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Primary Source Summaries Instructor Class Date Name

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Primary Source Summaries I.

Primary Source Summary 1 a. David Walker’s Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World, 1829 i. Anti-slavery 1. Walker was birthed by a woman who had been set free, and by a father who was still enduring the deplorable conditions of slavery. Walker is known for criticizing the plans set forth regarding colonization and brought claims forth concerning freedom and the religion of Christianity (American Yawp, n.d.). He also emphasized the violence that would come to those who were still holding slaves in their possessions. In the source, the declaration made in 176, stated, “when during social events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands in which have connected them with another which is the separation of the equal station of laws” (The American Yawp, n.d.). Walker was out spoken and fought for what he firmly believed in. He was highly known for his abolitionist thoughts while placing his visions at the fore center of what was going on. Walker done this by targeting the emotional tracts in which he was trying to push for an immediate emancipation of all slaves as opposed to taking a gradualist approach.

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Primary Source 2 a. William Lloyd Garrison Introduces the Liberator, 1831

PRIMARY SOURCE SUMMARIES i. Pro-slavery 1. Garrison participated in many reforms in the state of Massachusetts. During the 1820s, he began advocating for black colonization in Africa, given the gradual ends of slavery that was taken place (American Yawp, n.d.). He is most famously known for writing a newspaper, The Liberator, which asserted that “the Declaration of the Independence meant for all to be equal and that a gradual abolition of slavery should take effect for years to come whereas all would be deemed free” (The American Yawp, n.d.). I feel this source will enhance the slavery concepts in which led to the Declaration and Constitution because it provides concepts of religious beliefs, not just thoughts based on political ones. This source provides a moral conscious to the readers to encourage for an immediate emancipation just as Walker was declaring. III.

Primary Source Summary 3 a. Prigg v. Pennsylvania, 1842 i. Anti-slavery 1. Conflicts that were occurring among the powers of government and the rights state had been putting many strains on the American people and its politics during the era of the Antebellum (American Yawp, n.d.). The Northerners were refusing to comply with the fugitive slave laws in which were enacted at the time. This act was involved in the construction of the Constitution of the U.S. “There

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are two clauses in the Constitution upon the subject of fugitives, which stand in juxtaposition with each other, and have been thought mutually to illustrate each other” (American Yawp, n.d.). This court case is relevant because of how the court system struck down the anti-kidnapping laws in the state of Pennsylvania in which was aimed at keeping the blacks from being forced into slavery through transportation out of the state of Pennsylvania. The Federalism concepts of the Constitution grants powers between the state and federal levels which enforces them to become essential in certain states. IV.

Primary Source Summary 4 a. George Fitzhugh Argues that Slavery is Better than Liberty and Equality, 1854 i. Pro-slavery 1. As advancements in the 19th century progressed, the Americans shifted the way they understood slavery from being evil to being something good for society. “Fitzhugh offered a consistent defense towards slavery in his study ‘Sociology for the South.’” (American Yawp, n.d.). This study attacked the northerners and presented them as being corrupt, given that slavery was now known as the gentle system that was protecting the African-Americans while promoting social harmony. The term slavery that Fitzhugh states is based on an inductive one. He saw slaves as being an economic entity to the whites. This source is relevant because how the author

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draws the lines between the South and North while raining principles of the capital in which has became the obligations for labor by the slaves. V.

Primary Source Summary 5 a. 1860 Republican Party Platform i. Anti-slavery 1. The Republican party was against slavery and the created platform opposed to expansions of slavery using the slave trade (American Yawp, n.d.). However, this primary source does not indicate the government enforced the claims made if the powers they did have, was enough to eradicate slavery. The importance of the west was notable in the acts against slavery that the Republicans portrayed. “They stood by the Constitution in that all men were created equal and that all should have inalienable rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness” (American Yawp, n.d.). During this time, there were many conflicts regarding slavery and the expansion of slavery throughout the north and south factions. The Republicans were backing Lincoln who was running the platform at the time because he was fighting for the prevention of slavery expansions in which were intended to stimulate the industries in the north.

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Primary Source Summary 6 a. South Carolina Declaration of Secession, 1860 i. Anti-slavery

PRIMARY SOURCE SUMMARIES 1. The Constitution according to the 4th article states that “no person shall be held to service as laborers in one state and the consequences of escaping the law or regulations shall be delivered upon the claims of the party in which the labor was due” (American Yawp, n.d.). For many years, these laws were stiffly upheld, but when the nullification of the Acts of the Congress occurred, the state governments denied compliance in conforming to the Constitutions requirements. Thus, “the constituted compact has been deliberately broken and disregarded by the nonslaveholding States, and the consequence follows that South Carolina is released from her obligation” (American Yawp, n.d.). South Carolina seceded because of how they stated the non-slave holding states were threatening their economic and social sustainment’s. the Declaration of Independence and its enactment is what gave South Carolina the right to secede from the Federal Union. VII.

Primary Source Summary 7 a. Alexander Stephens on Slavery and the Confederate Constitution, 1861 i. Pro-slavery 1. To foster patriotism, Confederates had to begin creating both a government and nation that cultivated the cultural values that were required. “Stephens, the Confederacy vice president, proclaimed that slavery matters were an act of supremacy and that these acts

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PRIMARY SOURCE SUMMARIES weren’t the only known causes for secessions but had also led to the Confederate Nation” (American Yawp, n.d.). Slavery of African American at this time was the status of their civilizations, but by the enactment of the Constitution, slavery was then condemned as being wrong socially, morally, principally, and politically. However, to the new government created by the Confederates, slavery was natural and justified given that the African-Americans were not equal to the white man (American Yawp, n.d.). Stephens was arguing against the succession in which led to the Civil War. The convention held both sides of slavery under the Compromise of 1850 and the conclusion was based off the disputes regarding slavery taking place in north and south regions. They wanted to abolish slavery in regions where they didn’t want slavery to be existed, but to keep slavery in the south as the south’s rights. VIII.

Primary Source Summary 8 a. Fifteenth Amendment Print, 1870 i. Anti-slavery 1. The themes in this print relate to the importance of AfricanAmericans during the time of the Reconstruction. “This print focuses on the achievements made by military personnel of the blacks who were serving as veterans and the voting rights that were protected by the 15th amendment” (American Yawp, n.d.).

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This print also establishes the accomplishments of marriage and building families, the creation/protection of black churches and even the rights given to blacks to own lands. Given that AfricanAmerican men were now able to vote according to this amendment, it still wasn’t fully enacted by society. There was a bridge still remaining between poll taxes and literacy tests deeming the blacks not intelligent enough to conduct voting in their regions. IX.

Working Thesis Statement a. Deplorable and unequal living standards for enslaved African-Americans have contributed significantly to the enactments and amendments of the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution (American Yawp, n.d.). i. Evidence from the Textbook 1. “The national breakdown over slavery occurred over a long timeline and across a broad geography” (American Yawp, n.d.). a. Slavery was an issue among most states throughout the west and north but prevailed in the nations throughout the south. The Union (north) wanted to eradicate slavery while those in the south was trying to keep slavery given the high demands for their agricultural and economic means. b. “Many elements of slavery after the Civil War and the questions relating to the reconstruction hinged around the concepts of equality and citizenship status” (The American Yawp, n.d.).

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The American Yawp (n.d.). Alexander Stephens on Slavery and the Confederate Constitution, 1861. Retrieved from http://www.americanyawp.com/reader/the-civil-war/alexanderstephens-on-slavery-and-the-confederate-constitution-1861/ The American Yawp (n.d.). David Walker’s Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World, 1829. Retrieved from http://www.americanyawp.com/reader/religion-and-reform/davidwalkers-appeal-to-the-colored-citizens-of-the-world-1829/ The American Yawp (n.d.). Fifteenth Amendment Print, 1870. Retrieved from http://www.americanyawp.com/reader/fifteenth-amendment/ The American Yawp (n.d.). George Fitzhugh Argues that Slavery is Better than Liberty and Equality, 1854. Retrieved from http://www.americanyawp.com/reader/the-cottonrevolution/george-fitzhugh-argues-that-slavery-is-better-than-liberty-and-equality-1854/ The American Yawp (n.d.). Prigg v. Pennsylvania, 1842. Retrieved from http://www.americanyawp.com/reader/the-sectional-crisis/prigg-v-pennsylvania-1842/ The American Yawp (n.d.). South Carolina Declaration of Secession, 1860. Retrieved from http://www.americanyawp.com/reader/the-sectional-crisis/south-carolina-declaration-ofsecession-1860/ The American Yawp (n.d.). William Lloyd Garrison Introduces the Liberator, 1831. Retrieved from http://www.americanyawp.com/reader/religion-and-reform/william-lloyd-garrisonintroduces-the-liberator-1831/ The American Yawp. (n.d.). The American Yawp Reader 1860 Republican Party Platform. Retrieved from http://www.americanyawp.com/reader/the-sectional-crisis/1860republican-party-platform/...