Slavery In The South Analysis

Many people dream of being able to live the American Dream and sadly, many people fall in the wrong hands and get cheated on a fake American dream. Although, America is always advertised as “The Land of the Free” slavery is still going on and no one seems to be aware of it or concerned about it. Kevin Bales and Ron Soodalter talk about slavery in The United States, in their article, Slavery In The Land of the Free. In this article, Bales and Soodalter talk about how slavery is still happening in the country, but in many different ways. Bales and Soodalter use stories, statics, and comparisons of every slavery case there is in America. However, most of the stories they told were about Hispanics being in slaved, and did not really include stories of other races

Solomon Northup and Frederick Douglass, both living in the South during the eighteen hundreds, were just two of the countless black people that experienced the many horrors of slavery. Although the two of them did not share the exact same story, they lived very similar and dreadful lives as slaves. Solomon and Fredrick where both assigned physically brutal work, they both had their freedom and identity taken from them, and they were also both leaders in their community.

In 1928 Ulrich B. Phillips wrote an argumentative essay about the reasons for the massive support that slavery received from both slaveowners and Southerners who didn’t possess slaves. The essay was well-received and supported by critics in the 1930-s. However, closer to 1950-s critics started doubting the objectivity of Phillip’s writing. It’s important to note that Ulrich B. Phillips is a white historian from the South, writing from a perspective of a white Southerner. When he was writing his article he failed to step back from his bias and provide fully objective support for the main theme of his argument, setting a doubt to the reliability of his work.

Solomon Northup was an American abolitionist and the primary author of the memoir Twelve Years a Slave. Solomon was the son of an

Solomon Northup woke up every morning and was perfectly content with his life just the way it was; living everyday life as a free man, a free black man at that. His optimistic view on life kept the spring in his step, along with his family and the love for his career. The streets of Saratoga, New York was where Solomon could be found roaming in the time of the Antebellum Era. Unfortunately, in this certain time in history, if an African-American had freedom, they were not going to have it for long. As slavery was beginning to break out, South imprisonment spread like wildfire. For the North it was a different story and actually took a little bit longer to make an appearance. For Solomon, it would only be a matter of time before someone

A Story that is sad and sickening in its own way, The way Solomon had been treated and sold into slavery was terrifying the first time you read through it. As I talk about Solomon's life in slavery, The underground railroad, and the Civil War, this is a short essay on the horrors of what people have gone through before.

Solomon Northup was an African American, born a free man, who lived in Saratoga Springs, New York with his wife Anne Hampton and their three children. Northup was a skilled violinist and farmer who was seeking employment in the spring of 1841; one night he met two men at a saloon, who both identified themselves to be affiliated with a circus, and they convinced him to accompany them on a journey to New York to perform with his superb violin skills on their traveling music show. They persuaded him by offering a very generous wage of “one dollar for each day’s services, and three dollars in addition for every night [he] played at their performances” (2). Originally he was only going to New York but he was persuaded to travel further to Washington D.C. – a state where slavery was legal. On route to Washington D.C. he was drugged by the two men (identified as Breach and Hamilton) who subsequently sold him into slavery at an auction in New Orleans. This was common for many “free” African Americans; predominantly males for their ability to be harder working in the fields. Often times the “Negros” would be kidnapped or lured away from their home with offers too good to be true and upon their capture they would be drugged, beaten and bonded to be sold into slavery; much like Solomon Northup. A great majority of the time their case would be hopeless if they tried to prove they were “free men” and they would be beaten for even mentioning the word “free”.

When seven states that were initially part of the United States declared that they were seceding from the union, the American civil war became inevitable to save the union. The seven states declared they had formed the "confederacy", but the Northern States refused to accept the secession and the civil war broke out. The war would remain one of the greatest milestones in the history of the United States of America. During the time the war started, United States was grappling with many problems that ranged from slavery to nationalism (Civil War Trust, 2015). The northerners and the southerners had conflicting opinions regarding these issues sharply. This situation drove a wage between the two sides resulting in violent confrontations that eventually

So many people wanted slaves, especially in the South. They had more farms than they could handle on their own. Northern owners wanted them because they would have to do less work. Very few owners treated their slaves nicely and paid them to do work around the house. They would not be treated like family but would get treated a whole lot better than your “typical slave.” Those kinds of circumstances occurred more in the Northern states than the Southern states.

A free black man, Solomon Northup lives in Saratoga, New York and plays the violin to support his wife and two children. At the age of 33, he accepted the opportunity to play the violin in Washington with two man. Little did he know, the two man put drug in his wine and sold him into slavery. He was no longer called Solomon Northup but Platt in the world of slavery. Initially he tried to come up with plans to escape and fight back, but in the end he gave in and cooperate as he needs to survive. To survive, he must not let anyone know he can read or write as slaves are not supposed to be educated.

Before President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, claiming a human being as property was the norm—slavery was completely acceptable. As portrayed in the film 12 Years A Slave, main character Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Throughout his twelve year, heartbreaking, journey as a slave, Solomon is stripped of his name, beaten, overworked, belittled, and dehumanized. Taking a sociological view of Solomon’s experiences, can lead to a different perspective than the average person interpreting scenes from this film. This essay will concentrate on theoretical perspectives, social/cultural context, sociological concepts, and one research method.

Douglass’s narrative is a crucial piece of insight to the life of a slave. It is important because it shows how the institution of slavery can have an adverse effect on slave holders. Throughout his narrative it is predominant of the treating of slaves, this is useful to prove the effect on slave holders.

’’Harriet Tubman was struck in the head with a two lb weight’’. This show how harsh the slave owner was.’’ Harriet Tubman was lashed five times before breakfast’’. This shows how harsh the rules are.

The issues between the north and the south were mostly because of slavery. The Mason dixon line was basicly a line that separated the slave states of the south and the free states of the north. In 1820 The Mason Dixon line became a slavery issue when Missouri applied for statehood as a slave state, even though part of Missouri was north of the Mason Dixon line. When Missouri applied for statehood There were problems with Missouri's application as a slave state. Maine also applied for statehood but it was part of massachusetts.

During the 1800’s, slavery was vastly increasing in the South. Many plantation owners were growing mass quantities of cotton which had a huge effect on how many slaves they needed. Because of this, most African Americans experienced hardships and misery. Solomon Northup through “Twelve years a Slave” helps the reader understand the life of an enslaved African American. I have learned that Solomon Northup was captured as he was feeling under the weather and a man gave him an unknown pill on day. After taking the pill Northup woke up and he was chained to a wall. After this he was bought and sold for 12 years as a slave until his friend came to help. Solomon Northup had wrote about the hardships he faced as a slave in Twelve Years a Slave.