in 1812. He was chief of the Sac and Fox Indians, and fought against the United States again when his people were moved west by the government.
Shelby County Indiana Genealogy, History – Mount Auburn / Blackhawk, shelbycountyindiana.org/historical_articles/history_mount_auburn.htm.
Lewis, James. “Black Hawk.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 24 Feb. 2017, www.britannica.com/biography/Black-Hawk-Sauk-and-Fox-leader.
Temple, Wayne C. “Indiana University.” Indiana Magazine of History, scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/imh/article/view/8389/10491. |
| 25 | “…the Imperial Empire of the Confederate States of Europe in London?” | This might just be a play on words because all a confederacy is, is the an alliance of states with a common purpose. “State” as in the political state not a state how Americans think of a state.
“Confederacy.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confederacy.
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| 25 | “They’re calling you the Illinois Ape” | It was one of the insults they used for him. In a printing of an editorial from the Richmond Examiner it said “the obscene ape of Illinois is about to be deposed from the Washington purple, and the White House will echo to his little jokes no more.
“The People At The Polls 1860-1864.” Civil War Trust, CivilWar.org, www.civilwar.org/learn/articles/evidence-unpopular-mr-lincoln.
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| 25 | “Green as a jade in a cocaine vision” | This possibly has something to do with envy given the context and the color green is usually associated with envy. Cocaine can cause issues with blood vessels and this could lead to difficulty with sight
“How Cocaine Can Destroy Your Body.” Daily Mail, Daily Mail, www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-87818/How-cocaine-destroy-body.html.
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| 25 | Confederacy and the Union being separate countries | The Confederate States of America consisted of the 11 southern states of the Union that seceded from the union on order to preserve slavery. They had their own President and were a separate country.
History.com Staff. “Confederate States of America.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2009, www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/confederate-states-of-america.
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| 26 | “Steam whistles. Hotel gongs. Comanches!” | The Comanches were a Native American Nation that resided in Texas and New Mexico, however extended upward to Kansas as well. Theya re a migrated nation originally coming from Wyoming. They are also good traders and warriors.
The Comanches derived from the Shoshone nation. This nation had raids and in one of the raids kidnapped a white little girl that became a Comanche and her son even became chief. The fall of this tribe was the intentional over-killing of buffalo which was the native’s source of food, clothing and so much more. They were a strong people Moore, R E. “The Texas Comanches.” Texas Indians, Texasindians.com, 2012, www.texasindians.com/comanche.htm.
Gwynne, S.C. “The Rise And Fall Of The Comanche ‘Empire’.” NPR, NPR, 20 May 2011, www.npr.org/2011/05/20/136438816/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-comanche-empire.
LIPSCOMB, CAROL A. “COMANCHE INDIANS.” LIPSCOMB, CAROL A., 11 June 2010, tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/bmc72.
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| 26 | Swille being disrespectful | At this time America was not very United and the South was a completely different entity from the North. Lincoln has power over the North and not the South which is where Swille is located and he supports. Swille also doesn’t like Lincoln because he is on the other side of the Civil War. There is also a rumor that Lincoln is a pansy. |
| 27 | “No wonder the Confederate cartoonists are beginning to depict you as a nigger” |
Lincoln was never depicted as a nigger in their cartoons but it has been said before that a rumor was spread around the confederacy that Lincoln was black. There were cartoons, like this one, that had him speaking how the white people perceived slaves to speak. There are common theories and rumors of Abraham Lincoln actually being of mixed race or immediate black descendance. Abraham Lincoln was born poor and lived in the same vicinity as free and enslaved blacks. It is rumored that his mother had an affair with a black slave. He was even quotes saying that ” I was once a slave”. However, this surely was in reference to his humble beginnings, work ethic, and lack of funds from his labor as a young teen. There are also common perceptions of Abraham Lincoln being that President of the black people. Due to his siding with the North during the civil war and his signing of the Emancipation Proclamation many people in the U.S believe that he was most charitable and empathetic towards the plight of the black race. Kadish, Philip. “Opinion: The Race-Mixing Hoax That Dogged Lincoln.” CNN, Cable News Network, 18 Feb. 2014, www.cnn.com/2014/02/15/opinion/kadish-lincoln-hoax/index.html. |
| 28 | “Free Lover” | A concept propagated by hippies and other counter-culture rebels during the tumult of the 60s and 70s. The idea is that people should be free to love each other with no commitment besides what they feel is right.This was tied in with such cultural landmarks as communes and Woodstock, and lead to quite a few confused young people having as much sex as possible, due to an urge to break old boundaries and rules and explore their newfound “free” sexuality.
“Free+Love.” Urban Dictionary, www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=free%2Blove.
Lewis, Jone Johnson. “Free Love and Women’s History in the 19th Century (and Later).”ThoughtCo, www.thoughtco.com/free-love-and-womens-history-3530392.
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| 29 | “Randy Shank” | These words are exclusive to this novel and are made-up.
They are words that, by way of context clues, mean a fancy and overtly pompous individual. |
| 29 | “pipple papple pablum” | Pipple-make the murmuring sound of a gentle wind or of rippling water
Papple-Papple is a very rare family name, few people in Canada and New Zealand have the last name. Around 260 people have been found who wears Papple as their family name. Few people around the world have Papple as their surname “Papple Meaning | Last Name Papple Origin.” Papple – Meaning , Origin – Unknown, Popularity | What Does Papple Last Name Mean, nameslist.org/surname/Papple.
Pablum-Something (as writing or speech) that is trite, insipid, or simplistic. “Word of the Day.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/wordoftheday/2010/03/01/pablum.
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| 30 | Confederates trying to ambush Lincoln | Lincoln was bitterly hated in the Confederacy. Aside from the one successful attempt by John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln was almost killed a few other times most notably while riding alone between camps and while he was still the president-elect where they’d heard of a plot to murder him in Baltimore so they went to Washington instead.
History.com Staff. “Lincoln Avoids Assassination Attempt.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2009, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/lincoln-avoids-assassination-attempt.
Killing Lincoln. Directed by Adrian Moat, National Geographic, 2013.
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| 31 | “…and on top of that I’ll see that foreign countries don’t recognize you.” | Swille is a made up character so this is just in this book specifically. One person can’t decide if a country is recognized. The country has to declare independance, gain recognition and join the UN to be politically considered a country. If any of the five permanent member (China, France, Russia, Britian, Northern Ireland and America) reject their admission then they aren’t considered a country by the UN.
Melina, Remy. “How to Become a Country in 3 Easy Steps.” LiveScience, Purch, 8 Feb. 2011, www.livescience.com/33003-how-are-new-countries-established.html.
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| 31 | “Why, we’re as brook as a skeeter’s peeter” | The Union used taxes tariffs and the first income tax to pay for the war. They also printed money not backed by gold which meant that a lot of money wasn’t covered. They had to borrow a lot of money so yes they were broke or going broke. There was a significant increase in federal debt.
“The Economics of the Civil War.” EHnet, eh.net/encyclopedia/the-economics-of-the-civil-war/.
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| 32 | “I’ve been reading about this African Tribe that lives in the tropics so long they trained mosquitoes to fight their enemies” | This probably isn’t true. A mosquito that isn’t infected with anyone won’t have any effect on anyone it’ll just be annoying. It wasn’t known that a mosquito could carry Malaria until 1878. So it wouldn’t make sense for them to use them as a weapon if they don’t know that a mosquitoes can infect anyone.
“Ross and the Discovery That Mosquitoes Transmit Malaria Parasites.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 Sept. 2015, www.cdc.gov/malaria/about/history/ross.html.
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| 33 | “Why, that Grant gets sick at the sight of blood and gets mad when you bring up even the subject of war, and he’s never read a military treatise- but he can fight. His only notion of warfare is, ‘Go where the enemy is and beat the hell out of him.'” | I don’t think this is true. Grant was engaged in a lot of battles. He fought in the Civil War and served during the Mexican War. He was known for heavy drinking.
History.net. “Ulysses S. Grant.” HistoryNet, www.historynet.com/ulysses-s-grant.
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| 34 | “They’re in contact, so it seems, with slaves in the rest of the country, through some kind of intricate grapevine, so Cato my graffado tells me. | A grapevine is a secret source of information. Calling it a secret grapevine is kind of redundant since a grapevine, by it’s very nature, is secret.
“Grapevine.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grapevine. |
| 35 | “And the worst betrayal of all was Raven Quickskill, my trusted bookkeeper | Quickskill is a runaway slave from Swille’s plantation. He messed up the invoices so he’d have no record of a slave purchase. He also wrote passes and forged freedom papers. |
| 35 | George Washington, who said, ‘There are numbers who would rather facilitate the escape of slave than apprehend them as runaways.’ | Possibly some time in 1786 George Washington wrote William Drayton of the incident involving a slave who escaped with the help of some other people and in the letter, he says it’s difficult to capture and return runaways “where there are numbers that had rather facilitate the escape of slaves, than apprehend them.”
Kaminski, John P. “Pg 155.” The Great Virginia Triumvirate: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison in the Eyes of Their Contemporaries, Univ. of Virginia Press, 2010.
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| 36 | “And then that glistening rust-black Stray Leechfield.” | “We saw him as nothing more than a low-down molasses-slurper and a mutton thief.” He also stole chickens. He got killed by someone.
He was a friend of Raven Quickskill and formerly a slave on Swille’s plantation. He’s meant to represent attempts to get freedom by “manipulating the game of cultural commodities in an attempt to buy his freedom from Arthur Swille” (pg 79) Contemporary Black Men’s Fiction and Drama. Edited by Kieth Clark |
| 36 | “Had a white slave fronting for him after finding he’d built a dummy to look like him…” | This is big misnomer. It’s a myth that Irish Slaves were treated worse than slaves from Africa and that they outnumbered African Slaves. It’s often used to attack African Americans as in “The Irish were slaves, too, we got over it, so why can’t you?” A small group of Irish Scholars pushed back on the false history wanted it to stop coming up. They were indentured servants. Not Slaves. It’s not to say that these poor immigrants weren’t treated badly but they were considered human and they had a contract for their servitude.
Stack, Liam. “Debunking a Myth: The Irish Were Not Slaves, Too.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 17 Mar. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/03/17/us/irish-slaves-myth.html.
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