Stand Up! As we look throughout history, one could argue, that we couldn’t find a more appalling and unjust act as that of slavery. Slavery played a major part of not only history but of an innumerable amount of American people. In David Walker’s “Appeal in Four Articles” and Frederick Douglass’s “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July”, two men of African American descent struggle with the reality of slavery and the cruel results and effect it had on people like themselves. Walker was a free black man living in Boston who had a unique view of slavery.
And his personal life was also very contradictory. He spoke and acted for the liberty of man, but at the time he thought that liberty was in fact for a small minority of the people, blacks were not included, in fact, and he owned slaves. But his Declaration of Independence, and his other ideas and writings about the rights of states and individuals freedom helped to shape the world as we know it today. Thomas Jefferson’s contradictions are part of our society and are still affecting us today. Additionally, it’s important to study about Jefferson, because this can help us to resolve our problems in society and learn from the past.
The slave era can be agreed it was a terrible atrocity upon our fellow man, and it cannot be brought into a light of just, but it did give birth to some true characters who we can look up to and live alike. The characters in both Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, and the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass are ideal examples of true characters as they pushed through slavery and gained freedom but did not stop there. Jacobs’ spent her freedom getting her families’ freedom and Douglass went on to help others escape and spread knowledge on the cruelty of slavery. The last thing, and most powerful thing this book left me with is that each slave was an individual unalike any other, and these individuals were in fact an individual, individuals who lived their life for the betterment of others and accomplished an impossible
Woodson also stressed that society did not make a valid effort in trying to domesticate the African-American after the oppression of slavery ended. Instead of having shackles around their wrists and ankles, African-Americans now had to deal with an industrialized world which purposely got a head start and left them behind. However, it was also stated by Woodson that African-Americans should forgive but never forget how they were placed in such an economical, physical, emotional, and social deficit, but use it as a tool of hope and determination for the
Bryan Calderon 4/9/2012 Wrt 310 Response Paper Frederick Douglass vs. Martin Luther King Jr Frederick Douglass was one of the foremost leaders of the abolitionist movement which he fought to the end of slavery within the United States in the decades prior the Civil War. He was a brilliant speaker that was able to hold the full attention of his audiences with his charisma and past horrible experiences as a slave. He won world fame when his autobiography “The Narrative of The Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave” -F. Douglass 1845. Frederick Douglass suffered first-hand how brutal and vicious slave owners treated their property. The slave dealers and owners would dehumanize the slaves to the point that they had no say so in their lives or any freedom what so ever.
Behind every story lies a bittersweet message that sheds light on a shady subject. We remember his narrative as our glimpse into the depths of the unspoken truth. So in the effort to make his statement, the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, was a way to expose the dehumanization of slaves to an insensible society, and to fuel the approaching, national abolition. Douglass wastes no time in his vivid description of his early life. He states that, “I have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it,” (Douglass, L. 3).
1503870 During the late 1700’s slavery was a large industry in early America and also controversial practice that challenged many people’s moral and ethics codes. One person who opposed this industry was Benjamin Banneker. Benjamin Banneker himself was a free African American who lived during these times of slavery and knowing the joys of freedom that he gets to enjoy he was inspired to write a letter to Jefferson to urge Jefferson to end slavery in America. In Banneker’s letter he uses elements of logos which include a very powerful quote and he also uses elements of pathos and ethos to persuade Jefferson’s emotionally both Banneker hoped would ultimately convince Jefferson to end slavery. Banneker used elements of Logos to give his letter a more sophisticated feel to giving his letter more credibility and respect from a highly educated and intellectual President Thomas Jefferson.
If they started to rebel against the discrimination, it would only make the whites more determined to keep them oppressed. He believed that the blacks could work to gain the respect of the whites. Washington also preached that educating the blacks would not only be beneficial to them, but the whites also. They could greatly help the Southern economy and work in the factories. Many people during this time period supported his strategies and saw what he was saying as very influential.
One story that goes in depth about these things is about a slave who worked his way up towards a house-slave. These slaves got to stay in the house, and more often than not, these slaves would be REALLY hated by the other slaves. Anyway, this slave, even though a house slave didn't just betray his fellow slaves to the master. This slave self-taught himself to read so that whenever the master and another helper were talking, he could understand them. You see, whenever the master and someone else were speaking, and they didn't want the house slave to know, they would spell out whatever they're trying to say.
More often than not it was a battle of wills between the slave and their master – and due to politics being dramatically unfavourable against the blacks, the masters would often abuse this political freedom in their punishment. However, this would cause a lot of expense and trouble to masters so it was soon established that slaves could cause severe inconvenience and disruption to their business if masters continued like this. Once reasonable authority was exerted by the slaves, many masters saw it easier to let them work within (comparatively) bigger perimeters. Masters tended not to push this convention as slaves had nothing to lose whereas masters had money and pride at stake if some, unspoken, boundaries weren't set. By using the same racist nicknames which whites called blacks, such as “niggers”, with each other, it ridiculed the whole scenario.