The Purpose/Justification of Slavery - 4th Hour
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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?
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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?
because death seemed more appealing than a life in chains
5. What does this tell you about life as a slave?
life was miserable
Document C
Source: Slave Auction Advertisement
6. How are the slaves described in the poster? What does this tell you? Why?
They are advertised as bucks and wenches. They are described well at what they can do and their characteristics.
Slaves were described based on their age and what abilities they have. This tells me that slaves that have the best abilities and are relatively young, will be more expensive than others and it will make the slaves more appealing to other buyers.
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."
His point was that a master completely owns and controls the slave. Slave can’t own anything or have anything of there own.
7. What was Frederick Douglass' point out about the institution of slavery? Why?
He basically said that they’re property. They own nothing. They can’t even say they have a family.
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?
The darker areas show that there were more than 10,000 slaves in this area. This shows that there were more slaves in the south and the direction they are moving are up, because they wanted to have more space to put their slaves.
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?
The slaves were treated very bad, and harsh. The guy on the photo has big lashes on his back from all of the whippings.It must have hurt 😳
General Document Comments 0
The photograph shows that slaves were treated poorly. They were dehumanized. Even there was no apparent reason for the slaves to be treated this way, the slave owners would find a unfair and disgusting reason to still treat the slaves in the way they did.
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