American Studies Name: Melinda Nares
Cyrwus/Wolfe

Abolitionist Feedback Loop Essay

The system of slavery had caused southern slave owners to believe that without this system American progression would not be successful, they valued education, without slaves the whites would not have the time to learn and discover new hobbies. They also valued, making profit rather than seeing blacks as equals they believed blacks were inferior by the color of their skin, thus black people's only purpose in life is to do laborious tasks. One quote that supports this belief is the slave-owning president Thomas Jefferson (On Indians and Blacks (1784)) letter, in this letter he states "...as uniformly as in the preference of the Oran-Utan for the black woman over those of his species". This quote provides a perspective of …show more content…
In response to these beliefs and values of the widespread system of slavery, abolitionist such as Frederick Douglass challenged the system. By telling his story of being enslaved Frederick Douglass had shed light towards the lies many slave owners had been telling the public. For years slaveowners had stated that they would take care of their slaves and that the slaves were happy to work. "She was to master a bill of expense; and as he was a mean man, she was a constant offense to him" Frederick Douglass also states "Finally, my benevolent master, to use his own words, 'set her adrift to care for herself' ". This quote persuades the reader by