ipl-logo

Analysis Of The Sin Of Slaveholding By Samuel Sewall

1209 Words5 Pages

Slavery started in North America soon after permanent settlements were established. The first slaves arrived in Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. Slavery abolition efforts began more than a century later. Samuel Sewall was a judge, author, and merchant living in Massachusetts. In 1700, he published The Sin of Slaveholding. This document was a rebuke of slavery making him one of the earliest abolitionists in the colonies. This essay will discuss if this document should be treated as a primary source, the historical context and the main argument of the document. Samuel Sewall presents an original, firsthand account of slavery written as the events were happening, therefore, this document is a primary source. Samuel Sewall was, among other …show more content…

Twenty men and women were found guilty of witchcraft and executed. It's been suggested, though not widely accepted, that the influx of war refugees was partly responsible for the trials. In 1693, he was promoted to the Supreme Court of the Massachusetts colony. Four years later, he apologized for his involvement in the witchcraft trials. Then, in 1700, he published The Sin of Slaveholding. This makes him one of the earlier abolitionists in colonial America. The first is believed to be the Pennsylvania Quakers in 1688 (even so, Pennsylvania legalized slavery in …show more content…

This is against what God would want for us and the overall cost of slavery. As previously mentioned, how can a liberty loving people deny this same right to someone else? As we are all "the sons of Adam, are coheirs, and have equal right unto liberty, and all other outward comforts of life...." Sewall further uses religion to refute claims that slavery is allowed / acceptable in the Bible. "Originally and naturally, there is no such thing as slavery. Joseph was rightfully no more a slave to his brethren than they were to him; and they had no more authority to sell him than they had to slay him." How can we "that which God has joined together men do boldly rent asunder--men from their wives, parents from their children." Also, "what temptations masters are under to connive at the fornication of their slaves, lest they should be obliged to find them

Show More
Related

  • Samuel Sewall's Puritan Beliefs

    412 Words  | 2 Pages

    Samuel Sewall throughout his life, kept up his own journal providing insight on his Puritan beliefs. Another outlet also written by him, is The Selling of Joseph, A Memorial. In both pieces, Samuel Sewall contradicts his views on society and religion in more ways than just slavery. In The Selling of Joseph, A Memorial, Sewall attacks the foundation of the Bible by using the Bible itself.

    Read More

  • Review Of Slavery In The Cities: The South 1820-1860 By Richard C. Wade

    568 Words  | 3 Pages

    The book I decided to review is titled, “Slavery in the Cities: The South 1820-1860” by Richard C. Wade. The book is about slavery in the cities, mainly in the south. Wade also spoke about conditions of life of the slaves, the law, and the runaways. To conclude the book, he spoke about the transformation of slavery in the cities during the 19th century. Wade’s thesis was stated in the introductory paragraphs.

    Read More

  • Fredrick Douglass 'Second Great Awakening'

    555 Words  | 3 Pages

    Auld’s misinterpretation of the passage emphasizes slave owners use of religion to reinforce their power over their slaves. Christianity rationalized the concept of buying and selling human beings, and that God approved this too. In addition, Douglass used religion as a way to fuel his abolition movement. Under Master Hugh’s, Douglass began to learn how to read and write. Once

    Read More

  • The Abolition Of Slavery Dbq

    156 Words  | 1 Pages

    America was no longer a society with slaves, but especially in areas of the deep south, had become a slave society. Paternalistic value embedded in the deep south slave society culture was arguably the cherry on the cake of an unattainable compromise. Americans referred to the abolition of slavery as unconstitutional, necessary to life and permanent. This thought is expanded upon by David Wilmot as he argues, “I ask not that slavery be abolished. I demand that this Government preserve the integrity of free territory against the aggressions of slavery against its wrongful usurpations”

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass And Religion Essay

    1210 Words  | 5 Pages

    Around the time of Fredrick Douglass, there was people claiming to be Christians used the bible and their religion to justify their injustice actions against humanity. Some Slaveholders mostly abused the religion for their own means. The majority of slaveholders use their religion as a reason for abusing their slaves. These slaveholders acted as if they were God. Slavery has a long and very ancient history, but it is the Christian slaveholders who are considered to be the worst slaveholders in history.

    Read More

  • Laws That Affected Race And Freedoms In 1630

    558 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 1607, the first wave of colonial settlers arrived in Virginia and began to establish Jamestown. Many of the new settlers came from wealthy families never performing a day of manual labor. With agricultural farming, being the revenue source of the new colonial settlers there would soon be a great demand for labor. Contracts of indentures were expiring and with much devastation in England, there was a shortage of English servants.

    Read More

  • Comparing Douglas And Marx's Concept Of Property

    2073 Words  | 9 Pages

    They cannot ever be property. Douglass argues that the resolution for slavery is the responsibility of the church. He says to “let the religious press, the pulpit, the Sunday school, the conference meeting, the great ecclesiastical, missionary, Bible and tract associations of the land array their immense powers against slavery and slave-holding; and the whole system of crime and blood would be scattered to the winds; and that they do not do this involves them in the most awful responsibility of which the mind can conceive” (31). Douglass claims that religious authorities have “immense powers against slavery and slave-holding;” thus, if they decide to raise against this “system of crime and blood” the problem with slavery could be resolved. The Bible advocates for a system of liberty and equality where even person has the same rights and enjoys the same kind of freedom.

    Read More

  • Samuel Sewall Analysis

    784 Words  | 4 Pages

    Samuel Sewall was a 1600’s-1700’s puritan judge in early America. He is interesting, however, because he both adheres to and deviates from customary puritan conduct. To begin, take a look at how Samuel is an archetypal puritan. One typical trait of puritans is that in the face of misfortune, puritans would look to themselves and ask what they had done wrong to elicit a punishment from god or guidance from Jesus. Samuel exhibits this trait a number of times in his diary.

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass Hypocrisy Essay

    1049 Words  | 5 Pages

    Group Essay on Frederick Douglass “That this little book may do something toward throwing light on the American slave system”, and that Frederick Douglass does in his eponymous autobiography. Douglass throws light by dispelling the myths of the slave system, which received support from all parts of society. To dispel these myths Douglass begins to construct an argument composed around a series of rhetorical appeals and devices. Douglass illustrates that slavery is dehumanizing, corrupting, and promotes Christian hypocrisy. Using telling details, Douglass describes the dehumanizing effects of the slave system which condones the treatment of human beings as property.

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass's Arguments Against Slavery

    1080 Words  | 5 Pages

    The slaveholders stated that slavery should not be abolished because it is described in the Bible

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Slavery

    927 Words  | 4 Pages

    Religion and its relationship to slavery is a contradictive subject, whether it was forced upon slaves or was a form of hope and freedom is still commonly debated about to this day. However, these individuals were devoted Christians in the abolitionist movement who all

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass: The Abolition Of Slavery

    1216 Words  | 5 Pages

    Some have quoted the Old Testament when seeking justification of slavery where as others have quoted the New Testament as proof that slavery should be abolished. The Old Testament of the Bible appears to have passages that refer to the treatment of slaves. The Book of Leviticus treated slaves as the owner’s property and could therefore be bought and sold to others. Any property of the slaves became the property of their owner.

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass Rebunk The Myth Of Slavery

    814 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the 1700-1800’s, the use of African American slaves for backbreaking, unpaid work was at its prime. Despite the terrible conditions that slaves were forced to deal with, slave owners managed to convince themselves and others that it was not the abhorrent work it was thought to be. However, in the mid-1800’s, Northern and southern Americans were becoming more aware of the trauma that slaves were facing in the South. Soon, an abolitionist group began in protest, but still people doubted and questioned it.

    Read More

  • Was Abraham Lincoln An Abolitionist?

    369 Words  | 2 Pages

    A common controversy in American history is the fact that Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves. Many claim that he freed them with the Emancipation Proclamation but it’s more complex than that. There were many events that helped free slaves and the Emancipation was only a small portion of America’s journey to freedom and “equality”. In reality, Lincoln helped the process of freeing the slaves but, he did not do it himself. Lincoln was not an abolitionist.

    Read More

  • Essay On The Abolition Of Slavery

    2830 Words  | 12 Pages

    Slavery in the US was firstly introduced in 1619 when tobacco and crops had to be grown effectively. Such people were discriminated and forced to work under strict regulations after being insufficiently paid. This was carried out both in the 17th and 18th Century until America literally divided into two parts leading to a tremendous, violent war named the American Civil War, which

    Read More

More about Analysis Of The Sin Of Slaveholding By Samuel Sewall

Open Document