...under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, was denied his petition for a writ of habeas corpus and ordered returned to the State of Georgia into the custody of his owner, James Potter. He brings a petition of error before this Court and prays for issue of the writ, that he may have the lawfulness of his imprisonment tried upon his discharge. The facts sufficiently appear in the opinion of the Chief Justice. TRUEPENNY, C.J. The defendant is a colored person living in Boston, Massachusetts. Upon complaint of John B. Bacon of Savannah, Georgia, acting as agent and attorney of James Potter of Chatham, Georgia, the defendant was arrested pursuant to a warrant issued by George T. Curtis, Commissioner of the Circuit Court of the United States for the Massachusetts District, charging the defendant with being a fugitive from labor, and with having escaped from Georgia whilst owing service or labor to said Potter. U.S. Marshal Charles Deven and U.S. Deputy Marshal Frederick D. Byrnes, acting under direction of the warrant, arrested and imprisoned the defendant on the 4th of April, 1851. The defendant claims via petition, both signed and sworn to by him, that he was free, and not a slave. The defendant prayed for a writ of habeas corpus so that he may be discharged from his imprisonment and brought before a court to have his case heard. Counsel for the defendant asked the court to consider, first, whether Congress has authority to pass any law on the subject of fugitive slaves and, second...
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...different ideas regarding what a Government looks like. Much like the rest of Europe, the north’s economy was more industrial, with factories, railroads and shipyards while the south’s was agricultural with slavery playing a major part in; the north had their own ideal of a government in which slavery would be abolished, the south’s ideal involved slavery which would naturally cause tension between the two. The South favored an agricultural system, while the North was centered around a city life. it meant that the North’s economy grew through people of different ethnics and backgrounds working together, while the South had a fixed social order. Both sides did their best in trying to reconcile with each other but different events such as the fugitive slave act, bleeding kansas, and the dred scott decision only managed to pull them further apart; although they did create different compromises which managed to quell the tension for a little while but ultimately failed to unite them in the long term. Slavery was a major factor in the early to late 1900’s as well as the precursor towards the impending civil war,as constant inward battles between the North and the South, which both shared two completely different ideals would eventually have to reach a climax, since both of the sides refused to give in to each others ideas; most notably due to the fear of one becoming more powerful than the other, since should slavery have been completely allowed in all states, the...
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...complicating loyal Americans’ major war aim, the Union. The above quote stated by Gary Gallagher is one of the main causes as to why the North won the Civil War because with the joining of citizens who wanted to fight for their democratic government, it gave the Union more soldiers that wanted to fight than the Confederates. They won the Civil War simply because they had more people. The North won the Civil War they were on the right side of human ethical issues. They had their best interest in helping the morals of humans and this alone helps citizens be able to trust the Union’s tendencies and this can also make a citizen loyal. The North clearly had more men to fight for them and there were more people that wanted to end slavery, consisting of slaves themselves. The North managed to enlist many people for the war. Superior leadership is often seen as the main reason for Union victory. Yet, in many respects, the Confederacy was well led. While President Lincoln’s dominance to Jefferson Davis might seem self-evident, Lee could think of no one in the South who could have done a better job than Davis. Davis certainly worked...
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...Tice Davids established this process for runaway slaves in the early 1800’s. It was a very treacherous process as conductors and station masters put their lives and their families’ lives in danger. The slaves also risked their lives by running away from their slave masters. Abraham Lincoln was a major part of the end of this process, and contributed to the cause to set slaves free. The Underground Railroad was an intricately planned operation involving conductors and station masters that freed many slaves and that involved the mastermind behind it all, Tice Davids, and, in the end, the President of the United States ended the ceaseless suffering of thousands of slaves. In 1831 a slave by the name of Tice Davids fled from years of torment....
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...As a result of Racial paternalism, organizations such as the American Colonization Society began to appear, which sent anti-slavery letters to the United States Congress. The purpose of these letters was to convince the United States Congress to abolish the institution of slavery, and acquire land in Africa so as to return the slaves there, as they believed that both whites and african-americans would mutually benefit from a separation between the two. These organizations had wide-spreading influence, which led to growing opposition to slavery (Doc. 3). Despite Racial Paternalism being the main reason given for continuing the institution of slavery, the stories and books of people who had witnessed slavery firsthand showed the blatant hypocrisy of this. Memoirs such as the one written by Frederick Douglass were addressed to the audience of whites living in the northern United States, as they had never seen or heard about the full horrors of slavery. The revelations made...
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...North and South? There were many issues to discuss: slavery, the slave trade, corrupt politicians and how poorly the states were dealing with them the reality of slavery. (ouleft.org, pg 1, staff; civilwar.org, staff, ) Another question was the issue with the unresolved Texas...
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...rights should be not be allowed. Being a strong abolitionist, he did not agree with the Fugitive Slave Act. It declared that all escaped slaves must return to their masters, taking away the “good life” and personal rights of escaped slaves. William Lloyd Garrison, a renowned journalist and social reformer, took part in a peaceful protest of the Fugitive Slave Act by writing in his newspaper The Liberator, demanding the immediate emancipation of all slaves (Menand 11). His non-violent retaliation caught the attention of...
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...political associates by deciding to make common cause with anti-slavery activists in the newly formed Republican Party. Lincoln was always aware that slavery, though morally wrong in his eyes, was allowed by law, and he acknowledged that the rights of slave owners, both to retain their slaves and to have fugitive slaves returned, were clearly guaranteed in the Constitution. Before the outbreak of civil war, he advocated nothing that would directly challenge those rights. This position sharply distinguished him from abolitionists, many of who were actively involved in supporting runaway slaves, and all of whom viewed the returning of fugitive slaves as unconscionable, whatever the Constitution might dictate. The most radical abolitionists openly condemned the Constitution for its protection of slavery and rejected its authority. Lincoln never put his hatred for slavery ahead of his allegiance to the Constitution. He admitted privately that he hated to see slaves “hunted down, and caught, and carried back to their stripes,” but he classed himself in 1855 with “the great body of the Northern people who do crucify their feelings, in order to maintain their loyalty to the constitution and the Union.” His public support of the Fugitive Slave Law moved the implacable Boston abolitionist,...
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...9th, 1849 Fredrick Douglass wrote a letter to the Abolitionist stating that, “On a close examination of the Constitution, I am satisfied that if strictly ‘construed according to its reading,’ it is not a pro-slavery instrument.” This statement not only shocked and angered most abolitionist and African Americans but it also contradicted his previous explanation of the Constitution. Before that Douglass had embraced the view of his friend, William Garrison, and believed that Constitution was pro-slavery. At the time Douglass and Garrison argued that the support of slavery was in the fabric of the Constitution and that this could be seen though Amendment I section II (the Three Fifths Compromise), Amendment I section IX (the Prohibition of the Slave Trade), Amendment I section VIII (the power of Congress), and Amendment IX section VIII (the Fugitive Slave...
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...G U I D E T E A C H E R’S A TEACHER’S GUIDE TO TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE BY SOLOMON NORTHUP bY Jeanne M. McGlInn anD JaMes e. McGlInn 2 A Teacher’s Guide to Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup Table of Contents SYNOPSIS......................................................................................................................................3 ABOUT THE AUTHOR...............................................................................................................3 INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY GUIDE............................................................................3 MEETING COMMON CORE STANDARDS.............................................................3 THE SLAVE NARRATIVE GENRE...............................................................................3 HISTORICAL OVERVIEW..........................................................................................................4 DURING READING.....................................................................................................................6 SYNTHESIZING DISCUSSION QUESTIONS.......................................................................9 ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES.......................................................................................................9 ACTIVITIES FOR USING THE FILM ADAPTATION........................................................ 11 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES.....................................................................................
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...“If the greatness of a novel were based solely upon its popularity and sociological impact, then Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin would undoubtedly be one of the greatest American novels of all time” (Levernier). When it was published, Uncle Tom’s Cabin sold out of its first edition within two days and it generated immediate controversy. This paper works to give insight into Harriet Beecher Stowe’s ideas behind the novel and to explore the reaction by readers in the North, South, and globally. Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) was born in Litchfield, Connecticut into a prominent family of preachers. Later in life, while living in Cincinnati, Stowe came in contact to actual runaway slaves. Stowe was appalled by the stories she heard...
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...slavery worked in each region of the colonies. The amount of slaves in each colony, the labors they did, and the disciplinary systems were seemingly different between the New England, Middle, and Southern colonies. If you were to look at the number of how many slaves were owned in each of the colonies you would see the huge differences in percentages of slaves in each colony. According to the first U.S. census in 1790 the population of the New England colonies was around 827,222 with 3,763 being African slaves so .45% of the population were slaves. In the Middle colonies...
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...plantation owners preyed upon their slaves with fearful explanations on what would happen to them if they tried to escape to freedom. “A slaveholder once told me that he had seen a runaway friend of mine in New York, and that she besought him to take her back to her master, for she was literally dying of starvation…” (Incidents in the life of a slave girl,pp39). The slaveholder’s would also tell stories of what a horrible death a slave endured after their escape. Much of their stories were fiction and just a tactic to ensure the other slaves would think twice about escaping. Many slaves did learn to read and write and learned of the truth through letters and newspapers. A wise slave would seldom speak of this knowledge, in fear that their master would learn of their ability to read. Slaves would often ‘dumb down’ their intelligence to avoid whatever the consequences might be. “One day he caught me teaching myself to write…. Before long, notes were often slipped into my hand. I would return them, saying ‘I can’t read them sir…” (pp29). Slaves had a hierarchy in which they were placed or born to. Many worked hard and laborious hours in dire conditions. Still some work directly with their Mistress and cared for the children born to the Mistress. This labor was higher on the social ladder that provides learning conditions to the children that could also be learned by the mistresses’ slave. Many more comforts were afforded to the mistresses’ slave and included access to food, clothing...
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...last until the Cilvil Right Act of 1875 signed. The number of African American increased rapidly in Virginia after Bacon’s Rebellion due to the high demand of southern plantation. According to Ronald takaki, the author of the book is entitled “A Different Mirror”, that “Slaves constituted 20 percent of the households in 1674, 33 percent in 1686, and 48 percent in1694.” (takaki 60) at the beginning, enslaved African Americans were sold as indentured servants, which only serve their master for couple year in order to repay their expense passage, however, they had also become property, which being degraded into a condition of servitude for life. Based on Takaki’s book, “the Virginia legislature defined a slave as property, a part of the owner’s estate.” (Takaki 56) as considered at the bottom of the society, enslaved African Americans are treated cruelty under the hand of the settlers. Slaves weren’t received any rights as human being in the New World that was built from the concept of civilization of European settlers in the land of American Indian’s land. In the other hand, American Indians were considered as savaged tribe – seem to lack everything the English identified as civilized, Christianity, cities, letters and clothing. (takeki 33) the concept of taking American Indian children away from their...
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...placed on printed material | It was a direct tax | Sons of liberty organized meetings and protests | Townshend Act | 1746 | Tax on imported items. ex. glass, paper, paint, and tea. | Tax on items | Boycott on British goods. | Intolerable Act | 1774 | Various acts the British govt. passed. ex. Tea Act, Quebec Act. | Freedom of land Effected merchants | Colonies decide to boycott British goods. | C. Leading to Revolution/ Declaring Independence 1. Olive Branch petition a. July 1775 Petition to King George to affirm loyalty to him and ask for a peaceful settlement . b. King George refused to accept the letter. 2. Common Sense, by Thomas Paine a. Published 1776, 47 page pamphlet, which made a case for independence, and that no one should be ruled by a king. 3. Declaration of Independence a. July 4, 1776, A letter declaring the 13 colonies Independence from the British. D. Major Battles/ Ending of the War 1. Battle of Saratoga a. 1777, American Victory and a major turning point...
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