Assignment # 7 Due 11-12-13

“There are thousands who are in opinion opposed to slavery and to the war, who yet in effect do nothing to put an end to them; who, esteeming themselves children of Washington and Franklin, sit down with their hands in their pockets, and say that they know not what to do, and do nothing.”

Henry Thoreau

Civil Disobedience

            In this passage Thoreau is discussing the issues of slavery and war. As citizens of the United States, many knew that slavery and war was immorally wrong.  However, they did “nothing to put an end to them” as Thoreau stated. Many of these same citizens are said to be “children” of George Washington and Benjamin Franklin meaning they adamantly believed in their ideas and beliefs. George Washington and Benjamin Franklin had a common goal, which was to abolish slavery in the nation (although Washington owned slaves). They both did a great deal of work trying to do just that. One would think that as “children” of these men, American citizens would do a lot more to end the immoral issues of slavery and war. However, according to Thoreau many just sit around with “their hands in their pockets, and say that they know not what to do, and do nothing.” This is not representative of George Washington or Benjamin Franklin.

            I chose this quote because the topics of war and slavery are very important aspects of American History. To this day they are very controversial. Fortunately, slavery is no longer legal in the United States; although some people believe we Americans live in a modern day form of slavery. War still exists and continues to impact our lives in different ways. In today’s society there are people who are standing up for what they believe in and questioning the politics of the government. People protest, march, sign petitions, etc. to voice their opinions about certain issues within our country and/or state. There are also people who do not voice their opinion. Either way I feel that it is the choice of the person to take a stand for what they do or do not believe in. It does not make them any more or less of an American.

Go to the link for African-American Odyssey and under the section Abolition choose two topics from part 1 and part 2, research these topics, and summarize them and explain how they relate to the readings by Thoreau.

Part 1 – Antislavery Activists

            Many people were against slavery as it was seen as being immoral and a sin of god. This brought about the rise of many anti-slavery activists. Some of those activists include Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, and William Lloyd Garrison. Harriet Tubman was the conductor of the “underground railroad” that freed hundreds of slaves as she made 19 trips to South over a ten-year span. Sojourner Truth was an abolitionist and women’s rights advocate. After being freed from slavery she traveled around the nation and preach the truth of god’s word. William Lloyd Garrison, a white abolitionist wrote songs and poems that were used to create enthusiasm during abolitionist society meetings. All of these anti-slavery activists and many more contributed to the rise against slavery.

            The topic of anti-slavery activists relates to Thoreau by being an example of Americans who disobey unjust laws. Slavery is unjust; therefore the anti-slavery activists had every right to be disobedient in a civil manner.

           

Part 2 –  The Fugitive Slave Law

            The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 mandated that states to which escaped slaves fled were obligated to return them to their masters upon their discovery and subjected persons who helped runaway slaves to criminal sanctions (thefreedictionary.com). This controversial law denied a fugitive’s right to a jury trial. This law put blacks at an increase risk of danger as many thought them to be slaves regardless of whether or not they were free. Many left their homes and fled to Canada. During the next ten years, an estimated 20,000 blacks moved to the neighboring country (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2951.htmL). Northerners who did not support slavery became increasingly defiant against this law. The Underground Railroad became more active and the nation became further divided.

            The Fugitive Law of 1850 relates to Thoreau by being a clear example of an immoral law put forth by the government. According to Thoreau citizens have every right to be civil disobedient when something put forth by the government is deemed unjust. Forcing people to take part in the capturing of fugitive slaves is unjust because it denied a fugitive’s right to a jury trial and put the safety of freed Blacks at risk.