The Purpose/Justification of Slavery - 5th Hour

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…”

1. What was McDuffie’s economic argument for slavery?

2. What was McDuffie’s racial argument for slavery?

3. 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?

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?

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?

DMU Timestamp: September 19, 2017 21:22

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