Lesson Title:  Slavery’s Destructive Force   By:  Linda Dursteler and Vivian Easton, Teacher Consultants, Wasatch Range Writing Project   Burning Question: By studying the narratives written in the words of the slaves themselves, will students gain an understanding of the destructive force of slavery?   Objectives:  After completing this lesson, students will be able to: ·         Analyze and understand the slave narrative as historical and literary primary documents. ·         Explore the arguments of Jacobs and Douglass that slavery is not only dehumanizing to the slave but to the slave-owner. Context:    A high school class studying slavery in America and reading the slave narratives by Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs.   Materials: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, Written by Himself & Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl:  Written by Herself. Edited and with inroduction by Kwame Anthony Appiah. New York: Modern Library Edition, 2000 Selected passages from the text.   Time Span: One day plus follow-up as needed.   Procedures: Prior to class, distribute to the students copies of the attached passages from the slave narratives.  Students are to read and annotate before class discussion. Conduct guided discussion of the passages, by dividing students into small groups of four or five.  Instruct students to work together on their responses to the following questions. Each group should appoint one person to write down the responses to the questions: In the 19th century America was known for its cult of domesticity and sentimentality—the belief that women were the moral standard bearers in American society. What does Passage B say about the influence of slavery when Mrs. Auld behaves as she does?  And in Passage C, how was the mistress changed by the dehumanizing effect of slaver In Passage B, how do the underlined words help Douglass prove his point that slavery hurts the slave owner as well as the slave? In Passage D, why wouldn’t the white carpenters who witnessed the attack help Douglass or testify in his behalf Which words or phrases from the passages serve as strong images?  What effect to they have on the reader? In Passage H, Jacobs states that slavery is a “curse” to the whites as well as the blacks. How does the word choice used in these passages help Douglass and Jacobs prove their point that slavery hurts the slave owner?  Based on these passages, how was slavery dehumanizing to the slave and the master?  Why do you think that people other than slaves are dehumanized? Not even the “Free” states escaped the destructive force of slavery. How did slavery impact the North? Ask each group to share their responses with the class. Take time as a class to debrief about what the students have discovered during their reading and group discussions. Culminating writing activity:  Have students respond to the passages and the group discussions in Step Two in a one- to two-page paper on the dehumanizing effects of slavery on all those involved.   Extensions: Students can research other slave narratives and historical accounts and find examples of the dehumanizing effects of slavery on the slaves, the slave traders, the slave owners, and others who dealt with slavery.  They will write a two-page paper on their research findings.   Rationale:   The dehumanizing effects of slavery affected the slaves, slave owners, those directly involved in slavery, and all others in the United States as long as slavery was institutionalize by laws and customs.   Resources: Blight, David W., editor.  Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, Written by Himself, with Related Documents. Boston: Bedford St. Martin’s, 2003. Fleischner, Jennifer, editor.  Jacobs, Harriet.  Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl:  Written by Herself, with Related Documents, Bedford St. Martin’s, 2010. From the National Humanities Center, a lesson plan “From Courage to Freedom: Slavery’s Dehumanizing Effects,” http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=596  Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, Written by Himself & Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl:  Written by Herself, Modern Library Edition, Random House, 2000 For an explanation of the "Cult of Domesticity," see: http://www.library.csi.cuny.edu/dept/history/lavender/386/truewoman.html Excerpt from Douglass:  Passage A taken from Chapter I:  “He was a cruel man, hardened by a long life of slaveholding. He would at times seem to take great pleasure in whipping a slave. I have often been awakened at the dawn of day by the most heart-rending shrieks of an old aunt of mine, whom he used to tie up to a joist, and whip upon her naked back till she was literally covered with blood. No words, no tears, no prayers, from his gory victim, seemed to move his iron heart from its bloody purpose. The louder she screamed, the harder he whipped; and where the blood ran fastest, there he whipped the longest. He would whip her to make her scream, and whip her to make her hush; and not until overcome by fatigue, would he cease to swing the blood-clotted cowskin. I remember the first time I ever witnessed this horrible exhibition. I was quite a child, but I well remember it. I never shall forget it whilst I remember any thing. It was the first of a long series of such outrages, of which I was doomed to be a witness and a participant. It struck me with awful force. It was the blood-stained gate, the entrance to the hell of slavery, through which I was about to pass. It was a most terrible spectacle. I wish I could commit to paper the feelings with which I beheld it.”   Passage B taken from Chapter VI Douglass describes Mrs. Auld at first as "Her face was made of heavenly smiles, and her voice of tranquil music." He then notes the change in her by writing: "But, alas! This kind heart had but a short time to remain such. The fatal poison of irresponsible power was already in her hands, and soon commenced its infernal work. That cheerful eye, under the influence of slavery, soon became red with rage; that voice, made all of sweet accord, changed to one of harsh and horrid discord; and that angelic face gave place to that of a demon."   Passage C from Chapter VII “My mistress was, as I have said, a kind and tender-hearted woman; and in the simplicity of her soul she commenced, when I first went to live with her, to treat me as she supposed one human being ought to treat another. In entering upon the duties of a slaveholder, she did not seem to perceive that I sustained to her the relation of a mere chattel, and that for her to treat me as a human being was not only wrong, but dangerously so. Slavery proved as injurious to her as it did to me. When I went there, she was a pious, warm, and tender-hearted woman. There was no sorrow or suffering for which she had not a tear. She had bread for the hungry, clothes for the naked, and comfort for every mourner that came within her reach. Slavery soon proved its ability to divest her of these heavenly qualities. Under its influence, the tender heart became stone, and the lamblike disposition gave way to one of tiger-like fierceness. The first step in her downward course was in her ceasing to instruct me. She now commenced to practise her husband's precepts. She finally became even more violent in her opposition than her husband himself. She was not satisfied with simply doing as well as he had commanded; she seemed anxious to do better. Nothing seemed to make her more angry than to see me with a newspaper. She seemed to think that here lay the danger. I have had her rush at me with a face made all up of fury, and snatch from me a newspaper, in a manner that fully revealed her apprehension. She was an apt woman; and a little experience soon demonstrated, to her satisfaction, that education and slavery were incompatible with each other.”   Passage D from Chapter X             “In a few weeks after I went to Baltimore, Master Hugh hired me to Mr. William Gardner, an extensive ship-builder, on Fell's Point. I was put there to learn how to calk… In entering the shipyard, my orders from Mr. Gardner were, to do whatever the carpenters commanded me to do. This was placing me at the beck and call of about seventy-five men. I was to regard all these as masters. Their word was to be my law…This was my school for eight months; and I might have remained there longer, but for a most horrid fight I had … The facts in the case were these: Until a very little while after I went there, white and black ship-carpenters worked side by side, and no one seemed to see any impropriety in it. All hands seemed to be very well satisfied. Many of the black carpenters were freemen. Things seemed to be going on very well. All at once, the white carpenters knocked off, and said they would not work with free colored workmen. Their reason for this, as alleged, was, that if free colored carpenters were encouraged, they would soon take the trade into their own hands, and poor white men would be thrown out of employment. They therefore felt called upon at once to put a stop to it… My fellow-apprentices very soon began to feel it degrading to them to work with me…They, however, at length combined, and came upon me, armed with sticks, stones, and heavy handspikes. One came in front with a half brick. There was one at each side of me, and one behind me. While I was attending to those in front, and on either side, the one behind ran up with the handspike, and struck me a heavy blow upon the head. It stunned me. I fell, and with this they all ran upon me, and fell to beating me with their fists. I let them lay on for a while, gathering strength. In an instant, I gave a sudden surge, and rose to my hands and knees. Just as I did that, one of their number gave me, with his heavy boot, a powerful kick in the left eye. My eyeball seemed to have burst. When they saw my eye closed, and badly swollen, they left me. With this I seized the handspike, and for a time pursued them. But here the carpenters interfered, and I thought I might as well give it up. It was impossible to stand my hand against so many. All this took place in sight of not less than fifty white ship-carpenters, and not one interposed a friendly word; but some cried, "Kill the damned nigger! Kill him! kill him! He struck a white person." I found my only chance for life was in flight. I succeeded in getting away without an additional blow, and barely so; for to strike a white man is death by Lynch law,--and that was the law in Mr. Gardner's ship-yard; nor is there much of any other out of Mr. Gardner's ship-yard. “I went directly home…Master Hugh was very much enraged. He gave expression to his feelings by pouring out curses upon the heads of those who did the deed. As soon as I got a little the better of my bruises, he took me with him to Esquire Watson's, on Bond Street, to see what could be done about the matter. Mr. Watson inquired who saw the assault committed. Master Hugh told him it was done in Mr. Gardner's ship-yard at midday, where there were a large company of men at work. "As to that," he said, "the deed was done, and there was no question as to who did it." His answer was, he could do nothing in the case, unless some white man would come forward and testify. He could issue no warrant on my word… Of course, it was impossible to get any white man to volunteer his testimony in my behalf, and against the white young men. Even those who may have sympathized with me were not prepared to do this. It required a degree of courage unknown to them to do so; for just at that time, the slightest manifestation of humanity toward a colored person was denounced as abolitionism, and that name subjected its bearer to frightful liabilities. The watch-words of the bloody-minded in that region, and in those days, were, ‘Damn the abolitionists!’ and ‘Damn the niggers!’  There was nothing done, and probably nothing would have been done if I had been killed. Such was, and such remains, the state of things in the Christian city of Baltimore.”   Excerpt from Jacobs (Harriet Jacobs uses the name of Linda Brent in the narrative.)   Passage E from Chapter II: The New Master and Mistress             “I met my grandmother, who said, "Come with me, Linda;" and from her tone I knew that something sad had happened. She led me apart from the people, and then said, "My child, your father is dead." Dead! How could I believe it? He had died so suddenly I had not even heard that he was sick. I went home with my grandmother. My heart rebelled against God, who had taken from me mother, father, mistress, and friend. The good grandmother tried to comfort me. "Who knows the ways of God?" said she. "Perhaps they have been kindly taken from the evil days to come" … I returned to my master's. I thought I should be allowed to go to my father's house the next morning; but I was ordered to go for flowers, that my mistress's house might be decorated for an evening party. I spent the day gathering flowers and weaving them into festoons, while the dead body of my father was lying within a mile of me. What cared my owners for that? He was merely a piece of property. Moreover, they thought he had spoiled his children, by teaching them to feel that they were human beings.   Passage F from Chapter IV The Slave Who Dared to Feel Like a Man “When my grandmother returned home and found her youngest child [Benjamin] had fled, great was her sorrow; but, with characteristic piety, she said, "God's will be done." Each morning, she inquired if any news had been heard from her boy. Yes, news was heard. The master was rejoicing over a letter, announcing the capture of his human chattel.         “That day seems but as yesterday, so well do I remember it. I saw him led through the streets in chains, to jail. His face was ghastly pale, yet full of determination. He had begged one of the sailors to go to his mother's house and ask her not to meet him. He said the sight of her distress would take from him all self-control. She yearned to see him, and she went; but she screened herself in the crowd, that it might be as her child had said.         “We were not allowed to visit him; but we had known the jailer for years, and he was a kind-hearted man. At midnight he opened the jail door for my grandmother and myself to enter, in disguise. When we entered the cell not a sound broke the stillness. ‘Benjamin, Benjamin!’ whispered my grandmother. No answer. ‘Benjamin!’ she again faltered. There was a jingle of chains. The moon had just risen, and cast an uncertain light through the bars of the window. We knelt down and took Benjamin's cold hands in ours. We did not speak. Sobs were heard, and Benjamin's lips were unsealed; for his mother was weeping on his neck. How vividly does memory bring back that sad night! Mother and son talked together. He had asked her pardon for the suffering he had caused her. She said she had nothing to forgive; she could not blame his desire for freedom. He told her that when he was captured, he broke away, and was about casting himself into the river, when thoughts of her came over him, and he desisted. She asked if he did not also think of God. I fancied I saw his face grow fierce in the moonlight. He answered, ‘No, I did not think of him. When a man is hunted like a wild beast he forgets there is a God, a heaven. He forgets every thing in his struggle to get beyond the reach of the bloodhounds.’"    Passage G from Chapter IX Sketches of Neighboring Slaveholders “There was a planter in the country, not far from us, whom I will call Mr. Litch. He was an ill-bred, uneducated man, but very wealthy. He had six hundred slaves, many of whom he did not know by sight. His extensive plantation was managed by well-paid overseers. There was a jail and a whipping post on his grounds; and whatever cruelties were perpetrated there, they passed without comment. He was so effectually screened by his great wealth that he was called to no account for his crimes, not even for murder.…  Murder was so common on his plantation that he feared to be alone after nightfall. He might have believed in ghosts.         His brother, if not equal in wealth, was at least equal in cruelty. His bloodhounds were well trained. Their pen was spacious, and a terror to the slaves. They were let loose on a runaway, and, if they tracked him, they literally tore the flesh from his bones. When this slaveholder died, his shrieks and groans were so frightful that they appalled his own friends. His last words were, ‘I am going to hell; bury my money with me.’…Cruelty is contagious in uncivilized communities. ”   Passage H from Chapter IX Sketches of Neighboring Slaveholders “You may believe what I say; for I write only that whereof I know. I was twenty-one years in that cage of obscene birds. I can testify, from my own experience and observation, that slavery is a curse to the whites as well as to the blacks. It makes the white fathers cruel and sensual; the sons violent and licentious; it contaminates the daughters, and makes the wives wretched. And as for the colored race, it needs an abler pen than mine to describe the extremity of their sufferings, the depth of their degradation.         “Yet few slaveholders seem to be aware of the widespread moral ruin occasioned by this wicked system. Their talk is of blighted cotton crops—not of the blight on their children's souls.”   Passage I from Chapter XXXI Incidents in Philadelphia             “When Mr. Durham handed us our tickets, he said, ‘I am afraid you will have a disagreeable ride, but I could not procure tickets for the first class cars.’         Supposing I had not given him money enough, I offered more. ‘O, no,’ said he, ‘they could not be had for any money. They don't allow colored people to go in the first-class cars.’         This was the first chill to my enthusiasm about the Free States. Colored people were allowed to ride in a filthy box, behind white people, at the south, but there they were not required to pay for the privilege. It made me sad to find how the north aped the customs of slavery.