Slavery, Freedom And Sectional Conflict - 2170 Words

Slavery, Freedom and Sectional Conflict in America prior to the Civil War In the United States of America after the Revolutionary War, freedom was a very relative term. According to the constitution all men were created equal and therefore all men are free. However, in this time prior to the American Civil War this was not the case. There existed, what would eventually be called an immoral evil by some abolitionists in, slavery. Slaves were African-Americans brought to the United States, specifically the South, and treated and sold at auction as if they were property not human beings. This would lead to a great many conflicts both physically and verbally as time progressed, eventually sparking a Civil War. The focus of this paper is on the†¦show more content†¦Next Douglass begins to describe his experiences as a slave under different masters. The first experience he describes is that under the ownership of Captain Anthony and Colonel Lloyd. In this home his food rations are little if any at all, he is almost always cold and uncomfortable. While l iving and working for these owners he witnesses brutal beatings of his fellow slaves as well as the murder of one of these fellow slaves. All of this is disturbing and alarming, but the worst part for Douglass is the inaction by both the community and the law. Both act as if either a, it never happened to begin with or b, that it’s commonplace and insignificant and ultimately of no concern worth the slightest attention by them. Also around this time Douglass talks about what he feels a common misconception, slaves singing. He talks about how most think or thought that slaves’ singing was a good thing, that they were not happy but content in their situation, when in reality their singing is another form of sorrow being released just like when they cry. Something else that Douglass talks about is this sense of false allegiance as he puts it. What he is talking about is how the fear of punishment creates a stronger allegiance to the master and slave owner, as compared to