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1. Compare And Contrast The Transatlantic Slave Trade And The United States

1193 Words5 Pages

Catrina Marr
Engl. 650 - Spring 2018
Midterm Exam
1. Compare and contrast the transatlantic slave trade and the United States domestic slave trade

When African slave trade began in 1540 approximately ten thousand individuals were captured per year. European traders then modeled a system of slavery based off African culture (described in early chapters of Equiano's narrative) and African slave trade soon gave way to an international, transatlantic slave trade; by 1750 - nearly two hundred years later - this figure increased 10-fold. The century between 1725 to 1825 yielded the highest rates of transatlantic slave trade recorded. The U.S took a step in the right direction in 1808 by outlawing the participation of slave holders in international …show more content…

He includes scenes which inspire discussion by exposing the true inhumane practices of the institution. The film version of 12 Years a Slave showcases the sounds and sights of American slavery: the grief faced with the loss of freedom and identity, comradery in singing, labor intensive cotton picking, and the shudder-inducing sound of a whip along slaves' backs. McQueen accurately represents the ideology behind slavery which was reinforced by slave-owners' skewed interpretations of Christianity; the bible 'sanctioned' slavery, and it was a slave-owner's 'Christian duty' to preach the scriptures to the less fortunate - a precursor to Rudyard Kipling's idea of the 'White Man's Burden'. Although McQueen's cinematic replication of Northup's narrative 12 Years a Slave depicts the harshness of slavery, it forgets to include the gratitude which Northup expresses throughout his narrative. It also shies away from important plot points which emphasize the struggle and paranoia Northup dealt with as his life passed him by and freedom seemed to slip from his …show more content…

When Northup arrives at onetime master William Ford's plantation, he notes that "There never was a more kind, noble, candid, Christian man than William Ford," adding that Ford's circumstances "blinded [Ford] to the inherent wrong at the bottom of the system of Slavery". McQueen's cinematic recreation of Northup's interactions with Ford leads viewers to believe that Northup frequently undermines Ford and expresses little to no gratitude towards him. In a similar fashion, Mistress Epps was described as being "not naturally such an evil woman", Northup goes on to note that "She was possessed of the devil, jealousy... but aside from that, there was much in her character to admire". In the film she was shown to have only bad qualities; she was mean, nasty, and uncultured. The movie also omitted the scene nearing the end of the novel where mistress epps expresses her heartfelt appreciation for all Northup had done, Mistress Epps goes as far as to say she would miss him. These are both scenes in the novel that counteract the notion that slavery is a cruel and heartless institution; they reinforce Northup's gratitude towards his keepers, and their gratitude towards him. These conflicting messages cloud the strength of McQueen's argument and main point but are authentic to Northup's

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Slave trade has a great impact on American history. The book “slave nation” by Alfred W. Blumrosen gives an insight of slave labor during the civil war. This book also shows how slavery united the colonies and sparked the American Revolution. The book begins with the explanation of the founding of the republic and Somerset case impact on the republic. This book also explains how and the reasons Thomas Jefferson made few changes in the declaration of the independence.

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Douglass uses paradox to demonstrate that slavery degragrates the slaverholder. When Douglass under Mr. Sever’s care he described that: “He was less cruel, less profane… He whipped, but seemed to take no pleasure in it. ”(Douglass 24). Most slaveholders are characterized to be cruel and inhuman because of the whipping and the way they treated the slaves.

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Throughout the narrative, the author includes his personal stories about experiencing the violence of slavery first-hand. For example, on page 20, he writes about the first time he witnessed a slave, his own aunt, getting the whip. “The louder she screamed, the harder he whipped; and where the blood ran fastest, there he whipped longest…I remember the first time I ever witnessed this horrible exhibition… It struck me with awful force. It was the blood-stained gate, the entrance to the hell of slavery…” The author including his experience of his aunts whipping, in detail, appeals to the emotions of the reader.

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The pursuit of economic gain and the spread of religious fervor drove the early settlement in North America. It made a big difference to figure out to what extent economics and religion remained important between 1650 and 1750. Sugar Plantations was the start of the economic gain that was the development that led to an intensification of the Portuguese involvement in the African slave trade. Staple or cash crops were tobacco, sugar, and cotton because they were raised in large numbers in order to be sold for profit. Sugar and Slaves written in 1972 by Richard S. Dunn described the English Life in the Caribbean from over 300 years ago.

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In The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, in 1845, Douglass is reflecting on his experiences as a slave, as well as the known experiences of others, following his escape from bondage. He is making a plea to the Northerners who do not have a complete knowledge or understanding of the conditions of slavery in the South or are otherwise unopinionated in relation to it. In a later passage of the narrative, he focuses on the common beliefs of slave owners through a description of Mr. Hopkins, a former overseer he reported to. He reflects on this ideal that any problematic actions, or “misbehavior,” of slaves is awarded with abuse and punishment. Douglass includes concise and sarcastic rhetorical questions and responses in order to shed

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Whether or not a slave narrative is able to persuade its readers of the inhumanities of slavery, the complexities within slave narratives and the discussions they create should not be overlooked. There is power within the act of writing one’s personal journeys and hardships throughout life, and that power gives former enslaved people the opportunity to express their own thoughts while making changes for future generations. Solomon Northup’s 12 Years A Slave gives a heart-wrenching depiction of what slavery was like in America. If the cruel images of the realities of slavery do not affect readers emotionally, then there is at least hope that the logical arguments raised throughout the novel can persuade those who are unwilling to see slavery

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Slavery possesses a cruelty where very few of the victims attain liberation, with a smaller number able to recollect on their experiences. Nearly 172 years passed since Douglass published his journey from utter blindness to become “his own master”, and the message relayed still resonates in the present. Douglass vividly describes hardships that slaves and free African-Americans must deal with. As I pondered on the imagery presented by the wonderfully scripted narrative, I immediately saw, on a drastically smaller scale, the issues Douglass presents to the reader, in modern day 2017. It appears that, as racial divides flare, the black man is subjected to punishment rather than the white.

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The Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass shows the imbalance of power between slaves and their masters. In his book, Douglass proves that slavery is a destructive force not only to the slaves, but also for the slaveholders. “Poison of the irresponsible power” that masters have upon their slaves that are dehumanizing and shameless, have changed the masters themselves and their morality(Douglass 39). This amount of power and control in contact with one man breaks the kindest heart and the purest thoughts turning the person evil and corrupt. Douglass uses flashbacks that illustrate the emotions that declare the negative effects of slavery.

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He truly tapped into the reader’s emotions to allow them a deeper connection with the story. To see the way that the slaveholder would dehumanize the slave to the point of seeing the slave as just a piece of property was truly heartbreaking. It was at moments such as this that the reader saw a glimpse of the mood, tone and theme. Douglass makes clear his tone of understanding, the theme of both the slave and the slaveholder being affected, and the mood of the reader being

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Frederick Douglass’s narrative provides a first hand experience into the imbalance of power between a slave and a slaveholder and the negative effects it has on them both. Douglass proves that slavery destroys not only the slave, but the slaveholder as well by saying that this “poison of irresponsible power” has a dehumanizing effect on the slaveholder’s morals and beliefs (Douglass 40). This intense amount of power breaks the  kindest heart and changes the slaveholder into a heartless demon (Douglass 40). Yet these are not the only ways that Douglass proves what ill effect slavery has on the slaveholder. Douglass also uses deep characterization, emotional appeal, and religion to present the negative effects of slavery.

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The scope of slavery varied based on how practical and profitable slaves would be in that time period and location. Slavery had many impacts on society as a whole and influenced political, economic, and cultural aspects which all demonstrate the development of slavery in the 17th and 18th century. By the 17th century many Indians had been killed off by diseases and many white indentured servants no longer were willing to work (Foner, pg. 94). At first, the majority of slaves were sent to Brazil and the West Indies with less than 5% sent to the colonies (Foner, pg. 98).

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Over the years from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century, slaves were not only transported to just the United States, but to all around the world. They were sold and traded to many different countries which meant that their cultures went with them. As they would grow and multiply in an area, they would repopulate in others. Forced labor migrations contributed to globalization because when slaves of different ethnicities were shipped to other parts of the world, they took their culture and history with them. When the term “Slave trade” is used, it has a negative meaning and usually a negative context behind it, but by seeing what the slave trade actually did for not only America, but for the world, the meaning behind it can be viewed from another angle.

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