Freedom Vs. Independence Essays - Slavery In The United States

Freedom Vs. Independence FREEDOM VS. INDEPENDENCE While reading Eric Foner's book I came to appreciate the difficulties the freed black slaves encountered for example, how the previous slave owning class continued to manipulate the freed slaves. Also, I was impressed at the great sacrifice they made when attempting to become educated. Last of all I was surprised at the severity of persecution and abuse of blacks that was still considered legal after they were freed. When the label of slave was removed from the black American, it was meant to clarify that they were human beings. Human beings eligible to participate in America's society and culture. However, racism denied them the privileges of the American citizen. Although they were no longer slaves, they were still considered to be savages, unintelligent, and the lowest class of person in the United States. Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. The Proclamation set the American slave population free. However, it did not indicate how new Black citizens would be incorporated into the free society. Emancipation would redefine how blacks saw themselves and their aspirations, and it would redefine the labor system. Blacks believed that they could equally share in prosperity and progress with whites. Blacks desperately wanted to move up in social standing and become educated. They desired literacy. They wanted to plant their own crops and have the chance to sell them for profit. They wanted to work hard for the chance of a better life for their children. The commitment to white supremacy in the South began with the planter's intention of keeping the institution of slavery. Whites perceived emancipation as uncompensated liquidation of the nation's largest concentration of private property and a redefinition of the place of blacks in American society(p.2). Blacks saw emancipation as their opportunity to become involved with society without the burden of being owned by someone. The labor system of free labor versus slavery contained a transition that few in the south were willing to accommodate. Planters went from owning blacks as property, to negotiating a wage in exchange for their labor. Although blacks were declared free, some were required to sign a yearly contract that promised service to one planter. If a free black chose not to sign the contract, he was intimidated into signing. The underlying message was clear, sign or have you and your family live in constant fear of abuse. With these contracts, planters tightened authority and presided over all details of the lives of blacks. Blacks were closely supervised to the point that the pace of work they desired was rou tinely challenged. The freedmen were persuaded to sign the contract in order to preserve the labor system that had been prevalent in the South. By voluntarily signing and adhering to contracts, both planters and freedmen would develop the habits of a free labor economy and come to understand their fundamental harmony of interests(p.75). The Southern white planters would determine these interests. The contracts themselves bound the freedmen into a continued extorted form of slavery. At harvest time, most planters did not pay the blacks their earned wages. Blacks would labor the entire season only to be left with the feeling of desperation that was identical to slavery. Some contracts stipulated that if a crop failed the blacks would receive nothing and fines could be charged against their wages if the planter determined the work was unsatisfactory. Some contracts allowed the planter to penalize full wages accrued if the freedmen left work. On some plantations physical brutality and c orporal punishment continued as if slavery never ended. The overall goal for equal treatment for the freedmen was contradicted as idle white men were never required to sign a labor contract (p.76). The South wanted the amenities that the North had, as long as the primary source of labor went undisturbed. Redefining the black labor force could endanger the entire economic system subscribed by the South. The prejudice and commitment to the continuation of a plantation slave labor system limited overall progress in the South. Southern planters would not accept that blacks were free Americans and could leave the area. Blacks however saw things differently. At the initial prospect of being free, they saw themselves as a citizen of

America and the Thirteen Original Colonies essays

America and the Thirteen Original Colonies essays Every person born and raised in America, within the past half century, has at one time or another heard the song "Fifty Nifty United States"; the song which pounds the memorization of the fifty American states into one's head. If you were to ask any person from the age of ten to thirty, they would most likely be able to recite every single state, alphabetically. Towards the beginning of the brilliant masterpiece, there is a line which exclaims, "Fifty Nifty United States/ From thirteen original colonies..." The line, having horrible melodic doggerel, is right about these colonies. Thirteen colonies established by the British were satellites used in a system of mercantilism; they provided the natural resources while England would manufacture the goods to sell back to them. Unlike many other attempts at establishing previous settlements, these particular colonies, over a period of time, began to take their own form and question the mother country. The colonies developed their own ideas and beliefs and eventually broke away from England to for the United States of America. Among the so-called Thirteen Original Colonies, which included those of New England, the Middle Colonies, and the Southern Colonies, were certain common institutions and philosophies. The first colonies of America, the quintessential "thirteen" of them, had certain elements that caused them to be similar. Geographically, every colony was on the eastern coast of America, and everyone had similar environmental and land features. In the New England colonies, although a bit colder, had necessary farming land with some forest area; in the Middle colonies, farmland was abundant and waterways were important to trade; and in the Southern colonies, farmland was a very important factor and it was generally warmer than the other colonies. Geography also had a large impact on the economy, logically, seeing as if the three sections of colonies did not have distinguishing characte...

One Hundred Years of Solitude Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

One Hundred Years of Solitude - Essay Example This town seemed to be isolated from the outside world and the people who lived there were alienated from the rest of the world and suffered greatly, each in their own world. The primary intention of the author for using the theme of solitude was to make a protest against the Western world for denying the colored race access to the resources of the developed world. Religion, especially organized religion, which is one of the main themes in the novel, is regarded with much skepticism and therefore becomes the subject of satire and jokes. Gabriel’s novel has some of the most unsympathetic characters which he uses deftly to depict his thoughts and ideas on Solitude and religion and how it leads to their destruction. One such character is Fernanda del Carpio, who was portrayed as a staunch, religious and fervent catholic, who is intent on sending her own child to a convent and forgetting about her. Fernanda del Carpio was the wife of Aureliano Segundo and mother of Renata Remedios , Jose Arcadio II and Amaranta Ursula. She was one of the last descendents of a very impoverished royal family of a dreary dying town. However, even though their family was quite poor and had no money, her father always stressed that she was a queen and this belief she had right unto her death. Fernanda always clung to her strict medieval code of ethics and made life quite miserable for the â€Å"common† Buendias. ... One of the longest living members of the Buendia family, Ursula Iguaran, represents the Biblical Eve. She is witness to the birth of the most new generation of the Buendias. She is perhaps the strongest of all the Buendias. Ursula is treated with dignity and respect as she follows the path of God in a moral way rather than in the conventional manner. She raised the child of a stranger as her own daughter and showed true Christian spirit by welcoming dozens of strangers to her table. The strength shown by Ursula in binding the family and being their mainstay is truly praiseworthy. In trying to keep the family together she is sometimes quite harsh. The idea that terrified Ursula most was that any kind of incestuous relationship would lead to the birth of pig-tailed progeny. She is a contradictory character as she is terrified of incest which is the ultimate in family bonding, yet she always works towards binding the family. Solitude also contributed to the overall vision of Macondo, fr om the author’s perspective which he used as a lens through which we could view human history and human nature. He portrays the town of Macondo from the time it was founded, right to the time it was destroyed. Through the novel, the author depicts prosperity and growth that gradually leads to war and strife and eventually the downfall and destruction of the town. Jose Arcadio Buendia who was the founder of Macondo and patriarch of the Buendia family, was a natural explorer. In this story he is representative of the biblical Adam. As in the Bible, Adam lost his innocence so also did Jose and his family lose their innocence in pursuit of knowledge. He is representative