For those interested in a view of the abolition movement from the bottom up, Julie Roy Jeffrey’s, The Great Silent Army of Abolitionism, Ordinary Women in the Antislavery Movement (University of North Carolina Press, 1998) focuses our attention on the hundreds of “silent” women who worked tirelessly in deceptively ordinary ways, to promote abolition in rural communities and churches. According to Jeffrey, their continuous efforts on behalf of abolition evolved over time and helped sustain the movement. Although most did not become the radical feminists we associate with abolition, Jeffrey argues their activities on behalf of abolition did cause them to stretch themselves and to question traditional ideas about gender.
Dr. Sara Brooks Sundberg
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
John Brown
The Abolitionists film segment we watched, which is part of the first episode, mentioned John Brown's conversion experience and his determination to fight slavery in America. Episode three of the film series addresses this topic in much more detail, talking at length about John Brown's actions in Kansas and at Harper's Ferry, Virginia, in 1856 and 1859 respectively.
John Brown has been a controversial figure in both public memory and historical accounts since the 1850s. Some see his violent actions to bring about an immediate end to slavery as unjustified, while others argue that the nation needed some sort of 'shock' to recognize the realities of the institution of slavery that was itself violent and abusive. When is moral suasion not enough and more determined action to end slavery is necessary?
The Smithsonian's Museum of American History has an interesting video on their YouTube channel (about 7 minutes long) which asks us to consider exactly that moral dilemma--as a member of John Brown's "jury" in 1859, how would you respond to his actions and his motives?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcoIkUIUS6s&feature=plcp
As we approach the anniversary of Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry, October 16-18, it seems appropriate to examine this question here.
John Brown has been a controversial figure in both public memory and historical accounts since the 1850s. Some see his violent actions to bring about an immediate end to slavery as unjustified, while others argue that the nation needed some sort of 'shock' to recognize the realities of the institution of slavery that was itself violent and abusive. When is moral suasion not enough and more determined action to end slavery is necessary?
The Smithsonian's Museum of American History has an interesting video on their YouTube channel (about 7 minutes long) which asks us to consider exactly that moral dilemma--as a member of John Brown's "jury" in 1859, how would you respond to his actions and his motives?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcoIkUIUS6s&feature=plcp
As we approach the anniversary of Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry, October 16-18, it seems appropriate to examine this question here.
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