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CLS371: Law & Disorder in Literature - Coggle Diagram

- - - - "Is It Right and Wise to Kill a Kidnapper" by Frederick Douglas evokes natural and higher law in an argument that endorses political violence against U.S. police or military force. This writing is in response to the Fugitive Slave act of 1850 -- an act legally requiring citizens to return freed or runaway slaves to their owners. Douglas questions if it is viable for a freed slave to kill an officer who is taking them back into slavery, since constitutionally that act qualifies as kidnapping. Douglas' anti-slavery stance is backed by the language of the Constitution -- language that does not specifically mention slaves or African Americans being exempt from any and all rights. Because African Americans are humans, they are deserving of natural and inalienable rights.
- - - - "freely confessed that he had broken the laws of the state, but he appealed to the higher code of justice he called the 'law of God' " - Caleb Smith on John Brown in the Oracle and the Curse
- - - - Alexander Stephen's "Cornerstone Speech" utilizes higher law when discussing his pro-white beliefs. Being from the south, he wanted to maintain the slavery industry. This speech examples the truth of what was going on during the Civil War and what the south was truly fighting for -- keeping slavery, not state's rights.
        
        "With us, all of the white race, however high or low, rich or poor, are equal in the eye of the law. Not so with the negro."