The Purpose/Justification of Slavery
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The Purpose and Justification for Slavery DBQ
Historical Background & Question:
From the earliest colonial times to 1865, slavery existed in the United States. During that time, millions of men, women, and children were denied almost all basic rights. Slaves had no freedom, no power to control their own lives, no ability to protect family members from harsh treatment, no means to keep their families together. Many of the human rights that slaves were made to live without are so basic that free people often take them for granted. Using FOUR (4) of the documents and your personal knowledge of the Slavery Era, respond to the following question: What was the purpose of slavery from the earliest colonial times until 1865? How did slaveowners justify owning slaves?
Document A
Source: A Speech Defending Slavery (1835)
The following passage is taken from a speech given by Governor
George McDuffie of South Carolina. The speech was given to the
state legislature in response to the growing evidence of abolitionists in that state.
“No human institution, in my opinion, is more clearly consistent with the will of God than slavery. That the African Negro is destined to occupy this condition of servitude is not less clear. It is marked on the face, stamped on the skin, and shown by the inferiority of this race. They have all the qualities that fit them to be slaves, and not one of those that would fit them to be free men. Until the ‘African can change his skin,’ it will be useless to try by any human power, to make free those whom God has doomed to be slaves…”
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What was McDuffie’s economic argument for slavery?
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What was McDuffie’s racial argument for slavery?
Paragraph 11 0
Oct 2ANTONIO GONZALEZ ANTONIO GONZALEZ : his racial argument is that African-Americans are born to be slaves because of their physical attributes which was evidently shown with their skins. He said that it is useless to gain power if you have an inferior skin
Oct 2TREVOR SEMBER TREVOR SEMBER : His racial argument is, it is marked on the face, stamped on the skin and not one of those qualities would fit them to be free.
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What was McDuffie’s religious argument for slavery?
Document B
Source: An African’s Voyage to America on a Slave Ship
“One day, when we had a smooth sea and moderate wind, two of my wearied countrymen, who were chained together, preferring death to a life in misery, somehow made it through the nettings and jumped into the sea. Immediately another quite dejected fellow, who on account of his illness was allowed to be out of irons, followed their example. There was such a noise and confusion among the people of the ship to stop and get the boat to go after the slaves. Two of the wretches were drowned, but they got the other, and afterwards whipped him unmercifully for preferring death to slavery.”
4. Why did some of the people jump overboard?
5. What does this tell you about life as a slave?
Document C
Source: Slave Auction Advertisement
6. How are the slaves described in the poster? What does this tell you? Why?
The slaves are described by their age, their condition, and what they are good at. This tells you what they can do and if you needed a slave for a certain position you could easily find the right one.
Document D
Source: A Speech by Frederick Douglass (1850)
"The law gives the master absolute power over the slave. He may work him, flog him, hire him out, sell him… In law a slave has no wife, no children, no country and no home. He can own nothing, acquire nothing, but what must belong to another."
7. What was Frederick Douglass' point out about the institution of slavery? Why?
The law gives the master all the power they need over the slaves. He doesn’t want the slaves to gain knowledge with there own belongings.
Document E
Source: United States Census, 1860.
This map shows states & counties in the South and the number of slaves that live in each place. It is shown below the question.
8. What do the darker areas mean? What does this say about slavery? Which direction is slavery moving? Why?
Document F
Source: National Archives
Photograph of a Slave who was whipped (1863).
9. What does this photograph suggest about how slaves were treated? Why?
This photo shows the harsh whippings on this slaves back. If you get hit by something it usually leaves a red mark maybe even a cut but nothing near as brutal as this picture.
This photograph shows how the slaves were treated over the course of slavery. It shows that they didn’t get much food,and they got whipped ruthlessly. His whole back is torn up.
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