Essay 4

Although total freedom for slaves in Olaudah Equiano’s time was not a possibility, slaves did hope and strive for better living conditions, treatment, and even wages. Some slaves living in England fought to have the status of domestic servants who, although not held in high regard by society, had more freedom and rights than slaves. Slaves fought the most for some sort of wage that would contribute to their maintenance and enhance their rights. They also desired to work under a master who would treat them well, even if their service did fall under the category of slavery. The slaves considered themselves “free” if they were able to work and live under these conditions.

Slaves in England fought to earn wages for the work that they performed for their masters. The receipt from the wage that the slave received implied some sort of contract. At this time, a contract involved the consent of free people, which would imply that the slave was free. Domestic servants often found themselves working under the same conditions of slaves. For example, servants also “faced corporal punishment for disobedience and worked under the close supervision of the master and mistress of the household” (Lorimer, 63). The actions of the servant were severely restricted, which prevented them from being completely free. Slaves would still not be completely free even if they received a wage, but it would constitute a drastic improvement in their lives.

Ouladah Equiano recalled that people who did not own a plantation would loan out their slaves in exchange for money. The money would then be used to provide the slaves with extra subsistence. The food would allow a better standard of living for the slave (Equiano, 91). The money would go directly to the master and not the slave, but it still provided the slave with a sense of self-worth. If the slave did receive some sort of compensation they could buy objects that contributed to their autonomy. Equiano wrote about a man who was able to buy a boat unbeknownst to his master (92). The money earned by slaves represented some autonomy, if not freedom.

Equiano went in depth about the plantations that gave better treatment to the slaves. The slaves still had to work under a master and were not free, but they were able to work and live under better conditions. The plantations perceived as “better” also did not abuse their slaves (97). Equiano would work harder under his master who was kind in order to not be sold to other individuals who were cruel (94). Slaves would be more willing to comply with the orders of their masters if they did not risk being physically punished.

The improvements the slaves received may have been a small victory, but it impacted English society on many levels. Slave owners could not longer view their slaves as property that had absolutely no rights. English society had to accept the domestic status of the slave, which allowed for fewer restrictions, but it still allowed the slave to be freer.

Essay 3

French people helped free Africans who set foot on French soil purely for personal reasons. The French people not associated with the crown used the issue of slavery to criticize royal authority. The majority of the freed slaves won their freedom in Parlement of Paris or the Admiralty Court of France (Peabody, 6). These political institutions used slavery to gain leverage over the monarchy and his council ministers. Before the late eighteenth century, the monarchy could draft legislation without consulting a wide range of people (7). The Enlightenment brought about new ideas of individual freedom, which were adopted by the people in these courts. Their motives in freeing Africans were to challenge the authority of the king and to gain power.

French writers, such as Jean Jacques Rousseau, used slavery as a metaphor for monarchical domination. At the time, Rousseau was not interested with the living conditions of slaves in the French colonies. He is concerned with the “slave, white or black, only as a symbol of political domination” (96). His critique of slavery is motivated by his desire for limited authority of the crown. Voltaire’s was also critical of slavery because he believed that the relationship between the king and his subjects should be contractual (97). Voltaire also believed the different races were “fundamentally distinct” (96). His position enforced the idea that everyone should be free, but not necessarily equal. These writers were more driven by their wish for freedom, which did not always include people of other races.

The majority of the French were motivated by their own desire for freedom, but some lawyers were truly motivated by selfless reasons. The French lawyer, Henrion de Pansey, wrote that “higher ideals could propel lawyers into the service of slaves (103). These few individuals were sympathetic to the slave’s need for freedom. These people believed that the idea of freedom should be applied to everyone. Not all lawyers were motivated by unselfish reasons, however. The other reasons a lawyer could represent a slave were for remuneration or experience (103). The lawyers who fought on the behalf of the slaves certainly constituted a small number.

There were people in France who truly believed in individual rights, but these people did not represent the majority that championed the cause. The majority certainly believed in their freedom, which did not necessarily encompass everybody. These people wanted limitations be placed on the crown in order to ensure their rights.

Essay 2

Different historians believe that the abolitionist movement in Great Britain came from left wing and right wing politics. David Brion Davis wrote that the movement stemmed from new ideas on production associated with industrialization. James Walvin feels that the anti-slavery movement was started by women who at the time were at the fringes of politics. Nicholas Hudson believes that the movement was started by conservatives who preached loyalty to the crown and church. The abolitionist movement can be viewed across the political spectrum due to the wide variety of the people associated with it.
Davis, a liberal, associated the movement with the industrialization of Great Britain. The shift from an agrarian society to an industrial one created a new class of people. The new class of people that arose from this transition made slavery obsolete. The new ideology on labor also led to new ideas on slavery. Entrepreneurs who were not associated with shipping or trade gained status during this time. This new system valued the individual, which was inconsistent with the old idea of slavery. Further progress under this system would lead to the emancipation of slaves (Davis, 23). During this time, the new views of capitalism made slavery seem outdated.
According to Walvin, the abolitionist movement was created by women who were worried about families and women in the slave community. Women in Great Britain were not allowed to directly participate in politics. Through this movement women were allowed to be in the public realm. These women were concerned with the virtue of female slaves and their roles as mother. Slavery did not allow women to truly fulfill their jobs of mothers to their families. Female abolitionist felt it was their duty to end slavery in order to restore slaves to their proper roles in society. The abolitionists did not care about slavery enough to stop using sugar, however (Walvin, 560-561). At the time women in politics was progressive, which falls under left wing politics in the present day.
Hudson views conservative individuals as the ones responsible for bringing the issue of slavery into political debate. The majority of early abolitionists were Anglican and loyal to the church and the king. For example, Samuel Johnson had close ties to the Anglican Church and was fiercely loyal to the king, even though he was viewed as radical by some. He was responsible “for bringing slavery to the stage of legal and political debate during the 1770’s” (Hudson, 561). This people were not on the fringe of society, in fact they mostly represented the status quo. Through their work these conservatives advanced the cause of emancipation in Great Britain.
Slavery gave Great Britain great wealth through the production of sugar. The trade was outdated and prevented the country from future success. The country needed to stop the slave trade in order to flourish under the new system of capitalism. There was also a moral cost as represented by the women abolitionists. The trade prevented slaves from fulfilling their obligations as human beings. The abolitionists represented the entire political spectrum, but everyone viewed the system as one that needed to be stopped.

Essay 1

The majority of Africans that traveled across the Atlantic did so as slaves, but many free black men and women crossed the seas. The black Atlantic encompassed the journeys of a diverse group of black people. Free black men and women who became sailors were awarded different privileges than slaves. The experiences of sailors gave them a positive black identity due to their marginalization in a white society. The black Atlantic was composed of slaves as well as free people who gained certain rights through their journeys to foreign countries.

Olaudah Equianos, a free man, traveled extensively first as a slave and later as a sailor. His travels brought him in constant contact with white people, which influenced his personal identity. His experience with the white culture mixed with his African heritage and created a “hybridized national identity” (Gerzina, 47). He later strongly connected to his black identity due to his involvement with the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Black sailors had certain freedoms that were not granted to white sailors who occupied the bottom ranks of white society. Sailors were also highly valued in the black community due to their access to news information (Gerzina, 48). The experiences of sailors in the black Atlantic gave them prestige in black and white communities, which allowed them to have a positive black identity.

Nancy Gardner Prince’s travels gave her tough qualities that allowed her to enter hostile environments. Her experiences allowed her to have power even though she was marginalized by a white society. Her journeys gave her a sense of spatial ownership, which was evident even on land. An account of her expelling a slave catcher from a home in her community showed the sense of owned space learned from her travels at sea (Gerzin, 51). Her travels gave her power that many black people did not have, especially slaves. The black Atlantic was a source of power for many free black men and women.

The experience of Paul Cuffe in the black Atlantic allowed him to become an influential business leader in the black and white communities. He tried to use trade to connect Africa to Europe and to help relieve the disparity between the two continents (Gerzina, 56). He also devoted himself to social issues on a small scale as well. He created a school in Massachusetts that was open to children of all races. He was even able to conduct business with white people in unsympathetic communities (Gerzina, 53). Cuffe’s travels allowed him to be a leader with considerable influence in different circles.

The travels of the black people allowed them to reconcile their lives as free people with their past experiences as slaves. The black Atlantic gave free people rights not awarded to everyone in the community, which gave them positive black identity. The diverse people who traveled throughout the Atlantic were able to unprecedented freedom for that period of time.