Walker was a free black man living in Boston who had a unique view of slavery. He felt so deeply about this subject that he seemed to almost promote violence. He thought that slaves should do anything in their power, even kill, to stop the establishment of slavery. Walker accused the nation of not living up to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence. He was particularly not very fond of Thomas Jefferson, who he thought to be a racist.
His refusal to give up and even die for the sake of this “holy cause” is very moving and brought people to oppose slavery. “All men are created equal” as stated in the Declaration of Independence was not entirely true and Garrison stood by that and the truths of divine revelation (Document E). Another important piece of literature that brought attention to life as a slave was a narrative from a slave himself, Frederick Douglass. Douglass was a former slave who fought with a white man who oversaw him. This specific fight made Douglass very eager for freedom.
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”. Throughout the book professor Nash emphasizes on the struggles an early America had to deal with developing a country based on independence and freedom, the concept which is the foundation of the “Declaration of Independence”, and enslave the men, women, and children of Africa. Through the American Revolution it was discovered that there was inconsistency with slave system and the principle reasons for the problems between England and America. We have to ask, why was slavery protected as long as it was? Within the book there were many reasons that explained why the nation failed to end slavery but the main reason being the fear that Georgia and South Carolina’s would refuse to join the union if they were forced to abolish it.
Ciera Johnson Reaction Paper AFA 3104 “Go Sound the Trumpet” Reading the Article Go Sound the Trumpet by Larry Rivers has put into perspective that basically ‘you reap what you sew’. Slave masters had tried to control the slaves every being but could not control their soul. Religion is an outlet to freedom for some. Slaves in this time were using their religious freedom to plan a way out, plan for an escape to a better life. Slave masters were under the impression that slaves were having church so when caught, of course slaves had to ‘pay the price’.
Even though Brown thought that performing viciousness actions such as organizing a rebellion for abolitionists was the only ways that can help slaves gain their own freedom, he only executed the errors of a passionate anti-slavery person. In addition, John Brown was a firm believer in anti-slavery so his only intention was to free all of the slaves using violence for good purposes. Moreover, he wasn’t trying to perform a crime and his action shows that he wasn’t a felon since his deed wasn’t for the pursuit of selfish fulfillment nor was it in disregard’s of other people’s feelings. For instance, john Brown risked his own life and even his family lives so the slaves can find their happiness and peace. He also performed these good deeds knowing that it won’t benefit him at all which shows us his heroic characteristics such as being brave and courages.
He said God wanted him to settle situations by holy wars. John Browns goal in life was to set enslaved slaves free. When he was little he saw black kids his age getting whipped for little things. He did not like this at all. People would say that he was insane because he tried to help African American escape to their freedom.
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”.
It is here that I think Douglass makes another significant step, that is when he creates protections for himself and his clan, or as I like to think of it, their own declaration of independence from the slave community. But, like all things thus far in Douglass’s life, things fell through, and he suffered the mean hand of a relentless slave system. Although Douglas had burned his fake protection papers in order to save himself and his allies, the declaration was still clear in his mind. Like a true revolutionary, he stuck to it and eventually experienced life unrestrained by the horrid slave community in which he came from. It truly is amazing how much Douglass went through in order to experience life outside of his own community.
Many slaves were beaten with whips almost every day for no reason at all. Some slaves were even beaten to death by their masters. Frederick Douglass even recalls when one slave disobeyed his master, and he got shot and killed right on the spot. (Douglass 2000-2010) Also, by law these killings were not seen as a crime in the south because they felt that if a slave’s master killed them, they had a good reason for doing so. Therefore, a slave’s life seemed worthless in the world, and this stopped many slaves from trying to escape because they knew that if they were caught they would most likely be killed.
Although revered for his efforts and courage in the North, the South typically viewed John Brown as lawless murderer and condemned him. At this point, many abolitionists felt the need to abandon their means of peacefulness in their demands to end slavery. Southerners were shocked and scared regarding the matter since he had means of organizing a slave rebellion, even though he was a white man. The raid had caused a great amount of fear for slave revolts and abolition in the South, thus pushing further the issue of