The setting: New York, 1853 The story: A “free man” returns home after twelve years living as a slave. Your job: Investigate the details of his release. Find out the who, what, where, when, and why of his regained freedom. Write a news article sharing your discovery.
Answers
“If you want to survive do and say as little as possible” (Ridley 29). What sounds like the statement of a kidnapper threatening his victim is in fact well-intentioned advice. It was one of the main rules among the numerous African Americans enslaved in the antebellum South. One of the most crucial chapters in the American history: Thousands of African Americans were either born or dragged into slavery, struggling to survive and enduring the injustice of slavery. Most of them were deprived from their families, held as property and forced to work from dawn till dusk (Boyer 346). This inhumane institution lasted from 17th century until the Civil War. This historical period played a main role in the making of America and the development of the modern world. Nevertheless, this important subject has often been treated as a marginal topic of American history even if numerous historical files document the events between the 17th and 19th century (Mintz & McNeill).
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it!” This quote from George Santayana (284) truly emphasizes how imperative it is to be aware of the past, learn from it, and more importantly not disregard it.
Slavery is alive and well in our society today, nearly one hundred fifty after its legal end. Human trafficking, brothel houses, and franchise owners enslaving undocumented workers are just a few instances of modern day slavery (Bales & Soodalter 7). Consequently, this begs to ask the question if, and what, is the importance of learning about slavery? Furthermore, what is the best and most influential way to portray this controversial issue?
❅From Slavery to Freedom: The African-American Pamphlet Collection, 1822-1909, offers primary source materials relating to a variety of historic events from the nineteenth century. Speeches, essays, letters, and other correspondence provide different perspectives on slavery, African colonization, Reconstruction, and the education of African Americans. Additional materials provide information about the political debates of legislation relating to slavery in the United States and its territories, such as the Wilmot Proviso and the Compromise of 1850.
Abolitionism
William Lloyd Garrison was considered a radical in the abolitionist movement. Publisher of the anti-slavery newspaper, The Liberator, and co-founder of the American Anti-Slavery Society, Garrison called for the immediate end to slavery, believing in the equality of the races and in the ability of free African Americans to successfully assimilate into white society. This philosophy put him at odds with abolitionists who doubted the notion of racial equality and who sought to gradually end slavery.
Although he called for a peaceful approach to abolishing slavery, Garrison’s criticism of the Constitution as a pro-slavery document and his inclusion of women in the abolitionist movement prompted some members of the American Anti-Slavery Society to leave in 1839 and form the American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society. Pamphlets from this male-only organization offer a more moderate approach to abolitionism with pieces such as “Shall We Give Bibles to Three Millions of American Slaves?” and “Facts for the People of the Free States,” an 1846 pamphlet that chronicles the murder of slaves in the South, describes the relationship between politicians and slavery, and offers “Presidential Testimonies” on the values of liberty.