Arc
of Justice by Kevin Boyle Reaction Paper
To
say that Ossian Sweet was an extraordinary man who lived an extraordinary life
would be an understatement. He was a man who lived during an era when the color
of your skin meant everything and could dictate the job you get, your education
and the way people treated you. Sweet lived at a time when slaves were just
gaining their freedom (Smith, 2012). He came from a family who was poor and had
to work his way to get an education. In college he had to shovel snow and do
other menial jobs to pay for tuition.
Aside
from the disadvantaged life he also had to contend with his skin color. During
that time being black meant you were not allowed to do certain things and go to
certain places. Racism was rife and even inter racial marriages were illegal.
Lynching black people was so rampant that thousands died during that era.
So
for Sweet to overcome all of these and become a successful doctor was a feat in
itself. Not only was he a professionally successful he was also quite rich. His
affluence allowed him to afford a chauffeured car and to buy expensive clothes.
He was even able to marry a nice young educated woman who was of mixed
ancestry. He faced one of the biggest challenges of his life when he bought a
house in white neighborhood. The whites were not at all pleased and began to
bully him by rioting in his front door. The led to shots being fired and
someone dying, this led to what was known as the Sweet Trials (Aaron, 2008). He
and his companions were charge with the death of a white man. During that time
that was like signing a death warrant. Especially with an all white jury,
however, something revolutionary happened. Sweet was not convicted and he was
set free. His life after was not as rosy. His wife died of tuberculosis contracted
while in jail. Sweet would eventually live an uneventful life after the trials
but the incident would eventually be a precedent of the things to come.
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