...evident through the investigation of Frederick Douglass’s Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and Thomas Paine’s Common Sense. Frederick Douglass is the...
Words: 1944 - Pages: 8
...STUDENT: PLATON OANA MADALINA SA I TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………… p.3 2. THE ISSUE OF SLAVERY IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA……….. p.4 3. THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION ……………………………………..p.7 "From a genuine abolition point of view, Mr. Lincoln seemed tardy, cold, dull and indifferent, but measuring him by the sentiment of his country - a sentiment he was bound as a statesman to discuss - he was swift, zealous, radical, and determined." Frederick Douglass, 1876 source? 1. INTRODUCTION He survived the tragedy and depression to become America's Greatest President. He had the courage to destroy slavery, but he took a Civil War and the loss of 600,000 lives; his beliefs cost him his life, but without him the United States of America would not exist today. Abraham Lincoln, America's model hero, was a man whose courage saved the nation from destruction. His early life was poor and brutal; he was born on the 12th of February 1809 in a one room cabin in rural Kentucky, a frontier state of America. His family were farmers, he was the first of his family to read; Abraham Lincoln was different to from his friends. The young Lincoln was a child of induce curiosity, he loved to hear people, gave well crafted, well delivered speeches. He would often go to places where such speeches were being made; he memorized parts of them and he would...
Words: 3275 - Pages: 14
...Douglass and each are described and function differently throughout the text. Based on Douglass’ personal recollections and thoughts in The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, there are both real and false versions of religion and generally, the real or “true” form of Christianity is practiced by himself as well as some whites who are opposed to slavery. The false form of religion, or what the author explained in one of the important quotes in The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, “the hypocritical Christianity of this land” (95) is practiced by whites, most notably Mr. Covey, and is a complete bastardization of the true ideals behind genuine Christian thought. Through his discussions of religion that are interspersed throughout The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, the reader gets the sense that slavery and true Christianity are opposing forces and one cannot be present while the other exists. Not only is the simultaneous existence of the true version Christianity with slavery impossible, it appears that even if real Christianity does exist in a pure form, the introduction of slavery corrupts it inevitably and completely. As thisthesis statement for The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass suggests, it is for these reasons, Douglass juxtaposes both forms of Christianity to reveal the underlying hypocrisy of the slaveholding South as well as the potential redemptive value of his version of true Christianity. The final result...
Words: 2185 - Pages: 9
...History Unchained Faith Wright HIST111 Match 23, 2015 Slavery was brought to North America in 1619 to aid in the production of tobacco in Jamestown, VA. The invention of the cotton gin in 1793 centralized the importance of slavery. By the 19th century, slavery spread westward which then resulted in the American Civil War. Between 1774 and 1804 all of the northern states outlawed slavery. Congress outlawed slavery completely in 1808, but then the slave trade began to flourish in the south. By the time of 1860 slavery had reached four million people, with half residing in the south. There have been movies that have told the lives of slavery in America such as Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained" and Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln". Both directors depict the life of slavery in the 18th century by telling it through the eyes of a freed slave and our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. The quality of those films raises questions on if a certain type of person has to be qualified enough to talk about slavery. The eyebrows of American people were reaised when the Disney Corporation sought to build a park based off of the slavery experience and call it "Disney America." The park would have been used to exhibit the lives and struggles of African Americans throughout slavery. However, one writer, William Styron, felt that unlike the holocaust, slavery could never be re-enacted through a museum. The repercussions of slavery were far to great to show in an exhibit. Styron expressed,...
Words: 687 - Pages: 3
...powerful piece that flings the reader into disgust of slavery from the very instant he starts writing. In doing so, he directly appeals to the readers emotions and continues to do so at various times throughout the story. Douglass also uses a logical appeal about midways his story. Implying freedom as common sense, he begins to rhetorically provoke the reader to question the morality of slavery. Within the very first paragraph written by Frederick Douglass, the reader is subjected to tidbits of the pitiful situation he and other slaves were in. He writes “By far the larger part of the slaves know as little of their ages as horses know of theirs, and it is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their slaves thus ignorant.” (Douglass, 17) That statement both dehumanizes them by comparing the life of a slave to that of an animal, and establishes aversion toward those who owned slaves. It makes one feel sorry for him. Perhaps, even allowing you to think, “Awe, poor guy doesn’t even know how old he is.” Douglass is indeed upset while writing this and intends to induce anger within the reader as well, for the purpose of abolishing the evil that is slavery. He is sure to expose the desires of slave masters by throwing them at fault to the deed of withholding such pertinent and common information. Surely one in high social standing, in this time, would be well aware of the 1780 act toward the gradual abolition of slavery. The act stated that a slave would be freed once reaching...
Words: 933 - Pages: 4
...The issue of slavery was one that divided the nation like nothing else had in the brief history of the United States. It was one that many of the founding fathers disagreed with, but the reasons as to why they did not think a system of slavery should continue, were extremely varied. Another confounding aspect was that many of the founding fathers owned slaves, even though they did not think such an oppressive way of life was just. Two of these founding fathers were Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Rush, both slave owners who spoke for the equality of slaves, but had different understandings of equality and freedom. Rush looks at slavery as a blatant disregard of the moral human code. He argues for a moratorium on the importation of slaves’ form Africa,...
Words: 1252 - Pages: 6
... 2 Initial reactions Aspects of Negro Life: From Slavery to Reconstruction (1934) is an art piece painted by Aaron Douglas. He was an African-American painter during the Harlem Renaissance movement. As the title suggests, the painting is a description of the history of African-Americans from slavery through reconstruction time. The art piece is divided up into different sections and highlights the racism toward African-Americans. On the left side of the painting you see black people with drums and a crop growing in the background. This section of the painting shows a time where Africans were free and not slaves. Moving a little to the right, we see oppression and slavery through the black people being hunched over in the painting. Towards the middle of the art piece we see a person standing up pointing and showing the desire to fight against slavery and to the right of him you see people with their fists up and ready to fight against the oppression and slavery. This piece of art explores Negro heritage from left to right. I like this piece of art because of the soft colors and the neutral appearance of the silhouettes of people. This painting describes African-American culture and their struggle to end slavery. Everything in this painting describes life of African-American and their struggle in the 1900’s. Historical Context Douglas’s painting Aspects of Negro Life: From Slavery to Reconstruction provided a big contribution during the New Negro movement...
Words: 1119 - Pages: 5
...American History November 28, 2011 The Surmount of Oppression In the reading of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave the author, Frederick Douglass, gave many examples of the institution of slavery and the hardships that the slaves suffered. There were different types of hardships that slaves had to go through each day. Frederick Douglass explains many of his and those of others around him experiences within the institution of slavery. Many were physical but the ones that held on to a person were the emotional hardships. Douglass encountered many hardships not only that he had to get through, but that of others who were oppressed, and had to overcome that tribulation. An example of that is when Douglass witnessed his Aunt Hester being punished by Mr. Plummer who was the overseer. Douglass states “He made her get upon the stool, and tied her hands to the hook. She now stood fair for his infernal purpose. Her arms were stretched up at their full length, so that she stood upon the ends of her toes. He then said to her, ‘Now, you d----d b----h, I’ll learn you how to disobey my orders!’ and after rolling up his sleeves, he commenced to lay on the heavy cowskin, and soon the warm, red blood (amid heart-rending shrieks from her and horrid oaths from him) came dripping to the floor. I was so terrified and horror-stricken at the sight, that I hid myself in a closet, and dared not venture out till long after the bloody transaction was over” (Douglass 45-46)...
Words: 1697 - Pages: 7
...Immediately he attacks the Northerners, implying that they make noise and are confused in their ideals. This sly ad hominem is used to attack the North on a subconscious level, spreading and creating a hatred through the audience. Stephens then goes on to state, “I wish all...throughout our Confederate Republic, could hear.” Here, he uses an argument from authority, claiming that what he has to say should be heard by all, and that his words contain importance. Using an argument from authority early on in his speech sets the tone for the rest of the address. From this point forward, the audience believes all that, consequently strengthening Stephens argument. To end the introduction to his speech, Stephens makes an extreme claim, saying, “Up to this time, by the fact of its having been accomplished without the loss of a single drop of blood.” This quote makes it seem as if there has been no bloodshed, while in fact many African Americans suffered at the hands of southerners and northerners alike. Stephen excludes the middle, which in this case are the African Americans, in order to belittle their importance in society, and to further strengthen his argument defending slavery. Not only does Stephens use logical fallacies to build up his argument, he also uses them in his...
Words: 605 - Pages: 3
...1791 Banneker wrote to Thomas Jefferson, the framer of the Declaration of Independence, about the hypocrisy of slavery in America. To address this issue, Banneker uses comparison, emotional diction, and biblical allusions in attempts of persuading Jefferson to change his views of slavery in American society. Banneker begins his letter with a respectful and empathetic tone towards the oppression that colonists experienced under British control, recalling the “variety of dangers to which you [colonists] were exposed” under the “tyranny of the British Crown”. Banneker’s tone establishes that he respects Jefferson as an individual, but also wants to draw on the shared oppression that colonists and African slaves have experienced. The purpose...
Words: 790 - Pages: 4
...Peonage and Servitude American slavery has always been a highly debated topic throughout the decades. Author, Benjamin Banneker, in his letter to Thomas Jefferson during 1791 emphasize the notion of servitude and how it was an application of injustice. He argues that the institution of slavery was an immoral practice, in which contradicts the nation’s ideal of equality. Benjamin adapts a series of religious appeals, repetition, and an emotional diction in order to persuade his readers of the morality of slavery. An individual’s sense of morality is a basis for one’s own society and moral positions. Banneker attacks Jefferson by doubting his virtuous perspective in regards to his position on slavery. The author reflects that although Jefferson...
Words: 405 - Pages: 2
...Alex McKirgan DATE \@ "d MMMM y" 17 December 2014 Is Lincoln deserving of the title “Great Emancipator” In 1863, Abraham Lincoln passed both Emancipation Proclamations in Congress which saw the abolition of slavery. Many would refer to Lincoln as the “Great Emancipator” because of his role in the passing of such a profound bill and a common belief by many is that Lincoln was in favour of the abolition of slavery right from the beginning. However, there is much evidence to show that Lincoln was not opposed to slavery given his his support for the Crittenden Doctrine, which restricted the ability for Congress to ever intervene with slavery. In addition to this, Lincoln was paralysed as President as any substantive opposition to Slavery could see another wave of secession of the border and Southern states. Lincoln was not the only factor which lead to the Emancipation Proclamation being passed. There was the role of Congress in allowing the bill to pass and the role of the slaves themselves for making the abolition of Slavery a Union war aim. This essay will explore the roles played by these three factors and then deduce whether Lincoln is deserving of this title. It can be argued by many that the main reason why the thirteenth amendment was passed was because of the role of the slaves at the time. The civil war created a chaotic scene across the border and Southern states which allowed many slaves to flee to the North as refugees. Despite Northern racism and bigotry...
Words: 1595 - Pages: 7
...historical articles; Fredrick Douglass “What to the slave is the fourth of July” and David Walker’s “Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World”. The essay will attempt to discuss the very famous speech Fredrick Douglas made in 1952 as well as David’s Walker’s appeal while comparing and contrasting both the appeal and the speech. Afterward, a summary will be given and a conclusion will be drawn. As we look throughout history, one would argue that we couldn’t find a more appalling and unjust act as that of slavery. Slavery played a major role of not only history but of an innumerable amount of American people. In David Walker’s appeal and Fredrick Douglass what to the slave is the fourth of July, men and women of African American descent struggle with the reality of slavery and the cruel results and affect it had on people like themselves. Fredrick Douglas was one of the most influential African Americans of his day, in spite of his inauspicious beginning, he was born into slavery on a plantation in Maryland where he was called Fredrick Augustus Washington Bailey. Douglas always suspected that his father was his mother’s white owner, Captain Aaron Anthony. He spent his early childhood in privation on the plantation then he was sent to work as a house slave for the auld family in Baltimore. There, he came in contact with printed literature and quickly realized the relationship between literacy and personal freedom. With help from Mrs. Auld, Douglas learned how to read and write...
Words: 3165 - Pages: 13
...| | Some religions believe that we are all born of sin and into sin regardless of what culture, race, ethnic identity, or class. The belief is that we all have a sense of what is morally right and the relativity of it. “There are traits, customs, and beliefs that make us distinctive to certain cultures, races, and classes, which due to the differences we all follow, a set of different moral standards. Each culture tackles moral questions based on their own moral beliefs.” (Winter, 2011) Relativism maintains when it comes to right and wrong there is neither, because what is virtuous within a particular individual, culture or societies morality must be understood and taken into consideration (Mosser, 2010). Lenn Goodman brings up arguments that there are certain things that are simply wrong. Some people would agree, if you follow his thinking, yet there will be a few that would present a logical argument that would contradict his arguments. The areas of moral debates that Goodman chose would bring on a mass debate of arguments when it comes to cultures, races, ethic identities, or classes. Within the American society there are a huge amount of different cultures. The cultures all function together and have different beliefs and values. It is these different beliefs and values that make America and interesting place to live. The beliefs of Lenn Goodman are based on the history of moral knowledge and what many of us as Americans think are right (Goodman...
Words: 906 - Pages: 4
...The Impact of Slavery on American Society DeVry University Abstract The subject of slavery has been the focus of a variety of controversies, debates, and protests throughout American history. Besides the Civil War era there has not been another time in history when slavery has been such a volatile topic as it has become in the last half decade. Even in modern day America the subject of slavery evokes significant discussions and has influenced legislative decisions such as the recent removal of the Confederate flag from South Carolina’s State House grounds and other government and public locations throughout the South. This paper seeks to review the literature attaching the history of slavery and present examples of the ethnic and cultural contributions that aided in the growth and diversity of America. It will also introduce examples of today’s societal issues including educational, economic, and social variances; the right to support cultural heritage; and the significant role history plays in influencing decisions made in America today. Introduction American history is filled with heinous acts that many would like to forget happened; slavery is no exception. Although it was a necessity of the times, slavery is undoubtedly one of the most volatile topics of discussion today; not just because of the inhuman and discriminatory treatment that was inflicted on an entire race, but also because of the perceived continued existence of some of those same...
Words: 2913 - Pages: 12
