The 19th century’s most famous novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, presents slavery as an evil to be opposed, while Gone with the Wind suggests that slavery was an idea social structure (137). Until the Civil Rights movement, American history textbooks accepted the “magnolia myth” that slavery did no real harm to anyone. Now a days, textbooks agree with Uncle Tom’s Cabin with slavery portraying intolerable inhumanity (138). Today’s textbook linger over the first half of the 19th century. They talk about how the cotton gin made slavery more profitable, and how in the 1830s Southerners and the federal government pushed the Indians to clear out of the territories and develop a racist ideology between 1830 and 1860.
The Confessions of Nat Turner In 1831, Nat Turner led the largest American slave revolt, shocking whites across Virginia. While in prison, Thomas Gray visited Turner and told his story in The Confessions of Nat Turner. From a young age, Turner had believed he was destined for greatness. He told Gray the Spirit spoke to him and told him he was ordained for some great purpose in the hands of the Almighty. On May 12th, 1828, he received a message from the spirit again telling him to “fight against the serpent”.
)- Polydectes convinces Perseus to kill the Medusa, a horrifying beast with snakes for hair. But this feat seems impossible because whoever looks at the snakes will turn instantly to stone. 2. Athena, Hermes and Graeae- Athena and Hermes guide Perseus to the home of the Graeae and give the guy some advice. Perseus really commits to his adventure when he blackmails the Graeae into telling him how to find the Nymphai.
John Brown was an American abolitionist who believed in the overthrow of the slavery system and orchestrated the infamous (and unsuccessful) 1859 raid on Harper’s Ferry federal arsenal which resulted in his capture and sentencing to death by hanging that same year. Historians agree that Brown’s actions greatly contributed to the start of the civil war and his raid further revealed the division between the North and South. To the South at the time he was a fanatic, but to me and the North we see him as a martyr. Brown was born in 1800 in Torrington, Connecticut to an extremely religious and abolitionist family where he first began forming his anti-slavery views. Although he did not make much money in his career, his lack of funds did not impact his support for the abolitionist movement.
Many people have the belief that Harper Lee wrote To Kill a Mockingbird, as an autobiography of her own life, including the racism she witnessed (Smith). The turning point in To Kill a Mockingbird is based on the Jim Crow Laws. The term “Jim Crow” came from a one man show song “Jump Jim Crow”. “Jump Jim Crow” was written by Thomas Rice in 1828. Thomas Rice was a white man who painted his face with black paint and represented a poor black man.
Equiano spoke at a large number of public meetings where he described the cruelty of the slave trade. In 1787 Equiano helped his friend, Offobah Cugoano, to published an account of his experiences, Narrative of the Enslavement of a Native of America. Copies of his book was sent to George III and leading politicians. He failed to persuade the king to change his opinions and like other members of the royal family remained against abolition of the slave trade. Equiano published his own autobiography, The Life of Olaudah Equiano the African in 1789.
Franz Mesmer, who was thoroughly debunked for his magnetic "energy healing" claims in the 18th century, likely would find a niche in mainstream medicine today. Similarly, fabled snake oil salesman John R. Brinkley, virtually chased out of the United States and stripped of his medical and broadcasting licenses in the 1930s, would fare well in today's medical climate. The Flexner Report spurred reforms that essentially banished the teaching and promotion of quackery that was rampant in US and Canadian medical schools a century ago. You would hardly know it today, as the uncritical promotion of pseudoscience is once again pervasive in medical schools. Despite the rising popularity of alternative medicine, patients who come to us expect treatment based on science, not an eclectic world view.
In 1869, Forrest issued a ban on masked violence, and urged Klansmen to keep a low profile and save ammunition for legitimate emergencies. In the early 1870’s the Klan gradually faded out as it successfully terrorized black voters, drove carpetbaggers out, and maintained Democratic party rule in the
“Civil Disobedience” – refused to pay state tax b/c opposed Mexican war III. The flowering of American literature A. Nathaniel Hawthorne – New England Writer, haunted by Puritan ancestors (Salem Witch trial judge); impossible to remove all sin from human soul B. Emily Dickinson – original & powerful Poet; themes: life, death, fear, loneliness, nature, god C. Washington Irving – proof American could make career of literature, adept imitator D. James Fenimore Cooper – conflict: Man vs. backwoods nature; romances of frontier life; model for cowboy movie, novels E. Edgar Allan Poe – Gothic horror short stories; inventor of detective story; fear most powerful emotion F. William Gilmore Simms – gentleman of letters G. Herman Melville – realistic fiction (based on his adventures at sea), Moby‐Dick H. Walt Whitman – explicit sexual references; homoerotic elements; rejects women’s domestic sphere I. The popular
Huck Finn Literary Analysis “I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.” ~Martin Luther King, Jr. As stated in this quote, MLK Jr. is making fun of the white race being so attached to discriminating blacks. This relates back to the year of 1885 when Mark Twain had written The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to make fun of whites and the racism from whites to blacks. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain utilizes Huck Finn and Pap to satirically clarify man’s inhumanity to man. Mark Twain was considered one of America’s most famous literary icons.