Castrejon Samuel Period 0 11/23/2011 Syllabus Week # 11 Slavery Leads to War History of the Times Along with the economic, political and social differences between the North and the South, slavery was the driving force that caused Civil War. The South was an agricultural society, they grew cash crops such as tobacco and they exported their crops to the North and to Europe. The South relied on the Industrial North for manufacturing, commercial, and financial services. The south relied on a heavy slave labor force while the North relied on a hired working force. The South also favored States' rights while the North favored Federal Government. The South wanted to preserve slavery for economic purposes while the North continued to appose slavery for they believed slavery violated the principle of equality. The disagreement between the North and the South got worse as more states were admitted to the Union. The North wanted Free states while the South wished for Slave States. Literature of the Times Famous abolitionists like Fredrick A. Douglas and Harriet Jacobs offered primary sources of the horrors of slavery. During this time, narratives that were produced by fugitive slaves become extremely popular. These narratives emphasized the horrors and injustice of slavery. Many narratives were produced years before the war but none were more famous than Douglas' autobiography titled My Bondage and My Freedom, he emphasized that slavery could not crush the human spirit. Civil War Divides the Country History of the Times The battle of Fort Sumter was the sparking battle that started the Civil War. The war was thought to be a short war that would be decided within a few battles, but in 1861 the nation realized the extent of the four year long tragedy. Both the North and the South agreed that the war was horrid event of nothing but pure pain and loss. The amount of dead soldiers was high and at the end of the war the North prevailed but the Union was now very fragile. Literature of the Times Though many soldiers produced letters and diaries, no significant literary works were produced during the Civil War. This was mainly due to the fact that few American literary writers experiences the war firsthand. Emerson watched the war but apposed the war. Thoreau died in 1862 and Dickinson had lived through the war but the war had no impact on her poetry. Melville was amazed by the war but never wrote a novel about it, instead he wrote poems on the war based off of newspaper articles and visits to the battlegrounds. He wrote about the bravery both sides had and had a respect for both sides. One author that experiences the Civil War firsthand was Walt Whitman. Whitman served as a hospital visitor that comforted the wounded. The wounded experienced greats amount of pains and faced amputation or death when wounded badly. Whitman treated over 3000 wounded and experienced the horrors of the war firsthand. He wrote his experiences in a collection called Song of Myself where he presented American with a
panoramic vision. Towards the end of the war Whitman derived an optimistic vision of the American character. The Country Rebuilds History of the Times The South lost the war and experiences a shorthand reconstruction with the Federal government against it. As a result the South experienced slow recovery and could not fully take part of the Union. The North experienced little hardship, it went from producing war weapons to producing civilian goods. The aftermath of the war resulted in continuous advancements in steel and manufacturing. After the war the immigration rate increased and the population doubled between 1870 to 1890. America had a new found sense of self-knowledge and strength. Literature of the Times Firsthand accounts of the war such as journals and diaries did a poor job in expressing the horrors that occurred during the war. As a result the nation moved away from Romanticisms and moved towards the realistic novel. This novel rejects Romantic elements such as exaggerated heroes and over dramatic situations. A novel that was considered a realistic novel was The Red Badge of Courage which was written by Stephen Crane who wanted to depict the sensations of battle conditions and the elements of war. Slang Words The English language is referred to as a slang rich language, however; only a few slang words survive more than a few generations. Slang words that were used during the Civil War have become extinct except "deadline", "hard knocks", and "I heard it through the grapevine". A reason for the extinction of slang words is result of time and new generations. New generations overtime see no purpose in using these words to describe certain situations and events, which is why slang words are no longer in use. The reason for these slang words that are still in use is a result of their wide variety of uses. The term "deadline" is now used to refer the due date of a certain assignment. For example "The deadline for this syllabus is on Monday November 28". New slang words that have appeared in this era are words such as "Dude", "Bro", "Dawg" , "Homie", and "Son". The slang words in this era are unique in that a new category of slang words have emerged such as internet slang words "LOL", "Noob", "AFK" and "Boss". These internet slang words are widely use when talking to other people through instant messaging, the reason that these slang words have become widely popular is that they are quick to type and they are easily used in any situations. Words such as "Noob" and "boss" are used when referring to someone's skill in a video game online. One who is referred to as a noob is seen as a beginner in any online video game. Words such as Dawg, Dude, and Homie are simple ways of referring to someone as your friend or close friend. The reason for these slang words existing today are because in this generation people are generally lazy and need simpler new ways of talking to one another. No one wants to write out or speak someone's name, which is why people say or write out dude when talking to someone. IN this new era of technology the emergence of new slang words is not a surprise but these words may not always remain, as time progresses new technology may arise which can lead to new slang words emerging as words, and also as new generations come new slang words will come as well. Ultimately, new slang words
arise with new generations and are in use when certain situations come into play. New slang words are use in when the right situation comes into play. Slave Narrative Slave Narratives have distinct features such as: firsthand accounts of slaves, tales of slaves moving from the south to the north, and details of mental thoughts as well as physical actions. Most slave narratives were written during the Civil War and were published by antislavery newspaper. Slave narratives are referred to as important historical documents that offer eyewitness accounts of the cruelty of slavery and also as autobiographies that gave enslaved people voices. Slave narratives are the foundation of the literary movement by African Americans. Abolitionists were fighting for the end of slavery in the Civil War and they were apart of the American society since the founding of the nation. Abolitionists gave speeches to educate the public; they also pushed for policies that banned slavery in the North. The greatest weapon abolitionists had were the firsthand accounts of those who experienced the hardships of slavery. They often interviewed runaway slaves and published these interviews in newspapers to show the public the true nature of slavery. Frederick Douglass was one of the most famous Slave Narrative Authors. He produced Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave, his autobiography gave readers an accurate picture of slavery but it also offered readers the greatness of the prevailing human spirit. The autobiography presented weapons against racism myths that went along with the African American population. Women such as Sojourner Truth and Harriet A. Jacobs wrote about heroic efforts to preserve their self-respect as women despite slavery's attempt to turn them into nothing. Women and Men generally wrote about similar topics. In 1930 the WPA interviewed many surviving ex-slaves in a Federal Writers' Project. The WPA put these interviews into a set of documents and they were seen as the last recorded slave narratives until others became discovered. Slave narratives also gave firsthand accounts of events that occurred after the Civil War when they were officially free through out the entire nation. Slave narratives continue to make an influence in recent literature such as Black Boy and The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Slave narratives have also influenced Pulitzer Prize winners. Slave narratives are written to show personal circumstances but these personal circumstances often become a public cause, such as Frederick Douglass's autobiography. Slave Narrative writers often wrote to accomplish a set of goals. Douglass's goal was inform his audience of the hardships of slavery but at the same time he also persuaded people to join his cause and also to show slaves that it was possible to fight back against injustice. Douglass used narration and detailed description to convey his experiences as a slave under Mr. Corey. His details succeed in showing the harsh reality of slavery and to persuade readers to join his cause. The Narrative of Frederick Douglass In the short excerpt of Frederick Douglass's autobiography, Douglass tells the story of "how a man was made a slave and how a slave was made a man". Douglass makes this transformation during his time under Mr. Covey. Master Thomas was the original owner of and under the time of Mr. Covey, Douglass experienced new hardships. Douglass was beaten regularly and was put through harsh labor at an increasing rate. Douglass is beaten brutally one afternoon and goes off to find Thomas to explain the beating he just recently experienced and at this moment one of Douglass's political
assumptions is shown. As Douglass is making his way towards Master Thomas he states "In this state I appeared before my master, humbly entreating him to interpose his authority for my protection" (418). In this statement Douglass shows that he assumes that a higher authority should do what ever it takes to protect those under them. In the political sense, Douglass assumes that the government should do whatever it takes to protect those they govern. By comparing the relationship between a slave owner and a slave, Douglass makes the political assumption that those under the authority of a higher authority shouldn't fear it, but rather embrace it and rely on that authority as a form of protection and direction. Another political assumption that Douglass brings up goes along with his primary goal. Douglass believes that the audience will take pity on him and realize that the true monster is not the slave but rather the slave owner. By believing that the audience will take pity on him, Douglass assumes that they will support him in the abolitionary cause and also see that the human spirit can prevail against all hardships. After the altercation with Convey, Douglass describes his emotions "It was a glorious resurrection, from the tomb of slavery to the heaven of freedom. My long-crushed spirit rose, cowardice departed, bold defiance took its place..." (420). After describing his hardships as slave, Douglass now openly expresses his feelings of happiness and triumph which he believes that his audience will follow along with him in his political battle against the harsh unfairness of slavery. He also believes that by appealing to the audience that his battle against slavery in terms of politics will be easily accomplished. Douglass ultimately assumes that his audience will follow his fight against slavery and that they will rely on their government to do whats right.