History, when treated as the act of collective remembrance leads to various considerations towards the nature of the history being called upon. Museums in essence, act as a symbol of the collective remembrance for a certain society. Therefore, one may look tatmuseums to provide insight into the position of a certain history in popular or even official discourse. It is through observing such representations that one may examine the ideological remnants of the era. Although this might imply the legacies that have been carried out through time, it also implies the position that history holds for the epoch. This could be a sense of guilt, reverence, anger, sympathy and so on.
Slavery holds such a position in society. It has several faces that one turns to when assessing its impact and significance. The view of slavery now is that it was the past. However, one must acknowledge that the past is only relative to the present – one needs to be here to say that something is there. It is therefore up to the amateur historian or civilian to give slavery a legacy. Some treat slavery as something that’s a part of a continuum that led to the construction of modern day Britain, while others treat it as an untold
…show more content…
Firstly, a certain narrative could be told as being relative to another narrative - this in essence would mean that the legacies of slavery are shown through a study of slave owners and their enterprise as it could be seen in the Docklands museum. This exhibit showed the enterprise of slavery, however, very narrowly reflected on the evils of slavery itself. This makes one question what the legacies of slavery would be if one did not look through the eyes of the slave owners or the enterprising owners of a joint stock
In reality slavery to an extent is still at large in society today, for example, at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, “There are more than 6,000 men currently imprisoned at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola—three-quarters of them are there for life, and nearly 80 percent are African American” (The Atlantic). Many of these men have been put to unpaid labor which is virtually modern day slavery because of minimal crimes. 4,800
In the book, Leaders of the Lost Cause, the authors Gallagher and Glatthaar took into account that these people at that time did not feel that what they were doing at the time was wrong. Slavery had been around since 1619 when the first African slaves were brought to the colony of Jamestown, Virginia . During this period of time it was simply the way life for persons to own slaves and it was considered acceptable. I think it is important that Americans are educated on the history of their county, but educated on how these decision and ways were not human and should not have occurred. If Americans do not know the events of their history, be them right or wrong, that occurred and made our lives and country the way it is today, how will we know how to go forward without repeating mistakes of the
It felt like there is still a sense of guilt or embarrassment . Slavery is a difficult topic , for both black and white people. ”“Conversations about slavery in today's society are contentious precisely because understanding
In the United States, history is often believed to be categorized to good and bad. But, sadly that is not the case. Many times the cruel stages in history are often sugar coated and disguised to be something that they are not. While the brighter parts of history are many times untouched/unaltered. The times of enslaved people throughout the United States should never be forgotten.
The New York Historical Society (n.d.) states, “historically New York has been considered the capital of American liberty, hosting monuments devoted to freedom and promoting economic ambition as well as diversity; however, it is also, paradoxically, the capital of American slavery.” Slavery in New York started in the 1600s when the Dutch West India Company brought African slaves to what is today New York (GSA, n.d.). During the 17th and 18th-century, slavery was considered an investment and according to the New York Historical Society (n.d.), “almost every businessman in the 18th-century had a stake in the traffic of human beings.” Slaves improved the economy, they produced sugar, tobacco, indigo, coffee, chocolate, and cotton, which permitted
Slavery is traced back to 1792 B.C.E and was a common practice that is used in ways to benefit the owner so he could get more work done throughout their daily life but even when the beginning of civilization ended, people still used slaves, as they were easily forced to meet the demands of the people. Therefore, slavery during civilization times had limits which changed drastically once the era of exploration and discovery came due to economic and cultural expansion that caused their relationship, extent, and nature to have a an entirely different meaning. At the beginning civilization, slavery became present, and there was a relationship to be made between the slaves and owners. The author of document 2 states that the master must not threaten the slaves, who should obey and fear them, as they have the same Master up in heaven.
“Slavery: From Declaration to Civil War” Introduction: Slavery is a topic that has been one of the most shocking yet natural around the world. Slavery is defined as “Coerced Labor” and “The most important form of labor in New World”. (Roark 72) This idea and action provokes mixed feelings in the heart and minds of everybody and still people allowed it.
The use of slaves has always been present in the world since the beginning of civilization, although the use and treatment of those slaves has differed widely through time and geographic location. Different geographies call for different types of work ranging from labor-intensive sugar cultivation and production in the tropics to household help in less agriculturally intensive areas. In addition to time and space, the mindsets and beliefs of the people in those areas affect how the slaves will be treated and how “human” those slaves will be perceived to be. In the Early Modern Era, the two main locations where slaves were used most extensively were the European dominated Americas and the Muslim Empires. The American slavery system and the
During the American colonial period, slavery was legal and practiced in all the commercial nations of Europe. The practice of trading in and using African slaves was introduced to the United States by the colonial powers, and when the American colonies received their common law from the United Kingdom, the legality of slavery was part of that law.
There is still such a false concept floating around about slavery, even in the twenty-first century. I enjoy reading articles and documents, like the ones provided for this essay, to properly give me an idea of what slavery was like when our ancestors were around. Slavery, even today in schools, is not taught how it should be. Many people, especially in the South, try to ignore slavery as if it never existed, when it is definitely a part of our history. I think there is a falseness, on both ends of slavery, that many people do not talk about; these documents showed me just that.
In conclusion, slavery in the south still includes white supremacy, treatment of slaves, and how plantations worked. The different thoughts on slavery mentions that several people did not agree that slavery is a curse to the country. There is the treatment
The American Revolution was a time of great social, political, and economic changes. Influenced by Enlightenment ideals, the American Revolution sang promises of independence, freedom, and liberty, all of which are fundamental components of the foundation of American identity. During the Revolution, many blacks, as both freedmen and slaves, fought alongside many of the colonists and loyalists, fighting on both sides of the war for much of the same values. However, while examining this time period, it is important to acknowledge the inescapable paradox that stains our country’s history: how does a society so motivated by liberty and freedom allow an institution like slavery to exist? Despite the rhetoric of the Revolution, many Americans continued
In denying the use of the abolitionist’s fathers for their own benefit, Douglass is presenting a deliberative genre. This genre, in the form of an assembly, persuades his audience to act in the present, for hope in the future. Furthermore, Douglass’ issue at hand, of convincing his audience to avoid dwelling in their father’s actions, describes a translative status. The translative status is apparent through Douglass’ opinions that “We have to do with the past only as we can make it useful to the present and the future. To all inspiring motives, to noble deeds which
Background: To understand the history of slavery in the United States the historical background needs examining. How did the slaves get from Africa the new country? Why were the people brought here? What purpose did slavery serve?
From this, derives a bond with the reader that pushes their understanding of the evil nature of slavery that society deemed appropriate therefore enhancing their understanding of history. While only glossed over in most classroom settings of the twenty-first century, students often neglect the sad but true reality that the backbone of slavery, was the dehumanization of an entire race of people. To create a group of individuals known for their extreme oppression derived from slavery, required plantation owner’s of the South to constantly embedded certain values into the lives of their slaves. To talk back means to be whipped.