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Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
Hollywood's White Legal Heroes And The Legacy Of Slave Codes, Katie Rose Guest Pryal
Hollywood's White Legal Heroes And The Legacy Of Slave Codes, Katie Rose Guest Pryal
Katie Rose Guest Pryal
This chapter explores the portrayal of black defendants in mainstream legal cinema and draws connections between these portrayals, the legacy of slave codes, and the Supreme Court's rejection of statistical and historical proof of racism in the application of the death penalty. I focus on a sub-genre of legal cinema, what I call the "White Legal Hero" narrative. The typical white legal hero film tells the story of an innocent or otherwise righteous black male defendant facing a capital charge. He is represented by a white male "hero" lawyer who tries to overcome the racist justice system. The failure of …
'Embrace The Prudent Alliance': William Byrd Of Westover And Intermarriage Between Europeans And Native Americans, Katie Rose Guest Pryal
'Embrace The Prudent Alliance': William Byrd Of Westover And Intermarriage Between Europeans And Native Americans, Katie Rose Guest Pryal
Katie Rose Guest Pryal
This paper provides a rhetorical examination of the powerful colonial figure William Byrd of Westover's "History of the Dividing Line" and his call for interracial marriage as a path to peace with Native Americans. Byrd’s proposal of intermarriage, or biological assimilation, can only be read in its complex sociopolitical and legal contexts. The tone of Byrd’s writings could be read to imply an ironic stance on the part of the author. I argue, however, that because of the significant issues he addresses — war, land rights, and religion — and the seemingly favorable context in which he wrote, his ironic …