The document I chose to analyze as a primary source is Six Months in The West Indies by Henry Nelson Coleridge. This is a small journal published in 1825 that follows Henry N. Coleridge’s trips around the West Indies with his uncle, William Hart Coleridge who is a bishop of Barbados. While on his trip throughout the isles, Coleridge not only comments on the local governments and ecosystems but the treatment of slaves and the institution of slavery as well. His viewpoints are in no way abolitionist, but he does appear to have a vein of sympathy for slaves of the West Indies. Many of his viewpoints are on how society and slave owners in the West Indies could better the lives of their slaves, none of them abolition, but for instance he suggests that “one of the most effectual ways for bettering the slaves would be thorough and humanizing education of the masters themselves (p.54).” While this argument, I feel, is not uncommon of a well-educated, English, relative of a high ranking religious official during this time period, I find it interesting to compare Coleridge’s accounts of slavery throughout the West Indies with that of an actual slave, Mary Prince, in the same region. Mary Prince was a slave in the Caribbean, who was bought and sold to multiple owners, on multiple isles, eventually gaining her freedom in Britain in 1828. This secondary source, The History of Mary Prince, was transcribed by Suzanna Strickland and edited by the abolitionist who took her in, Thomas Pringle
Douglass got his passion to promote freedom for all slaves after he escaped from slavery and ultimately had an end goal to “abolish slavery in all its forms and aspects, and promote the moral and intellectual improvement of the coloured people and hasten the day of freedom to the three million of enslaved fellow countrymen”. He also wrote several autobiographies describing his experiences as a slave. One of the autobiographies in particular, ‘Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave’ published in 1845 was a best-selling and was extremely influential for promoting the cause of abolition. The narrative shows a compelling argument to basic human rights thus making it extremely influential as the narrative clearly possesses features and linguistic skills, which for most white people, negated their common perception of black people being illiterate in the 19th century.
In reviewing the book American Slavery, American Freedom, historian and author Edmund S. Morgan provides a chronological approach to the growth of slavery in North America. Morgan starts his journey with the first settlements in Virginia and continues until the start of the American Revolution. Morgan gives explanation of how ideals of freedom and English sense of superiority came to be a major stepping stone for independence and racism. Morgan’s question of how a country that proclaims liberty, equality and religious virtue can at the same time foster the opposing ideals of slavery and subjugation is the underlying question throughout the book. Morgan puts the critical issue on display, broken down into four areas or books, to guide our understanding of colonial Virginia, the development of slavery, and the link between racism and equality.
In time, as a person becomes aware of the defying events in history on how North America came to be, it can be difficult to agree with much that took place. The realization that for the Spaniards to colonize, meant for them to empower over Natives, taking away their culture, faith, land, and lives, is difficult to grasps. Bartoleme de Las Casas's, "Brief Account in The Devastation of the Indies," is just one aspect that can be read upon as a source to these types of accounts towards the Natives of the Americas. De Las Casas urged in his writing in 1542, that the Spaniards actions of greed and empowerment towards the natives, evaporated their whole population.
The brutality that slaves endured form their masters and from the institution of slavery caused slaves to be denied their god given rights. In the "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass," Douglass has the ability to show the psychological battle between the white slave holders and their black slaves, which is shown by Douglass' own intellectual struggles against his white slave holders. I will focus my attention on how education allowed Douglass to understand how slavery was wrong, and how the Americans saw the blacks as not equal, and only suitable for slave work. I will also contrast how Douglass' view was very similar to that of the women in antebellum America, and the role that Christianity played in his life as a slave and then
In a Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave written by himself, the author argues that no one can be enslaved if he or she has the ability to read, write, and think. Douglass supports his claim by first providing details of his attempts to earn an education, and secondly by explaining the conversion of a single slaveholder. The author’s purpose is to reveal the evils of slavery to the wider public in order to gain support for the abolition of his terrifying practice. Based on the purpose of writing the book and the graphic detail of his stories, Douglass is writing to influence people of higher power, such as abolitionists, to abolish the appalling reality of slavery; developing a sympathetic relationship with the
The African Voices of the Atlantic Slave Trade by Anna C. Bailey takes a rather interesting approach into the history of the Atlantic slave trade. Bailey took a personal journey, and was determined to break the silence. Of course with that being said it would prove to be a difficult quest since so many of these people are shamed about slavery, and the discussion of slavery is a taboo topic in its own ways. It was time to break the silence. Through out the book she explores diverse groups, of distinct people who all share the prevalent history of slavery. Her central theme in unveiling the past is through oral stories. Bailey makes it known in the first chapter that most texts written about the slave trade primarily focus on the Europeans perspective, which is what sets her book apart. Bailey herself residing in Jamaica takes an intimate standpoint to slavery, herself being of African slave descent, and knowing very limited details about her extensive family history. “What is clear from my family history is that more is known about the relatively recent past than is known about the period when my family members were undoubtedly slaves) . Through the obstacles and difficulties Bailey was able to succeed, and gave those affected a voice. Her approach will be examined, and the strengths and weaknesses in her approach will be brought to light.
The book Abina and The Important Men a graphic history written by Trevor R. Getz and Liz Clarke examined the social issue of what was defined as a slave in these colonies that were supposed to be abolitionist territory. What makes this book so informative and interesting to study is the fact that Abina who was considered someone who was not important had her voice and standpoint recorded and gave us a perspective that is almost non-existent in current literature about how she believed she was a slave in a colony that made slavery illegal. After reading this graphic history I would argue that in the eyes of the British, who believed they were civilizing these local tribes, this was indeed slavery but it was not an issue important enough to
The Abolitionists and the Pro-Slavery population of the United States each took the story of Toussaint Louverture and tried to use it to further their cause. The Pro-Slavery South often told of the story of the horrific Haitian Revolution. It told of vengeful African slaves committing unspeakable acts of violence against innocent and defenseless white men, women, and children. The pro-slavery press documented the horrors of Saint Domingue at great length. “Upwards of one hundred thousand savage people, habituated to the barbarities of Africa, avail themselves of the silence and obscurity of the night, and fall on the peaceful and unsuspicious planter, like so many famished tigers thirsting for human blood.”1 Bryan Edwards, a chief antagonist of slavery to British Parliament, wrote multiple narratives that provided the text for images of the revolution that would haunt generations of American slaveowners.
of slaves seemed to be a distinctive feature of West Indian life for slaves in the 18th and 19th century. Sandra Paquet argues that ’social and religious prohibitions surrounding sexually explicit material in nineteenth century Britain and legal liabilities attached to the publication of such tracts placed further constraints on Mary Prince’s individual voice.’ Thomas Pringle being part of the Evangelical movement was fully aware that middle aged white Christian housewives would not want to read about sexual abuse as this would have been distasteful and black slave women already had a reputation for being sexually promiscuous so this would have discredited Prince as a witness. That said, Mary carefully gives details of incidents that have
Mary Prince was a slave in the West Indies in the early 1800s. In her book, The History of Mary Prince: A West Indian Slave, she talks about her life as a slave, and the treatment she received from the different families she lived with. This paper focuses on the cruel treatment of Mary by her slave owners, specifically the Inghams, Mr. D- and his wife, and the Woods.
Richard Ligon was from England and moved to Barbados in 1647. There, he lived amongst slaves, servants, and planters for approximately ten years. He witnessed many forms of slavery and paid close attention to how the different slave groups were being treated, in comparison to one another. In his article, he compares the living conditions of the slaves to the servants. Ligon also discusses what their motives and methods of resistance to their master’s authority are. In his work, it is also evident that cultural adaptations were made between the European and African inhabitants of Barbados. He demonstrates this by going into detail about how the slaves expressed their African culture through their music, religion, and recreation.
The History of Mary Prince was a seminal work of the nineteenth century, which today remains an important historical device. Mary Prince’s story is not unique, but the circumstances and context surrounding her novel are. Defying contemporary standards and beliefs, The History of Mary Prince demonstrates the atrocities of slavery, but also a distinctive and deliberate political message. The History of Mary Prince is not only important for its demonstration of human suffering and the legal history it documents, but it also offers insight into the British abolition movement. Twofold, it remains an important text through both its straightforward portrayal of facts and experience as well as its underlying careful manipulation of political and moral themes. The History of Mary Prince served as an influential abolitionist piece of writing, but furthermore can incite multiple layers of interpretation and analysis of the abolition movement.
This viewpoint was well chronicled by Don Pedro Irisarri of nearby San Juan, who wrote the Informe communicating instructions to Puerto Rico’s representative in the Cádiz about the Saint-Domingue uprising. Based on the history of racial division and subjugation in the Caribbean it is not surprising that Irisarri does not sympathize with the former slaves but instead notes that “just as it would be impossible to change their color from black to white it would be less possible that their corrupt and vicious hearts be innocent during their captivity.” The lesson Irissari drew from the Revolution was that the slaves’ success was due to their “numerical superiority.” Thus, he suggests a more careful use of slavery, not its abolition. This same reaction was held by whites around the Caribbean. Superficially, the Revolution strengthened slavery
This week in English, I learned about Mary Rowlandson’s “The Soveraignity of Goodness of God, Together with the Faithfulness of His Promises Displayed; Being a Narrative of The Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson” and the full text of Aphra Behn’s “Orooko, or The Royal Slave.” I also learned about racial differences juxtaposed with the sexes and slavery. Though women are seen as subordinate and oppressed during those days, it all changed when they imported free labor to build their economy as a new country. When their became a new class of people, who were considered property, the English settlers gained even more power than they could have expected. It was considered a sign of wealth if you had many slaves and could afford
The evolution of Caribbean Literature started centuries before the Europeans graced these shores and continues to develop today. Quite noticeably, it developed in a manner which transcended all language barriers and cultures. Today the languages of the Caribbean are rooted in that of the colonial powers - France, Britain, Spain and Holland - whose historical encounters are quite evident throughout the region. The cosmopolitan nature of the region's language and cultural diversity develop from the mixture of European languages with Native American languages (mainly the Caribs and Arawaks) in the formation of creoles and local patois (hybrid languages) and those of Africans brought to the Caribbean as