Slavery: A Generator of Labor, Adultery, and Danger.

In Harriet Jacobs’ Incidents In the Life Of A Slave Girl, Jacobs illustrates how her life swings around from extremes while in slavery. At first Jacobs even states that she does not even know she was born a slave until she was six years old (8). Her father’s expertise in carpentry and her mother’s exceptional work to her mistress, earned the comfort of feeling free for Jacobs herself. This feeling of “freedom while enslaved” was taken away when her parents pass away with only Jacobs’ grandmother to care for her, and is soon replaced with violence, pain, and fright.

Under the care of her grandmother and many masters and mistresses, Jacobs came to a point in her life where she is to serve a Dr. Flint and his family. As stated in the text, Jacobs’ was now fifteen and she saw this as a “sad epoch in the life of a slave girl.” Being of age, Jacobs not only had to deal with being a slave, but also had to fight with the thoughts of abuse she received from her new master. Dr. Flint used his powers to remind Jacobs that she was his property and that he could do anything he pleased to her.

Jacobs’ story is a perfect example of how life as a slave girl was treacherous and dangerous. Geneva Moore writes in A Freudian Reading Of Harriet Jacobs’ “Incidents in the Life Of A Slave Girl, that in slavery, most enslaved girls who soon turn to ladies, become sexed bodies (4). This of course would happen to Jacobs’, and soon would be the most common destiny for female slaves.

Females slaves not only had to be scared every minute of their lives from their perverted thought- minded masters, but also from their mistresses. Stated by many seminars and even by Jacobs herself, the mistress would most likely become jealous and begin to hate the female slaves the masters take a liking to. Many female slaves had no one to confide in for help and Jacobs was no different.

The dangers of being a slave were always outweighed by death, but according to Jacobs’ she would rather have her children exhaust their lives on a plantation field then be a live in slave (28).


A Freudian Reading of Harriet Jacobs' "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" Geneva Cobb Moore The Southern Literary Journal, Vol. 38, No. 1 (Fall, 2005), pp. 3-20 Published by: University of North Carolina Press

Jacobs, Harriet. Incidents in The Life of a Slave Girl. Dover Publications, 2001.

It's difficult to be a Slave, and a Woman

In her essay, Jennifer Larson argues that Jacob's writing examines the social structures that oppressed women, black and white, and kept them divided, unable to achieve a true “sisterhood.”She interprets the exploration of active and passive actions by both black and white women as a critique of the power of the “Cult of Domesticity (True Womanhood)” which was discussed in lecture and how black and white women were in unequal situations to be applied. The tenets of the cult and the slave institution presents a quandry for the women of the time, with pressures coming from two social institutions to comply to contradictory rules.

Larson urges us to examine the responses of Mrs. Flint in relation to the lustful actions of Mr. Flint towards his slaves. Because Mrs. Flint follows the passiveness (Submissiveness) principle, she refrains from direct confrontation with her husband and therefore passively allows the abuses to continue. By following a principle of the cult, the white woman allows the black woman to be disrespected and unable to follow those same principles which she is judged by. Mrs Flint's purity is also affected by her inaction because the sanctity of her own marriage and household are affected.

The story continues with Linda, failing intervention of her husband, turning her attention to Linda. She interrogates her, watches over her at night, and torments her in her sleep. The situation has turned one woman into the abuser of another with Jacobs noting, “What an unpleasant situation it must produce to wake up in the dead of the night and find a jealous woman bending over you.” The slave institution has brought out the power from a previously docile woman, and turned her into a monster with power. We see this throughout the history of Slavery, with many documentations of Mistresses being the most oppressive to their female slaves.

We can conclude that in the slave household of the Flints (and representative of many others in the time) following one aspect of the Cult causes a contradiction in the other. By upholding passiveness, Mrs Flint destroyed her purity, and the same for Linda had she given in. Instead of following the tenets, Linda chooses neither and in the end takes control of her own situation. Jacobs writes later in the book that a slave woman should not be judged by the same standards as others; The “Cult of True Womanhood” cannot be followed in a slave woman's situation. .


Jacobs, Harriet. Incidents in The Life of a Slave Girl. Dover Publications, 2001.

Larson, Jennifer “Converting Passive Womanhood to Active Sisterhood: Agency, Power, and Subversion in Harriet Jacobs's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.”
Women's Studies; Dec2006, Vol. 35 Issue 8, p739-756, 18p
Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Accessed: 28 Oct. 2009.

Ideologically deformed; American slavery

Frederick Douglass was an extremely articulate orator, and writer. It is no wonder why he was a great influence of Abraham Lincoln during the civil war. His words blended a perfect harmony between heart and head. He carefully constructed his arguments with perfect logic, and then completed them with emotional accounts of the dire structure within the slavery establishment. Perhaps no argument rings truer throughout the slavery era then his account of the distortion of religion. With this argument the modern reader can most realistically articulate the distortion of values that lead to the acceptance of such a vulgar practice to begin with.

Religion is still a primary driving force during the period in which Douglass attempts to make sense of the society that surrounds him. Religion created a starting point from which the society as a whole could most easily relate. Many metaphors or argumentative comparison are most effectively communicated through the use of a common background. It is with this background that Douglass uses religion to show how accepting a societal role makes an individual rationalize, and justify actions that may be morally questionable, on the grounds of social acceptance.

Douglass uses the analogy of true and false Christianity in regards to the treatment of the salve population. He argues that the reasoning behind religious justification is the same disease that has corrupted his current social system of equality. The true Christians accept the fruitful teachings throughout the bible of kindness and equality. Were as the false Christians take the same scripture to interpret, and manipulate the words into justification that Douglass coins “the Religion of the South”

The primary conclusion to be drawn from such an analogy is the complete alteration of the social structure that affects both the whites and blacks. When an institution is established on a false social structure, societal advancement as a whole is impossible. In fact the institution of slavery only encourages the deprivation of society as a whole. With mistrust, miss-feelings and guilt issues that have plagued American society to this day. Just as twisting Christianity changed its meaning, and destroyed its purpose; slavery not only hurt the American social structure, but fundamentally destroyed the American ideology. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all men is still a definition that American culture is struggling to achieve due to the structural warp produced by the darkest days of American freedom.

works cited:

Hollis, Melinda. "A Change of Persona or a Change of Heart: Frederick Douglass's "Brothers"." Academic Search Premier. EBSCO, Spring 2009. Web. 26 Oct. 2009. .

Literacy: The Key to Freedom

Frederick Douglass, born in a slave in Talbot County, Maryland around 1818, owes his ability to gain freedom to his transfer from plantation to Baltimore discussed in chapter five. In Baltimore, Frederick was given the key to his independence, literacy.

In Baltimore Frederick’s new mistress Ms. Auld begins to tech Douglas the alphabet and small words. Mr. Auld, disapproves, reminding his wife of the Laws against slave literacy that were in place to protect them from slave revolt and violence. Overhearing Mr. Auld disapproving of slave literacy Douglass realizes the importance of education and begins to teach himself all that he can. On page 55 Douglass talks about his desire to hear anything about slavery and the abolitionists and discusses his journey to learn the meaning of the word abolition. Upon figuring out its definition, Douglass is opened to a whole world of possibilities. Ignited by his new knowledge and the meaning of the Abolitionist Movement, Douglass begins his battle against slavery.

Without the outside knowledge and the ideas that come from newspapers and conventions the slaves would know nothing about the Abolitionist movement. The ability to read gives slaves power making them equal to their masters. With this new found power and new knowledge the slaves are able to unite and to put up a fight for their freedom.

Lisa A. Sisco from the University of New Hampshire wrote an article the backs up the notion of literacy being a key part in Douglass obtaining his freedom. She talks about Douglass’ use of literacy to promote his writings and speak to many audiences. He is able to learn different ways of speech and to learn which audiences to use them in front of. Douglass’ ability to read and write allow for him to Print and Edit his own Newspaper, The North Star, which enabled him to give his interpretation of the constitution and make it apparent that slaves had a right to be heard.

The ability to read allowed for Frederick Douglass to obtain the knowledge necessary to fight against his masters, and to obtain his freedom. Upon obtaining his freedom his use of literature allowed for him to take part in the Abolitionist movement and give a voice to the unheard slaves.

"Frederick Douglass -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 26 Oct. 2009. .

Sisco, Lisa. "Writing in the Spaces Left":Literacy as a Process of Becoming in the Narratives of Frederick Douglass. Oct. 26 2009 Academic Search Primer Sept. 1995 Vol.9, Issue 3.

Slave Education and Freedom

In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Douglass talks about his life as a slave and how masters wished to keep their slaves ignorant (Douglass 19), to a point where they did not even know how old they were. Douglass also talks about how religion in the South is used as a covering for the barbarity how the masters towards the slaves; “religious slaveholders are the worst. I have ever found them the meanest, the most cruel and cowardly, of all others”(Douglass 87). He also talks about how as a slave he learned about to abolitionist movement. “Instead of spending the Sabbath in wrestling, boxing and drinking whiskey, we were tying to learn how to read” (Douglass 74). Even though he was a slave and work tremendous hours in the fields, he managed to teach himself how to read and write. He realized that his only way to freedom was through knowledge. Douglass thought about escaping for a while before he actually ended up doing it. He thought of leaving as painful because he did not want to leave his friends (111). Around the age of twenty, Douglass escaped, and became a southern expatriate. He describes the escape as escaping a den of hungry lions (112). At the age of thirty-four, Douglass lived in Massachusetts and New York as an abolitionist, and also as a freedmen’s speaker. He then moved to Washington, DC, because he was so committed to the South’s reconstruction. Douglass had a great concern for the abolition of slavery as well as racial equality. In his fight against slavery, Douglass got to speak to a lot of abolitionist organizations.
In his narration, Frederick Douglass reveals that knowledge was the only way to freedom, and that they had to find time to teach themselves how to read and write. He finally escaped after many years as a slave, and as he saw people getting hurt by their masters because of the smallest mistakes they could have made. Douglass used his education to try and abolish slavery, and become a speaker for freedom and equality.

Ramsey, William M. "Frederick Douglass, Southerner." Southern Literary Journal 40.1 (2007): 19-38. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 26 Oct. 2009.

Bailey, Tyshawn, and Calil Yarbrough "Frederick Douglass: A Light in Darkness." Black History Bulletin 69.2 (2006): 4-7. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 26 Oct. 2009.

Prioleau, Rachelle C. "Frederick Douglass: Abolitionist and Humanist." Howard Journal of Communications 14.3 (2003): 177. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 26 Oct. 2009.


Douglass, Frederick. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass An American Slave. Signet Classics, 2005. Print.

Superiority and Inferiority: defined

Slavery during the colonial era in the United States is usually viewed as a volatile and unjust treatment to members of the African American race during the time. Though a lot of changes have occurred that have allowed for some type of equality for African Americans in society, the brutality that they have endured throughout history proves to be a rough path for anyone to go through. An examination of Frederick Douglas’ life experiences reveals that the unjust treatment of slaves was not only a way of disciplining the slaves, but also a way for slave owners to let the slaves know that their owners are a superior being in comparison to them.

Vince Brewton, an author from the University of Alabama, claims that the whipping of Douglas’ “Aunt Hester introduced Douglas to a consciousness of his slave status, a social fact of which he was previously unaware.” In a sense, slave owners wanted the slaves to know that they are in fact superior to the slaves. Throughout Frederick Douglass’ slave narrative, there are several acts in which the slave owners would take advantage of their slaves to show their “superior” status. There are two instances in Douglass’ narrative which shows white slave owners and their intention of making African American slaves feel inferior.

Douglass discusses his experience with one of his slave owners, Mr. Hopkins. Douglass claims that his master whipped the slaves for the small mistakes, so that they would not commit big mistakes (Douglass 87). This statement by Douglass ties in very well with Brewton’s argument because it shows that Hopkins used intimidation tactics to show his slaves that he was “superior.” By whipping slaves constantly, Hopkins was trying to show the slaves that they are inferior and had no right to equality.

Douglass also writes about a situation where he realized that he had the right to keeping the money that he earned, but always gave it to his master simply because he was expected to. Douglas states that he gave his earnings to his owner because his owner “solely because he had the right to compel [Douglass] to give it up” (Douglass 105). Douglass’ opinion shows that though slaves kept submitting to their masters, they knew they were treated in an unfair manner. Douglass was completely aware of the unjust treatment, but continued to submit to it because his owners made him feel that slaves were obligated to give everything to their masters.

By reading Frederick Douglass’ slave narrative and comparing it to Vince Brewton’s idea of a slave owner’s superiority, one may conclude that both sources reveal the intention of white slave owners of making the slaves feel inferior. Though Douglass was giving up money to his owner, he knew it was unjust. Also, slaves realized that they could not get away with anything because they witness the whipping of other slaves. Not only did slaves get treated unjustly because they were expected to obey all of their master’s orders, they also received unjust treatment because the slave owners wanted to boast their superiority and make that they are inferior.

Douglass, Frederick. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass An American Slave. Signet Classics, 2005. Print.

Brewton, Vince. "Bold Defiance Took its place." Academic Search Premier. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, Fall 2005. Web. 23 Oct. 2009. .

The Abolishment of Slavery does not Cause Equality

In the nineteenth century, slavery in the North was not as prevalent in the society as it was in the South. The South had a large number of slaves on the plantations while in the North it was not as prevalent as in the South. In particular, in New York, more than 80% of the masters owned five or fewer slaves (78). The notion of the abolishment of slavery was dominant in the North. Abolitionists tried to push the motion forward and to free slaves. The emancipation of slaves started in the Northern states during the last few decades of the eighteenth century, with gradual emancipation (78). In The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Frederick Douglass shares his story of his life as a slave. While he was a slave, he learned of an abolition movement. Although living in the South, the abolition movement from the North travelled south and was heard by all. The abolition movement in the North had succeeded, but although slaves were free, they were not treated as equals in society.

Although slavery had ended in the North, the free slaves were not treated as equals in the society in which they were free. Tocqueville observes that “race prejudice seems stronger in those states that have abolished slavery than in those where it still exists, and nowhere is it more intolerant than in those states where slavery was never known” (78-9). The quote depicts that the places in which slavery ceased to exist; the treatment of each other is tensioned. Having the tension between races can have one conclude that because everyone is free, it does not mean that everyone must be treated with the same respect. And without the free blacks working under a master, they do not feel the need to treat them with respect because they do not belong to them and do not need to be taken care of.

Shortell, Timothy. "The Rhetoric of Black Abolitionism." Social Science History 28.1 (2004): 75-109. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 26 Oct. 2009.

Fuller Action

Author, journalist, editor, Transcendentalist, and women’s rights advocate are all words that can describe Margaret Fuller. Margaret Fuller was born to Timothy Fuller on May 23rd, 1810. She is considered one of the main leaders of the beginning of feminism. She helped women by leading and creating "conversations" which had the women read, think, and discuss common issues. As a result, these "conversations" educated the women. The discussions were known to be discussed with the most intelligent women in the Boston area during the early 1940s. Fuller achieved a lot throughout her life. She was the first American to write a book about equality for women, the first editor of The Dial, the foremost Transcendentalist journal, and she was the first woman to enter Harvard Library to pursue research. In addition, Fuller was involved with the revolution in Italy and allied herself with Giuseppe Mazzini therefore becoming the first woman foreign correspondent and war correspondent to serve under combat conditions. Her most notable works was Woman in the Nineteenth Century, which was published in 1845. In May 1850, Fuller and her family embarked on a ship for New York. Unfortunately, the ship was wrecked off Fire Island: Fuller, her husband, and son all drowned on July 19, 1850.
Robinson points out that, "'Woman in the Nineteenth century' focuses on the central intellectual commitment of the transcendental movement, the belief in the possibility of ‘self-culture’ or the continual spiritual growth of the soul, to diagnose, and prescribe a remedy for, the condition of women" (Robinson 84). Initially, Fuller disagrees with the means in which most transcendentalists use to acquire their ends by action. However, Robinson points out that Fuller's idea of the commitment to self-culture, shows that her belief in "self-culture as an end requires social reform as a means and that the fulfillment of women required the action of women" (Robinson 95). This shows that despite disagreeing with the initial means to accomplish a certain goal Fuller had to persuade women to take action. In the end, Fuller reveals that women are required to act in order to make a difference and followed the cause of transcendentalism to help fight for women's rights.

Fuller, Margaret. Woman in the Nineteenth Century. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, INC., 1999. Print.
Robinson, David. Margaret Fuller and the Transcendental Ethos: Woman in the Nineteenth Century. PMLA, Vol. 97. 1982. pp. 83-98. http://www.jstor.org/stable/462242

Home Economics: 19th Century's GE Course

Sarah Margaret Fuller Ossoli was born on May 23, 1810 and passed away on July 19, 1850. She was born in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts to her father, Tim Fuller, who was upset at the time because he wanted a boy. But that didn’t stop him from teaching Margaret and having her going to school at 14. In 1847, Margaret met Giovanni Angelo, the Marchese d’Ossoli in Italy. They fell in love with one another, had a son, and married a year later. Both had to move to Florence in 1849 to escape the Roman Revolution of 1848. A year later, they sailed for the United States, but the ship ran aground in a storm off Fire Island, New York and their bodies were never found. Margaret Fuller was a journalist, critic, and women’s rights activist associated with the American transcendental movement. She was the first full-time female book reviewer in journalism and her book Woman in the Nineteenth Century is considered the first major feminist work in the United States.

Elaine Fortin writes in her paper, “Early Nineteenth Century Attitudes Toward Women and Their Roles,” that women should be given some kind of education, but not academic subject. Women should be going to school to learn how to manage a house and be able to find a husband to take care of. This relates to the argument Margaret Fuller made in her book, Woman in the Nineteenth Century that, “So much is said of women being better educated, that they may become better companions and mothers to men” (50-51). Fortin continues on that men did not want woman to be educated in academic studies because that will keep them away from the house and “home life would suffer.” If a woman was academically trained, they will not keep up and manage the house and marriages will be in trouble. With this notion, we are given the stereotype of the stay-at-home wife and mother who very well knows home economics, but not much academics in the late 19th Century to the mid 20th Century.

http://www.biography.com/articles/Margaret-Fuller-9303889#

Fortin, Elaine. "Early Nineteenth Century Attitudes Toward Women and Their Roles." Teach US History. Old Sturbridge Inc. , Web. 21 Oct 2009. .

Fuller, Margaret. Woman in the Nineteenth Century. Mineola, NY: Dover Pulbications, INC., 1999. Print.

Common Human Nature

Born in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts, on May 23, 1810, [Sarah] Margaret Fuller was well educated Greek and Latin by he father, Timothy Fuller, from a very young age. She even when to couple schools to continue her studies in German and Italian. However, after her father’s death, the family faced financial problems and Fuller was to teach her younger siblings. For two years, she taught school, but it limited the time for her to write. In 1839, she became close friends with most of the intellectual of Boston and Concord, especially Emerson, who she visited his home and taught him German. During 1840 to 1842, she worked with Emerson “as editor of The Dial a literary and philosophical journal for which she wrote many articles and reviews on art and literature” (Transcendentalism). After reading Fuller’s 1844 Web Site Summer on the Lakes, Horace Greeley asked if she wanted to join his newspaper as a book review editor in the New York Tribune. She became pretty successful and in 1845, she published, what became the classic of feminist thought, Woman in the Nineteenth Century.

In Jamie S. Crouse “’If They Have a Moral Power’: Margaret Fuller, Transcendentalism, and the Question of Women’s Moral Nature”, Crouse explain how Fuller was different in the way Fuller looked at women’s moral nature. The way Fuller argued was “as simply the development of human potential” (Crouse, 260). Doing so, Fuller shows women and men are essential related and share a common human nature. Crouse says that Fuller didn’t base her argument on “the popular belief of women’s moral power” (Crouse, 272). Taking the fight against slavery and women’s rights, Fuller says they are similar, however, they fight should be their own and not together (cited from a different version of Woman in the Nineteenth Century) “’There is a reason why the foes of American Slavery seek more freedom for women’ (167)” (Crouse). The women’s the nineteenth century thought that having having moral power was the way that would aid their cause. However, Fuller tells them that women should use whatever they had to get justice. Fuller tried to unit that “all human beings as souls in need of freedom to develop as souls” (Crouse, 277).

Work Cited
Crouse, Jamie S. “’It They Have a Moral Power’: Margaret Fuller, Transcendentalism, and the Question of Women’s Moral Nature”

Fuller, Margaret. Woman in the Nineteenth Century. New York: Dover, 1999. Print

[Sarah] Margaret Fuller 1810-1850. American Transcendentalism Web. Web. October 20, 2009

Women's Rights to Equality

Margaret Fuller, America's first true feminist, was born on May 23, 1810. Her education was unusual for women of her time, her father, a Harvard graduated lawyer, teaching her Latin at the age of six and Greek at the age of 10. Because her father worried that she was too blunt and truthful on subjects that others would normally avoid, she was sent to a school that would teach her social skills. Later in life, she became the first woman to earn a living at full-time journalism, writing for the New York Daily Tribune. Her life ended tragically when her ship, carrying her son, her love Giovanni Angelo Ossoli, and herself, shipwrecked off the Fire Island, NY, on May 17, 1850. However, her feministic beliefs did not die with her.
Crouse discusses how Fuller fought for woman's right to vote as equals among men, but, "she develops an argument that comes close to the modem understanding of socially constructed gender roles. (p. 260)" She doesn't want to fall into the fatal arguement that women deserve the right to vote because they have a superior moral nature. This arguement often led to the belief that women belonged in the household, promoting social and religious virtue, and not in the political sphere. However, it also allowed for women to become better educated so that, "they could be better wives and mothers, more suitably equipped to be moral guides for their children. (If They, p.262)" If the wife and mother of the household was better educated, then the children of the household would receive a better education in their early years, since it is up to the mother to educate them on moral and social qualities as well as basic academics. Emerson argued that, "women are strong by sentiment; that the same mental height which their husbands attain by toil, they attain by sympathy with their husbands. (If They, p.265)" Fuller wanted women to attain the same rights as man, whether through political or educational ways, and that they just as capable and qualified for these rights as their male counterparts.

Sarah Margaret Fuller (1810- 1850), Perspectives in American Literature, http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap4/fuller.html (accessed Sun 18 Oct. 2009)

Crouse, Jamie S."If They Have a Moral Power": Margaret Fuller, Transcendentalism, and the Question of Women's Moral Nature. ATQ 19.4 (2005): pp. 259- 279. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 19 Oct. 2009.

Women Equality

American journalist and women advocate Margaret Fuller. Bright young woman, Fuller composed and lectured the inequalities of her time. She is sighted as foremost feminist in American history, a time where transcendentalism, through reason gains knowledge. Her book Women in the Nineteenth Century, she expresses how women and men are parallel.
Carol explains what Fuller really wanted and advocated but wouldn’t be done due to the culture of that time. “She demonstrates that social harmony must derive from a balance relationship between the sexes, that her own society was grossly imbalanced from the overvaluation of that considered male and comparable undervalued of that considered female.” (p3) Fuller eve writes in her book that men and women are the same. “…then and only then, will mankind be ripe for this, when inward and outward freedom for women as much for man shall be acknowledged as a right…” (p16). Her encouragement for female equality was in an era of difficulty, because it went against cultural role of being subservient. What Fuller argued the most and what was between the lines was that human are all equal. Basic foundation of this nation and she reason with mythology and intelligence.


Kessler, Carol Farley. "My Heart Is a Large Kingdom": Selected Letters of Margaret Fuller/Transfiguring America: Myth, Ideology, and Mourning in Margaret Fuller's Writing (Book). NWSA Journal; Summer2003, Vol. 15 Issue 2, p171, 5p

Fuller, Margaret. Women in the Nineteenth Century. Dove Publication

Women self dependence

Margaret Fuller, born May23, 1810 in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts. She was educated by her father, Timothy Fuller, a prominent lawyer and later a Congressman, at a young age. He taught her Greek and Latin at age 6. Margaret Fuller went to different schools and educated herself in German and Italian. Fuller expanded her previous work of Dial essay and published Woman in the Nineteenth Century in 1845, which became a classic of feminist thought. In 1846, she traveled to Europe, and in 1847, she arrived in Italy and fell in love with Marchese Giovanni Angelo d'Ossoli. They had a son a year later. On July 19, 1850, the ship going to America was caught in a storm near Fire Island, New York, taking Fuller and her family’s life.
Chevigny, Bell Gale argues about how Fuller’s life reveals self-actualization that nineteenth century New England pose as one of the most generously recognized women (pg 68). Fuller had an ill-defined instinct of considering herself as “womanly” and her hunger to know and achieve like men do. Her father had a great impact on Fuller at a young age, “His influence on me was great, … and self-forgetfulness” (pg 69-70). Her work, Woman in the Nineteenth Century, gave woman’s dignity and cultural history through the years, 130 years later her death; it caused the women right movement. In the book, she called for “greater autonomy for women and character free of sexual determination.” Fuller urges women to seek power, “What women needs in not as women to act or rule, … to unfold such powers as were given her when we left our common home” (Margaret Fuller, pg 16). Fuller hoped women would get equal treatment as men and women are capable of holed power too.

Work cited:

[Sarah] Margaret Fuller 1810-1850 Biography, American Transcendentalism Web http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/transcendentalism/authors/fuller/ (accessed Sat 17 Oct. 2009)

Chevigny, Bell Gale "Growing out of New England: The emergence of Margaret Fuller's radicalism." Women's Studies 5.1 (1977): 65. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Sat. 17 Oct. 2009.

Not Quite Deist

Throughout “The Age of Reason”, Thomas Paine criticizes the Bible, calling it "a history of the grossest vices"(Paine 38). Paine suggests that the Bible is unnecessary in proving the existence of God. However, the comparison between the design of Paine’s beliefs of the existence of God and Christianity’s design are much closer than he is willing to admit. Paine claims to be a Deist, although Robert Falk suggests that that he may be more of a mix between deist and Quaker, which may explain he unique view of Christianity. While Paine criticizes the books of the bible and those who blindly cling to them, saying that they are not true revelations but “the works or writings that man has made”(51), he fails to hide his own desire for concrete evidence to the existence of God: “BUT some perhaps will say--Are we to have no word of God --no revelation? I answer yes. There is a Word of God; there is a revelation”( 45). Paine denounces the need for the books of the Bible, saying to “search not the book called the scripture, which any human hand might make, but the scripture called the Creation”(46). Yet Paine has a conflicting definition for his idea of scripture, which is defined as: “It is only in the CREATION that all our ideas and conceptions of a word of God can unite…. It is an ever existing original, which every man can read. It cannot be forged; it cannot be counterfeited; it cannot be lost; it cannot be altered; it cannot be suppressed. It does not depend upon the will of man whether it shall be published or not; it publishes itself from one end of the earth to the other” (46).
While Paine may be right that his idea of a revelation and scripture are different from those of the Bible, he is wrong in assuming the purposes of these two things are different. In fact, only his lack of insisting the truth of his ideas of revelations and scriptures differ from those of the Bible. He suggests that scripture called creation shall be spread throughout the world, without the will of man to publish it. But this conflicts with his belief that a true revelation cannot be spread, but instead is only a revelation to the one who had it. In this is where Paine’s and Christianity’s idea of God can be compared, with the result being that Paine’s idea does not require written evidence for the existence of God.

Falk,Robert P. "The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography", Vol. 62, No. 1 (Jan., 1938), pp. 52-63
Paine, Thomas. "The Age of Reason."

Paine To Franklin

Thomas Paine, born in England in 1737, was a major figure that inspired and witnessed the revolutions that developed the United States as well as abolish the French monarchy. Famous for writing some pamphlets such as Common Sense, Rights of Men, Thoughts on Government, and his most enduring work, The Age of Reason, made him a global figure that anticipated modern ideas on human rights, rationalism, and atheism.

The Age of Reason was written intentionally to undermine the organized religion and the structures associated with it. Paine was against everything related to organized religion by writing “All national institutions of churches whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.” Even though this sounds like Paine is declaring himself as an atheist, he clarifies that God does exists as a hand of the creation of the universe. The Age of Reason was Paine’s deism to push God and established religion apart from each other. Benjamin Franklin declared his beliefs about the bible and subjected a few of the passages to a test of reason and logic where he showed that the claims made in the bible did not stand to reason. Thomas Paine followed Benjamin Franklin’s example, but he applied the test on a much larger scale. Paine scrutinized the entire bible justifying his belief that passages are not the word of God, but rather a human invention. The difference between Paine and Franklin is that Paine disagreed with the entire bible; whereas Franklin only disagreed with specific sections. Even though Franklin and Paine shared similar beliefs about the merits of the bible, Franklin had a much less radical disposition than Paine did; therefore, he is remembered as a noble patriot in contrast to Paine who is remembered as an atheist. David Nash stated that Paine still encouraged the belief in God because he wanted religion to not be part of society to improve society. Unfortunately, most Christians did not see Paine's point and concluded that he was an atheist with no cause.

Conway, Moncure D "The Life of Thomas Paine." Web. 7 Oct July 2009.

Nash, David "THE GAIN FROM PAINE." History Today 59.6 (2009): 12-18. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 14 Oct. 2009

"Thomas Paine." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 13 Oct. 2009. Web.

The Aftermath of The Age of Reason (Paine)

For its time, The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine was a controversial piece of writing. Its use of deistic ideas that were presented to the masses created stir among even the most pronounced Christian believers. The use of language and scientific reasoning presented his ideas in a way that made this piece of work a large success.
Though the pamphlet was intended to show Thomas Paine’s views upon religion, many Christians became angry at this piece of work for insulting their religion. One of whom was a Bishop by the name of Richard Watson who wrote a response to The Age of Reason called An Apology for the Bible. In this he attacks Paine by saying that “you have attempted to lessen the authority of the Bible by ridicule, more than by reason”. With replies of disgust but also many of praise to his writing, it is a wonder what these mixed reviews did to the man that wrote The Age of Reason.
By the time Thomas Paine returned to the United States in 1802, he was, for the most part, not seen in a good light. His so-called ‘attack’ on Christianity outraged the nation and, as Jay E. Smith puts it, “his name grew synonymous with treachery and infidelity”. He was socially ostracized, in poor health, denied the right to vote, and even an attempt on his life was made. By the time he passed away in 1809 at the age of 72, he was alienated from mainstream America with only six people attending his funeral. It is sad that a man of such intelligence and influence can die forgotten and ostracized because of writing about his beliefs.

Works Cited:

Smith, Jay E. "THOMAS PAINE AND THE AGE OF REASON'S ATTACK ON THE BIBLE." Historian 58.4 (1996): 745. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 13 Oct. 2009.

"Thomas Paine." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 13 Oct. 2009. Web. .

Under Paine's Microscope

Thomas Paine was born in England in 1737. His pamphlet Common Sense pushed Americans to become independent. After returning to England, he wrote The Rights of Man, his opinion on the French Revolution. Paine was imprisoned for treason, and during that time, he wrote The Age of Reason.

Paine’s The Age of Reason, expresses his views of Christianity and the Bible. Through reason, he points out the flaws of the Old and New Testaments. Although he believes in a God, Paine criticizes that the Bible is not the “Word of God”. Paine defines a revelation as a direct communication between God and man (Paine 23). However, the three Abrahamic religions have no such connection because anything passed on is no longer a revelation therefore people have the right to disbelieve them. “Arguing that Christianity failed to conform to the dictates of reason, he compared it to Greek mythology and suggested that it was nothing more than a collection of fables” (Smith). By rejecting the ideas of mythologist, churches, and the Bible, people can move forward in science.

Paine disbelieves the myths contained in the Bible and is only concerned with the beginning. “… I know, by positive conclusion resulting from this search, that there is a power superior to all things, and that power is God” (Paine 49). That the idea of God is necessary to explain existence, but that is all reason can conclude and nothing else. Deism is critical for science because it allows the studies to continue without religious persecution. “…that held it to be irreligious to study and contemplate the structure of the universe that God had made” (Paine 61).

Rationally, the stories the Bible do not hold according to Paine, and he attempts to separate the God from Bible. From a deist point of view the practices of organized religions is not beneficial to society. There is no point of having a thinking mind if people are restricted to what a Church believes. “...nothing was made in vain; for in vain would be this power of vision if it taught man nothing” (Paine 55).

Smith, Jay E. "THOMAS PAINE AND THE AGE OF REASON'S ATTACK ON THE BIBLE." Historian 58.4 (1996): 745. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 5 Oct. 2009.

"Thomas Paine." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 6 Oct. 2009 .

Religion, Bad or Good?

For many years Thomas Paine was the epitome of American histories greatest drawback. On January 29, 1737, Thomas Paine was born in Thetford, England. Thomas Paine was an author, pamphleteer, radical, inventor, intellectual, revolutionary , and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Thomas Paine became very important because he published Common Sense, a strong defense of American Independence from England. By 1793, he was imprisoned in France for not endorsing the execution of Louis XVI. During his imprisonment, he wrote and distributed the first part of what was to become his most famous work at the time, the anti-church text, The Age of Reason (1794-96). Moreover, Paine discovered that his contributions to the American Revolution had been all but eradicated due to his religious views. He also had a grand vision for society; he was staunchly anti-slavery, and he was one of the first to advocate a world peace organization and social security for the poor and elderly.

Some people had a radical view on religion either bad or good. In the article “My Problem with Christianism”, the author offers his views as a believer on the use of Christianity in U.S. politics. He feels misrepresented by the religious right in America especially when its discourse about faith was dominated by political fundamentalists and social conservatives. He also states that many devout Christians were socially liberal on issues like contraception, gay rights, and women's equality. In the article “My Problem with Christianism”, it states that there are evangelical Protestants who believe strongly that Christianity should not get too close to the corrupting allure of government power” because Christianity could influence the government to use religion as a basis extermination and over use their power to govern the people. According to Andrew Sullivan, “it is the belief that religion dictates politics and that politics should dictate the laws for everyone, Christian and non-Christian alike.” The idea was significant and true because government was not only for one party, but it was also made for all the people because all of us were the one who created and formed the government. Thus, government should distribute the services to everyone equally.

It was very surprising to think about that in this world some people hated Christianity and Religion. In some cases there were some negative effects that Christianity brought to our civilization. Some people said that because of religion, more human beings have been murdered, tortured, maimed, denigrated, discriminated against, humiliated, hated and scorned than for any other reason in the totality of the history of man. In addition, because of the teaching of the belief in unseen God, whereas people up to now were relying on themselves and their works as their source of life, while Christianity were teaching people to trust the Bible and God and not to work as dictated by the government, that is why there were certain rules that were being observed by our government to make it fair with religions that they needed to make church and state be divided. Lastly, we could not blame Paine if why he did not believe and trust the Bible because we did not have the proof to show him that all those words in the Bible were “the words of God” and the path to have a better life and stop slavery.



"Thomas Paine." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 06 Oct. 2009 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/438489/Thomas-Paine>.

Sullivan, Andrew "My Problem with Christianism." 74. Time Inc., 2006. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 5 Oct. 2009. .

Paine's Religious Inconsistency

After the phenomenal pamphlet Common Sense, revolutionary thinker Thomas Paine used his careful reasoning to examine religion rather than politics in the book The Age of Reason. He believed that a revolution in the system of religion was soon to follow the previous revolution in the system of government that he had written about in Common Sense (22), which explains why he decided to write The Age of Reason. Although Paine was very clear in the introduction to his book that he didn’t want to tread on anyone’s beliefs and was merely stating his own, The Age of Reason was seen as a major threat to organized religion because of its criticism and ridicule of Christianity. By advocating deism and pointing out the absurdity (as he called it) of the mythology behind Christian religion, Paine became the target for the theological community’s wrath. The irony of this, however, is that Paine had previously used The Bible as part of his argument in Common Sense, and was now attacking every word of it.

Regarding the British rule in the colonies, Paine wrote “That the Almighty hath here entered his protest against monarchical government is true, or the scripture is false”, implying that he believed the word of the Bible to be the truth. Two conclusions come to mind regarding this contradiction. Either Paine’s religious views changed dramatically from the time he wrote Common Sense to the era of The Age of Reason, or he had previously used the Bible to garner support for his writing, because he knew that his target audience was predominantly religious. In other words, he used the Bible as a marketing tool to help promote his ideas through the publication of Common Sense. His true feelings about religion shine through in The Age of Reason, and for this he was ostracized to the point where only six people were in attendance at his funeral.

Conway, Moncure D. "The Life of Thomas Paine." Volume 2, pages 417-418. Web. 7 Oct July 2009.

Smith, Jay E. "THOMAS PAINE AND THE AGE OF REASON'S ATTACK ON THE BIBLE." Historian 58.4 (1996): 745. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 7 Oct. 2009

The Passion of Science

“Newton saw an apple fall, and announced the law of gravitation. Paine watched a spider spin its web, and designed the first cast iron bridge,” (Roper 1944). It is through this quote that one can respect not just the philosophical views of Paine but his overlooked scientific genius. From bridges without pillars to smokeless candles to steamboats to a planing machine, it is easy to see Paine’s broad range of expertise and makes it easier for one to focus on his scientific background. As in the case of Benjamin Franklin, Paine believed in different types of deistic values that contributed to his beliefs in the importance of science and the nature of the world (Roper 1944). It is a result of his scientific mindset and criticisms of institutional religion that many denounced his beliefs in God and labeled him atheist, but it must be seen that it was his beliefs in science that actually furthered his love for nature and God.

As a young boy hitting his teens, after failing at a couple jobs, he found work as an officer of the excise to catch smugglers of liquor and tobacco. Though he barely made any money, he used most of his earnings to buy books and science apparatuses (“Thomas Paine”). It can be seen that his love of science started at a young age. Roper explains in his article that, “The scientific activities of Paine cannot be considered separately from his religious opinions…To him, the study of science was the study of God,” (1944). Prochaska also explained in his article that “it was quite likely that Paine’s love of the formal and abstract purity of mathematics led him to extrapolate its objectivity to the natural world,” (1972). It is through these two quotes that we can see not only his love of science but his corporation of science into the love of God.

As he went on later in life, he noticed a conflict between deistic values and that of institutional religion. He denied the ambiguity of the mysteries and “magical” revelations that brought about Christianity and instead developed a love for mathematical clarity and creation’s simplicity. Even in doing so, people denied his non-atheistic ideas claiming him a “filthy little atheist” as in the words of Theodore Roosevelt. One of the most ironic parts of The Age of Reason is that it was used as “proof” to condemn him as an atheist when the real motive of the book was to prevent the French from becoming atheists (Smith). Basing his ideas and beliefs off of logic and clear facts, I actually find it hard not to agree with Paine in his arguments.

Prochaska, Franklyn. "Thomas Paine's The Age of Reason Revisited." Journal of the History of Ideas 33. (1972): 561-576. Web. 7 Oct 2009.

Roper, Ralph. "Thomas Paine: Scientist-Religionist." Scientific Monthly 58.2 (1944): 101-111. Web. 7 Oct 2009.

Smith, Jay. " THOMAS PAINE AND THE AGE OF REASON'S ATTACK ON THE BIBLE." Academic Search Premier 58.4. Web. 7 Oct 2009.

"Thomas Paine." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 05 Oct. 2009. Web.

The Views on Religious Freedom and Equality

By far one of the most intellectual people in early American politics, Thomas Jefferson was one of the most influential of the Founding Fathers. Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743 in Virginia. He was the third of eight children in his family. In 1757 his father died and Thomas Jefferson inherited many acres of land and dozens of slaves. There he would build his home known as Monticello. Jefferson graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1762 with highest honors. On July 4, 1776 Thomas Jefferson along with his other colleagues approved the Declaration of Independence. That document became Jefferson’s claim to fame. In 1801, Thomas Jefferson became the third President of the United States and he was in office until 1809. On July 4, 1826 Jefferson died. The day he died was the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.

As a big political leader in the formation of our country Jefferson was strongly for equality and the freedom of religion. In the Declaration of Independence he states that “all men are created equal”. Thus people have equal rights. The right to choose a religion was a very controversial topic in Jefferson’s time. The talk of an established religion has thus come about. Jefferson was strongly opposed to this and he was even accused of being an atheist when the Federalists and Republicans were having conflict, "I am for freedom of religion, and against all maneuvers to bring about a legal ascendency of one sect over another." (Thomas Jefferson, 1799). If there is no separation between church and state an established religion tends to make the clergy indifferent to their own community, and leads to corruption within the religion itself. Thus, separation of the church and state is necessary in a free nation. "The constitutional freedom of religion [is] the most inalienable and sacred of all human rights." (Thomas Jefferson, 1819). Thomas Jefferson believed that the freedom of religion was also the freedom of mind and thought making a free man which is what America was all about. He also believed that one should not be prejudice of another who is in a different church because it is their civil right to practice what they will. Thomas Jefferson was one of the most intellectual persons of his time. He was also a beloved President for his stance for equal rights.


Bowman, Rebecca. "Jefferson’s Religious Beliefs" Monticello, Home of Thomas Jefferson. August 1997. Thomas Jefferson, Foundation Research Department, Inc. (visited October 2, 2009)

“Freedom of Religion: Thomas Jefferson on Politics & Government”
(visited October 3, 2009)
http://etext.virginia.edu/jefferson/quotations/jeff1650.htm

Rebels Laws.

Thomas Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia, is one of the earliest attempts to define an American. This term only going into existence during Jefferson's time. The Articles of Confederation coining the term in Jefferson's lifetime. Going over the physical and fiscal policies of Virginia at the time. The Virginian Constitution was one of the many sources that Thomas Jefferson used to assist in the drafting of the declaration of independence. Is Justice the same to everybody and is punishment just?

Jefferson was a man who put an emphasis on Administration of justice and punishment. There are specific results of may crimes listed in the “Notes on the State of Virginia” Crimes separated into three categories. Punishment extends to live, Punishment goes to limb, and Punishable by Labor. These were the punishments that were given out in the past for specific crimes such as murder, treason, and theft. And still in American Society and most other societies Death and Labor are still viable punishments. Thomas Jefferson, one of the geniuses of his time, a person that helped draft the Declaration of Independence a piece of paper essentially declaring war would focus heavily on the law and the punishment of murder. The Punishment for High treason is death, and yet going to war with Britain is seen as a land mark achievement. The one that is victorious in the situation of war is the one that is just because they are the victor. Jefferson's Notes on Virginia raise several questions about the law. And can you really have a complete and Just government if it is founded on rebellion.

Jefferson, Thomas. Notes on the State of Virginia .

(I Honestly couldn't find a Scholarly Journal on Academic search Premier on this subject.)