Themes in American History: Capitalism, Slavery, Democracy

Blog post # 3

Even earlier than the Civil War, Eric Foner explains, the Republican celebration was once in a duration of increasing federal authority over the states. During the conflict and then Reconstruction a robust central authority used to be viewed fundamental in order to outline the phrases on which the defeated southern states ought to return to the Union and to put into effect these terms. Eric Foner shows how the growth of federal authority was once a radical thinking at the time and the wing of the Republican Party that recommended it was occasionally at odds with greater average and conservative celebration members. For example, in Eric Foner article he shows “Reconstruction Radicalism was the first and foremost a civic ideology, grounded in definition of American citizenship. On the economic issues of the day on distinctive or unified Radical position existed”(Eric Foner 106). This quote illustrates that the idea that reconstruction radicalism is the main idea of American citizenship. Furthermore, about the reconstruction radicalism of American citizenship. For example, “Radical Republicanism did posses a social and economic vision, but one that derived from the free labor ideology rather than from any one set of business interests”( Eric Foner 106). This quote illustrates that the radical republicans on the topic of free labor ideology they put the focus on businesses.

All in all Eric Foner thought that with nothing has been more important to the development of American society and politics than the Civil War and Reconstruction. And until in the 1960s, there is more influential scholars conceived of the era as a sad departure from America’s grand march of progress toward political liberty and economic plenty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blog post#2:Thavolia Glymph, Out of the House of Bondage

In chapter 1 of Out of the House of Bondage, by Thavolia Glymph that shows that story of  Lulu Wilson that was a slave and the idea of being persuasive to demonstrates and the plantation house was a political space, where enslaved women, white women battled over the idea of labor and autonomy during slavery and then over the definitions of freedom and citizenship that had happened after the Civil War.

Thavolia Glymph stated that “Course I’se born in slavery, ageable as I am. I am a old time slavery woman and the way I been through the hackles I got plenty to say about slavery.”(18) This quote illustrates if a woman is born in a slave environment, they will become slave and that other slaves might have said that their slaves for a long time when they are at a certain year in their life. Thavolia Glymph talks more about the how even if you’re born a slave they will concert you as a class or race, that it states that “Juxtaposing the claims of this ideal against the violence to which Wilson, Robinson, and Benton testified brings to fuller view the literal as well as grammatical antagonism in the conjoined usage of the adjectives “delicate” and “slaveholding.””(20) This quote illustrates that woman was used a negative idea of them either being as delicate woman or as a slaveholder that the violence idea was made to show antagonism.

Furthermore, it also states that “The plantation household was just such a site of contact between women whose access to power, privilege, and opportunity, much less food, clothing, and citizenship, was vastly unequal.” This quote means that woman was treated poorly that they will get less power, food, and equal rights for their own self that woman was like nothing to anyone that person that we’re using those women as slaveholders were horrible people.

All in all,Thavolia Glymph idea was to so how horrible slavery was and that through Lulu Wilson experience of being a slave was not easy to get use to or understand that some slaves are either born or sold to masters to make more money to own more slaves, Thavolia Glymph used Lulu Wilson quotes to show to reads that has a slave your life was never normal. Women had to become slaves at birth, at a stage in your life you can’t make choices or have a say in to having to life almost all your life as a slave or your skin color showed the idea of if your black, white or any race your privilege was just the same like the lack of importance like food, clothes shelter was not given to any race. That in pass history men, women and children where treated poorly but the idea of white slave masters had bought and sold black slaves in pass history but women where treated poorly despite their race.

Edmund Morgan, “American Slavery American Freedom”

    The argument that the author shows why and how Virginians had started to turn toward a slave-labor economy in addition to this how it had imported workers to England as well as Virginians imported workers from England to ensure their profits.  

      Edmund Morgan suggests that as soon as Virginians found tobacco, that the colony was on the road for slavery. The forcing servants into slavery might have led to massive rebellion, that the enslave Virginians, that on chapter 15 it states that “Virginians had only men who were already enslaved after the initial risks of the transformation had been sustained by other elsewhere”. (297) This quote illustrates that the people that were already a servant will become enslaved. Therefore in 1660, with a decline in immigration due to an end to England’s. population problems, it became more advantageous for Virginia planters to buy slaves. Edmund Morgan further explains that the Virginia planters had advantages over other plantation economies. They could have replaced the slaves at a lower rate than sugar planters, giving a greater return to the investment of a rise in the price of tobacco meant they could have pay from them, as well as tobacco required, that in chapter 15 it states that, “And man small amount of capital, insufficient for the outlay of sugar plantation.”  (303) This actively illustrates the quote that the small production equipment was not enough for the capital. Therefore, the men who wanted to get into plantation production went to Virginia. Another reason that the author would argue with is that the men who arrived had garnered more of the prestige in England that they brought slavery to Virginia by buying where it states that, “These were the man who brought slavery to Virginian, simply by buying slaves instead of servants.” (304) This actively illustrates that people that are servants are no longer servants but slaves. Therefore, by the end of the century, more than half of Virginia’s labor force was enslaved.