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.
The word equality can be use in different contexts. In the contexts to what the author uses it in is true. The ending of slavery didn't neccesarily make blacks treated with equality such as respect and full rights. But others contexts like being free and able to hold paying jobs and having basic rights has equality in itself to where blacks and whites are the same.
ReplyDeleteI think a cause of racial inequality in the free states was contempt from other citizens. While slaves were free in the sense that they did not belong to a master they were not automatically granted the same social rights. For years they were a race that was considered less than human, and that belief takes longer than a night to overcome.
ReplyDeleteIn conjunction with DCorr44's comment, when slavery was abolished, blacks were considered "free." However, this doesn't necessarily mean that they are treated as free people. One cannot expect the "freedom," to take place right away. Compare it with the law that bans the use of cellphones while driving, the law was given somewhat of an initiation period where people were allowed to get use to the new law. Similar to the time frame for the incorporation of the cell phone law in an automobile, people had to get used to the idea of the freedom of slaves.
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