In class we watched a video titled Slavery and the Making of America. In it we were allowed to see the views on slavery from the point of view of black people as well as how they acted upon these views. One very important man was David Walker and his preaching. He sympathized with his fellow men and women after hearing about what they had to live with and helped greatly even though he was born a free man.
There were many great people shown in the video and all of their stories were tied into one larger story. Something that struck me though was the responses of the people, both white and black. for Walker the south wanted him to be brought down so that they could deal with him. For Maria, an important woman who picked up the torch when Walker was killed, her harsh messages were met with harsh responses. All of these events gave way to events like revolts and worse. What I want to know is, do you think the revolt and the new version of the fugitive slave act would have been as harsh if there hadn't been people like Walker and Maria to stand up against slavery?
Personally, I think that the revolt and fugitive slave act, along with all other responses to slavery would not have been as strong without passionate speakers like David and Maria. However, the eventual abolition of slavery would have occurred much slower. Though the resistance sparked some violent acts, without resistance at all things would never have changed. On the other hand, if the resistance had been to much, the response would have caused even more violence and brutality. I think the key in any revolution is to find balance. Thank you for your analysis and spark of thought on actions and their consequences.
ReplyDeleteI also think that the fugitive slave and revolts would not have been so harsh without those two prominent abolitionists. Maria and David Walker at the time challenged the paradigm of slavery. Many slave holders saw their speeches dangerous. These two people certainly inspired there fellow slaves and without them, the fugitive slave act and revolts would have taken more time resulting in a slower movement of the abolishment of slavery. Overall, I really liked your analysis and thoughts about Walker and Stewart.
ReplyDelete