Abolitionist Critique of Slavery
Abolitionist Critique of Slavery
Abolitionist Critique of Slavery: Solomon Northup Paper Assignment Directions Assignment:
Write a 4-5 page analytical paper based on the book Twelve Years A Slave by Solomon Northup. Use specific examples from the book to support your argument, and cite the quotes and information you use either with footnotes or with parenthetical notes (Author, p.#) to indicate where you found your evidence on Abolitionist Critique of Slavery.
Your paper should contain the elements of a good analytical paper, including clear and grammatical writing, correct spelling, and a clearly-worded statement (ideally at the start of the paper) that contains your argument.
Be sure to develop your argument consistently throughout your paper. Be sure to use proper standard margins. Your paper should be formatted in double-space, and should use the Times New Roman (or comparable) font in 12 point.
In your paper, discuss the following questions:
Imagine that you are an abolitionist living in Lorain, Ohio in 1853. You just bought and read a copy of Solomon Northup’s Twelve Years A Slave. Write a letter to a fellow abolitionist on Abolitionist Critique of Slavery, Dr. Hendricks of Cooperstown, New York, to explain to him why you are excited about the book and how Northup’s experiences as a slave validate the abolitionist critique of slavery.
In order to do this, you will need to use the textbook and must use examples from The Primary Documents from Digital History (Or The Boisterous Sea of Liberty) to establish exactly why abolitionist critique of slavery, and then use specific examples from Northup’s book that demonstrate how his experiences support the abolitionists’ arguments against slavery.
To do so, you will have to clearly define why abolitionists believe slavery to be an evil institution that needs to be eradicated.
Remember that their perspective is connected to the logic that underpinned other moral reform efforts. In formulating your critique, be sure to look beyond the issue of cruelty and explore Northup’s broader critique of how slavery corrupted southern society.
In what ways does he play to the cultural and political beliefs of the northern middle class? In what ways does southern society violate the values of the northern middle class? Though this assignment is in the form of a letter, you will be expected to address the topic analytically and provide a clear thesis that you support clearly and consistently throughout your paper.
Abolitionist Critique of Slavery Write-up
Note on outside sources: You may use additional sources to establish the abolitionist perspective so long as you cite your sources (e.g. Theodore Dwight Weld’s “Slavery As It Is”
