Ian Horkan
ERH-206WX
Col. Ball
11/24/4
Virtual Scrapbook Narrative
Slide 1:
In the 1800s slavery was the largest cultural feature of the United States. It transcended every aspect of American life from economics, to politics, to religion. A major hallmark of literature is that it reflects the aspects of the culture it was written in As a result it is not shocking at all that the literature of the age was both influenced by, and influenced American slavery during this period. Some influence would be by and for the slave-owners, others for the abolitionists, and still other pieces that took no sides at all. Still it is abundantly clear that literature and slavery had a very close relationship in the 19th century
Slide 2:
As a piece of literature the Bible had a profound impact on slavery in America. Specifically, many slave owners used the bible as a justification for slavery, with Bible verses being seen as sanctioning slavery. Particularly the Books of Genesis and Exodus were depended on to provide this sanction, although references to Roman slavery in the New Testament were not unheard of. Slave-owners would even go as far as to hold religious services for their slaves, where they would read these passages and use them to explain to their slaves why they could hold them in bondage, work them for long hours, and whip and beat them.
Slide 3:
On the other hand the Bible worked against slave owners by giving a Christian mission to the Abolitionists. Since the 2nd Great Awakening in the early 19th century and the religious revivals that came with it religion began to factor more and more in American life. Believing that it was a Christian mission to effect change in the world around them, several northern Christians turned to the abolition of slavery citing it as,” Against the principles of Christianity”. Taking up this ideal was men like William Lloyd Garrison who launched his paper the Liberator in 1831.
Slide 4:
It was not only just the Bible that would have an effect on the abolitionist movement. Slave narratives, which reflected the experiences of slavery, would also come to play a large role in impacting slavery. The slave narratives of the day would be used as propaganda by abolitionists, who used the stories in the books to reveal the realities of slavery to the Northern public, drumming up support for their cause. Furthermore, various Abolition societies would have the narrative authors as guest speakers at their various rallies across the North. These slave narratives served as an excellent vector for the Abolitionist movement, and because they were so widely read, had an immense impact on American culture.
Slide 5:
Slavery would go on to impact literature even after its abolition at the end of the civil war. In Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn the blatant racism of some characters and the character Jim serves as a stereotype of white attitudes of slaves during the 1800s. Jim is depicted as dull witted, slow, and superstitious. This seems to justify Jim’s bondage as for his own good and sanction slavery.