This statement resonates how Christians can actually fight slavery without blood and. Violence seemed to be the answer to the Christian men in the passage of Nat Turner. This time, I can see the empowerment of women to fight for their liberty, but without the need of bloodshed. As written in the passages above, the Christian women of the south stood up for their rights with much “calmness and dignity” in a way that was pleasing to God.

The logic of Grimke during this part stuck me the most. Not only did she talk about a topic that was probably taboo at that time, but she also spoke frankly on how racist the people are, even if the Blacks were already born American. It is baffling how a they could assume that people can be born as a slave back then - it is the worst case of prejudice I have ever heard of. Grimke was right, they should stand up against their oppressors because no one should suffer that injustice.

The fact that Angelina Grimke addressed the women as friends already says a lot about her intention. Instead of coming off as very formal and addressing the people as guests or listeners, or even as ladies, she decided to use ‘friends’, which is a quite important point in my opinion. It shows her sincerity to connect with the women to relay her message in a way that was not demanding.

I can understand why Turner was feeling like God was coming to back and telling him to go forth with his rebellion. The slaves were big believers in God, and in their time of desperation, they saw what they would consider as signs from God to do whatever they must in order to attain their freedom. Sure, it was a big help to them, but again it is quite contrary to what the Bible teaches, which is actually try not to act rashly and be patient. During that time, this rebellion was the only thing they can see as their way out because they have waited long enough, so that would probably be why they would justify their actions as a sign from God.

This statement reminds me of the Schism of 1504 that surrounded the topic of excommunication, or the cutting off of communication with God. When Pope Leo IX gave Michael Cerularius and his followers an excommunication decree because of a number of misunderstandings, it caused a schism between East and West since Michael Cerlarius was the leader of the East and Pope Leo IX was the leader of the West. I can imagine this line being said by Michael Cerlarius at that time, who seems to relate to Jonathan Edwards in a way when they both sort of started major religious movements in history. Moreover, both men had conflicts with other religious followers because of a different interpretation of several religious doctrines.

“East-West Schism.” n.d. Britannica.Com. Accessed September 3, 2020. https://www.britannica.com/event/East-West-Schism-1054.

Emily Arendt et al., “Colonial Society,” Nora Slonimsky, ed., in The American Yawp, eds. Joseph Locke and Ben Wright (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2018).