...Mary Prince Paper: A COMPARISON AND CONTRASTING BETWEEN SLAVE SOCIETY AND SOCIETY WITH SLAVES By Viamonte Lee A Case Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for the Course Humanities in the World since 1300 at The University of Akron. March 5, 2015 Introduction This is an analysis of slavery based on two stories: The History of Mary Prince and Semsigul. In addition, there is comparison and contrast of the two stories along with supporting or dissenting arguments offered in the Overfield readings with regards to slavery in the Spanish colonies. The perspective of this analysis looks at the following aspects of coerced labor: 1. The relationship between the master and the slave 2. The struggle of the slaves against the slavery system 3. The impacts of the slavery system on the health of the slaves The Mary Prince account is autobiographical hence, although in her own voice, there may be some liberties given to the facts and conflicts of interest when delivering details of her story objectively. In addition, there may be some instances where she would have a limited perspective. By contrast, Semsigul’s story is her testimony within a police report –just facts and answers to questions. Alonso Zorita speaks on behalf of the indigenous in his account of Indian forced labor in the Spanish colonies. His accounts will be used to further compare and contrast the two main perspectives. ...
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...Naomi Chebii American Culture and Film 2nd Essay: 12 Years a Slave 28-09-2015 Ref: Analysis on 12 Years a Slave The film 12 Years a Slave tells the horrific true story of a free black man Solomon Northup, who was dragged, kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1850s America to suffer years of abuse in the Pre-Civil War South. From start to finish, basic facts about the time, the places, the people, and the practices of the day are incorporated, sometimes in excessive detail, into Northup’s story. He speaks with authority on all subjects of his enslavement, naming names and pointing out landmarks along the way. In doing so, he dares skeptics to refute his story, knowing that public record and common knowledge would defend it. The son of an emancipated slave, Northup was born free. He lived, worked, and married in New York, where his family resided. He was a multifaceted laborer and also an accomplished violin player. In 1841, aged 33, he was tricked into leaving his family behind his wife, and two young daughters, by two white con men, who offered him a job as a fiddler in a travelling circus. So he travelled with them to Washington, D.C., where they dragged him and sold him to a slave trader called Burch. Despite having papers showing he was a free man, Solomon was whipped and beaten and subjected into a brutal torture by his new owner. 12 Years a Slave serves as a timeless indictment of the practice of human slavery. As we saw from the film how Northup’s detailing the abuses...
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...support themselves. According to “Slaves to Democracy, “ Often the only thing they had available to use was their own bodies, so if they were unable to pay, they were force to become slaves.” One can conclude that this is how the slaves family was being paid. The intistution of slavery allowed democracy to flourish. Athenian democracy required that citizens give up a numerous amount of their time . For example , “ Decisions concerning important and domestic matters were ultimately...
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...Walker’s Appeal: Book Analysis Walker's Appeal was an desperate cry and plan to awaken others blacks in America to the evils of the so-called Christian whites that were mistreating them. The appeal was actually called Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World. The appeal lifted the veil of injustice and tyranny covered so long by the blacks in America who had became servile and mentally dead. It was an emotionally centered, powerful antislavery pamphlet published by David Walker in September 1829 and sparsely allocated across the South. Although Walker himself was born free, taking the legal rank of his mother, he was deeply troubled by the slave status of his father. His father was born subjected, and enslaved by whites and died before Walker was born. His father’s experience as well as the oppressive hell-like conditions inflicted on by the "so called Christians" as he refers to whites throughout the book, enabled his ideology of blacks in America being the most degraded, wretched and abject set of beings since the world began. Throughout the book Mr. David walker desperately tries to "awaken" the black people of America from the deep emotional and mental sleep brought on by the great evils of the deviated Christians. Mr. Walker exclaims “Can our condition get any worst? can it be more mean and object?"(pg.14.) Within this book he opens my eyes to the suffrage of the people whom which I as a black woman in America share my blood and genetic make-up with. Within this...
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...Analysis of Fredrick Douglass’s Narrative David W. Blight is a professor, who teaches as of November 2, 2015 American History at Yale University. Blight obtained his PhD from the University of Wisconsin in 1985 with a thesis titled “Keeping Faith in Jubilee : Fredrick Douglass and the Meaning of the Civil War.”Before Yale University, he taught at Amherst College for thirteen years. He has wrote many annotated editions on slavery and as of late, he is working on another biography of Fredrick Douglass.He has received a handful of awards, these include: Lincoln Prize,Bancroft Prize,Fredrick Douglass Prize, Merle Curti award and James A. Rawley prize. Anyhow The introduction by David Blight was very well constructed and It would’ve helped if...
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...individual who was denied his freedom, treated poorly by the courts, a case in which split the U.S in two. Born into slavery in virginia, Dred was purchased in a Missouri slave market by Army Doctor John Emerson. He was later brought to fort shelling in 1836 by way of Fort Armstrong in Illinois Dred Scott wanted court to set him free, because his owner wanted to take Dred to live in illinois, and wisconsin territory where slavery was legal. Chief Justice Roger Tony saw this case as a way to end the question of slavery. This Dred Scott Decision had the power to legalize slavery all over the U.S. It was ruled that congress had no authority to prevent the spread of slavery to territories, and it was argued that free blacks like Dred had NO RIGHTS to be respected by a white person, and that they can be reduced back into slavery for “white man's benefit”. Dred Married a free slave named Harriet they moved in together into Fort Shelling until 1840 when they sued for freedom 6 years later under the northwest ordinance. The government saw this ordinance as unconstitutional and gave no rights to people of color, nor free slaves. This increased slavery everywhere. This casted Dred into a deep depression. This decision hung over the abolitionist...
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...Dred Scott v. Sandford case analysis In the late nineteenth century the slavery was shown to be more prevalent in the southern states, as northern states began to abolish slavery. In this the illustration of systematic and institutionalized racism was shown through the dehumanizing treatment of slaves but also the limitations that were placed to keep slaves fearful and dependent. As America grew there were conflicts over abolition and the expansion of slavery, this led to the Missouri Compromise of 1820. The Missouri Compromise divided states into a category of free or slave state, in which Maine became a free state and all western territories north of the southern border of Missouri were free territory (History). With this, Illinois was a free state, Dred Scott who was an enslaved man, and his family were taken into Illinois and when being taken back to Missouri which was a slave state, Dred sought to gain his freedom. During the year of 1846, Dred Scott, an enslaved black man, sued in the St. Louis Circuit Court to gain the freedom for himself and his wife. Scott...
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...There are hundreds of different views about ‘slavery’. As Paul Finkelman says; few subjects in American history have been as compelling as slavery. Actually the reason, of why this is one of the most compelled and debated issue, is “slavery is not only one of the most ancient but also one of the most long-lived forms of economic and social organizations” . All antebellum Americans, in north and south, were affected directly or indirectly by slavery. When we look at the economic aspect of slavery, I can say that slavery helped the economic growth and development of the United States. It was a harsh but profitable system. Contrary to the arguments that see slavery as inefficient and detriment to America’s economy, I believe that it was a benefactor. As Stampp and Fogel argue, slavery was morally untenable; it was a harsh working system but an efficient and profitable one. This paper will touch upon different arguments about efficiency of slavery and how slavery affected the South economy. This paper will try to clarify the issue that whether slavery was a benefactor or detriment for economy of the United States. The debate has gone on for a long time and it is about whether the slavery was efficient or not and whether it was an economic burden on regions. Historians emphasized mostly on the issue of whether or not slavery was a benefactor or detriment to the United States. There are two opposite poles of this debate. From those historians, Ulrich B. Phillips represented one pole...
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...For Scott, the facts of the case were simple. At the time of the lawsuit, Dred Scott lived in Missouri, which had a policy towards slaves which held that if a slave had spent prolonged time in a free territory, they would become automatically free upon returning to Missouri (Whittington, 2001). Known as “once free, always free”, Dred Scott believed that this applied to him due to the fact that he had spent significant time living in Wisconsin when he was owned by John Emerson. However, the defense claimed that Dred Scott was never owned by Mrs. Emerson, and that relationship was hearsay, which they believed invalidated the concept of “once free, always free” (Levinson, 2007). With this set of facts, the trial went forth at the St. Louis federal-state...
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...The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain By Brenda Tarin British Literature 2323 Lois Flanagan January 27, 2009 Tarin ii I. Introduction II. Biographical sketch of author A. Past to present B. Experiences and achievements III Plot analysis A. analysis of plot structure 1. Exposition 2. Complication 3. Crisis 4. Climax 5. Resolution B. Theme of plot IV Critical analysis A. Theme 1. Racism 2. Slavery C. Characters D. Atmosphere E. Conflicts V. Evaluation VI. Review of movie version VII. Conclusion Tarin 1 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Samuel Langhorne Clemens also known as the famous and brilliant Mark Twain, was born in the small town of Florida, Missouri on November 30, 1835 to John Marshall and Jane Lampton Clemens. Clemens was the youngest of the five children, as a child Clemens moved around a lot, he first moved to the small town of Hannibal at the age of four. Here he attended a private school and seemed to finally recover from his poor health at the age of nine. When he was twelve his father died of pneumonia, he suddenly decided to leave, and make money, since his family needed all the help they could get. He quit school and was a printers apprentice, then moved and helped his brother print and edit for a newspaper. In 1858 Clemens became a river pilot...
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...living in a democratic, free society today. In The Union War, Gallagher “offers a companion volume that extends his manifesto against hindsight, what Gallagher calls the ‘Appomattox syndrome,’ to histories of the Union” (Gallagher, 79). According to Gallagher, researchers who work backward from emancipation and Reconstruction have expanded northern devotion to race, slavery, and abolition while 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...
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...Indentured Laborers Indentured laborers were young people who after abolishment of the slave trade and passage into the New World, offered to work for an employer for a certain number of years. This led to the indentured servitude labor system which was widely spread in the 18th century in the British colonies in North America and elsewhere. The system was used particularly as a way for the poor freed in the British and German states to get passage to the American colonies. These young people would work for a fixed number of years then be free to work freely. The employers would buy the indentured from the sea captain who brought the people over. This was done due to the labor demand that existed in the plantations and other work areas especially after the abolishment of slave trade and slavery. Note: after the abolishment of slave trade and slavery, the slaves held is captive for labor were freed. However, this did not mean the plantains and did not need labor. Some of the indentured laborers worked as farmers, as helpers for farm wives, as apprenticed craftsmen, and as miners among a variety of other professions. Both sides, the employer and the indentured laborer, were required to meet their terms which were legally enforced by local American courts. In case of any runaways, those laborers were sought and brought back to their employers to continue as their contract required. In the 17th and 18th century, about half of the white immigrants to the American colonies were...
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...was the fast emancipation of all slaves and the end of racial discrimination and exclusion. Abolitionism was partly fueled by Second Great Awakening, which encouraged many people to advocate for emancipation on religious grounds. Abolitionist ideas became increasingly noticeable, which contributed to the regional hostility between North and South leading up to the Civil War. Some Americans felt slavery was necessary for the prosperity of the country, they needed cheap labor in order to support their lifestyle. Others deep down felt that slavery was wrong, Slavery goes against their religious belief. The Abolitionist movement consisted in free blacks, white women and men. Even in colonial times, American societies struggled with the issue of slavery. This continued to be a major issue after independence. The independent, idealistic, and often deeply pious thought that had spurred so many immigrant journeys to the New World also prompted a great many antislavery sentiments among individuals and larger groups. Religion, politics, and philosophy all spurred antislavery activism at various times and in various places. Yet southerners would later mobilize these same forces to defend slavery during the nineteenth century. The Abolitionist Strategy There were many ways Abolitionist tackle the anti-slavery campaign, they develop and three prong attack strategy which consisted in a religious campaign, a political campaign and aiding the fugitive slaves. Religious Campaign On their religious...
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...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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...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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