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CLS371: Law & Disorder in Literature, Anti-Slavery Abolitionism -…
CLS371: Law & Disorder in Literature
Language
Rhetorical Analysis
Angelina W. Grimke,
The Closing Door
Grimke used symbolism to represent a barrier protecting Agnes from the cruel and violent world that does not consider her as human. Closing the door and preventing children from stepping into it is to protect their lives,and prpreventuffering. Using logos, Grimke made this situation seem logical by requiring Agnes to fill her role as the protector.
Black Codes and Slave Codes
Slave codes were utilized in dehumanizing enslaved people. Becoming either property or having rights that equate to a fraction of a white person. Chattel slavery existed as a structure of imprisonment and struggle.
Rhetorical analysis and the Slave/Black codes during the anti-slavery movement advanced the ideas and beliefs that went against the majority. To change those strong opinions, many activists and writers had to strategically persuade audiences and get their voices heard. This course is designed to focus on literature, dissecting the works of this time to gain context and identify different perspectives and concepts of this period.
Natural Law Theory
Fredrick Douglass,
Is It Right And Wise To Kill A Kidnapper?
"-and he who takes pleasure in human slaughter is very properly looked upon as a moral monster."
"All will agree that human life is valuable or worthless, as to the innocent or criminal use that is made of it."
"If the right to life stands on the same ground as the right to liberty, it is subject to all the exceptions that apply to the right to liberty."
The Natural Law Theory suggests that specific laws are granted by birth, and values that protect the lives of people. This theory varies by community due to religion, culture, and development. In the course readings, this has been referred to as "higher law."
Fugitive Slave Act
Congress passed this Act on September 18, 1850. It included several bills relating to the expansion of slavery between the Northern and Southern United States. Slaves could not testify/were denied a jury trial, and citizens were required to aid in capturing runaway slaves, among other items in the bills.
Natural Law Theory, Douglass's work, and the Fugitive Slave Act align to highlight the issue in natural human rights versus the rights made by man. Dissecting these three ideas provides context for different legal theories explored in this course used in modern practice compared to how it was exercised in the past.
Anti-Slavery Abolitionism
Henry Thoreau,
A Plea For Captain John Brown
Thoreau's essay highlights the view society had of activism during the 19th century. During this period, Captain John Brown was executed for his raid at Harpers Ferry, carried out to inspire slaves to fight for freedom. Brown was seen as both a terrorist and a martyr varying by person.
13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment relates to Reconstruction in the late 1800's, which abolished the "half slave half free" United States to canceling chattel slavery from Slave Codes. This Amendment gave Congress more authority, empowering it to protect individual rights. This also redesigned the south, updating the social and political sectors of this zone.
Thomas R. Gray,
The Confessions of Nat Turner
Turner viewed himself as someone with very high potential. With beliefs deeply rooted in religion, he believed that events from his past were instructions from God to shift the idea of freedom in the US. Turner's existence haunted White Southern citizens, who, in their delusions, enforced Black Codes that came about.
Each of the concepts and works in the map listed all advance the abolitionist tactics. The general idea is that slavery goes against the rights of humans; it is a sin against God's law. Nat Turner believed that this sin must be purged from the United States through violence and war strategies. Using literature from history allows us to understand how systems of government attempt to create order and their relation to the moral and ethical codes embedded in society.