Essay #2: Antislavery Ideology
Length: About 1,100-1,400 words (4-5 pages typed, double-spaced)
Due date: Friday, May 21 by 11:59 PM
Between 1820 and 1865, Americans held varying ideas about slavery that changed over time. Even white northerners’ attitudes towards slavery ran from acceptance of the institution to fervent opposition to it. Regardless, by 1865 slavery as a legal institution had been eliminated through the ratification of the 13th Amendment. Write an essay in which you discuss and analyze antislavery ideology from the 1820s to 1865. What were the various arguments against slavery made by northerners (both Black and white)? How did antislavery ideology change over time? What factors contributed to these changes? Your essay should develop a thesis and use specific examples to support your argument.
Sources
Your essay should use relevant materials from the course. Relevant sources are listed below. While it is not necessary to draw on all the sources listed, essays that are based on a wide range of course materials will be stronger than those that rely on only a few sources.
Textbook
- American Yawp, Ch. 10, sec. I, II, IV-VI
- American Yawp, Ch. 13, sec. I, II, IV-VI
- American Yawp, Ch. 14, sec. I-III
Primary Sources
- Northup, Twelve Years a Slave
- Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
- Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
- Angelina Grimke, Appeal to the Christian Women of the South
- Beecher, “An Essay on Slavery and Abolitionism”
- Sarah Grimke, Letters on the Equality of the Sexes
- Walker, An Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World
- 1860 Republican Party Platform
- Douglass, “What, to the Slave, is the Fourth of July?”
- Lincoln, Speech at Peoria
- Mason and Child, Correspondence
- Lincoln, Letter to Horace Greeley
- Lincoln, Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation
- Lincoln, Gettysburg Address
- Butler, Letter to General Scott
- Singleton, “Recollection of My Slavery Days”
Lectures
- Lectures 12-17
General Instructions
Writing matters. Please take care with your writing In particular, you should use complete sentences, organize your thoughts into paragraphs, and use correct grammar and language mechanics. Excessive errors may lead to reduced grades, so please proofread before submitting your essay.
Limit yourself to assigned course materials. This is not a research paper. Please use only those materials that are assigned for this class. Do not use sources from the internet or from other courses. One of the points of this exercise is to allow the instructor to assess how well you understand assigned course materials and how well you can integrate them into an analytical essay.
Avoid plagiarism. Please make sure you use your own words. Plagiarism will result in a failing grade on this assignment. If you are unsure what constitutes plagiarism, please refer to the university’s policy on academic honesty, consult the library’s guide on plagiarism, or contact the instructor.
Avoid excessive use of direct quotations. The bulk of your essay should be your ideas expressed in your own words. Excessive use of direct quotations makes it difficult for me to determine whether you comprehend the material.
Cite your sources. When you use specific information from the textbook or a primary source document you must provide a citation so that the reader can determine the source of your information. This is true even when you are not using a direct quotation. You may use whatever format for citations you prefer (Chicago, MLA, etc.), but please be consistent whichever you use. You do not need a “Works Cited” page or bibliography.
Submission
Please submit your essay using the TurnItIn link provided. Please upload your essay in one of the following file formats:
- .doc
- .docx
- .rtf
- .odt
Please do not upload essays as .pages files.
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