Abstract Slavery has been of significant importance in American history. During the antebellum period (1812 to 1864), slavery supported the economy of the United States, dominated politics, and eventually led to the war between the North and South. The paper shows that even after the Civil War, the legacy left behind by slavery continued to influence American history, from the Reconstruction era of the 1860s and 1870s to the struggle for civil rights during the 20th century.
From the Paper "Slavery did not become as vital and profitable to the western Virginia economy, and this led many to believe that slavery actually harmed the economy and discouraged immigrants from settling in the region (West pg). Henry Ruffner and other abolitionists based their beliefs on economic and political ramifications rather than moral arguments."
Abstract This paper reviews and discusses the role of plantation wives and black slave women in the Antebellum south and examines various literary works written on this subject. The paper concludes by saying that the 1850s saw the end of slavery and Southern women produced novels describing plantation life in idyllic terms, obliquely responding to the abolitionists' critique of slave law.
From the Paper "Despite the available sexual buffet the white male plantation owners have with their wives and female slaves, the "grin-and-bear-it" attitude of the plantation wives continues since outside the home abode the oldest profession was available to satisfy the variety needs of the alpha male. In Delfino and Gillespie Neither Lady nor Slave: Working Women of the Old South (2002), they acknowledged that there were "women who were 'unacknowledged professionals,' focusing on three lines of work that were open to women in the antebellum South. Two of these, at least, were viable options for women long before the market revolution: prostitution and convent life. E. Susan Barber argues that earlier historians, beholden to cultural narratives that denied interracial sex and exalted the sexual purity of white women, largely ignored the evidence of sexual commerce in the antebellum South. As she reveals in her exhaustive analysis of census records from Richmond, prostitution thrived in the city and could be particularly lucrative for women who owned brothels. (Delfino and Gillespie, 2002)" This clearly points out the supreme dominance of men in the area of sexual prowess because the availability of prostitution catered not only to the working man but all men in the strata of the society. "
Abstract The paper explains that the image of the Antebellum South being dominated by large slave-driven plantations is wrong. Only 25% of Southern families owned slaves, and half of those who did own slaves owned four or fewer. The author points out that there were Southern abolitionists, promoted by many prominent leaders of the time, including Virginia Governor John Floyd, who wished for a law that would gradually abolish slavery in Virginia. The paper relates that this era of conflict serves as a backdrop for the three works, each relating to slavery in the Antebellum period. The three works reviewed are "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave" (Frederick Douglass), "Huckleberry Finn" (Mark Twain), and "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (Harriet Beecher Stowe).
From the Paper "During the Antebellum Period, the American South was an agrarian and chivalric society, built on the sweat and toil of African American slaves. This was in stark contrast to the industrialization occurring in the Northern states. This Old South ?was a land of Cavaliers and Cotton Fields (? with) the last ever to be seen of Knights and their Ladies Fair? . It is this sentimental, nostalgic view that is often thought of when one thinks of the Antebellum Period. Yet, despite the images of grand plantations with their sweeping staircases, and people speaking with soft, Southern drawls, the reality of an entire race of people brutally used as nothing more than livestock cannot be ignored."
Abstract This paper introduces, discusses and analyzes slavery in antebellum America. Specifically, it expands on the experiences and challenges of the early "slave Muslims" in antebellum America. It also assesses the impact of the Ahmadi movement in America. The author explores how the movement differs from other Sunni immigrant movements.
From the Paper "Much has been written about the slave experience in the South, from the brutal beatings to the long, tedious working hours, shacks for homes, and little free time to worship or rest. Muslim slaves suffered even more because of their beliefs. Historian Smith continues, "Unfortunately for those who would have wished to practice their Muslim faith during the harsh circumstances of slavery in America, their Christian overlords rarely permitted it" (Smith 77). The pressure was so great on many Muslims that they capitulated and became Christians just to appease their owners and make their lives just a bit easier to bear. Smith notes, "While most of these black Africans did indeed become Christian, documents indicate that at least a few managed to maintain their Islamic faith, continuing as practicing Muslims until the early part of this century. Generally, they had to maintain their practice in secret" (Smith 77)."
Abstract This paper examines the Jacksonian Democrats, who saw themselves as the guardians of the United States Constitution, political democracy, individual liberties and equality of economic opportunity. The paper describes how they destroyed aristocracy in American during the antebellum period.
From the Paper "During antebellum America, the Jacksonian Democrats were created. This was a group that viewed themselves as protectors of the common people. A powerful executive whose goal was to destroy aristocracy in America, Andrew Jackson, ruled the Jacksonian Democrats. (Schlesinger)
Strangely, this group was not made up of the common people. The Jacksonian Democrats were a wealthy group that supported equality between white men, enacted radical economic policies, and disregarded any capabilities of the federal government. Many say that the group was not the introducers of democracy in America but rather users of the system for their own benefit."
Tags: indian, native, american, antebellum, equality, democracy, tariff, south, north
Abstract This in-depth paper discusses the rise to power of Governor Joseph E. Brown of Georgia during the Antebellum Period (1840-1860) in American History. It argues that Brown's rise was based on his support for states' rights, his common man roots and popularity. The paper describes that his power was a championship of the common Georgian causes, slavery, and a division within the Democratic Party. It equates Brown's success with the fact that he was a true Georgian and never dealt with national politics. The paper concludes that Brown used his power as Governor to lead Georgia out of the Union, when most Georgians wanted to remain in the Union.
Table of Contents:
State Senator Joseph E. Brown and His Common Man Roots: 1849-1851
The Georgia Democratic State Convention of 1857
Governor Joseph E. Brown and the March to War: 1857-1860
The Election of Lincoln and the Georgia Convention on Secession: 1860-1861
The Georgian Joseph E. Brown: Conclusions
Bibliography
From the Paper "A defining moment in American history was the cannon shot that could be heard across the country. At 4:30 in the morning on April 12, 1861, Confederate General Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard (b. 1818 ? d. 1893), under the orders of Confederate President Jefferson Davis (b. 1808 ? d. 1889), opened fire on the besieged Fort Sumter in the Charleston, South Carolina, harbor, starting the American Civil War (1861-1865). The following day, Georgia Governor Joseph Emerson Brown (b. 1821 ? d. 1894) received a telegram from the newly appointed Confederate Secretary of War, Leroy P. Walker (b. 1817 ? d. 1884), informing Brown of the events in South Carolina. Walker wrote, ?I must beg you at once without more delay to furnish my requisition for troops of March 9th. . . I trust you will concur with me in the opinion that the emergency of the case demands instant action.? As Governor Brown read this letter he must have felt apprehensive. On the previous January 19th, using his power and popularity, Brown had lead Georgia out of the Union during a state convention, but now the first shots of a rebellion had been fired. This Southern Rebellion would surely lead to the creation of an independent Confederated States of America. At this point Brown must choose between the protection of Georgia and the protection of the newly born Confederate States of America. Brown quickly began writing his response to Secretary Walker."
Abstract This paper describes the historical and biographical context in which Stanton was able to emerge as a public figure. The paper focuses on Stanton's boyhood and early years in the Ohio Valley, as well as his early associations with the abolitionist movement in the antebellum period. The author points out that Stanton had bouts of depression and obsessive-compulsive behavior, which is a significant because of his tendentious, bombastic and moralistic behavior that marked his later professional life.
From the Paper "The principal personal characteristics about Stanton that emerge from an examination of his early life are his careerist ambition and his conviction about and confidence in his ability to accurately analyze contingent situations and to exploit such situations with energy, screened by expressions of a sense of moral mission, positioning himself favorably with respect to them. That out of these characteristics grew a series of personal career accomplishments, personal behavior that could be interpreted as psychologically obsessive and controlling, and a sense of moral entitlement to privilege and unconditional positive regard by his peers (whatever he may thought of them) may be inferred from the course of events in his life that preceded his appointment to Lincoln's cabinet as Secretary of War. Sandburg describes Stanton as a "nervous, asthmatic, strong man of many contradictions"."
An examination of three documents from the Antebellum era (1820 to the beginning of the Civil War in 1865), which present the social, as well as legal, perspective that slavery was beneficial.
Abstract This paper summarizes three documents, which explain the social and political feelings of this era. It shows that the first is an article by a prominent doctor, Dr. Samuel Cartwright, entitled, "Diseases and Peculiarities of the Negro Race". It was his purpose to validate the ownership of slaves as a means of providing shelter and industry to a race handicapped to such a degree that it could not prosper on its own. It then explains that the second document is the opinion of Justice Taney in the "Dred Scott v. Sanford" case of 1857. Here, it is legally determined that blacks of the pre-Civil War era do not have the rights of an American citizen. Finally, it discusses the third document, which is a speech presented to the United States Senate on March 4, 1858, by James Henry Hammond, wherein he argues that the black race is a slave race through natural law. All of these documents were written in the belief that slavery was a legitimate social institution based on the inferiority of the black race.
From the Paper "The Southern plantation system was socially and economically dependent on slave labor to continue. The chattel slave was owned and had absolutely no rights, including the right to life, that was not controlled by the owner. The plantation owners did not consider slave labor to be 'free' inasmuch as the care and upkeep of the slaves was their responsibility.
In the 1840's a physician, Samuel Cartwright, created a psychiatric diagnosis called "drapetomania? that was specific to slaves - most notably found among freed slaves. The disorder was characterized by "a partial insensibility of the skin, and so great a hebetude of the intellectual faculties, as to be like a person half asleep, that is with difficulty aroused and kept awake. It differs from every other species of mental disease, as it is accompanied with physical signs or lesions of the body discoverable to the medical observer, which are always present and sufficient to account for the symptoms" (Internet source). The diagnosis is, of course, specific to the times. It was a way that the institute of slavery could be rationalized - by 'blaming the victim' - for the natural reactions to an unnatural situation."
Abstract This paper analyzes the book "Andrew Jackson vs. Henry Clay: Democracy and Development in Antebellum America" written by Harry Watson that focuses on the author's decision to largely ignore the issue of slavery.
From the Paper "Harry L Watson's book Andrew Jackson vs Henry Clay Democracy and Development in Antebellum America is an exploration of the two politicians who embodied American culture at the beginning of the nineteenth century The books thesis at heart is that this ..."
Tags: andrew jackson, henry clay, slavery, politics, history
Abstract The paper maintains that although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 legally ended discrimination of African-Americans, it did little to alleviate the attitude that continues to be an integral part of the racial landscape of America. The paper examines Stanley Elkins' "Slavery: A Problem in American Institutional and Intellectual Life" where he developed a stereotype that represented the composite effects of slavery on the African-American in the antebellum period. Elkins presents the slave as submissive, loyal and happy to serve his white masters. This differs significantly from the image presented by Albert J. Raboteau in his work "Slave Religion: The "Invisible Institution"", which presents the slave as belonging to a society that is rich in power that exists beyond the reach of white masters. The paper explains that the ideas of Elkins and Raboteau are seemingly contradictory but when one takes these two works in context, the slave could be described as the discreet zealot, the ultimate passive resistor.
From the Paper "The effects of slavery are still a part of the American mindset, whether one wishes to admit it or not. We, as a society, like to point to events such as the Equal Rights Movement of the early 1960s as evidence that the effects of slavery are no longer a part of our society. However, even though the Civil Rights Act of 1964 legally ended discrimination of African Americans, it did little to alleviate the attitude that continues to be an integral part of the racial landscape of America. Stanley Elkins attached this subject in his 1959 work, "Slavery: A Problem in American Institutional and Intellectual Life." In this work Elkin developed a stereotype that represented the composite effects of slavery on the African American in the antebellum period. His hypothesis surrounded the idea that these effects can still be seen in society today."
Abstract This paper introduces, discusses and analyzes the book "Celia, A Slave: A True Story of Violence and Retribution in Antebellum Missouri," written by Melton A. McLauren. Specifically, it discusses whether race or gender played more of a role in shaping Celia's relationships with those around her. The paper also describes the historical context in which the story is set.
From the Paper "In conclusion, the relationships in Celia's life were varied and based on different factors. For the men in the Newsom household, she was a desirable woman, so her gender was the prominent factor in the relationship. For the sisters, she was a cook and servant, and made their lives easier, so her race was the most important aspect of the brief relationship she had with them. Had gender been an issue with the women, they would have supported her pleas to intervene on her behalf with their father. However, they turned their backs on a fellow woman and left Celia to deal with the matter on her own. If they had reacted more as women and less as slaveholders, the circumstances and outcome might have been vastly different."
Abstract This paper explains that race political issues, between pre-Civil War times in the US and now, have become even more exacerbated and divisive and have left the country even more splintered, with one group pitted against another. The author points out that one key difference between then and now is that the antebellum racial discordance focused mainly on "black versus white"; whereas, today there are more minority groups. The paper relates that the roots of the many lingering challenges African-Americans face today can be traced not only to the original wording of the United States Constitution but also to early, strictly enforced laws against literacy for slaves and to historical disagreements among leading black educators themselves.
From the Paper "In the 1850's, Justice Roger B. Taney of the United States Supreme Court, in his celebrated Dred Scott decision, argued that the foundation of the American state had not included the Negro as a participating element, or as beneficiary of its privileges . Justice Taney's argument was in essence overruled by the events of the Civil War itself; since then blacks have been considered, legally and morally at least, equal American citizens. However, educational equality for blacks, due in part, perhaps, to the subjective, often subtle, even unconscious nature of racial discrimination itself ..."
Abstract The paper examines "Born in Bondage: Growing Up Enslaved in the Antebellum South" that looks at the lives of children under the height of Southern slavery and how they were essentially considered economic assets. The paper contends that Schwartz fails to fully explore the emotional attachment slave owners developed toward slave children, and the lengths the slave community would go to in order to safeguard the children. The paper asserts that by expanding on these two key issues, Schwartz could have provided a more holistic overview of what it was like to live as a slave child.
Outline:
Introduction
Schwartz and the Lives of Slave Children
Owners and Slave Children
Slaves as Lobbyists
Conclusion
From the Paper "In Born in Bondage: Growing Up Enslaved in the Antebellum South, Marie Jenkins Schwartz offers a look at the typical life of a slave child, from fetal development through early adulthood (Schwartz, 2000). Schwartz uses a variety of tools, such as testimony from former slaves and slave owners, to construct a detailed account of how primarily economic factors influenced how slave children were raised. In the process of developing this argument, Schwartz offers an intriguing glimpse at two lines of inquiry that are not fully developed in her work. By focusing too heavily on the economic nature of the relationship between slave children, their owners, and the slave community, Schwartz fails to appreciate the emotional attachment some owners developed with the children, and the role slave community activism played in the children's upbringing."
Abstract This paper explores the movement towards abolition in Britain prior to the U.S. civil war. It compares the movement to that in the U.S. and the specific factors that brought upon the end to slavery in Britain.
From the paper:
"Abolition in Britain did not arise as a movement merely out of the goodness of people's hearts but was rather the result of a number of complex forces. Abolition became a popular cause in part because of other reforms that were occurring in British society and politics at the time and in part because it was no longer economically advantageous to Britain ? as well as because it was to many morally repugnant."
An examination of the novel "Dessa Rose", by Sherley Anne Williams which explores the complexity of a white woman's relationship with a black slave woman.
Abstract The paper focuses on the experience of motherhood as felt by a white and a black woman in Antebellum South of 1830s. The two women develop a bond as they begin to understand each other's views on different things including motherhood. These women are able to connect to each other when they become mothers and realize that no matter how different was the color of their skin, they feel the same way about their children.
From the Paper "The novel is based on two real events that took place in 1829 South. Since slavery had still been a norm and the Civil War had not taken place, the novel relates the experiences of one pregnant slave woman who was sentenced to death for starting an uprising. Dessa Rose whose real name 3was Odessa but since she was a slave woman, the real name was of no consequence and everyone called her Dessa. She was certainly a strong bold woman who was courageous enough to stand for the rights of other slaves. Elizabeth Ruth on the other hand is a white female who is abandoned by her husband and lives on a farm in North Carolina. The significance of this character also finds its roots in actual history as she was known for providing sanctuary to slaves."
