Natural Justice : The Crux Of Transcendentalism And Abolitionism

In 1830s some faithful activists like W. Garrison, Tappan brothers, T. Weld and others have made several publications advocating antislavery movement and claiming that slavery is a major sin. They give birth to the movement of abolitionism and win over many white Americans to their camp.

In The Long Emancipation: The Demise of Slavery in the United States, Berlin draws attention to various parts of anti-slavery resistance that often escape consideration. He emphasizes the efforts of African Americans themselves. Berlin brings together main ideas, events, and people who made slave emancipation in the U.S. possible and that American freedom as a complex, disputed process. The author is not focused on speeches, written arguments, and petitions against slavery but with how slaves and free blacks took steps to permanently pull apart forced servitude in the face of crushing hostility. Author Glenn David Brasher of The Peninsula Campaign and the Necessity of Emancipation: African Americans and the Fight for Freedom zooms in and focuses

Throughout history John Brown has been described as a terrorist, mentally ill, and a failure among other things. Because he stood strongly for what he believed in, and his goal was eventually achieved he can be seen for the most part as a hero. Brown was described as “an American who gave his life that millions of other Americans be free” (Chowder,6). Brown was a headstrong abolitionist who claimed that he was told by God to end slavery causing him to see himself as “a latter-day Moses” (Chowder, 6). With this, he stopped at nothing to fulfill these expectations. Brown’s heroism is displayed through how he was recounted by others during and after his lifetime, the actions though drastic he took when fighting for what he believed in, and

“He believed in freedom of mankind and he preached it, openly, bravely, at a time when such preaching meant not merely social ostracism and political opposition, but personal danger,” was how Theodore Weld was described shortly after his death in 1859. Not only is this description true, but it highlights Theodore Weld’s passion to end slavery as a bold abolitionist. His approach to ending slavery was different from other abolitionists; Weld desired to spread education rather than accusation. This resulted in people attaining a better understanding of slavery and knowing the why of how slavery is wrong and oppressive. Weld was also very capable of lecturing and is popularly known as “one of the most fearless and powerful lecturers” , while that is true, Weld accomplished many other things that were more effective than his lecturing. Such as publishing works on slavery that inspired others to participate in the abolitionist movement and he also participated in the infamous American Anti-Slavery Society(AASS), which Weld greatly improved by implementing an agency called the Seventy within the AASS. Although Theodore Weld’s lectures were very persuasive, his published works and educational approach to spreading abolitionism is more significant due to the effectiveness in advocating and influencing his belief to a wider audience, such as Harriet Stowe and creating a lasting impact by educating the young to continue the anti-slavery movement.

Thomas Gray included in “The Confessions of Nat Turner” a letter addressed to the public in which he reassured the white slave owners that the revolt was “the offspring of gloomy fanaticism” (Greenberg 42). Therefore, the reader can conclude that many passages in the confessions were entirely focused on distorting Nat Turner to fit the description of a religious fanatic rather than to give the true narrative of the slave leader. In “Blake, or, The Huts of America,” Delany challenged Gray’s portrayal of slave revolutions being the delirious byproducts of religious fanaticism by creating Henry Blake, an educated revolutionary leader who mainly used religion as a rallying tool.

The phrase “art imitates life” can be used to describe many works of literature. Authors and the stories they write are often influenced by the changing world around them along with the evolution of new perspectives and ways of thinking regarding a subject. While this may sound simply like a common literary trope, it is of great importance and significance in many genres of literature. None has this been more apparent than in both the anti-slavery and women’s empowerment movement of the early to mid-1800s. Two major influence authors in their respective subjects, Frederick Douglass and Fanny Fern, were heavily influenced by the changing societal trends of the time of which they expressed through their writing. Douglass’s speech in particular “What to a Slave is the 4th of July?” was heavily influenced by Douglass’s own personal experience as a slave as well as the rising prominence of the abolitionist movement in the United States. By referencing the contradictory nature of the Constitution relegating personal freedoms exclusively to white, property owning males, Douglass bluntly references the systematic inequalities faced by people of color in the United States. Never would the works of an African American author, especially one challenging the established institution of slavery, gain so much attention if not for the anti-slavery movement and shifting perspectives surrounding it.

In The Fires of Jubilee Nat Turner's Fierce Rebellion: Stephen Oates gives an account of the brief but deadly slave revolt in and around Southampton, Virginia. His controlling theme is that of religion and the profound influence that it had on the development of Nat Turner's charismatic persona and his rationale for engaging in a project of deliberate murder of people who had at least in the context of slavery as a given of Turner's experience, treated him quite decently. The effects of Nat Turner's rebellion were profound. The insurrection of Nat Turner was inspiration for all slaves, even if just 60 whites were killed to the 140 blacks. I am

During the 17th century, anti-slavery legislation emerged and the “abolitionist movement” began the fight to end racial discrimination. The “Underground Railroad” is an example of activism during this era, which helped slaves escape to freedom. The most active “conductor” of the system, Harriet Tubman, reportedly guided three hundred slaves to freedom. In the 1860s the Radical Republicans, hoped to use the power of the federal government to mandate legal equality for African Americans. In this time of violence and Black Codes against African Americans, the government considered racial equality to be a dangerous social experiment (Trowbridge, 2016).

After the rebellion and the death of Nat Turner, Garrison and Knapp, whom believed that Negroes had as much to the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as whites enjoyed, published the 'Liberator'; in Boston, demanding that slaves be emancipated and freed. Though it cannot be said with certainty that this was the one major event that sparked the

Throughout history, people encounter a stage in their lives where they feel the necessity to assert their independence and challenge their abilities and self-worth. In the book, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, the author shares his understanding and kinship with the main character, Chris McCandless, a young man who thrusts himself into a life of solitude and a harsh environment during his search for meaning to his life. Krakauer depicts himself and McCandless as modern day transcendentalists with an abundance of competency, resourcefulness and skills as naturalists. Although McCandless chose to experience a life of solitude and face the hazards that nature presents, his lack of preparedness prevented him from completing his endeavor successfully.

During the years leading up to the American Civil War, passionate people grab and hold attention of thousands. The issues surrounding slavery brought out strong emotions. Passionate people wrote, give speeches and acted in support of their beliefs in the face of adversity. Some well-known examples that addressed slavery and inspired others include William Lloyd Garrison publishing “The Liberator” in 1831, Eli Lovejoy dying for the cause of emancipation in 1837, John Quincy Adams arguing that the “gag rule” violated the constitutional rights of petition, even for slaves in 1837, Harriet Beecher Stowe writing Uncle Tom’s Cabin in 1853, John Brown raiding Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1855 and George Fitzhugh proclaiming in the book “Cannibals All!” that all wage workers in the

Judith Sargent Murray wrote an essay, in 1790, that would ask a question, and eventually, start an argument over the intellectual and spiritual equality of men and women. Murray asked, “Is it upon mature consideration we adopt the idea, that nature is thus partial in her distributions?” Though she was advocating for the equal rights of women, when she was writing the essay, this question can be applied to all human beings. Are there human beings who are naturally superior to others, whether it be physically, intellectually or spiritually? The thought that there are a select few individuals who are superior to others has been a driving force in American History. One example being the enslavement of African Americans. Their enslavement was essentially based on the thought that nature was partial in her distributions and that African Americans were inferior to white men, and therefore it was acceptable to treat them as property. During this time in history, the debate over slavery was a heated one, with the majority of the population having considerably extreme opinions on the issue. Many people spoke out about the immorality and inhumanity of slavery, but none had a more convincing argument, for the abolition of slavery than Frederick Douglass.

Slavery was one of the most horrific acts ever instilled on a race of people in world’s history. The history paints a truly horrific picture when blacks were stolen from their homelands, taken away from their families, enslaved and suffered from harsh punishments. The first opposition of practicing slavery in antebellum America takes its origins from the beginning of nineteenth century. The most recognizable abolitionists such as William Lloyd Garrison, George Thompson, David Walker and Frederic Douglass were the first who unfolded the antislavery debates in transnational ways. Their persistent eagerness and appeal to public opinion helped to sow seeds of abolishing slavery in America.

According to Matthew Mason’s academic journal “A Missed Opportunity? The Founding, Postcolonial Realities, And The Abolition Of Slavery,” African Americans have been enslaved in America since the early 17th century.” The first slaves were brought by the Dutch to the colony of Jamestown, Virginia to help harvest tobacco. The institution of slavery was practiced in America through the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Slavery helped to build the economic foundation of the United States. When the Emancipation Proclamation was passed by Abraham Lincoln in the year 1893 it changed the lives of over three million slaves who were reclassified as “slave” to “free.” Former slaves struggled to find their place within this new world of freedom which they had not yet known before. However, African Americans still faced problems such as discrimination, lack of opportunity, stereotyping, and mortality. Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois both confronted these issues. These two men advocated for the advancement of Black people within society, however in this essay I argue that Du Bois was more effective than Booker T. Washington because of his idea that African Americans should have the same possibility to achieve the same rights as any other race in the United States.

The United States of America is known for its claims of democracy, equality, and freedom for all of it’s citizens. These claims are the foundation of America’s independence and essentially its entire history. But “claims” are simply all they were in history. While many achieved equal democracy and freedom, the African-American population of the US was exempt from these “inalienable rights” and heavily oppressed by society. The cruelty of slavery and oppression as a whole reached its peak in the 19th century bringing upon the abolitionist movement, which eventually aided in the historic removal of slavery and the continued fight for equal right of citizenship for African-Americans. Of the many abolitionists who fought for