Abstract The paper discusses how examining the emergence of chattel slavery in the Caribbean and Iberian America between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries, reveals the indigenous origins of African slavery and the sinister participation in this inhuman system of European governments and their colonies in the Western Hemisphere. The paper describes how slavery emerged and developed in the New World because of the existence of black slave markets in Africa. The paper explains that by the sixteenth century, African slave traders had been supplying slaves to the Islamic world for centuries and had taken advantage of the African tribal custom of selling captives of war debtors and enemies from other tribes.
Abstract This paper is on the rise of race based on chattel slavery in the British mainland colonies of North America. What systems were used before chattel slavery?
This paper discusses that the differentiation and discrimination of women's roles vary by different religions: Traditional Christianity, Islam, Hindu and ancient African traditional religions.
Abstract This paper explains that the very issue of women's, wherein the traditional roles that were being played by women are now being discarded in favor of more equality and independence, has caused confusion and irritation in the minds of the Christians of today; Christianity in the pagan times were never treated as being more than mere chattel. The author points out that, in Islam, the subservient determination position of women is defined not by the numerous Islamic ideologies that but by the Pre-Islamic patriarchic ideologies; whereas, in India, the ancient Hindu Scriptures and the Vedas are the base for the systematic discrimination against women, which often culminates in the forced abortion of female fetuses. This paper relates that, in ancient African traditional religions, the woman is treated equally with mend; woman play an active role in all aspects of life, which is not seen in any other religion anywhere in the world.
From the Paper "The truth is that both Buddhism and Jainism were protest movements against the various unfair practices of Hinduism, especially in relation to women. However, the advent of these two religions had little or no impact on the status of women in India, and the reason for this may be that more emphasis was laid on the factor of asceticism, wherein women were expected to be severely ascetic in all their beliefs and practices. This was similar to the beliefs of the early Christian ascetics, and the teachings found in the old Essenes, and the Franciscans. Therefore, though Buddhism and Jainism opposed most of the horrible practices found in Hinduism, like for example, Sati, where a wife was actually burnt to death at the funeral pyre of her dead husband, women were still considered to be a real burden, and also a hindrance to real progress. The path to liberation was curtailed and prevented, by women, according to the belief of the Buddhist and Jain leaders. Thus, they too did not treat women as more then a burden and a hindrance, and though unfair practices were frowned upon, there were no fair practices either, within the religions, as far as women were concerned."
Tags: equality, chattel, female-infanticide, subservient, quran
Abstract Women during author Geoffrey Chaucer's time were both oppressed and sacred. Men prized women for their beauty and frailty, but treated them as chattel in the everyday course of their lives. This paper concentrates on the "Wife of Bath" and women in Chaucerian times. The "Wife of Bath" is a bawdy, outlandish woman not typical of most women in Chaucer's time, yet she is a major character in the "Canterbury Tales." The paper shows that "The Wife of Bath" illustrates the diversity in women even in Chaucer's time and gives new (and old) meaning to "do your own thing," even as she illustrates how life was so incredibly difficult for women at the time.
From the Paper "This woman who speaks her mind is amusing and alluring at the same time. Her tale is one of the longest in the book, along with being one of the most humorous, and even the most outrageous. While the Prioress shows us the piety and goodness of womanhood, the Wife of Bath shows us more the lewd, bawdy side of women. Clearly each type existed during Chaucer's time, and he relished each one for what they had to offer. However, the women of the time had a difficult life at best. Underlying the Wife of Bath's delightful tale is the real life of women in the middle ages. They worked hard; they were often treated merely as chattel, a workhorse to keep the house running. "Lies, tears and spinning are the things God gives / By nature to a woman, while she lives" (Chaucer 285). This is more true about women's lives than any of the Wife's other boasts and brags. Women did not have the options or the freedom men enjoyed, and most of them suffered dearly if they dared to speak out the way the Wife has to her fellow travelers."
Describes how Frederick Douglass used his knowledge of the Bible in his narrative to show that slaves were not only humans, but also intelligent beings, capable of feeling and reasoning.
Abstract This paper discusses how Frederick Douglass used his text "The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself", to publicize the horrors of slavery to the white Christian women of the North and to prove the humanity of those in bondage. The paper shows that not only did he strive to prove slaves were human, but that they were intelligent beings, capable of analyzing Scripture and applying it to the argument against chattel slavery.
From the Paper "Douglass? motives for addressing this reference and its interpretation run much deeper than the attempt to dispel an argument for the continuation of slavery. He is exposing the audience to a very disturbing question: If society has deemed slaves less than human, and incapable of possessing a knowledge and understanding of the Bible, how can this man, born into slavery, exhibit the ability to not only understand scripture, but also to apply it to the argument against the institution of slavery? And, if this man of dark skin has shown the ability to become educated in scripture, who is to say that his brothers, still suffering under the yoke of slavery, could not? Through this analysis of the story of Ham, Douglass begins to blur the line of distinction between African American slaves and the white, northern Christian audience, making their differences seem much less obvious than they once were perceived to be."
Tags: Story, of, Ham, African, American, slaveholders
Abstract This paper examines how the effects on human beings of being regarded as chattel, bought and sold by other human beings at the will of the owner, affected the slaves' ability to marry, establish families, and grow old together. It also examines, though a literature review, how slaves used every means within their power to maintain stable families.
From the Paper "However, some slave owners, religious, believed that slaves should also marry (Will, 1999). When formal marriages occurred, they fell into three categories: those officiated by a slave, those officiated by the slave owner, and those conducted by white clergy (Will, 1999). The slaves created a set of rituals for use by themselves, such as the tradition of the couple jumping over a broom together. A former slave from Alabama noted that the ceremonies were simple, but that the slaves took their informal vows seriously: "The ceremony wasn't much but dey stuck lots closer den and you didn't hear about so many divorces and such as that." (Will, 1999)"
Abstract The paper offers an analysis of how Harriet Jacobs, in "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl," likens slavery and oppression to the situation of patriarchal control of white men over their wives as well as their slaves. The paper quotes Jacobs' comparison to William W. Brown's "A Fugitive Slave."
From the Paper "Throughout history women of all colors have traditionally been limited by rigid roles and norms of behavior imposed by patriarchy. Marriage basically represented ownership of the wife by the husband often positing women to a position no freer than that of cattle. Women were limited in exercising freedom of expression, were dependent upon their husbands for income and often remained vulnerable to the moods of their husband."
Tags:chattel, gender, marriage, control, roles, body, freedom, human rights
Abstract The Red Tent is not theology per se; instead, it is a novel written by an award winning journalist who is an expert on Jewish life and religion. The novel demonstrates a number of the most significant concepts from feminist theology which are discussed by Mandell. The red tent refers to the place where women gathered during their various cycles of birthing, menstruation as well as illness. This paper examines how Diamant's novel is a world of patriarchy where women are chattel or the property of men.
Abstract This paper discusses how, in his evocative expose detailing the evils of the Chicago meat packing industry appositely titled "The Jungle", Upton Sinclair launches a searing indictment of wage slavery. It examines how according to Sinclair, the Beef Trust ruthlessly exploited workers, subjecting them to a grueling fate worse than chattel slaves. It looks at how he constructs his indictment of wage labor through his protagonist's rude awakening of the cruel system, his frequent analogy of workers to animals and the packing district to a grand machine, as well as by providing a litany of the unfair labor practices that kept the trusts in business.
From the Paper "In order to illustrate the miserable condition of labor in the stockyards, Sinclair often constructs parallels equating workers with animals. He addresses those who challenged the plight of workers and the cause of the unions claiming workers were trying to "restrict the productive capacity of the factories." Sinclair responds in saying that no one really understood the message of the unions; the "editors of newspapers, and statesmen, and presidents of employers' associations and universities" didn't understand that "what the unions were trying to do was to put a stop to murder." "
Abstract This paper explains that scholars, especially blacks, have attacked Washington, denouncing him as a racist, anti-black and a licentious adventurer who fathered black children by his slaves. The author points out that, initially, he treated slaves essentially as chattels, oblivious of trauma they endured; however, over the course of his lifetime, his views gradually changed. The paper reports that, in his will, he manumitted his slaves and provided for former slaves unable to support themselves, paying pensions as late as 1833. The author concludes that this act confirmed his public virtue and made him an embodiment of the ideas of popular sovereignty and liberty.
From the Paper "His leadership of the Continental Army forced Washington to confront his own attitudes towards slavery. Finding large numbers of free blacks serving in the Army, he initially dismissed these soldiers. However, when the British offered freedom to blacks who took up arms for the crown, Washington reversed himself and allowed the free blacks to reenlist and fight to keep this force from the British. Blacks were eventually some twenty percent of the Army. During the War, Washington was apparently quite an impartial commander, treating black as soldiers, and paying them full respect."
Tags: slave-holding army, public position, neutral, constitutional convention
Abstract In this essay, the writer notes that less than 100 years ago, American women enjoyed relatively few freedoms: they could not vote, they could not control money, and they were frequently treated like chattel or other property, owned by their male relatives. However, the last 100 years have seen tremendous advances in women's rights. The writer points out that, first, women have obtained significant legal advances in the past 100 years, which have led to the legal recognition of women as equals. Although women have not achieved absolute equality, these legal changes have led to significant equitable equality. The writer discusses that while these changes have impacted women of different races in different manners, the feminist movement has resulted in positive changes for all women. The writer concludes that, as a result of these changes, all American women have achieved substantial gender equality, and the changes have benefited women regardless of class or gender.
Outline:
Introduction
Body
Conclusion
From the Paper " Although women did not traditionally enjoy legal or real freedoms in America, there has been a tremendous change in women's rights in the last 100 years, and those changes have positively impacted women of all races and classes. Women have gone from being considered the property of husbands or the absolute property of slave-owners to autonomous individuals with the full range of legal rights and responsibilities. In addition, the law officially prohibits sex-based discrimination. These legal changes have led to increases in substantive equality. For example, women make up almost half of the American labor force and, though the wage gap still exists, it is slowly shrinking. In addition, American women have access to reliable contraceptives, giving them an unprecedented level of personal freedom. These changes have benefited women from all walks of life; though the feminist movement has not accomplished its goals of eliminating racism and classism, it has successfully benefited women of all races and classes. Such tremendous changes in such a relatively short period of time make total equality seem inevitable."
