Four nineteenth-century writers on slavery and moral resistance

Thoreau, Stowe, Melville and Douglas: Reflections on Slavery

Henry David Thoreau, Harriet Beacher Stowe, Herman Melville and Fredrick Douglass all opposed the intuition of slavery in the United States in the middle of the nineteen century. This matter deeply divided the nation and ultimately led to the Civil War in 1860. While southerner's saw the matter as a state's rights issue, abolitions framed the debate from a moral perspective. Most people in the south felt that slaves were their property, and it was for them to decide the moral and religious right of the slavery question. They saw the abolition of slavery as a threat to their very way of life. Abolitionists believed there was no distinction between slavery and liberty, a nation that condoned slavery could not be truly free (Foner). Each of these writers presented their views of slavery in there literary works.

Discussion

Henry David Thoreau

On the Duty of Civil Disobedience by Thoreau examines an individual's relationship to the state and why men obey governmental law even though they believe them unjust. The essay is his response to being imprisoned for breaking the law. Thoreau hated slavery and because tax revenues contributed to its support he refused to pay the poll tax. He was incarcerated and was supposed to remain in jail until the tax was paid, however relatives settled the debt and he was released after one night. Thoreau argues that the government's power arises from the majority because they are the strongest group, not because their viewpoint is correct. Thoreau states that an individual's first obligation is to do what they believe is right, not to follow the law by the majority. When a government is unjust a person has an obligation to refuse to follow the law and distance themselves from the government. He questions the effectiveness of reforming the government, contending that voting and petitioning have little effect. Thoreau contends that refusing to participate in an unjust government institutions is preferable to trying to change the government from within stating that one cannot see the government for what it is when one is working within it.

Harriet Beacher Stowe

Uncle Tom's Cabin, by Stowe, is a credited by many of raising the awareness of northerner's about the human consequences of slavery. The story, published in 1952, created a national debate centered on abolitionism. Many people in the north had never interacted with African-Americans nor experienced slavery first hand. The publication of the book came at a time of great consternation concerning the slavery issue. It went straight to the hearts of tens of thousands of people who had never before considered slavery except as a political institution for which they had no personal responsibility. The book had the effect of exposing the degrading aspects of the fugitive slave law and to arouse the public conscience, emphasizing the necessity of obedience to the moral law, and compelling recognition of the responsibility of the North for slavery.

Herman Melville

Melville's novella, Benito Cereno (1855) portrays the institution of slavery as a betrayal of humanity. The story is about a South American slave ship where the blacks have successfully mutinied, killed some whites, and now hold others hostage. The Chilean captain, Dom Benito Cereno, had previously and uncritically taken slavery for granted. His own reversed role as a helpless slave forces him to confront the true horror of human slavery. Eventually Cereno comes to recognize the true evil of slavery. Though the slaves commit the crimes of mutiny and murder, the society they threaten is one that has immorally institutionalized their oppression.

Reflection

Each of these authors makes a solid case against slavery. Thoreau, Stowe and Melville all point out the social and moral injustices of the institution. Stowe's work in particular had a widespread effect on bringing the matter to the forefront of the American conscience. However, I feel Douglass makes the most compelling anti-slavery argument.

The story of his rise to prominence is remarkable and inspiring for many reasons. The obstacles he was able surmount, slavery, illiteracy, prejudice and the rest serve as a testament to the fortitude of the man. Furthermore, Douglass more than the others actively participated in bring an end to slavery. During the Civil war, while the North was fighting to preserve the Union, the South was fighting for the right to secede and establish a nation that guaranteed a person's right to own slaves. Douglass saw the war was a battle to end slavery. Douglass set two goals for the Union, emancipation for all slaves in the Confederacy and the Union Border States, and the right of blacks to enlist in the armies of the North. Toward these ends he traveled on the lecture circuit calling for Lincoln to grant slaves their freedom. Douglass insisted in his speeches and newspaper editorials that the aim of the war must be to abolish slavery and that blacks must be allowed to join in the battle for their freedom.

In the summer of 1862 Lincoln decided to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. Douglass next turned his attention to the struggle of blacks to be allowed to fight for their freedom. In 1863, Congress authorized black enlistment in the Union army. The Massachusetts 54th Regiment was the first black unit to be formed and the governor of the state asked Douglass to help in the recruitment. Douglass agreed and wrote an editorial that was published in the local newspapers. Douglass's recruitment speeches promised black soldiers equality in the Union Army. However, they were paid 1/2 of what the white soldiers received and were given inferior weapons and inadequate training. Blacks were not allowed to become officers. Furthermore, black soldiers who were captured by Confederate troops were often shot. Douglass stopped his recruitment efforts when he learned of these conditions, published his complaints, and then requested to meet with the president. His request was granted in the summer of 1863 and Douglass expressed his concerns about the way black soldiers were being treated by Union officers and Confederate captors. President Lincoln did give Douglass some encouragement that changes might be made in the future. Although Douglass was not entirely satisfied with Lincoln's response, he decided to begin recruiting again. More than 200,000 blacks enlisted in the Union army and 38,000 were killed or wounded in Civil War battles. Comprising about 10% of the North's troops, the black soldiers made their numbers felt on the battlefields and distinguished themselves in many engagements. Douglass lived under the whip and overcame; his whole life was a powerful statement against slavery and bigotry.