Frederick Douglass often addresses to the issue of religion and Christianity. He questions how a man could call himself a Christian and yet treat another human being in such an inhumane manner. Douglass could never comprehend how the slaveholders were able to justify slavery through their faith and church as some of his owners did. It might leave one to believe it was a search for an interpretation that would ease there restless minds so that perhaps they would not feel as guilty and be able to sleep better at night. Slavery had such a catastrophic affect on America during this century that it finally lead to the division of the North and South and brought about the Civil War. Politically and morally slavery separated the northerners against the southerners. American slaveholders of the south believed it should be no concern of the North to involve themselves in the Souths business. Americans who lived in the north and were commonly referred to as abolitionist fought for the abolishment of slavery and justice of mankind. Slavery also created a terrifying evilness and greediness nature within the slaveholders. They found that more money came with more slaves and more slaves meant a higher social and financial status.
It was a vicious cycle that was stimulated by money and the obsessive desire for it. Douglass autobiography proved us with a glimpse into why slavery was wrong for society as a whole at the time. It was blatantly unfair to the blacks who were robbed from Africa and then diluted with the white population as an underclass of animals. It seemingly brought out the cruelty in people to see how mean and unkind they could be to these people. Whites were changed in some instance by slavery, bringing about a manner with which no one should be treated. Slavery was by far one of the most evil things ever witnessed upon the shores of this great country, and Frederick Douglass showed us how great a person it took to break these chains of ignorance. By freeing the slaves of the day, we in turn freed our minds and souls as well.
The Essay on Slavery Was A Legal Institution In All Of The 13
Slavery was a legal institution in all of the 13 American colonies. A majority of the founding fathers owned slaves, including the author of the Declaration of Independence, the Father of the Constitution, and the commander of the Continental Army. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the uneven distribution of the factors of production necessitated a steady stream of servants and ...
Kenneth Greenbergs examination of idea of honor during the period of slavery shows a clear sign of how it was applied to the society of those times. The concept of honor itself allowed some people (who were considered honor) to elevate themselves above many others. In our case the others were black slaves. The honor provided the ethical foundation for a number of discriminations about race, class, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religious conviction, and age. Even the definition of the word honor provides the notion as to the structure of the society. In the South honor was used to set a particular order of social relationships. Greenberg offences honor of Southern gentlemen for sometimes it looks quite bizarre to him. It was considered a decent act to be generous in giving away presents and heavily drinking with friends, but not providing the slaves with adequate amount of food and cloths.
This was an awful reality of the slaves that was made effective by the slaveholders because of the lack of education the slaves received if they received any at all. The social behavior of slaves, their abolishment of each other allowed the slave-owners to do virtually any thing with them. Greenberg, as well as Douglass, sees the only possibility for freeing from such regime in educating the slaves. Even though both writers are heavily against slavery, they are not blaming the slave-owners or Southern society in such a situation. Both authors view slavery as the logical consequence of ignorance African-Americans demonstrated. These attacks on the slavery were very often resembling the Northern approach to the development of society. Northern people were far more advanced in questions of democracy and freedom.
The structure of their society was based on the respect of personality. Douglass and Greenberg agree that slaves did not need anything else but ability to independently judge and act as per these judgments.
The Essay on Honor One Society Give
The Godfather is based on the story of an Italian family's and their rise to power in the land of freedom. The main theme is the honor code, which they live by. This theme might not be as noble as one can think. There are certain societies that live by this code. Honor in them is a matter of pride. No one can say that he did a thing he was not supposed to do.This concept is apparent in Arab and ...
Bibliography:
Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave. Yale University Press, 2001. Greenberg, Kenneth S. Honor and Slavery: Lies, Duels, Noses, Masks, Dressing as a Woman, Gifts, Strangers, Humanitarianism, Death, Slave Rebellions, the Proslavery Argument, Baseball, Hunting, and Gambling in the Old South. Princeton University Press, 1997..
