Poor old Mammy Judy sat at the kitchen door with elbows resting upon herknee, side of the face resting in the palm of the hand, tears streaming down,with a rocking motion, noticing nothing about her, but in sorrow moaning justdistinctly enough to be understood: “Po' me! Po' me! Po' me!”
The trauma inflicted upon slaves as there families were ripped apart is atrocious.
Mrs. Ballard tookoccasion to administer to the maid severities she had never experienced at thehands of her mistress, giving her at one time a severe slap on the cheek,
Mrs. Ballard seems to not like how much alike the maid and her mistress her. Maybe she thinks the maid is out of line for being treated so well by her mistress?
JAMES M. WHITFIELD
Compare and Contrast the ways in which Whitfield portrays patriotism, liberty and hope in America and Self-Reliance. What role do these values play? In America he portrays patriotism, hope, and liberty in a dimmer light. He seems to justify why black people were mad about everything that happened to them.In Self-Reliance, those values are portrayed in a more positive light. The poem has a hopeful tone and shows pride in oneself. These values give a sense of being apart of America and having something to have pride in. They also most importantly relates to freedom.
H. . · v ire. ts stt-adfast soul fearinu n-h B · . · ,.. 0 arm ur trust1n~ in the aid f H , And wielding, with unf'alto . eaven, Tl enng ar le utmost power whicl , m, Conscious that the Al . Ll l1od has given-w.11 . m1gnty po , , nc•rw the f· 'thf I \\er Whatever storms ~1-u soul With might S .k ay round I . I ' tri es boldly for h 11m ower, t e Lrue and right.
Whitfield leaned on his religion for courage. He thought with his religion he could prevail through his troubled times. He thought everything would eventually work itself out for the good. But will it?
In 18~4 \Vhitfidd affiliatt>J himst'lf "ith :\lartin R. Dt>trny, one of lhe fort"most champions of hlad. emig.rntio11. anti helped or~clllill' that yt>ar\ N.Himrnl Emiv.ration Convention. Latn in 1he de'--·a<lt· lw is thoug.ht lo h.-1,·l' lnnt:'led in Ct>ntral .·\mt:'rica as an cmi~ration agent nrn,missioneJ to s<·arch for lilt•!) Sl·ttlc:'nwnt locales for Afrit-an Amerirnns dise1ll.:hantt:<l with tht' L1niH•d St,1tes.
This has been one strategy for the liberation of black people. Black people leaving the US for other countries, mainly Africa. People who support this are called Pan-Africanist. What sense does it make to leave a country that I built to start over somewhere else?
r\mt'rirn closes in I he spiril of il prayer of supplit:ation to a just God.
Black people seem to use religion as therapy in a sense. It is used to make them feel better about the horrible conditions they're under. It also gives them hope during hopeless times. It could as serve as a way to get "justice" since they never got it on Earth.
SOJOURNER TRUTH
Q1: How does Truth balance her discussion of abolitionism with her discussion of feminism within her speech? Q2: Truth's language is significantly simpler than the other writers we have read so far. How does this act as an advantage for her? How does this act as a disadvantage?
Q1: It is easier for her to talk about both because she is both. She is not only black. She is not only a woman. She was a black woman. Q2: The simpler speeches benefited her audience and herself since she couldn't read or write. The disadvantage could maybe be overlooked by bougie people who could view her work as low brow,
· Ar'n't I a Woman? · Speech to the Women's Rights Convention in Akr~n, Ohio, 185i From The Anti-Slavery Bugle, June 21, 1851 One ~f the most unique and interesting speeches of the Convention was made by Sojourner Truth, an emancipated slave. It is i_mpossible to transfer it to paper, or convey any adequate idea of the effect 1t produced upon the audience. Those only can appreciate it who saw her powerful form, her whole-souled, earnest gesture, and listened to her strong and truthful tones. She cam~ forward to the platform and addressing the President said with great simplicity: "May I say a few words?" Receiving an affirmative answer, she proceeded: _ , I want to say a few words about this matter. I am a woman's rights. I have as much muscle as any man, and can do as much work as any man. I have plowed and reaped and husked and chopped and mowed, and can any man do more than that? I have heard much about. the sexes being equal. I can carry as much as any man, and can eat as rnuch too, if I can get it. I am as strong as any man that is now. As for inte1~,2ct., all I can say is, if woman have a pint, and man a quart-. why can't she have her little pint full? You need not be afraid to give us our rights for fear we will take too much,-for we can't take more than our pint'll hold. The poor men seem to be all in confusion, and don't know what to do. Why children, if you have won1an's rights, give it to her and you will feel better. You will have your own rights, and they won't be so much trouble. I can't read, but I can hear. I have heard the bible and have_ learned that Eve caused man to sin. Well, if woman upset the world, do give her a chance to set it right side up again. The Lady has spoken about Jesus, how he never spurned woman from him, and she was right. When Lazarus died, Mary and Martha came to him with faith and love and besought him to raise their brother.1 And Jesus wept and Lazarus came forth. And how came Jesus into the world? Through God who created him and~ woman who bore him. Man, where is your part? But the women are ~om1ng u~ ~lesse~ be God and a few of the men are coming up with them. ut man is in a tight place, the poor slave is on hi . . him, he is surely betwe h k d b m, woman 1s coming on en a aw an a uzzard.
The word "man" seems to stand fro white men. She goes on to state that "the poor slave is on him" and "woman is coming up on him." These seem to stand for black men and white/black women, respectively.
Two ye_ars later she sued successfully for the return of her son Peter from enslavement 1n Alab~ma.
This is significant because laws routinely don"t apply to black people. This can be paralleled with today's justice system. She successfully freed her son from slavery during an era where she didn't even own her own body. Remarkable!
"I am that I am."
This is a powerful statement. It is noted in italics to set it apart. She knows who she is and fully accepts that. She is not afraid to assert herself against a police officer who could brutalize her body.
Such is the tyrant: he believes all other men incapable of elevated sentiments or selfless dedication, for they must be small-minded, perfidious souls .... Their souls are but uncultivated ground, where nothing grows but thorns and weeds.
This is interesting because the master terrorizes his slaves. A man who terrorizes other humans is afraid of someone else terrorizing him. Some people would call that karma. But I also think he feels like that because he know s everything he has done himself is wrong.
Yet who is to say that Sejour's decision to publish in a black-owned journal in France was not the right-indeed, the only-way to ensure that his explicit and grisly tale of racial exploitation, rape, murder, and suicide would ever see print?
This is an example of trying erase history, censor free speech, and rewrite history into lies. Anything that disrupts the status quo, runs the risk of being censored by those in charge. Sometimes, like in his case, you have to go outside of that status quo area to fully tell your story. This also parallels with the attempted censorship that has been done by the current presidential administration.
(The mulatto)
At this time, "mulatto" was a slur for biracial/mixed slaves. These people existed usually from slave masters raping their female slaves. Mulatto was usually received for someone who was half and half. A mulatto's children could be called "quadroons" since they would only be a quarter white. These ideologies were used to perpetuate white genetic purity.
John Sadler fled across the water, And thus escaped the dreadful slaughter.
If this person was able to escape, why didn't the others follow their lead? Everyone else seemed to try to fight instead of retreat.
Some very valiant men to slay, The names of whom I'll not leave out.
The author must have held the people mentioned in high regard to mention their names and give them dignity in death.
tommy
Is this word a slur for Native American/Indians or could this be some type of weapon?
they both dismounted their respective horses, and fell to beating me with great violence. I became enraged at this and immediately turned them both under me, laid one of them across the other, and stamped both with my feet what I would.
I admire his ability to stand up and defend himself against his formidable masters. He did not allow them to break his spirit.
faggots
In this context this word means "a bundle of sticks or twigs bound together as fuel." Now, this word is used as a slur for gay men or calling someone an idiot. It's funny how a word's mean can change so much over a short period of history.
wholly destitute of all education but what he received in common with other domesticated animals, enjoying no advantages that could lead him to suppose himself superior to the beasts, his fellow servants.
This is an accurate description of chattel slavery. Slaves were dehumanized to justify treating them inhumanely. They could be bought, sold, traded, and inherited just as livestock.
Disobedience"eithertoGodorman,beingoneofthefruitsoffin,grewoutfrommeinearlybuds.
This penchant for disobedience seemed to work for him in both good and bad ways.
-tYouhavenownoneedofatrade."
Booker T. Washington was a big proponent for African Americans learning trades. When Booker T. Washington founded Tuskegee University, the student built the buildings themselves, harvested their own food, and provided for their basic necessities. He thought learning skills would lead to the advancement of African Americans.
his good old Master
The wording of this is interesting. This seems to try to humanize a person who dehumanized others. How "good" could a Master be when he enslaved a human being?