The Ideals Of Freedom And Independence

The Declaration of Independence was a greatly influential piece of what can be viewed as propaganda. It brought to light many issues concerning the colonists at the time. However, the issue of slavery was not addressed. But at this time, slavery was still present. The reason for the neglect of addressing this topic in the famous document is debated, but can be observed deeply.

There has been many historians and theorists who have tackled colonial slavery. One of them is Ira Berlin whose book Many Thousands Gone is his take on slavery diversity in American history and how slavery is at the epicenter of economic production, amongst other things. He separates the book into three generations: charter, plantation and revolutionary, across four geographic areas: Chesapeake, New England, the Lower country and the lower Mississippi valley. In this paper, I will discuss the differences between the charter and plantation generations, the changes in work and living conditions, resistance, free blacks and changes in manumission.

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.

Let us start with the introduction of this book: “Freedom, Slavery, and the Legacy of the American Revolution”, in which Levine wrote, “It altered the internal structure of American society more profoundly than having the Revolution”. (p. 3) Levine continues

The Revolutionary War was fought on principles of liberty, freedom, and justice for all - but when the dust had settled, and the Constitution finally agreed upon, the American people still owned slaves. The right to own other people was a cornerstone of American culture, and a major driver of its economy - it was unlikely to simple go away. Ironically, patriots would use a great deal of anti-slavery rhetoric to illustrate their struggle against the British, but in the aftermath of revolution, it became clear that “all men” did not include black men. Slavery, as it is properly understood, is a terrible institution that relies on oppression. Oftentimes, it used brutality and torture to keep productivity high. Such an oppressive system invites

1776, which was written by Thomas Jefferson, and it states the principles on which our government, and our identity as Americans, are based.In the Declaration of Independence, it shows four important ideals that were mention in the Declaration.Of these four ideals that were expressed in the declaration,

The freedom of America’s slaves has always been accredited to Abraham Lincoln, but he was not always the complete abolitionist as he is commonly portrayed. The “house divided”, as Lincoln depicts it in his famous ‘House Divided’ speech, of the United States during the Civil War, was not always lead towards the freedom of all mankind, and there is sufficient evidence to support this claim. The sixteenth president is most commonly remembered for inducing the courage and determination to end the Civil War, with the Emancipation Proclamation, although when it more closely studied he did not cross the great divide of enslavement vs. freedom with the submittal of that fabled document. When following the many famous quotes and speeches of Lincoln’s life, it appears that he was against all slavery and bondage. At the same time, when more closely examined, the quotes and speeches actually leaned towards his lack of strong opinion on the outcome of slavery. Lincoln is perceived as the most famous revolutionary of American history, but he does not live up to his legacy of being the eradicator of forced servitude.

In the United States, there has been many cases of Racial injustice. From the beginning of the start of the United States of America it was the injustice to the Native Americans being captured and used for slave labor while their bison be slaughtered for sportsmanship. But this paper is on the specific race of the African Americans. There are many races that have been racially profiled and ostracized by the English people. But the treatment that African Americans have endured even till this day is disheartening. African Americans have gone through enslavement during the early 1600’s to the mid 1800’s. Then the African Americans were obstructed by the Jim Crow laws creating the ‘Separate but Equal” propaganda during the late 1800’s into the 1960’s. After the abolishment of the Jim Crow Laws, people were considered equal until the recent actions of many police officers using deadly force on African American youths in the early 2000’s.

In the nineteenth century, slavery was a huge problem between several colonies. While some thought it was needed to thrive as a country, others didn’t see the importance. The southern colonies argued that slavery was needed to support the country as a whole, providing a stable economic environment and resources that would benefit the people of those colonies. Many Southern proslavery supporters used legal, religious, and economic arguments to convince others that slavery had several benefits and should not be withdrawn from the country.    

“Earlier in the century, the legal difference between a slave and a servant was unclear. But now the law began to make sharp distinctions between the two—largely on the basis of race...” This quote clearly shows a shift in the legal definition of a slave to specifically the black race, making the black race synonymous with slavery and inferiority. Although unintentional on part of the upper class, these laws enculturated racism into colonial life, creating a class rift between whites and blacks. However, the incorporation of prejudice and racism developed only after the slave trade was established.

From the time of the colonial period to the early national period, hardships came about because of differing opinions and views on peoples’ rights. Slavery was a major issue for African Americans along with issues involving equality, race, and liberty. Slavery mainly arose because of the high demand for crops and goods as the world evolved. In the articles by Morgan, Breen and Innes, Holton, Levy, and Rothman the issues dealing with slavery, liberty, and equality are discussed. The main issue over the course of time dealt with the American paradox and how slavery made such an impact on society.

American Slavery - American Freedom: The Ordeal of Colonial Virginia, written by Edmund Morgan is an exceptionally referenced and researched work encapsulating the American political and sociological structures of the early days of colonial reality through the mid eighteenth century. The focus of this book is to answer an ideological challenge posed by a paradox created through the changing political climate and the incorporation of slavery. Morgan says simply, “[How could] a people [develop] the dedication to human liberty and dignity exhibited by the leaders of the American Revolution and at the same time have developed and maintained a system of labor that denied human liberty and dignity every hour of the day?” Morgan provides neither defense nor support for this structure but instead offers a detailed historical analysis of the times, describing step-by-step the complex issues as they happened

Yet aside from the conflicts that eventually led to war, one must remember that the early 1770’s was also a time in which a single event ignited series of events that would eventually playout in start of American civil war, a few decades later. Slavery, itself, was an ultimate evil, an immoral antiquated impediment of humankind’s overall progress in world towards a better future. It is clear with Nash’s evidence regarding the measures taken by the colonists to “end the practice of slavery for the sake of liberty” that alongside the war of Independence, the abolition movement in which took root . From the signing of the declaration of the independence to the battle of New York, the outcome of the revolutionary war would be obvious, a young nation would be forged out of the fires of war yet certain elements of the revolution would endure the passing

Americans initially grasped servitude in the seventeenth century in what history specialists have called a "careless choice." At the season of the American Revolution, it appeared to be conceivable that what came to be known as the exceptional establishment may cease to exist. However, the spread of subjection into the rich grounds of the lower South implanted bondage all the more profoundly into the fabric of American culture, creating financial and political premiums and social and ideological responsibilities. At last, intense slaveholders added to a positive barrier of servitude as the establishment for a predominant development. They requested that the foundation be ensured and permitted to grow. At last, those requests demonstrated unsuitable

American’s who live in the 21st century know that slavery is terrible and also a touchy subject. But Americans used to rely heavily on slavery, how we perceive slavery in today’s society can either be the same or different from how others thought of slavery living within mid 1800s. People who resided in the northern region of American found slavery wrong as we do today. Americans who lived farther south however liked, and relied on slavery. In today’s world, we Americans almost all agree that slavery had been a negative factor of our country. But within the 1840s and 1870s, Americans had been divided by slavery. People that were against slavery created the union as the pro slavery citizens created the confederates. Today, we can see why people of the mid 19th century either supported slavery or rebelled against it by reviewing sources.