Pearson English 227
alysonpearson
161
Slavery in the United States caused immense problems, confusion and separation, leading it to a war with itself. Opposing views of the North, South and even African Americans were the main cause of the Civil War. But, interestingly, the reasons each group felt the way they did were flawed, and confusion as to what was "right" and moral developed. This confusion lead to a long, drawn-out movement toward equality for African Americans.
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The text says, "Whatever God sanctioned among the Hebrews he sanctioned for all men at all times." And the Old Testament says, "God sanctioned slavery among the Hebrews." Therefore, God sanctions slavery for all men at all times.
The Southerners saw no wrong in having slaves since God himself "enslaved" an entire nation. But the text also mentions that the Bible says slavery is sanctioned for "all men," thus meaning that the slaveholders themselves could be enslaved at anytime, making them no greater than the blacks. Also, many Southerners used this view as a justification for slavery. Since slavery was ordained by God, as the text says, "it cannot always and everywhere be wrong." Therefore, slavery can be right, and it is right for the South to use. This idea confused the North because they felt God taught that all men were to be treated equally, and God could not contradict himself. |
An essay on liberty and slavery
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The planter`s Northern bride : a novel
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The text says that "the enslaved children of Africa . . . were the happiest subservient race . . . found on the face of the globe."
This was a common belief among Southerners, that their slaves were happy. They felt that the slaves had more than enough to be thankful for, i.e. a home, food, family close by, friends etc. Not for a second did most slave owners feel as if slavery was mistreating another human being. |
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Marshall expresses that the Southerners are doing nothing wrong by keeping slaves because they've been paid for. He says that men "reserve the right to property." The North opposed this idea, feeling that no human could be a possession that could be bought like property. And because the government for so long recognized slaves as property (the property tax on slaves), the North had a hard time arguing against the South.
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The speech of Thomas Marshall, in the House of Delegates of Virginia, on the abolition of slavery
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Heath Anthology of American Literature, Volume B, p.1985
David Walker's Appeal in Four Articles
Walker, David
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Walker makes an appeal to Christians when stating, "God made man to serve him alone . . . man should have no other Lord or Lords but himself - that God Almighty is the sole proprietor or master of the WHOLE human family . . . unwilling to divide his glory with another."
Luke 16:13 states, "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." I believe that Walker may have been referencing the above verse. Because the US spoke of themselves as a land of liberty, freedom of religion should be involved, and slavery did not allow slaves to serve their God the way he told them too. Also, slavery was an institution that made some slaveholders a lot of money. And there is no doubt that they were upset about their main source of income being taken away when slavery was abolished. So, slavery cause these men to try and serve God and money, which is not possible. Thus, making them sin. |
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Benito Cereno is a story of a sailor who encounters a ship that has been taken over by slaves, but neglects to realize the obvious takeover because he can't comprehend the idea of African Americans having enough power and smarts to revolt.
This idea was also common among the Southerners. They thought that African Americans were ignorant, incapable of doing things on their own and could never possibly take care of themselves. The southerns felt as if they were doing the slaves a favor by providing them with work, a home and food. The Northerners, because the Freedmen fled to the North, did not agree with the South. They had seen black men and women find jobs and support themselves. And some African Americans even wrote narratives in the North, thus concluding to the Northerners that blacks were not all ignorant and helpless. |
Heath Anthology of American Literature, Volume B
"Benito Cereno"
Melville, Herman
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Heath Anthology of American Literature, Volume B, p.2192
Incidents in the Life of A Slave Girl
Jacobs, Harriet
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Jacobs mentions in her narrative that her slave owner was the father of at least eleven slaves. Because the slaveholders thought of their slaves as property, they felt as if they could do whatever they wanted with them. But, this was morally wrong because of the covenants the slaveholders had with their wives. Also, these incidents caused the wives to sin because jealousy anger and hatred would come about in them towards the slave women.
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The abolition of slavery was the first step to African American equality, not the last. Confusion still remained and most Southerners tried to find ways around the new laws, ignoring the obvious religious and legal bounds to it. It would take many many years after the Civil War for African Americans to feel equal to whites and have the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
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