Over the next couple of weeks we will be studying the Civil War. As we've discussed in class, there were a number of issues that contributed to the sectional conflict between the North and the South, such as the fact that the northern states felt the need for high protective tariffs while the southern states believed that free trade was in their best interests. When causes of the Civil War are discussed nowadays, however, there is one issue that dominates the rest. That is, of course, the issue of slavery.
African slaves came to America with the first white settlers. Slavery was common in each of the colonies, as it was in most west European countries. Over the years, however, many began to question the morality of slavery. In the north, where the amount of agricultural work gradually decreased and was replaced by factory work in the Industrial Revolution, the need for slaves disappeared first. Revivals in Europe led directly to the prohibition of slavery in the early nineteenth century (1800s) and many northeners began to call for an end to slavery in the US.
In the South, however, many believed that raising cash crops was impossible without the cheap labor that slaves provided, and they stubbornly refused to acknowledge the immorality of owning other human beings. Abolitionists in the North believed that the power of the federal government ought to be used to free the slaves, and soon the issue was the most hotly debated topic of the day. Soon the South, feeling that its best interests were no longer being served by remaining a part of the United States, chose to seceed (leave the Union), and a war broke out when the North determined to not allow that to happen.
In history class we often have to focus on "political history" - the big names, big issues, and big events of the past. It's important to remember, though, that history is the story of human beings that were just like people today. They lived their lives just as you do, with your individual dreams and problems and familiar surroundings. This week we will study the lives of slaves in America. Follow the link http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/subjects/slavery.htm and choose one of the topics then select an essay to read and review.
As usual, your essay must be 200 words long and followed by at least two responses to the essays of your classmates (total 150 words). Thus far your work has been excellent, so I encourage you to keep up the good work. God bless!
Fredrick Johnson (later Douglass) was an abolitionist who was born to a slave family (a black man). He worked hard in the ship yards and saw the worst of slavery. He was beaten by his masters and workers around the ship yards of Baltimore, Maryland. Fredrick (Fred from now on) learned to read at a young age. Then after dressing as a sailor escaped to the North for freedom.
ReplyDeleteNew Bedford Massachutes 1838 Fred marries a wonderful woman named Anna Murray. He soon changed his last name to Douglass. The newly wed couple met a man named Nathan Johnson who asked them to move up to New York to stay with them. Fred couldn't find work in New York though and soon found his gift was public speaking.
While reading a newspaper, he was first exposed to the anti-salvery moverment. The papers name was The Liberator. Its editor William Llyod Garrison was a leader of the anti-slavery movement. Fred gave a speech at one of their meetings and the Anti-slavery Society loved it so much they employed him to tour the North giving lectures about the evils of slavery. (Fred also pastored New Zion Church for a while.)
After a while the public questioned his sincerity after a while so what do you when people question your character? Thats right! Write a book about it! And thats what he did. Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass an American Slave, the book made Fred wildly more popular.
After his book restored his reputation he went to England and toured its country sides giving lectures. The friends he made there helped him buy his freedom. After this he came back to America and bought his freedom not to mention that the took up the cause of womens sufferage. He also started a newspaper called The North Star. He worked with many of the women who lead the movement for womens sufferage.
He campaigned with Lincoln for president and when the civil war broke out he pushed harder and harder for freedom of slaves, and Abarham Lincoln gave the emancipation proclamation and congress passed a law that let balcks serve in the armed forces. After the war he campaigned for Grant and pushed for voting rights for blacks and soon after Grant's election the 15th ammendment was passed allowing blacks to vote.
After a lifetime of impact though, Fred passed away seeing many of the things he'd worked for accomplished. He died of illness in 1882.
Slavery is a topic we all disagree with. We know it was wrong and we are embarrassed that the individuals searching for freedom would put others through this experience. It is a topic that I believe is underestimated. We do not understand the full extent of what happened until we read the stories, we listen to those who recall, and we recollect the evidence. Some of the individuals put through the time of slavery are so admirable. Josiah Henson is one of those individuals.
ReplyDeleteMany of us have heard of the book Uncle Tom’s Cabin. I didn’t know that it was inspired by this individual’s life. Josiah Henson was a slave born on June 15, 1789. He first lived in Maryland and ended up in Kentucky after being sold three times. That in itself is something to look at. Can you imagine being sold, your life disrupted, everything you know gone, and so much uncertainty? The slaves had so much endurance. Josiah worked hard to get enough money to buy freedom. His owner raised the amount so much that Josiah decided to take his family and escape. They escaped to Canada. After that, they didn’t just continue their own lives, but helped others. He started a group that helped escaped slaves learn to farm on their own, and helped the Underground Railroad.
This man teaches us so much. Even as a slave, one who was looked on as nothing, he didn’t just give up. When I start to complain about work or just my day-to-day life, I need to think about what the slaves went through. They were beaten, worked, and cheated yet they still persevered. Josiah had everything against him. He could have so easily given up on life, but he didn’t. I look at slavery as such an awful thing. How could one human being put another through such agony? But we can use this dark factor in history as a lesson. Every man created equal takes on a new meaning when slavery is brought up. “Every” means all/each individual. I’m thankful for the examples the enslaved individuals left us so that we can better ourselves.
Brief and Basic History of the Slave Trade
ReplyDeleteSlavery has been around a long time. We can find evidence of slavery in some of the most ancient African civilizations. Slavery was different then, from what it was in the 17th and 18th centuries, though. African civilizations would use captured war prisoners as slaves to work for them. Slaves were also used back in the Greek and Roman empires as workers and servants to the wealthy. Slaves actually weren’t treated as bad back then, compared to how they would be treated later, but they were still slaves.
Around the end of the 14th century, some Europeans started bringing African slaves to Europe as servants. This is when the slave trade began. Within the next hundred years, the slave trade with Africa would be well established and there would be several trading ports built, but slavery still was not half as big as it would soon become.
When the Europeans were exploring and colonizing the New World, they found a lot of natural resources that they wanted to use. They would, of course, need labor to extract the resources; and after trying to use Native Americans and then, indentured servants didn’t work out perfectly they started enslaving African-Americans to work for them.
Around the early 15th century slave trade began changing into the big business that it would soon become. You see, in Europe, slaves were mostly used as servants to the wealthier people, so they didn’t need too many of them…but in America, they wanted to harvest vast amounts of natural resources, and they needed lots of labor for this…so that means lots of slaves.
By the 17th and 18th centuries, slavery became a huge business. There were big slave trade companies making lots of money in this industry. You see, Europe would give Africa expensive, nice goods, and in return, African countries would send slaves to the colonies. The slaves in the colonies would then work to harvest resources which would then be sent to Europe and be turned into finished goods to sell back to Africa. This was known as the triangular trade. Slavery would continue on to become the huge business that it is today…
Just kidding, In the late 18th century and early 19th century, many nations would question the morality of slavery, which would, in return, cause the downfall of the industry, and slavery would be basically non-existent as a business by 1850.
Jacob, I think Fredrick Johnson is a perfect example of someone who had great passion. That was something that resulted from this horrible trend of slavery. The African and Northern people gained a fiery passion for the cause. They wanted these people free. Sometimes it takes experience or watching those you love go through something before you begin to truly care. Though slavery was aweful, there are many accounts of people fighting for freedom. They demonstrated a love beyond themselves, but for all of their fellow Americans.
ReplyDeleteJon, the history of slavery is often, I think, overlooked. We just look at the horrible occurences of the 17th and 18th centuries, but don't know why it happened. We see how invaluable the human life had become. They didn't look at people as fellow humans, but as a lower class. Even in the beginning of slavery, it may have not been as bad, but it was still taking advantage of the people. We should see this example and look at today. We need to make sure that our value of human life does not become so low that we begin to abuse it. Do you notice anything that undervalues humans? Abortion. We have to watch for the same ring of occurences. Slavery was one of the worst times in history, but we must not repeat the inhumane treatment of people. Slavery changed America, changed the views of American people.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHarriet Tubman
ReplyDeleteHarriet Tubman ws an African American slave who escaped slavery and rescued over three-hundred other slaves. She has been called the “Moses” of her people because of all the slaves she lead to freedom.
Harriet was born to slave parents in Maryland. Exactly when and where she was born is not known, because slave births were not carefully recorded. She lived a hard childhood, taking care of her younger brother and a baby and being beaten often. She escaped from slavery in 1849 as a young adult.
When she reached Philadelphia, she began thinking of her friends and family who were still slaves in Maryland. She once said, "I was a stranger in a strange land. My father, my mother, my brothers, and sisters, and friends were in Maryland. But I was free, and they should be free." In December of 1850, she heard that her niece, Kessiah, along with her children was going to be sold in
Cambridge. She was upset by the thought that her family would be broken further apart, so she made plans to return to the land she was enslaved and free her relatives. She first went to Baltimore, Maryland where her brother-in-law hid her until the time of the sale. Kessiah's husband, who was a free black slave, made the winning bid for his wife. Then, while he pretended to make arrangements to pay, Kessiah and her children went to a nearby house to hide. When night came, Kessiah’s husband ferried the family on a canoe sixty miles to Baltimore and met up with Harriet, who led them to Philadelphia for freedom. This trip began her days of bringing slaves to freedom.
When spring came, she made her second trip to Maryland and led her brother and two other slaves to freedom. It is likely she was working with other abolitionists such as Thomas Garret and Frederick Douglass. She made more and more trips to Maryland (a total of nineteen times) and led many slaves to freedom. She became known as Moses because she led so many slaves to freedom as Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt.
Harriet was also a spy for the Union during the Civil War. She lived awhile after the war with her husband and died in 1913.
We all don't really relize how bad slavery really was. The slaves had to work long hours and were usually beaten regulary. If you was a slave that was lucky enough to get a good master then you didn't have to deal with beating and living in filth that most others had to deal with. Many Americans do realize that it was one of the most heathenistic times of American history and many try to forget or ignore it. An interesting thing is that out of the many slaves rose some very important people that would contribute a lot to modern day society.
ReplyDeleteOne of the many important people that most of us will probably write this essay about is Harriet Tubman. She had to be one of the biggest contributors to the freeing of the slaves because she led the Underground Railroad, which led hundreds of slaves to freedom in the north towards Canada.
Harriet Tubman was born in the county of Dorchester in Maryland in either 1819 or 1820(records can't specify). She was born into a slave family, but later escaped slavery at age 25 by marrying John Tubman, a free African-American. During the Civil War she served as a spy and nurse. After the Civil War, Harriet married Nelson Davis and lived in Auburn, New York. She did many things to help society in her older years. For example she built a home for the elderly and she also fought for women's voting rights. In 1913, she died and they buried her with military honors.
If it wasn't for the many important people like Harriet Tubman, Fredrick Douglass, and the many others then we wouldn't be where we are today as a nation and people.
I think what J Byrd had to say about slavery and how the African people where taking prisoners of war and making them slaves to that people or tribe many years before white people even discovered or set foot in Africa. So this goes to show that slavery isn't something new that was started in the 1600s or 1700s, but it has been around about as long as mankind has been on the earth.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Emily C.had to say about most people underestimating slavery. Slavery is a subject that most Americans do underestimate. If you look back at the old pictures of the slaves in the 1800s and really look at the details you will relize the expressions on their face was horrible; the chains were tight around their neck, arms, and legs; and you can see the many scars that they bare on their backs from the many beatings that they received. So slavery is a big subject in American history that really needs to be understood and respected.
ReplyDeleteBlack Election Day in New England...
ReplyDeleteAs American's today, we feel that slavery is a crime committed by barbarians. That we're too good of a people to committ such a horrible act. Well...we forget that slavery took place in the United States of America less that 140 years ago! And the U.S.A has only existed for 233 years! So slavery is in our blood...like it or not. We wish it wasn't, but you can't change the past.
So...back to the focus of my essay: Black Election's in New England. When I saw this topic under Slavery, I almost laughed. I never would think-not in a million years-that slaves were allowed to elect governors or kings. I mean seriously, I thought they had no freedom whatsoever!!
So there were two positions that black men-not women-could run for: Governor or King. The position was based on location. For example: In colonies where white people were elected to their positions,(Connecticut, Rhode Island, etc. etc.),elected black officials were called governors. In royal colonies, where the white officials-called governors-were appointed,(New Hampshire), elected black officials were called Kings. That's pretty cool.
On Election Day for the Black People, it was a huge celebration day. And-I was pretty surprised at this-the slaves masters/mistresses actually SUPPORTED these activities. They would actually HELP SET UP these events. They would provide the food and fun for these Election's. The clothing the slaves wore was also important. The clothing a slave wore reflected his master/mistress. So, if a slave wore poor clothing, it would make their master/mistress look bad. So the owner of the slaves would not hesitate to provide them with decent clothing.
The bad thing at these elections was that women could not vote. I really hate that, but oh well, its the past, can't change it. But the women would help campaign for the candidate they supported.
When it was time to vote, people did one of two things: they participated in a voice vote, or stood behind the candidate they supported. Seems like a crude way to vote, and highly inaccurate, but oh well.
The winner participated in a victory parade back to their masters house, where they were given a feast in their honor.
The position of black Governor/King did not have any power, but it did give the slaves a sense of involvement in their community, and the elected officials got to enjoy their title. The white people greatly supported this, they even thought it was funny! I don't quite understand that...but oh well.
Very interesting topic, I enjoyed researching it.
Jaykub, I really enjoyed reading about Fredrick Douglass. Kind of amazing how he went from being beaten daily to helping pass one of the most important amendaments to the United States to the Constitution. And yeah, how many black people back then actually taught themselves to read at a young age? That show's how dedicated he must have been in his pursuit of knowledge. Its people like that, of all races, who grow up to become the next leaders of the United States of America.
ReplyDeleteNice work Jaykub.
Emily C., I was amazed by what you wrote about Uncle Tom's Cabin. I have never read the book before, but by reading your essay, I want to now ha. Gosh, being sold three times...not knowing where you're going, not knowing if you will be treated properly, and you're family. What a terrible time that must have been.
ReplyDeleteHow bout that, making the money to buy your freedom, then having your jerk of an owner raise the price? Gosh, talk about demoralizing. But then escaping to Canada, and surviving it all, is amazing. Not to mention helping other escaped slaves start their lives over by teaching them how to farm...and being a base for the Underground Railroad.
I really liked your essay Emily C., Enjoyed reading it
Isabella Baumfree, later named and more famously known as Sojourner Truth, was born into slavery in 1797, in Hurley New York. She was one of 13 children, but never got to know her brothers and sisters because they, like her, were quickly sold to other masters. She spoke only Dutch until she was 11 because she was enslaved in a Dutch settlement. When she did learn English, she still spoke with a distinct Dutch accent. She worked for five masters over here life as a slave and in 1827, after the passing of the New York Anti Slavery Law, was given here freedom. She soon married and has five children.
ReplyDeleteAfter living in a Quaker home for quite some time, she gained a new appreciation for religion, education, and public speaking and from then on, devoted her life to public speaking. She spoke about religion for a while and then moved onto the evils of slavery and the oppression of women. She gained the favor of many Northerners by educating them on the hardships slaves had to endure like beatings.
She changed her name from Isabella Baumfree to Sojourner Truth in 1843. Later that year, she came to Northampton, MA Association of Education and Industry which was devoted to the abolition of slavery. Here, she met many other famous people such as Fredrick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison.
In Akron, Ohio, in 1851, Truth gave her famous titled “Ain't I a Woman?” in which she refocused the audience that the right to vote shouldn't extend to only white women. She also met President Abraham Lincoln a few years later who told her than he has heard of her and her famous speeches.
Truth's last great cause was to have a national plan that would give new Western land to newly freed slaves in order to get them on their feet and starting a new life. However, this plan could never actually get passed in Congress because of the disagreements between the House of Reps and the Senate.
She moved to Battle Creek, MI in 1857 and continued speaking about slaves and women rights. She died at her home in 1883. Amazingly, Truth never learned to read or write because of her early years in slavery and her lack of time as an adult to learn.
The Underground Railroad/how and where the slaves went to be free
ReplyDeleteIt first started out that the slave went to Florida or Mexico if they livesd in the Southe it was the only places they could go without going all the way to Canada. The slaves in the North would mainly go to Canada. The places they went were to be free they worked hard to gain there freedomk and they deserved it, but we kept trying to take it away from them. Until the North passed a bill that everyone had to set their slaves free when they could almost all of the Northerners did it without a second thought thery didn't NEED them. The South thought they NEEDED them for work on their farms but they could work a little harder and get as much done.As the Underground Railroad grew they started losing more and more slaves. Harriet Tubman played a large role in this, but as they lost these slaves the passed the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850 This said that they could hire slave catchers to find and arrest runaways. This was terrible because they ended up taking even some free slaves rather than fugitives. This is what i learned for the week i hope you enjoyed reading.
Sam, you brought out something that most of us never would have imagined. Who would've thought that black Americans would have their elections! This brings up the point that I think researching slavery really helps us understand. I didn't see slavery frist hands, none of us did. Learning exactly what went on during these times realt illuminates the time period.
ReplyDeletei think one of the most interesting parts of slavery in the civil war was easly the underground railroad. slavery was most definately a dark time in american history; however when we look at this period of time wat i find incredibly interesting is the people who stood against slavery. one of the men who's life deserves a look is josiah henson. he is one of the most interesting ppl in all of history. his life tho born into slavery was obvioussly used by god to reach ppl. even tho he was born into slavery he still rose from that to become a preacher and even made money. that is totally amazing for any slave to do at this point in time when he was seen by many ppl to have no more rights than a horse or a field (which is totally un-biblical and rediculous). wat i find totally cool was that even after being sold he manages to devote himself and run away to canada and found a school. this school named the dawn institute is one of the most revolutionary institutes of this time period. it existed to teach and better other freed or escaped slaves. i think this is totally amazing and a example of something we should take note of and remember when either we are given an opportunity for pursecution or are pursicuted our selfs.
ReplyDeleteman colby ya thats rele cool....i think u point out a very important thing that is often forgotten, or many times intensionally forgotten, about a slave who was not beaten and descovered religion and was obviously educated and used that to better african americans. definately a person that is worth remembering and noting, isabella baumfree is one cool name tho i have to say, her life is something that we can all learn from and is something that we need to remember in the future...because as our world ever changes it is unknown if we or many others could be inslaved or are inslaved and her story teaches us and shows us that ever person no matter their race or origins still has value.
ReplyDeletesam i think u definately make a good and stong point. slavery is one thing that we cant erase or hide from and is one thing that is part of history that we must learn from and not forget. i think ur topic of a black election is awesome and revolutionary, i mean through the history of our country black slaves have risen from the lowest point of property to now the presidency. i mean for instance oprah and tiger woods and michael jordan and the list goes on and on but i think we see the begining of change in this revilutionary act. this again shows that some slaves were treated well and tho the winner of this election had no power the owners of these slaves obviously saw them as people and even gave them a feast, that is like treating them like family. tho i disagree with many things the north did politically i think on the point of slavery they had the idea
ReplyDeleteJosiah Henson was born into slavery in Charles County, Maryland on June 15, 1789. By the age of eighteen he had been sold three times finally ending up in Kentucky. While in Kentucky he became a Methodist preacher, and was being paid to speak. By the year 1830 he had saved up what his master had said was enough money to buy his freedom. When he gave his master the money the figure was increased to one thousand dollars. He then decided that he would take his family and try to escape to the north in the search of freedom. With the help of the under ground railroad and a tribe of native Americans he and his family made their way to Canada and freedom.
ReplyDeleteWhile in Canada he founded the Dawn Institute. This was a place near Ontario where slaves who escaped to freedom could go and learn a successful career as a farmer. He also began to work with the under ground railroad to help other slaves escape to freedom.
In 1849 the Life of Josiah Henson, his autobiography, was published. After reading Josiah’s story, writer Harriet Beecher Stowe got the idea to write a book. This book Uncle Tom’s Cabin became one of the most influential books of all time. Uncle Tom’s Cabin exposed vile the world of slavery to a great number of people who know nothing of it. This book led to Josiah changing the title of his autobiography to My Life as Uncle Tom.
By the time he died on May 5, 1883 he had traveled throughout Canada and England giving speeches about his life as “Uncle Tom.” He was also the first black man to be featured on a Canadian stamp. So as you can see this was a truly great man and one of the unsung heroes of American history.
The underground railroad was a huge huge part in slavery. It may have not always had the best conditions, such as hiding in the floor or an old mine shaft, yet the slaves, im sure, were happier in a mine shaft then in the hands of the owners that abused them. The term "Underground railroad" was first used when a black slave was being chased and trying to cross the Ohio river. The man that was chasing him lost all tracks of him and said he must have gone on an underground road. The amount of slaves that were escaping was phenomenal and their owners started offering HUGE rewards for the return of these slaves. It didn’t help when the gov’t stepped in and made it illegal for someone to harbor a runaway slave. If they were caught, severe punishments were instituted upon them. Many people thot it was only a small number of slaves escaping. Others thought it to be in the thousands. No matter the number, they all tried to get to a better life and helped raise awareness of the terrible conditions they had been in all their lives. Of course taking the underground railroad risked their lives, but if they escaped to freedom, a much better life would meet them right across the Ohio.
ReplyDeletehey camden, i really like how you talked about Josiah Henson actually was a slave, and bought his freedom from his master and even taught other freed slaves to farm and live on their own I think is great. and specially since he became a "conductor" on the Underground RR. Its almost hard to believe that a slaves autobiography also inspired the book Uncle Toms Cabin. thats a great thing to acomplish.
ReplyDeleteSam, the black elections topic is great. Ive never heard of such a thing and i never would have thought that slave masters would even consider allowing them to run for "office". Atleast the owners treated them good at this time because if would reflect poorly on them if they didnt. You mentioned the master would provide food and fun during the elections. what kind of fun was there? was it like watching jousting or what? overall though, sam urs was great.
ReplyDeleteSlavery, what a big topic in colonial America. The big debate was should we keep this inhumane activity going to help the south or end it and start over with a new economy for the whole U.S. In my opinion, everything about slavery was wrong. Starting with how we got them here. To get them here we put large numbers of Africans onto small ships and sailed them all the way across the specific. On the average shipping boat the slaves slept below deck on un sanded plank floors, and had only 18 inches of headroom, plus no fresh air or light. I would have to say that treatment enough was terrible, but once they got here it became even worse. Slaves were treated with less respect than any other human beings, almost as if they were people at all. They were not educated, they endured harsh working conditions every day, and had rules only they had to obide by. For example, no more than eight Africans could get together at night time because the Americans were afraid of a revolt. They were beaten and ridiculed all the time. Their punishments were extremely harsh also. For example, the first attempt at a runaway they had their foot cut off, no warning, just first offense and your foots gone. That is how inhumane aslavery was.
ReplyDeleteThe Underground Railroad...
ReplyDeleteThe underground rail road was a very usefull tool back around the cival war it was a route traveled by slaves to lead them to freedom the leader wass Harriet Tubman.
She stood very strongly to get slaves out to freedom even knowing it could cost her her life.
Harriet Tubman to me is a very good influence and a very strong leader she inspired me a lotas a leader and as a person.
Even though slave trading was maoralry wrong and we all disagree i likle that they got rid of slavery and a better country the US has became
Harriet Tubman was born to slave parents in Maryland. Exactly when and where she was born is not known, because slave births were not carefully recorded. She lived a hard childhood, taking care of her younger brother and a baby and being beaten often. She escaped from slavery in 1849 as a young adult.
ReplyDeleteMany of us have heard of or read the book Uncle Tom’s Cabin. I didn’t know that it was inspired by this individual’s life. Josiah Henson was a slave born on June 15, 1789. He first lived in Maryland and ended up in Kentucky after being sold three times. That in itself is something to look at. Can you imagine being sold, your life disrupted, everything you know gone, and so much uncertainty? The slaves had so much endurance. Josiah worked hard to get enough money to buy freedom. His owner raised the amount so much that Josiah decided to take his family and escape. They escaped to Canada. After that, they didn’t just continue their own lives, but helped others. He started a group that helped escaped slaves learn to farm on their own, and helped the Underground Railroad.
But what do these two people have in common? They were both key people in the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was a huge part in slavery. It may have not always had the best conditions, such as hiding in the floor or an old mine shaft, yet the slaves, im sure, were happier in a mine shaft then in the hands of the owners that abused them. The term "Underground railroad" was first used when a black slave was being chased and trying to cross the Ohio River. The man that was chasing him lost all tracks of him and said he must have gone on an underground road. The amount of slaves that were escaping was phenomenal and their owners started offering HUGE rewards for the return of these slaves. It didn’t help when the govt stepped in and made it illegal for someone to harbor a runaway slave. If they were caught, severe punishments were instituted upon them. Many people thought it was only a small number of slaves escaping. Others thought it to be in the thousands. No matter the number, they all tried to get to a better life and helped raise awareness of the terrible conditions they had been in all their lives. Of course taking the Underground Railroad risked their lives, but if they escaped to freedom, a much better life would meet them right across the Ohio.
If it wasn't for the many important people like Harriet Tubman, Josiah Henson, and the many others then we wouldn't be where we are today as a nation and people.
I decided it might be interesting to read some of the real stories from ex-slaves who lived to tell them. As I was reading all the different excerpts this is what I got out of it.
ReplyDeleteThose who were interviewed were people like Laura Smalley, who was born into slavery and then lived through the civil war.
She didn’t say much, only some things about the way the black children were fed through a big wooden tray, kind of like a trough for animals, and they would all just use spoons and eat food that was equivalent to much or soup. Another ex-slave that was interviewed was Fountain Hughes who said his grandfather belonged to Thomas Jefferson. He said he would have shot himself if he had to go back to slavery because you were like nothing but a dog. Joe Mcdonald was another one interviewed who merely talked about the work he had to do. He’d wash and iron, sometimes a hundred pieces. Then he’d have five beds to make up, five fires to make, the children to dress and tend to , and then some churning. All of which he did every day regularly. A voice from the civil war was an ex-slave named Alice Gaston, who told the interviewer that the Yankees had come and taken her father and two sisters away but had left her. She proved to show loyalty to her mistress though, when the mistress came running through the garden telling Alice not to tell the Yankees where they were. Even though the Yankees came and told her no harm would be done to her, Alice told them she didn’t know where they went.
These are all just a few very valuable accounts of some ex-slaves. They were very hesitant to be interviewed- Lauara Smalley had been visited two or three times before she finally agreed to be interviewed. They didn’t want to bring up the painful and hard memories of when they were in slavery,and really, who could blame them?Even though these stories don't necessarily show how what all slavery was like(some far worse ones are out there) it makes me cringe to think about some of the things that were done to fellow human beings who are no different than red, yellow, black or white people. I wish people had realized sooner that slavery was wrong instead of taking years and years for people to begin to realize the immorality of it.
My topic today is about a very important, but not well renown abolitionist. Her name was Sojourner Truth.
ReplyDeleteShe was born in Hurley NY in 1797 and was placed into slavery at birth. She was one of 13 siblings, but never met the rest because they were so quickly sold. She was sold to a Dutch area and never learned any language besides Dutch until she was 11 years old. After a total of five owners, she was granted her freedom in 1827 with the New York Anti Slavery Law.
After living with a Quaker family for some time, she changed her name to "Sojourner Truth". She met many famous abolitionists and developed even stronger opinions against slavery.
She then moved to Battle Creek, Michigan in 1857 and began helping slaves get their freedom
Sojourner wasn't as well known as Harriot Tubman, or some of the other famous Black abolitionists, but she was every bit as important. I am really greatful I choose her to do my report on.
The Underground Railroad: Cloaked Gateway to Freedom
ReplyDeleteThe Underground Railroad was something that helped slaves find their freedom. This was not an actual "Railroad" and it wasn’t underground either, but there were some parts that were underground like when they hid under the ground and walked through forgotten passages. The term was supposedly first used in 1840 by the owner Tice Davids who fled from slavery in Kentucky, crossing the Ohio River. The railroad didn’t have one route for anyone. Each one was different for the difficulty of the slave chasers. There were designated places to stop, and these homes were signified by lanterns and the Quakers sometimes used quilts. Quilts were a great factor in the Railroad because people would make them and put maps and other things on them and share them with other slaves. Another one was the Songs. Some such as "Follow the Drinking Gourd" were a reference to the north star and pointed them north at night. Many slaves took this route for freedom. But they always didn’t go to the north, some went westward and some went more south, to Mexico and the Caribbean. The Caribbean was (and is) owned by Britain and the laws were once they stepped on British soil they were free men. Most runaways range from the ages 16 to 35. Women and children escaped too, but not in the numbers of men. But when these men found freedom they would come back for their wives and children. Harriet Tubman, considered the "Moses" of her people, a runaway slave herself. Helped more than 300 runaways. Including her elderly parents.
Anna Boo;
ReplyDeleteAs I read your essay I realized I to should have gone and read those and done my essay on that. But what I could have said you took right out of my mind. The things you listed about what people had said just breaks my heart. Like that woman who said that she had eat out of a animal trough. Uhhggg that’s sooo horrible. I too wish that people could have realized THEN not years after that slavery was wrong. I just don’t get it how people could have made people be there slaves. I just can’t comprehend it.
Blake;
ReplyDeleteYour right, we don’t realize how bad slavery was. We can imagine it, but we can never truly know how it felt to be a slave. Sometimes we feel that were not free because of all the little rules our parents give us, but we have more freedom then any other country has. But it is hard to believe that that use to not be true because most of us weren’t free.
All through my life, my parents have told me that slavery was wrong, but you really need to look for yourself, and come up with your own impressions of things. I have always been against slavery, but never as much as am now. Truthfully, I don't see a huge problem with serving someone for nothing, but thats not what slavery was. Imagine yourself as a slave. Now first, i think we all think we would have died if we had to live back then. No computer, no ipods, no PS3, nothing. Then picture yourself having to work-HARD-for nothing at all. If you didn't do exactily as you were told, you could be whipped, or beaten. Most of us coulden't even have come close to keeping up with how hard the slave had to work. I'm totally aginst slavery, but just think about what would have happened if all the slaves were all freed at once. Thousands of people, all without homes, without a place to go, a place to work, or aney educaticon. That would have been a disaster. I'm not saying that they should have been keep slaves though, and i'm glad that things turned out the way that it did.
ReplyDeleteI have all ways admired harriet tubman for what she did for the slaves. She is in my opinion on of the most interesting people in americas history. My parents have always love stories of the underground railroad, so i have herd TONS of stories about it. I'm sorry that i can't write a lot, because our computer takes forever to load a new web page.
have a great weekend!
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Ya know, xalo brings up a good point. I have to agree that even though we know slavery is wrong from maybe what our parents or other people have told us it should be important that we figure out why we think that for ourselves and go deeper.Knowing what you believe about something but not being able to back it up or not knowing some of the key information about it is in a way, useless. Also, I like how xalo challenged me to actually picture myself in a slave’s position. Like putting ourselves into someone else’s shoes. Often in most situations we can’t really fully comprehend or even want to try to see the other person’s perspective unless we think like that. Honestly I wouldn’t want to imagine myself in that position-I’ll bet those who owned slaves didn’t either. They probably never thought about it that way and if they had they may have actually felt convicted on how wrong it was.
ReplyDeleteWhen Emily C. was talking about Josiah Henson from the book Uncle Tom’s Cabin, her last paragraph made me think about something. Something very admirable about Josiah was that even though he was looked on as nothing, he didn’t give up. Wow. Even people who aren’t slaves can easily feel worthless sometimes. If I were treated like I were nothing in my whole existence, I honestly am not sure if I could ever believe otherwise. This may be a little far-fetched, but if someone tells you something negative over and over you almost tend to start believing it. It amazes me, those people who were slaves that didn’t give up. And those who kept the faith even though they would get split up from some of their family members, treated like cattle, and worked to death and beaten. I hate that, I hate that and I wish it had never happened.
ReplyDeleteStotts, first I would like say thank you for being the first person to make a comment on one of my essays. I also like how you talked about the conditions that the slaves were in when they were hiding. I think that the conditions they were in are often over looked. All-in-all I think you had a good solid essay. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteJon, I like how you presented the history of the slave trade in chronological order. I like how you began with the fact that it was not only white people who were using slaves. It was also the black people in Africa. I also noticed how you showed that the slaves were not originally treated so bad. When slavery was started it was more like they were paid servents than slaves. I think that you had yet again another very good essay. I have noticed that the last two homework assignments have been very hard to write a disagreement about. I mean what are you going to say I think your memories of 9.11 and your essay on a historical figure or event were wrong.
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ReplyDeleteOriginally, slave trading was not a racial thing; countries who dominated other countries often took the inhabits as slaves. As time progressed slave traders would buy slaves from African tribes who captured other tribes. It became a racial thing when blacks where labeled as being slaves. It was never racial; we just insinuated that when the majority of slaves were black. We made it racial because it is part of the human nature to dislike someone that is not like you. Blacks felt the same way about us. The cause of racism is a culture rejecting another cultures ways or appearance. America at this time just did not like anybody else. Today, America is more open to other cultures and you are even despised to be a racist, racism of racist, so to speak. However, there will always be a hint of hatred toward others. Slavery in some instances was evil and vile toward mankind, but some slave owners treated their slaves with kindness and those slaves actually grew a liking to their owners, being remind that they could have been less fortunate. The slave trade did separate families. If I was a slave owner I would treat my slaves with respect, they would be feed as much as they worked, they would have great living conditions, and before I would release a slave I would teach them a skill so they could sustain themselves.
ReplyDeleteIt is midnight in a northern Alabama town. A man silently slips out the door of his one room cabin, shaking, breathing hard. He takes the hand of his wife, also shaking, but limping from a foot her master broke. They tip-toe quickly around barns and fences, and on through the large cotton fields they had worked so long in. The man winces in pain from the rocks and sticks nipping his bare feet. He gave his wife his shoes. The woman is with child, and although trecherous, she knows escaping is the only way for her baby to have a free life.
ReplyDeleteThe road is here, and together they slip into the shadows, walking quickly and carefully. A large wagon filled with wooden crates is waiting for them. The driver steps out when they arrive, and immediately drags the two largest boxes out.
"Here." He says. The husband helps his wife in; she is given some biscuits and water (just enough to get her through a week or so) and they load her in. The black man buries himself in the other wooden crate. It is cramped; his neck is bent. But he knows his freedom awaits him...
This story is 100% fictional, however, so many things within it are true. The condition most slaves were in was so awful most of us cannot imagine it. Beaten, starved, tortured..these people had their freedom completely stripped from them, and they were treated like scum of the earth. Praise God for the abolitionists (like my fictional wagon driver) who were willing and able to help these slaves to their freedom. Through people like Harriet Tubman, and networks like The Underground Railroad families were saved, and humans were freed.
Slavery is a dark, evil, act in our country's history. It is something that cannot be forgotten. God created us all as human beings, with none greater than the other. We can be thankful for those who were willing to risk what they had to help others find a life outside of slavery, but at the same time realize it was there and it happened. Slavery shows us that even the "greatest country on earth" is not perfect.
The “Underground Railroad” was a route for slaves to escape to the North; there wasn’t just one way out of the South. Many people from the North were a part of the effort to free the slaves and would provide the runaways with shelter and food until they moved on to the next “station” that was safest for them, slowly moving northward to freedom. The households who would help these slaves would place a lantern outside their door as a sign that it was a safe place. Eventually, the slave owners caught on to this and used this knowledge to recapture runaways.
ReplyDeleteThe Underground Railroad was, in most cases, not underground. Slaves would occasionally use underground tunnels developed by the families helping the escape effort, but usually they would travel at night to avoid being seen.
It soon became a crime to harbor the slaves. Now these people were not only giving out of their own pockets, but they were risking their freedom to help others regain theirs.
Harriet Jacobs 1813-March 7,1897
ReplyDeleteHarriet Jacobs was a slave in North Carolina. At the age of 12 her mistress died and bequeathed her to the young Norcom daughter. At the Norcom home, Harriet was subjected to the sexual advances of Dr. Norcom who wanted her to be his concubine. In an attempt to thwart Dr.Norcom’s plans, Harriet became pregnant by a white single (unmarried) lawyer.
After she had two children with the lawyer, Harriet saw the necessity of sparing her children from the life of a slave. Out of desperation Harriet escaped and lived in a small space above her grandmother’s storage room for seven years. Many of these years were spent with limited sunlight, little air, and hardly any room to move. Remarkably , when Dr. Norcom couldn’t capture Harriet, he unknowingly sold her children to their father, who unfortunately didn’t keep his promise to free them. It would be several years before Harriet and her children were to be set free by the woman that had employed her.
After Harriet obtained her freedom in 1863, she moved to Alexandria, Virginia where she organized a medical care facility for the victims of the Civil War and established the Jacobs Free School. This school provided black teachers for the refugees. In 1865, the school was moved to Savanna, Georgia, and in 1877, it permanently settled in Washington D.C.
If you would like to learn more about Jacobs Free School go to http://www.yale.edu/glc.harriet/13.htm . I did and I learned so much. If I could write everything that I have learned I would but my fingers are getting really tired. I just hate to think that men could do things like this and get away with it.
Well I thought Harriet Tubman would be good to write about. Harriet Tubman was a very brave, strong, and wise women. She went through a very rough time, getting beat for the smallest things and then marrying a man who would also beat her. I can't imagine how she felt, how any of the slaves felt. Can you imagine going through all that. I mean getting beaten, working their butts off very day, being made to feel like dirt, and being treated like dirt. Gosh, I would have gone off on my "owners" if I had gone through that. Well actually probably more like...well a whole lot worse than just go off on them. But then again if a slave were to do that they probably would have been killed or gotten beaten so badly that they were close to dying. Moving on to the Underground Railroad ~ that was pretty awesome! I mean, seriously, helping slaves escape by night! Blacks weren't even allowed to go out after dark. But they did!! :)
ReplyDeleteA familiar name to all of us is Frederick Douglass (he was actually born as Frederick Bailey, but changed his name after he was married). He was one of the most famous and important Black Americans in the history of our country. Fred grew up as a slave child and learned to read and write at an early age. He was a smart young man. He worked very hard in the Baltimore shipyards for his masters. It was there that he saw and even experienced how bad slavery can be. He was often beaten by his masters and other workers in the shipyards. So, basically, if you didn’t belong to them, they could still beat you if you were black. That’s a part of slavery we often overlook. The slaves weren’t just controlled and beaten by their masters that owned them. Every white person they came across was pretty much their master.
ReplyDeleteEventually, Fred escaped to the North dressed as a sailor (hooray!). In 1838, he married Anna Murray in Massachusetts. They met a black man named Nathan Johnson that invited them to stay with his family in New York. Even though he had a wide range of experience and skills in manual labor, Fred couldn’t find good work there. He decided that public speaking was his thing.
He found out about the Anti-Slavery Society through the Liberator, its newspaper. He met William Lloyd Garrison, the paper’s editor, and gave a reflective speech during a Society meeting that impressed them. He worked for the Society for a while, traveling all over and giving speeches about the evils of slavery (he also gave some sermons at the Zion Methodist Church). Eventually, people started doubting that his stories were for real. They thought that he couldn’t have been a slave because of his high speech and education. He responded by writing his life story, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. That silenced doubt and his popularity skyrocketed. Once he gained back his reputation, he spent two years in England giving lectures. Some friends he met in England helped him buy his freedom. Douglass returned to the US as a free man in 1847. Fred continued to fight for the freedom of slaves and even supported the woman’s suffrage movement. As you can see, Frederick Douglass is an example of a man that conquered slavery and stood up for everything that is right.
She slipped on a coat, maybe one she found or one that was left from her father before he was sold, and she tries her best to seem like a man. She changed her walk, her talk, her entire appearance in hopes of freedom. She knew she was being looked for, described as a "bright mulatto, well-grown, smart and good-looking" girl named Anna Maria Weems. Her family had been sold long before she was bought, and her owners were so sure she would escape they made her sleep in their room. The Underground Railroad would eventually be her means of escape. She bounced from person to person, being passed off to people who had heard of her and developed special interest in her situation specifically. She went from Washington, to Philadelphia, to New York (where she stayed for a while), then finally to Canada where she was educated in the Buxton Settlement (an almost neighborhood-like place for African Americans in Canada, founded by Reverend William King. This place was set up because Canada was free but not necessarily friendly).
ReplyDeleteAnna Weems story ended nicely, but what about all the other slaves. By 1860 there were 3.9 million slaves in America. Do you think all of them made it? How many attempted escape and were beaten or even killed for the slightest chance they could make it away to free land? I am so upset America has this (and many other) stain in our past. Racism is a horrible, strong force; remember, the civil war was fought over many things but slavery was at the forefront of everyone’s minds. I’m glad we at least did away with slavery at some point, even if we did drag our feet to do so, but we should always remember those days, and how easy it was for us to justify something so wrong for such a long amount of time. It makes me think of abortion and I hope America can learn from its past and realize the pain we caused so many people.
I read about Harriet Jacobs.
ReplyDeleteHarriet Jacobs was a slave from North Carolina. Her story I find to be very interesting because Harriet would hide in a crawl space above a storage room in her grandmother's house to escape slavery. For seven years she would live there with little light and air and obviously very little space. So after reading that I wondered what would have made her hide herself for that long in a crawl space. Well it all started when Harriet's mistress died. She had been a kind mistress but when she died Harriet was given to the young Norcom daughter. At the Norcom's she recieved sexual advances by Dr. Norcom. He wanted her to be his concubine. Harriet did not want this to happen so she became pregnant with an unmaried white lawyer. She ended up having two children with this man. It was after she had her kids that she saw that they should not have to go through slavery so she went into hiding in the crawl space. Dr. Norcom searched for Harriet but when he didn't he sold her children. Unknowingly he ended up selling them to their own father but even he did not set them free. It would be many years later that Harriet would run away to the north and be employed by a lady who bought her her freedom in 1863. This would give her and her children their freedom for the rest of their lives. Harriet would go on move to Alexandria, Virginia where she would have a medical care facility for victims of the Civil War and she also established a school known as the Jacobs Free School. This gave refugees black teachers and in 1865 the school moved to Savannah, Georgia but only for a little while. It would permanently settle in Washington, D.C. in 1877. And all this came from one slave who found her was to freedom.
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ReplyDeletehttp://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j219/gearfrog/Untitled.jpg
ReplyDeletePlease, copy and paste into your adress bar Mr.Akers.
Slavery was a bad part of our American history. It was awful. Now not all slaves were treated horribly many were but not always. Even when they wasnt treated awfully they had to work long hours with no freedom no rights. And when I say that they worked long hours they really did from dawn til dusk and those hours werent easy the work was HARD. Many of the slaves were beaten if they caused and a trouble slave was many times sold farther south where the work was even harder. When slaves were bought many families were separated and never saw each other again. They were not permitted to learn to read either as to keep them slightly more dependent on the slave owners. It was definitely a dark time in our history.
ReplyDeleteThe north thought it was very wrong ( and it was ) and tried to abolish it. While the south thought it was just natural an necessary. The south needed the slaves to work on their farms an plantations. Not all slave owners beat their slaves. If you think about it the slaves were a very expensive invesment and they didnt need them to be useless or to weak to work for a very long period of time. Now not to say they werent beaten whatso ever bc there was many that were beaten severely. Disobedient or trouble making slave were usually dealt with quickly and harshly bc there were more blacks than whites and the slave owners feared a rebellion.
Slavery was wrong and there were many at that time who strongly disagreed with it. They fought agaist slavery with speeches, articles, books, many things like that but they also fought agaist it with the underground railroad. Many brave people aided many slaves to freedom not taking a second thought for their own safety.
Slavery is definitely not a subject of American history to be proud of by any means but its imporant to focus on that area of history.
Ok, I realize that we acknowledge slavery in the back of our minds and we accept that it's part of our history and so on and so forth and we really kind of fail to realize just how bad it was. I mean, it was so despicable. Those of you who have been in class with me know that slavery will get me riled up pretty much quicker than anything else. It literally makes me so angry to think that our country took part in these deplorable acts.
ReplyDeleteI read about "The Middle Passage" and it really just ticked me off and made me feel such compassion and sympathy for those poor captured slaves.
Basically, they were free in their own land, when someone (probably from their own race) captured them and sold them like fruit at a fruit stand on the side of the highway. They were just possessions.
They were put on these ships and chained to each other at the ankles like circus animals. They were stuck on these ships for at least six weeks on that long, agonizing journey to the Americas. I can't imagine just the mental anguish they must've been in. I mean, think about it. They did absolutely nothing wrong to deserve to be in this situation, yet here they were chained to each other like common criminals in the worst of conditions. It was so awful. In fact,(particularly after a storm) the ship's crew would often find dead Africans still chained amongst the living. It was so bad that some of the slaves started trying to kill themselves to escape the undeserved misery they were in and the uncertainty of their future. Some jumped overboard and others just tried to starve themselves to death. When the crew realized what was happening, they started torturing them to make them eat. I cannot imagine such barbarity to someone simple because they had a different color of skin than I did.
Like I say, this really is a topic that angers me, but it's important that we know our past, good or bad, to learn how to repeat good decisions and avoid ever making the same bad ones again.
The Underground Railroad was a series of safe houses. The people who were responsible to help the slaves escape from slavery into freedom were called "conductors." The term "Underground Railroad" is a term that is used referring to any number of ways American slaves and the people that were for freedom used to help them escape before and during the American Civil War.
ReplyDeleteHarriet Tubman was born a slave. She was born in Dorchester County, Maryland. When she was 12 years old her owner demanded that she tie up a fellow slave that had been caught trying to escape. She was beaten so hard that she suffered damage to her skull.
When she was 25 she married a free African-American named John Tubman and escaped to freedom. She lived with the fear of being caught and being returned as a slave. She decided to try to escape to Canada where she could gain her freedom. On the way she stopped in Philadelphia, where she met a man named William Still who was the "Stationmaster" for the Underground Railroad. She decided that she would help the Underground Railroad. She worked closely with John brown and Fredrick Douglas. She moved many of her family to Canada and then would return to Maryland to help other slaved escape. She is believed to have helped more than 300 people escape to freedom.
Madyson, I like what you wrote. The survival of human will is amazing. People have no right to starve, torture and beat another human being. "Slavery is a dark evil act in our country." Abolitionists were the heroes for so many children and families. The story of slavery goes back for centuries. For those families those memories will not be forgotten. The heroes are not only the free people that rescued others but the slaves that rose up out of their pair to help others.
ReplyDeleteHannah, I loved how you wrote the story of Harriet Jacobs. I can't imagine a human being inheriting another human being like you would inherit a piece of furniture. You can tell that Harriet was a thinker that tried to find a way out from the darkness in her life. A person that would live in a small crawl space for seven years just so they would not be slaves is beyond imagination. I get excited thinking of a woman obtaining her freedom and then organizing a medical care facility for the victims of the Civil War.
ReplyDeleteThe Middle Passage was the journey of slave trading ships from the west coast of Africa, where the slaves were bought, across the Atlantic. However, this voyage has come to be remembered for much more than simply the transport and sale of slaves. The Middle Passage was a horrific part of slavery.
ReplyDeleteWith extremely tightly packed loads of human cargo that stank and carried infectious disease, the ships would travel east to west across the Atlantic on a miserable voyage lasting at least five weeks. Although incredibly profitable for both its participants and their investors, the terrible Middle Passage has come to represent human misery and suffering. The inhuman conditions which the Africans were faced with on their voyage clearly displays the great evils of the slave trade.
While there was slavery throughout the world, never has it reached such an epic proportion as during the Middle Passage. At this time, no one knows exactly how many Africans died at sea during the Middle Passage experience. (It's estimated between 25 to 30 million.) The Middle Passage was a term used to describe the triangular route of trade that brought Africans to the Americas and rum and sugar cane to Europe. It was synonymous with pain and suffering.
To conclude, the smell of rotten bodies thrown overboard lured sharks to the ships route. European countries participating in the slave trade accumulated tremendous wealth and global power from the capturing and selling of Africans into slavery. Originally, slaves were sold to the Portuguese and Spanish colonies in South and Central Americas to work on sugar cane plantations. The middle passage was one of the most terrible destinations... or routes... to American slavery.
While Harriet Tubman was a famous slavery "escape expert" my report will not be about Harriet. In my book she is one of the most honorable women in all of history. This will be mostly about the underground railroad.
ReplyDeleteAfter Tubman escaped, She felt she owed something to the other slaves: freedom. Most people think that the slaves were only sent to the northern free states, right? Wrong. Some slaves were taken so far north that they were even out of the United States of America! Where is this northern paradise? Canada... tee hee.
As we already know, being a slave was pretty darn dangerous. The slave owners had bounties on your head! This means he would pay someone to capture his runaway slave and return him. If Harriet Tubman had added up all of her escapees bounties,she would have made over 40,000 dollars. And yes, that's a lot of money.
The great thing about Ms. Tubman to me is that while she could have racked up all of this spare change, she didn't!! She simply (really not simple at all) led many many slaves to freedom Making almost TWENTY trips of a couple hundred miles!! Pretty impressive eh?
Vanessa ,
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to hear that you are concerned of the reputation of our country. These are deplorable! i totally agree! To think that a country founded upon the Word of God would participate astounds me. I view slavery as stealing because of it's loss of freedom to the slave and his/her family. So good essay.
Jake,
ReplyDeleteI think the name sojourner truth is probably one of the coolest names ever. As name, it even kind of works as a description. I know i would like to be a sojourner OF truth. Someone who boldly speaks the truth. And thats what they did. the fought against slavery.
biggin, the underground railroad did involve a series of safe houses but that is not all it was. It involved other operations such as sneaking slaves across state lines into freedom. And it was not exactly “any number of ways American slaves and the people that were for freedom used to help them escape before and during the American Civil War.” It was a series of people and houses and things they did to sneak slaves. And you need to be clear what the antecedent is when you use a pronoun. For example you said “She was beaten so hard that she suffered damage to her skull.” But you weren’t clear who “she” was. Was it Harriet or the slave she was supposed to tie? But don’t get me wrong, you did have a pretty good essay.
ReplyDeleteVanessa, I agree slavery was wrong and was a horrible thing, and I don’t mean to downplay it, but there was a corner of it that wasn’t so bad. While many slaves were beaten and mistreated, many slave owners treated their slaves well and gave them decent lives. And if you remember we read a poem in English class written by a slave who was thankful she was brought to America from Africa because it gave her a chance to hear about God and his grace and love that she would not have otherwise known. Again, I’m not trying to downplay the issue and I agree it was a horrible thing, but there was a corner of it that wasn’t so bad.
ReplyDeleteHannah your essay on Harriet Jacobs was very good. There is one part of her story that stood out to me the most..."Out of desperation Harriet escaped and lived in a small space above her grandmother’s storage room for seven years. Many of these years were spent with limited sunlight, little air, and hardly any room to move." That to me is incredible; what slaves were willing to do for their freedom. Seven years? Wow. I don't think I could do it.
ReplyDeleteVery good essay.
Jarred..
ReplyDeleteWe all know and discuss how slaves were treated in the US, how they "lived" and died, the conditions they were in etc. But I personally don't ever really think about the way they got here. It wasn't like some nice man asked them if they wanted to go for a boat ride, and then he tricked them into slavery. You did an incredible job of describing just how horrific the conditions of the African American slaves' transportation really was; it wasn't a joy ride, and you pointed that out.
Jessica,
ReplyDeleteI like your essay;) What did I tell you? See they aren’t the same. You did put in something I forgot though. Harriet escaped to the north and was employed by a lady who ended up buying her freedom.
Everyone,
ReplyDeleteI think that everyone should watch the movie ROOTS. It helped me to understand just how horrible the slave trade, and life for that matter, really were. If you do watch it you might want to ask your parents first, they might not want you to. I will warn you though, its forever long!
If I could give you a brief overview of the movie I would, but its one of those things that you have to watch yourself.
Pretty much everybody pointed out some excellent things about why slavery was immoral. Even some people made some nice points on how slavery gave people advantages like a Christian environment and education. Those are things often overlooked when talking about slavery. Though there are few perques, (however you spell that word) there were some. However, the pros are highly ournumbered cons.
ReplyDeleteAh, not enough words, so I'll try once again...
ReplyDeleteCharity,
Wonderful essay on the underground railroad. It was full of heartfelt sentiment and incredible insight. I also admired the literary voice used. Highly educational. You managed to fit great facts like the "Follow the Drinking Gourd"; Harriet Tubman (who knew she helped her parents escape to freedom and equality?), and the history of the name "The Underground Railroad." Always wondered that.
And that's all I've got to say.
I chose to right my essay on the Underground Railroad and how it was a gateway to freedom. It wasn’t a railroad it was a link of houses and passageways ( some underground) to the North and ultimately to freedom. You see when the slaves got to the North (Compromise of 1850 (Henry Clay)) slave-catchers could come across state borders top retrieve slaves. But sometimes they would get the wrong person and that didn’t matter because the papers that said he was a free man would “disappear” when he was caught.
ReplyDeleteThe Underground Railroad did not have one specific destination instead they had multiple stops , such as:
• Abandoned mine shafts and walkways
• Tunnels built by pirates or smugglers
• Covered wagons or carts with false bottoms
• Hidden compartments of cupboards, floors, and closets.
And sometimes an “agent” would go to the South and gather up a group of slaves and show them the way to the North and ultimately Canada. But then the slaves would travel on their own till they got to another safe house which would be marked by a lantern on a post of in a window. But some slave-catchers caught onto this and (re)captured some of the slaves.
Here are some of the terms they used on the Underground Railroad:
• Conductor : People who helped runaways escape to freedom
• Agent : someone who planned an escape route for a runaway
• Baggage: runaway slaves
• Brakeman: a person who helped contact runaways
• Bypass: an escape route that had been changed because the original route had been discovered
• Freedom line: the route of travel for a runaway
• Load of potatoes: a group of runaways hidden under hay bales, food, etc.
• Sanctuary: a safe place
• Station master: someone in charge of a safe house
These names/terms where very important to the Railroad because they used these along with quilts and songs to communicate with each other so they would reach their destination safely.
Vanessa I completely agree with you and I have heard horror stories about the ships and I'm thinking why would you do that to a fellow human being no matter what their color. And have you watched the movie Amazing Grace? Though it is about Englands fight against slavery it's still valid.
ReplyDeleteWhan the slave buisness was booming in the South the made the places thet they put the slaves around a foot tall and as wide as the ship and they stacked one on top of the other so below the deck theis would be 6 to 8 of these one on top of the other. And if you vomitted or did your buisness it would stay with you till you got to the USA. And they would kill themselves ( not the best topic but true) and if they couldn't do it themselves they would have the person next to them assist them. Did I mention that the body would stay in there and detiriate the whole trip. Most of the slaves that where caoptured in Africa didn't even make it because they suffocated, comitted suicide or died of sickness because of the living conditions. And this is the part you don't learn in 5th grade history.
I liked yours, Jarred. You explained the significance of the Middle Passage well. That is definitely a part of slavery we overlook. We usually only think of how rough they had it in the states, while the trip to America by sea was brutal. I’ve never really thought about how many died on the trip from Africa to America. 25 million is a huge estimation. The Middle Passage really was a horrific part of slavery.
ReplyDeleteEmily, I have heard of the story of Uncle TOm's Cabin and I watched the mpvie a comple of years ago. It's a tragic story of a black slave and from what I remember he was a sweetheart. And his owner required some debt and could pay it back and was sold or taken to pay the money back. And in the end he's cruelly beaten and he dies never seeing his wife and children again. I was mortified and the man that owned him in the south (the one that killed him) AAAAAAhhh!!!! he was horrid I wanted to shoot the television when he was on screen.
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ReplyDeleteEmily, i liked and enjoyed your post. Slavery is a very bad thing, and I strongly disagree with people owning other people. Slaves must have went through some pretty horrible things. I think Josiah was a very strong and cool person, and you made some very cool points in your essay.
ReplyDeleteI liked your essay, Jaykob. Fredrick Douglass (or Johnson) was a very awesoome person. He did a lot of very cool things, and I think a lot of people can learn from him. I think Fredrick Douglass was very cool.
ReplyDeleteCamden, I enjoyed reading your post. I thought that it was cool that he was a Methodist preacher and had that much freedom as a slave and even got paid, I didn't know that even happened back then. Although it is sad that his master ripped him off, it's gratifying knowing that in the end, he did get his freedom and was an inspiration to others.
ReplyDeleteCommenting on Xalo's post, and Anna's comment on that post:
ReplyDeleteI think both of these are great points. Slavery was wrong, yes. And I constantly listen to rather poorly informed/ignorant individuals ranting endlessly on the evils of slavery and how all the slaves should've been released. Guys where would they go? To work in factories in the North? Where they would work for pennies a day, and make about half what is necessary to feed and cloth yourself? Imagine breaking your back working 6 days a week, 12 hours a day, and not only knowing that it wasn't going to get any easier, but knowing that eventually your body was going to break down and you would be left unemployed and with no way to feed yourself, let alone your family. The thought is sickening, but that was going on just a few miles north of the Missouri line back in the mid 1800s. There were two evils, and I for one cannot distinguish a significant differentiation between the two. They're both basically slavery.
Case in point, there isn't always a right and wrong. And history, or life for that matter, isn't always as clear-cut and simple as people would have us believe.
cool post, Sam. I had never heard of the Election Day thing before. It is an intersring and unique topic. I think yor essay was very informatiive and well written
ReplyDeleteAnna, I thought those accounts from ex-slaves was a really cool read. We hear all the time about what happened in slavery and how bad it was, but not often do you here it from the slaves themselves. Interesting and painful at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading Ziabeth's post. I didn't know they went to the extent to using code-words, even though now that I think about it I suppose it would be necessary. After reading their post, I can picture life as a runaway much more clearly. It would definitely be a nerve-wracking ordeal..
ReplyDeleteRyan excellent point that ms. Harriet could have made a hefty amount of cash off of the slaves she helped into the north. It shows that she cared for others more than her self and that a human life has no price on it (Corny sorry)
ReplyDeleteI liked your post about the underground railroad, Charity. It was a solid topic, and I learned a thing or two from reading it. The underground railroad was an important part of slavery in the 1800's. well done.
ReplyDeleteKezia I enjoyed reading your very informative comment on how the underground railroad worked. (I was kind of wondering how got the bullets in your post though let me know please) I kind of imagined the underground railroad as under ground paths but its mostly overland routes.
ReplyDeleteRoberto, I really enjoyed reading your response. Harriet Tubman has always been one of my favorite historical characters but I didn’t know half of that stuff. I never heard her called the “Moses” of the slaves, but it makes perfect sense. And that story of her freeing her family was just amazing. Very tricky. I also didn’t know she worked with abolitionists, I thought she did all of her freeing alone. Very good essay man.
ReplyDeleteJarred, You did a great job on describing the middle passage. I agree with you that it is a terrible, gruesome trip. I had no idea that almost 25 to 30 million Africans died, I just knew it was a lot. The trip across the Atlantic was very exhausting and draining. I also never thought of the fact that the dead bodies drove sharks towards the ships. I couldn’t imagine being the one to keep people packed that uncomfortably, let alone throw them overboard.
ReplyDeleteEmily, you are so right. I feel awful when I complain about little things that don’t really matter when u look at the big picture. The men, women and children that were in the bondage of slavery endured so much more than we can even imagine going through ourselves.
ReplyDeleteAnd I didn’t know that was how Uncle Tom’s cabin was inspired, it’s very interesting. It seems like the slaves who won their freedom had a better idea of the “American Dream” than the Americans did then. They worked for their freedom and worked to better themselves and others while working to achieve their dreams.
Jarred. I remember when Mr. Mcguire had our whole class sit in outline of that tiny “boat” he had duck-taped to the floor to illustrate the conditions the Middle Passage would have been like. We were so crammed in there, and imagine having other people above you and below you. It’s horrible what they had to go through.
ReplyDeleteMorgan, i agree with you that the slaves did have it very hard. The more south you went the harder the work got. People were taking from there family and would never see each other ever again. If they didn't work, they would be beaten severely, even to death. They were forbidden to ever read, write, or have any freedom at all. I fully agree with the North about abolishing slavery completely. I could not imagine the pain of getting beaten, or watching some one that you know get beaten, knowing that you couldn't do anything to stop it, or you too would get beaten.
ReplyDeleteVanessa I agree with you on everything. It is so horrible that our country would take innocent people and make them work in horrible conditions by force. It was also very unbelievable that in Africa, there kings would sell there own people to American and European people as slaves in return for guns, food and many other things.
ReplyDeleteI liked what Zia Beth said. She gave some terms that contributed to traditional sayings that we have today. Slaves escaped through secret routes that would go from one stop to another. After slave owners figured out how slaves knew which house to go to. The y would set up a decoy and capture their slaves. Slaves would use many things to escape. They used wagons, abounded mine shafts, tunnels, and many other things. Many slaves did escape through the Underground Railroad, but some were caught and were forced to bear extreme punishment.
ReplyDeleteI loved what Jarred said. The middle passage was very harsh and cruel. Some even decided to jump overboard and drown. Many often died and became terrible ill. They were kept on the lowest deck and in the tightest spaces. They were feed as least as possible. Women were often rapped. It was a horrible and malicious journey
ReplyDeletejon man i think that slavery is something we as americans just try to pretend never happened. its sad it took us this long to relize what a human life was worth. and there is still people today who still dont relize that just because they are a different color dont mean that they aint human. we dont just see that with slavery but also with abortion. there too they are trying to limit the life of a human.
ReplyDeletesami think that what u said about the slaves being able to vote really shows us how far we came. it really helps us understand the past about slavery.
ReplyDeleteEmily, I really liked the story that you wrote about and the points that you made about it. I can't imagine being put through everything he and so many others were put through. Being completely uprooted three times and then to be promised your freedom in return for the money of your work, only to have those hopes shattered by continually raising the price of freedom. That would have to be the most discouraging thing that a human could go through.
ReplyDeleteYou also did a great job of pointing out how we should do our chores, schoolwork, and any other job we may have to do with cheer. That's not exactly easy but when you really think about everything that those slaves had to go through simply because of the color of their skin, it makes the things we have to do look almost like a privilege.
Stotts, I really appreciate the fact that you mentioned how the "Underground Railroad" got its title. I had never understood that because it was neither underground or a railroad. It's partially my fault for never asking anybody but it really has always confused me a bit.
David, your essay was awesome. How you tied together Anna Weems and other slaves that didn’t make it to freedom was excellent. I also get frustrated thinking of how America treated slaves. It definitely is a stain in our past. It drives me crazy that slave owners didn’t understand that slaves were created equal with them. Abortion is the major evil in this country as of now. I hope it will disappear soon (it probably won’t, though). As it is, future generations might look on abortion as a stain of America in their past.
ReplyDeleteAnna, I agree that it just makes you sad and mad at the same time to think about what the slaves had to go through. I can not even imagine being treated as they were. And I liked how you wrote about different slaves stories who eventually bought their way out of slavery. There is just something about actually hearing peoples stories that puts in into perspective of how they felt.
ReplyDeleteMadyson, I really liked your essay and how you started it with a very realistic story. And I also like how you said at the end that it shows that even the greatest country on earth isn't perfect. Thankfully they eventually realized slavery was wrong and they put an end to it.
ReplyDeleteJon, I really liked the fact that you went in a different direction than most people did. It's cool that you pointed out that the African people enslaved each other. That's something most people forget about; this evil was widly practiced.
ReplyDeleteJosh, I love the story of Fredrick Douglass. I think it's really interesting how he overcame so much and realized that all people should be equal man and woman. I think once someone has suffered it's easier for them to relate to other (maybe not as obviously) oppressed people. I think its awesome that he saw that women needed rights just as much as men, and I agree with that one hundred percent!
ReplyDeleteI report is on Frederick Douglass. He was a slave and from a early age learned to read and write. He worked in the Baltimore shipyards and was beaten a multiple occasions by his owners and but the shipyard workers. One day he decided to escape and make a run for the north. He dressed up like a sailor and successfully made his way to the north.
ReplyDeleteNow in Bedford, Massachusetts, he married Anna Murrey in 1838. And even with his skills with manual labor he found i difficult to find work in New York. HE then found his way to public speaking.
Hey was first introduced to the anti-slavery media but the newspaper the "Liberator". From here he met William Lloyd Garrison(the newspaper editor) and he gave a speech to a society meeting. The listeners were very impressed with this. From his speeches about anti-slavery he went to the women rights as they were not allowed to vote.
During the election of 1860 he was a supporter of Abraham Lincoln. And shortly after Lincoln election and the Civil War breaking out he continued to press for anti-slavery, but the moved to allowing blacks to serve in the military. in 1863 the emancipation proclamation gave blacks in rebel states freedom and northern blacks the right ot fight in the Union army.
After the was he was given a job in Washington overseeing the judicial system. He then died in 1882 from long term illness.
Morgan, I agree with what you said about how the salves were treated, it was extremely wrong. And how the North saw what was happening in the south and tried to remove this cruel system. The south saw this as wrong and thought that slaves were just a part of life and was normal and essential to the economy. and I with what you said about the underground railroad to set slaves free from the harsh treatment.
ReplyDeleteAlex, I liked how you stated how slavery changed over the years. It really did before the Civil War slaves were beaten, cruelly treated, worked to death by the owners and and other southern white individuals. But during the civil how a lot of that slowed down just because most southerners were out fighting.(It really wasn't worth the lives of 600,000 people but it happen none the less.)
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