Biological Determinism In 19th Century America

Biological determinism, which refers to the notion that all human action can be traced back to genetic makeup, rejects the truth that human behavior can stem from both surroundings and the individual. Due to the combination of both biological determinism and slavery in 19th century America, the inaccurate societal portrayal of blacks by whites went beyond pernicious stereotyping. Through the inaccurate yet accepted notion that all blacks had negative defects out of biological reasoning, biological determinism perpetuated the entrapment of slaves, preventing honest people from living lives in self-determination. Both slaveholders and complacent whites, used biological determinism to justify their evil actions, claiming that the subservient

Woman, regardless of color, in 19th century America must be subservient to men. Jacob writes, in retelling her experiences with her master, Mr. Flint, “I found the door ajar, and I stood a moment gazing at the hateful man who claimed a right to rule me, body and soul. I entered, and tried to appear calm. I did not want him to know how my heart was bleeding.” However, due her status as a slave, Jacobs is an inferior object to her master to be ruled. Not only does Mr. Flint own her soul, as a slave, but her body, in the sense that he can rape her if he so choses. Like Jacobs, many slave women, in addition to performing their typical duties as slaves, see themselves at the brunt of sexual abuse from the onset of adolescence. Within 19th century America, it is viewed as proper to follow Christian ways, especially within relations between men and woman. Sexual abuse and any relations between a slave and master fall outside of the Christian realm, despite society claiming that slave women are “biologically determined” to be objects. Jacobs denounces slavery by brining to light the unchristian ways of biological

Republican Motherhood is the society-held goal of women in 19th century America, stating that the duty of all women is to have a clean home and raise perfect children who are ready and willing to give back to their country. However, because Jacobs is a slave, the notion of Republican Motherhood is challenged. Because children follow the status of their mother’s, Jacobs’s children are slaves. When her first child is born, Jacobs recalls, “I loved to watch his infant slumbers; but always there was a dark cloud over my enjoyment. I could never forget that he was a slave. Sometimes I wished that he might die in infancy.” (Jacobs 87) African Americans could be Republican Mothers, according to Jacobs, but their status inhibits them. Slavery is so cruel to its captors that Jacobs would rather her children to die than be slaves. Her dreams of becoming the perfect Republican Mother are shrouded by the dark chains of slavery, as her status prevents her from being the kind of mother she desires. Through an unwanted, forced rejection of Republican Motherhood due to slavery, Jacobs appeals to her audience to achieve her goal of denouncing slavery. If she were to criticize the patriarchal institutions outside of slavery, people would not be as sympathetic to the cause. This way, Jacobs is proving that freed African Americans, in a world without the institution of slavery, can add to the country in the same way