Larry Gara stresses the fundamental role fugitive slaves held in the advancement of the nineteenth century abolitionist movement. Gara illustrates this by describing the successes of many fugitive slaves, such as Henry Bibb, Henry Brown, and Frederick Douglass, and their abilities to “move audiences to tears”. The author also emphasizes the primitive role fugitive slaves had in their abilities to arouse emotional reactions and support from proslavery in addition to antislavery advocates by presenting their own experiences as “human being[s] in distress”. Gara reinforces to casual readers, as well as professionals, the unique contributions made to the abolitionist movement by fugitive slaves that might’ve not been made otherwise.
Heglar, Charles. Rethinking the slave narrative: slave marriage and the narratives of Henry Bibb and William and Ellen Craft. Westport: Greenword, 2001; pgs. 1-77. Print.
Charles Heglar focuses on the significance of slave narratives in which a centreal reoccurring theme is marriage and the family. Gara demonstrates this by distinguishing “classic” slave narratives, such as those by Harriet Jacobs and Frederick Douglass, from narratives that focus on marriage and the family; the narratives of Henry Bibb and William and Ellen Craft. Heglar also argues that narratives with close focus on marriage and the family present these areas of exploration and the role these issues had in the lives of slaves. Haglar’s purpose is to affirm the importance of seemingly unacknowledged slave narratives, specifically that of Bibb and the Crafts, while steering the spotlight of largely renowned narratives, like that of Douglass’s, from historians and other readers.
Finkenbine, Roy E.. "Black Abolitionists." Encyclopedia of African American History, 1619-1895: From the Colonial Period to the Age of Frederick Douglass. Ed. PaulFinkelman. Oxford African American Studies Center. Mon Nov 19 16:51:40 EST 2009.
Roy Finkenbine highlights the vital contributions made to the antislavery movement by black abolitionists. The author reveals that while both black and white abolitionist existed, only black abolitionists could provide the perspective that resulted from personal racial discrimination and experience. Furthermore, Finkenbine describes the role of black abolitionists in battling public opinions over slavery through speech and print, including Henry Bibb and William Wells Brown. Finkenbine’s purpose is to distinguish between the contributions made to the abolitionist movement by black and white abolitionists.
The last article you list reminds me of the last part of Frederick Douglass' narrative when he was encouraged by abolitionists to speak out against slavery. Similarly to what is stated above, Douglass' experiences in slavery were precisely what made his voice so valuable to the anti-slavery movement. Do you think that Finkenbine would find that Douglass' contributions were comparable to those of Bibb and Brown?
ReplyDeleteI'm not familiar with Brown's narrative; however I have found that when reading articles related to Bibb, Douglass is often mentioned. Perhaps this can be attributed to the fact that both were fugitive slaves who were literate, very intelligent, and able to deliver extremely eloquent speeches. Their speeches helped advance the abolitionist movement successfully by gaining support from listeners by using effective emotion and pathos.
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