“… the unique character of the 1831 revolt seemed to prove that the cultural advancement of slaves, their access to information, and the continued agitation of the slavery issue in Britain and the colonies guaranteed that another, possibly more successful revolt would occur, and soon.” (page 18)
This sentence is important because this was the first time the author had provoked an idea of freedom of the slaves in the passage, when he gave two certain advancements made by them. The author, in a sense, is foreshadowing towards a possible revolt by the slaves and is also showing his motivation since he is a secondary source writer and not a primary source writer. By advocating for them and writing about how they revolted, it shows that he sided with the slaves of 1831. The title is also evident and also serves as a justification to his position on the matter. The sentence serves two purposes, by showing the position and how it foreshadows to later events.
The secondary source author states that they had access to information and thus were taking steps to advancing their culture. This suggests that they were on the edge of causing a revolt as stated later and also suggests that they were unequally treated before, obviously because they were slaves. The 1831 revolt signified a change for slavery and for slaveholders, as this caused parliament to vote for the abolishment of slavery and to terminate slavery as a whole. This portrays that only knowledge will allow a civilization, like the slaves, to be led to advancement in their culture and affect the government rulings as well. Indeed, the sentence evidently defines the “meaning of freedom”, as it will only come through the advancement of a community which will only directly come from knowledge.
- What information did they access to cause the 1831 revolt?
- Why were the slaves given all these benefits and rights, but not freedom in the beginning?