Anti Slavery In America Essay

No individual should have to bear the chains of slavery. Because to hold someone physically and mentally captive is not only wrong, it’s a deprivation of our natural born right to freedom. In 1845, a southerner, George Fitzhugh writes a pamphlet called Slavery Justified, portraying slavery as beneficial to all. The article ‘‘Logical Fallacies’’ by Maggie Escalas, Julie Freia, and Carrie Jean Schroeder, destroys the validity of Fitzhugh’s claims. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is the compelling evidence to why Fitzhugh’s arguments are false, given that Douglass recounts his harsh experience as a slave.

Within the novel, slavery is presented in a negative viewpoint by Thoreau, and although he does not directly state his views on abolition he expresses to the reader the idea that slavery is harmful to an individual. He specifically says, “worst of all when you are the slave-driver of yourself”(Thoreau 3). This means that when an individual thinks of themselves with a negative mindset, they are only a slave to themselves, which is not a beneficial attribute to contain. Moreover, if an individual is a “slave-driver” of themselves, they will only be held down and unable to live a simple, free life, the type of life Thoreau promoted. Also, he does address the topic of slavery referring to, “the gross but somewhat foreign form of servitude called Negro Slavery”(Thoreau 3).

Once you look at the religion, the declaration of independence and from the way slaves are treated you will see that slavery is the greatest form of injustice placed upon people of another race. The first reason to show that slavery is evil is religion. It was immoral. How could one look at God and ask for his blessings when later they would return to the plantations to force their slaves to work through the long and hot hours. Southerners

He wants the people to realize just how hypocritical they are in what they proclaim compared to what they actually do. He does this when he says, “The existence of slavery in this country brands your republicanism as a sham, your humanity as a base pretence, and your Christianity as a lie.” Frederick Douglass exposes the evils of slavery by giving the people a slave’s perspective of their Fourth of July. He explains that Fourth of July is just another day to a slave, where he is reminded that he is a victim of abuse and inequality. He also discusses how slavery even damages society by saying it is the enemy of improvement/progress. He does this when he states, “It is the enemy of improvement, the deadly foe of education; it fosters pride; it promotes vice; it shelters crime.” Frederick Douglass has hope that slavery will soon end because the world is becoming united/closer to one another.

The Evaluation of What Is Wrong with Slavery In the paper what is wrong with slavery, R.M. Hare argues that, according to utilitarianism, slavery is evil and should be abolished in every society. He discusses the definition of slavery, and after that shows imaginary cases to illustrate his ideas. However, does his argument make a cogent case? Is there any exceptions to his argument?

Can slave narratives change everyone’s perspective on slavery? Of course not. Are either of these arguments that Northup provides going to change everyone’s mind? Probably not. If slave narratives can’t convince racist people and slave owners that what they’re doing is wrong, then is there validity in writing slave narratives?

In 1619, when slavery began in America, slaves were used as a force of labor to build and work on the new land. Unfortunately, slavery continued on for the next three centuries in the United States. Today, people view slavery as an inhumane and cruel way of treating people, but back then many people saw nothing wrong with the holding of slaves. For the most part, slavery was morally and ethically wrong since the enslavement of people was terrible. In general, slavery is unfitting because Thomas Jefferson once said “...that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights...” (Declaration of Independence).

The first reason to why they were free is from Document B, which states that there were Black Codes in the South that were limiting their freedom by limiting where they can go and by limiting their protection. This doesn’t support freedom, because it’s restricting them from doing what they want to do and are forcing them to do something else. Another reason is from the hurtful things that have been seen by Henry Adams. The second reason to why they are not free is from Document C, which state the hurtful and abusive things that the blacks still are going through even though they are free. The whites are still abusing their superior power against the blacks.

The important catalyst came into being to shape the Americans. At this level, the fate of British colonies unleashed a heated debate about the political representation that was often enclosed in disfranchisement and the vote. The commitment of the revolutionaries to the equality and freedom led to the growing unease over the slave trade legitimacy. This was also visible in the way Americans pursue their patriotic cause. Benjamin Rush said that it would be useless for us to denounce the parliament servitude to reduce the citizens while continuing to keep fellow humans in slavery because of their different

People in the North believed that slavery was inherently evil and inhumane, but the South disagreed, believing that slaves were property and leaving all possible work on the plantations, up to them. This then led to the great Abolitionists Movement as many people started to view slavery as evil thanks to people such as Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and Harriet Beecher Stowe. The next cause of the war was the new expansion throughout the U.S. This caused new states to have to choose between the Union and Confederacy, which only caused for hate and strive between the two. Another conflict was Bleeding Kansas.

In Lincoln 's inaugural speech he said "This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing Government, they can exercise their 'constitutional ' right of amending it or they are 'revolutionary ' right to dismember or overthrow it"(Abraham Lincoln 's First Inaugural Address). The 12th of April 1861, the Civil War began. There were many conflicts between the two sides. Many believe it was a fight for the rights and freedom of slaves, so what was the main cause of the Civil War was the issue of states rights and the preservation of the Union than rather than the issue of slavery.

Slaves were forbidden to learn how to read and write because slave owners wanted to keep slaves ignorant and dependent upon them. Likewise slave owners thought that educating the slaves would harm the system of slavery. For instance laws were created in several states illegally forbidding slaves to learn to read and write. I believe slave owners took such a hard stance on educating slave because they felt that slaves would start to want more (i.e. freedom) and that education of slaves would be what ended slavery.