Prior to reading Elizabeth Keckley’s Behind the Scenes; or, Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House, I anticipated I would be reading about a woman in slavery with an unhappy past. I did not expect her story to end in a positive way. My expectations were to read of a woman bound in slavery that wrote memoirs of her saddened life and that life would continue until the day she died. I expected her to leave the home of a master and possibly become a maid or cook in the White House. I did not envision her becoming as successful as she did, her story far exceeded my expectations. Elizabeth Keckley's narrative had a positive outcome, once she was able to buy her freedom as well as her son's. She moved North and became popular
Summary: First off I would like to thank everyone who sends their worries for Elizabeth Key’s sons. After playing the role of Key, I understand why she left a mark in history. It is not only the fact that Key was the first black slave to gain her freedom or the fact that she’s a woman and married to an Englishman, but her strong spirit and unwillingness to give into the faith the whites have planted for her. If Key and her husband had given up when the higher court appealed her petition for freedom, she would not have a lasting impression for the other slaves. The case of Elizabeth Key was not only a big deal to the slaves but to the laws in Virginia as well.
In 1854, slavery became a lifestyle in the South; farmers relied on these human beings as their sleepless servants. Mary Ann Shadd Cary wrote concerning the situation of fugitive slaves and their opportunities in the north. She used personal anecdotes and experience as a guide to help other freed or fugitive slaves. In her writing Why Establish This Paper? Mary Ann Shadd Cary utilized figurative language and meaningful correlations to persuade her audience ardently to establish the utter significance of her newspaper.
Throughout the course of American history, slavery has played an impactful role in the shaping of the United States. The abuse of slaves, the perspective of slaves as inferior, the controversy over the moral aspects of slavery, and the disagreement of slavery altogether led to uproars and unrest in America during the 19th century. Increasingly, the number of slaves who revolted against their masters grew, and concurrently, more citizens joined the abolitionists’ movement to end slavery. Due to these controversies and upheavals, the Civil War broke out. Many people played essential roles before and during the Civil War, but one woman especially stands out.
Throughout Janie’s childhood, her grandmother taught her the proper attitudes and actions of an African American woman from a noble, loveless marriage to housewife duties shaping Janie into a refined and confined woman. Her grandmother attempts to instill certain morals and values of women that Janie feels are hindering her from living a life she wants. Her grandmother wants to impart wisdom and love to Janie and her future by making sure Janie is well taken care of when and after she dies. For example, Janie’s grandmother thinks getting married without love and taking care of the house is a perfectly fine and respectable life, but Janie feels ironically imprisoned and enslaved in the house and to the man her grandmother arranged her first
Fredrick Douglass’ primary intent for writing this autobiography is to expose the horrific realities of slavery to white readers and convince them that he has humanity. In order to do so he shares events in his life that required a great amount of courage. These anecdotes of courage appeal to readers’ ethos and pathos, causing them to sympathize with Douglass and admire his unwavering courage. Therefore, in admiring his courage, white readers are able to recognize Douglass’ humanity because he refuses to become dehumanized by slavery and become his own man. One of Douglass’ most admirable form of courage is his emotional strength.
Throughout American history, many sources display the era of slavery, but little of them exhibit slavery as well as a book called, “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.” This book represents an accurate first-hand account of slavery that allows historians to analyze the era of slavery today. According to this narrative, there were many dehumanizing aspects of slavery, which include physical torture and forcing inhumane lifestyle onto slaves. Many of these scenarios of torture were demonstrated in expansive, horrific detail throughout the narrative. Although slaves were immensely dehumanized, this historical piece humanizes Frederick Douglass along with African Americans as this narrative is a marvelous piece of literary art with many
Another woman from Nashville Tennessee wrote a letter to Mr. Roosevelt asking if the money that the men get paid to be sent to the house and not given to her husband. She explains how when her husband gets paid, he spends it on whisky and comes home with pretty much nothing. She has five children and they can’t eat because their father is spending the money he makes on whiskey. Writing a letter shows that this was her last and final option to receive any help, not only for her, but also for plenty other African American women. This was her last resort and she admits if her husband knew she was writing the letter, he would kill her.
Individuals can empathize and grow from learning from the past experiences of others. The pre-civil war era in United States was a time where many humans were mistreated both psychologically and physically. Frederick Douglass’ Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave gives readers the opportunity to understand exactly how America’s history shaped modern-day social norms and behaviors. Douglass’ personal account not only positively influenced the abolitionist movement, but raised questions of morality and human rights. The story of Frederick Douglass’ life shows exactly the repercussions of humans unjustly mistreating other humans.
Douglass' story is a detailed and personal account of the horrors of slavery, while also highlighting the perseverance and determination of those who fought for freedom. The themes 6explored in this story are still relevant today, as individuals and communities struggle for equality and justice. Douglass's message that education is the key to freedom and empowerment is as relevant today as it has ever been, emphasizing the transformative power of knowledge on individuals and societies. Douglass's narrative serves as a reminder that the struggle for freedom and equality is ongoing and that education and knowledge are powerful tools in the fight against
He describes his ignorance of the cruel slave system which was hidden from him when he was still a small boy. Yet, as a victim of slavery since birth he was separated from his mother and sent to live with his grandmother in Tuckahoe, Maryland. He describes those years with his grandmother as pleasant, happy years. When Douglas was of age, he was brought to the ‘old masters’ – Col. Lloyd’s house to work. Still a child, he did not quite understand slavery completely, except that all the children were kept under the care ‘Aunt Katy’ – a highly favored slave woman.
Fredrick Douglas and Harriet Jacobs both reveal captivating accounts of their personal experiences of slavery and their fight for freedom and equality. Both speak of the immortality of the physical and mental abuse when depicting the “brutal whippings”, mental deception, as well as the heart ache of never seeing your family members. They found favor with masters who would allow them to learn to read and write and eventually freedom in the north. However, what is revealed so often, and is still very prevalent today is male privilege. The difference between male and female provides explanation not only for many of the differences of the writing styles that are shared in Douglass’s and Jacobs’s autobiographies, but also for the accounts of
From this, derives a bond with the reader that pushes their understanding of the evil nature of slavery that society deemed appropriate therefore enhancing their understanding of history. While only glossed over in most classroom settings of the twenty-first century, students often neglect the sad but true reality that the backbone of slavery, was the dehumanization of an entire race of people. To create a group of individuals known for their extreme oppression derived from slavery, required plantation owner’s of the South to constantly embedded certain values into the lives of their slaves. To talk back means to be whipped.
This fear, perhaps more than any other aspect of the institution, revealed the deeply dehumanizing horror of slavery." (p. 10). This line from the past presents empathy and an understanding of why Tubman would risk her life so many times to save hundreds of slaves. It also gives background information on slavery that is vital to the understanding of the horrors of slavery. On the downside, this organizational style allows for numerous amounts of unnecessary details to be included in the biography.
Over time, our perceptions of freedom change. Escaping a cotton field may have been considered freedom in the nineteenth century, yet it could not be done without endurance. While our perceptions of freedom change, it’s likely that our ideas about how people obtain freedom do not change much. In “A Worn Path,” Eudora Welty describes a woman’s journey along a path to freedom, and she describes the obstacles that the woman encounters along the way. That woman, Phoenix Jackson, is able to overcome these obstacles despite her old age.
Her tragedy reflects not only the sexism in the African American families in early 20th century, but also the uselessness