Film Analysis: Roots of Resistance a Story of the Underground Railroad In the movie Roots of Resistance a Story of the Underground Railroad, the filmmaker makes some very strong points. He made the movie in a way that portrays his specific opinion and views on the Underground Railroad. If a viewer didn't know what the movie was about they may have guessed it would have been a very different kind of movie based on the title. After watching the movie in its entirety you realize that the movie was made to generate a very different view on the Underground Railroad. In this movie the idea behind the Underground Railroad is that it was solely in the control of the slaves. From other sources (elementary and high school text books) we grow up …show more content…
Ancestors can only tell of what they've been told, and sometimes it isn't the whole story or the truth. But there are no records of the Underground Railroad and so estimates from ancestors and historians are all that can be contrived to come up with an idea of what really happened on and away from the plantations. Religion played a rather small but significant role in the slave community. The film talked of how slaves would gather on Sunday's in the woods where they would have secret religious meetings. They would pray, sing songs and create an uplifting attitude that would give them hope and often encourage them to make it through another day. Slave owners were uneasy at the idea of these meetings. They saw these meetings as chances for slaves to congregate and plan to escape. They also didn't like the bible being taught to slaves because they were afraid that the bible might encourage slaves to realize they were being oppressed and inspire them to revolt. In David Walker's Appeal he talks of precisely what the slave owners where fearful of. He discusses how slaves are treated far worse than any other people in history, how no where in the bible before has anyone ever been treated and thought of as not apart of the human race and he even tells slaves "Never make an attempt to gain our freedom or natural right, from under our cruel oppressor, and murderers, until you see your way clear [6]--when that hour arrives and you move, be not afraid or
During the years of slavery in America, slave associations were of great concern to slave owners. Many members of white society saw Black religious meetings as a threat to white existence. Despite this, slaves relied heavily on the churches, as they offered a kind of therapy for them, and as the slaves retained their faith in God, they found protection within their churches. Although the slaves practiced their religion, the white community did not always accept the slaves as Christians. An unknown slave said, “The white folks would come in when the colored people would have prayer meeting, and whip every one of them. Most of them thought that when colored people were praying it was against them.” The Church has long been the center of Black communities, and it has established itself as a great source of religious enrichment and secular development for African
This leads to a major issue within the slave community. Slaves possess little knowledge of life outside the plantation or house in which they are working at. This means they have no idea how humans are supposed to be treated, and rather that a “god” would never allow for another to be beaten in such severity. This is an advantage that the slave owners held over the actual slaves. If the slaves were to gain an understanding of the world around them, the “religious” quotes recited by slave owners would quickly lose their worth and soon mean nothing as well as hold no influence over the slaves. Frederick Douglas was fortunate enough to understand this, and even addressed the issue in his life story, “What I have said respecting and against religion, I mean strictly to apply to the slaveholding religion of this land, and with no possible reference to Christianity proper; for, between the Christianity of this land, and the Christianity of Christ, I recognize the widest possible difference- so wide, that to receive the one as good, pure, and holy is of necessity to reject the other as bad, corrupt, and wicked(71).” Douglas understands that the Christianity practiced by the slave owners was far different from the Christianity intended by Jesus Christ. As Douglas referred to it, the “Slaveholding religion” was prominent throughout the slavery era, not only was this damaging for the slaves,
Christianity was new to most slaves who had been abducted from their native country and taken to the Americas. Some were hesitant to abandon their old traditions for the Christ their white captors taught of, but after several generations of slavery, most black slaves had succumbed to relentless preaching. However, the Christianity that took hold within the slave community was often interpreted differently, conveying different messages to pockets of slave population. The use of Christianity in slavery was a double edged sword, creating not only a tool for control, but a weapon of discontent in slave communities. Examining the works of Richard Allen and the stories of Nat Turner, create a narrative of how Christianity was applied differently to slaves.
According to Webster, Religion can be defined as an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods. Personally, I can relate to the role religion plays in the further mistreatment of the slaves, because religion still plays a crucial role in current bigotry. Moreover, the theme of religion and how it causes issues of discrimination as seen in Frederick Douglass’s Narrative of Life shows similarities with role religion currently plays in discrimination cases. Frederick Douglass was
When slavery had become societal, Christianity was the preeminent religion in America. Frederick Douglass is recognized as an implausible abolitionist. He has worked incredibly hard to abolish slavery and everything it stood for. He portrays the ways religion and its literature had a repugnant effect on slavery and the slave owners. Christianity had more of a jaundiced effect on the slave owners than it did unmitigated. Throughout the novel we find that Frederick’s friends were all religious and swayed Douglass toward Christianity. He often references religion in the novel to explain that the slave owners who are Christian, are more vicious than the ones who aren’t, nevertheless, Douglass is on the edge to find out if there really is a God; if there is, Frederick wants an answer as to why He lets slavery go on.
One of the unfortunate truths of slavery is that these people were seen as property like they were cattle. Many of the male slave owners would have forced relationships with their young female slaves, and this way they would have children. This occurred so often that they installed a law stating that, the child should follow the condition of the mother. Douglass was born a slave, fathered by a white man. During this time he was taught the Christian way (how ironic considering adultery is considered a sin). Religion was used as a way to keep slaves, “He that knoweth his master’s will, and doeth it not, shall be beaten with many stripes,”(1041).
The system of slave occurred in South instead of North mostly because of the planation economy in the South. To support the slavery system, slavery holders used religions belief to explain their misdeed. For instance, Mr. Tanner read Bible to his slaves, and emphasized the sentence that “servant which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes” (128). He used Bible to back up the idea that slaves have to obey their masters, or they would face severe punishment. In fact, there is nothing wrong with the Bible or Christianity. However, because of the slavery system, religions have been used in wrong way that violate human’s right. When southerners believed the righteous of slavery, they would keep digging authoritative sources in order to protect it. With time went by, slavery penetrated in people’s mind and no one step forward to doubt it. In Northup’s point of view, the wrong idea of slavery were more like a culture influence in the South rather than the choice of individual southerners. Just as what he wrote in the
In the Slave Culture “slaves never abandoned their desire for freedom or their determination to resist total white control over their lives” (Foner, 2012). The way they survived their grim days was by taking comfort in family, music, dance and religion. Many slave men and slave women would marry and name their children after family members, such as a grandmother, grandfather, uncle, aunt or cousin. Also there were strong religious beliefs amongst the slaves. Every Sunday they would attend church. “Usually the preacher was a “self-called” slave who possessed little or no formal education but whose rhetorical abilities and familiarity with the Bible made him one of the most respected members of the slave community” (Foner, 2012).
“If we wish to be free, if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending, if we mean not basely to abandon the noble
Slavery varied around the world, especially in different cultures. What started in Jamestown, Virginia in 1619 left a lasting impression on the United States of America and most certainty African-Americans for many years. Even after 246 years of being ‘free’, African-Americans still endured oppression. Slavery in the United States was about power and control for slave masters. Slave masters used religion – Christianity – to oppress their slaves. There were laws purposely put in place to limit their slaves from feeling ‘equal’ to their slave masters, or any white counterpart. Despite the hurdles of being prohibited to read, write or even be taught, the slaves found ways to seek the same religion that their slave masters tried to use against them and turn it around. Slaves didn’t give up the desire to learn how to read and write in order to read the Bible. Slave owners feared the idea of slaves’ rebellion against their slave masters. Slaves risked their lives whenever they went to participate in ‘hush harbors’ and ‘invisible institutions.’ Slaves found hope in the ‘Christianity of Christ’ instead of the ‘Christianity of the land.’ All slaves didn’t convert to Christianity, but instead kept their African and Islam beliefs. Many consider Christianity a white man’s religion, however the African immigrants combined their religions traditions with worship through hymns and songs. Many slaves spoke about and against the experiences they endured from their ‘Christian’ slave masters. Even doubted the God of the Bible because of their experiences. Douglass and Walker questioned the religion of the slave masters because of the acts they committed against ‘God’s people.’ Slaves looked to Christianity – especially the story of Exodus – for hope through the
The role that religion played in the institution of slavery primarily manifested itself in two forms on the plantations in the south. The first is the way that slave owners or white ministers taught Christianity to the slaves themselves. They were adamant to the slaves that they "obey [their] masters'. Do not steal or lie, for this is very wrong… and is base ingratitude to your kind masters, who feed, clothe and protect you...." To disobey your master would be the equivalent of disobeying the Lord. The movie 12 years a Slave clearly shows this train of thought when one of the slave masters threatens “150 lashes” to any who disobey and concludes with “That’s scripture”. The Christians of the south typically believed that black people were
In the movie, 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northern, there were a lot of controversial topics involving slavery and religion. I, as well as many others, had many different feelings about the different topics. I felt disgusted, sad, ashamed, and pitiful.
I believe it is better to do what pleases the real you before doing what would please a hypothetical other. Subsequently, the act of resistance that I most identify with out of the novels we have read is in Alif the Unseen, with the choice of Dina to reject what she is “supposed” to do, and dress as she pleases. Her decision to wear the Niqab as an expression of her devotion to sainthood, despite the fact that it would make her worth less to others is a powerful one. Unlike Intisar, who veiled herself elaborately as a mark of high class, Dina chose to do so to resist her expected role as the “bare-faced, underpaid ornament to someone’s office or nursery,” and create for herself a world that she finds beautiful (30). This relates to my life in how I reject the obligation to always dress in a way that is expected of my gender, and instead present myself in a way that pleases me, even if to others it may make me less valuable.
State and then explain two important learnings for novice evaluators based on the description of the
Organizations are made to change by both internal and external forces. Resistance is inevitable but can be resolved by planning. I will discuss the possible resistances that may occur from the changes in our sales process. This will be a planned process. I will take you through the necessary steps to effectively manage the resistance to the change in the organizations structure and culture. I will then cover in detail the resistance that will most likely happen in our company to this change in our sales process.