The study of painting that are almost alike yet has lots of differences. Liberty Leader and…
When the topic of rebellion is brought up, the first definition that comes to mind is an attempt to revolutionize or change the status quo, examples being the American Revolution, Russian Revolution, or Chinese Revolution. However, the topic of individual rebellion is often overlooked or forgotten. In both Benjamin Franklin and Frederick Douglass recount their very different lives, they often speak of times when they took risks and rebelled against authority figures in their lives and how it shaped them into the men they became. In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, they both discuss their desires to educate themselves, be free from arbitrary or oppressive powers, or XYZ.…
Catherine Clinton’s biography “Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom” is an interesting and comprehensive biography on Harriet Tubman’s life. Catherine Clinton is a renowned historian with a special interest in black history. Many consider Harriet Tubman as the “Black Moses” of America and for good reason; she has lead hundreds of slaves to freedom, risking her own life for their welfare. This book is truly comprehensive and immersive and focuses on exposing the reality of Harriet Tubman’s life. Most biographical narratives on Tubman have become predominantly focused on her myth, we all know her as the mastermind of the “underground railroad”, but many aspects of her life have become forgotten. This narrative really focuses on Harriet Tubman,…
Abigail Adams married a man destined to be a major leader of the American Revolution and the second President of the United States. Although she married and raised men that become such significant figures during their time, her herself was played an important role in the American society. The events that happened in her life, starting from childhood and ending in her adult years, led her to be a Revolutionary woman. Three main reasons behind her becoming such a strong, independent woman was the fact that she married a man who had an important role in politics, growing up with no education, and raising a family basically by herself.…
The 18th century in Europe was a dynamic center for changes in daily life. The prior centuries saw the decline in the social status of women and Renaissance ideals hoping to keep them in the home. It also was witness to the church’s dominion in education and the social gap between the privileged children who could afford an education and the mainly illiterate masses. The denial that childhood was a distinct period in a person’s life, the lack of hands-on parenting and concern for children, and the proclivity of wet nurses also were an integral part of how this sector of culture was viewed in this time period. However, in the 18th century, the education system experienced changes in patronage and attitudes toward children changed, while the…
What would it be like if you did not know how to read or write in today’s world? You would be looked down upon, tormented, treated as if you were far less than the peers around you that know how to read. In the days of slavery, the slaves were illiterate and the slave owners wanted to keep it that way. In Frederick Douglass’ autobiographical slave narrative the “Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave,” Douglass explains that knowledge was the best next thing to freedom and that he, as well as the slave owners, saw that. To Douglass, literacy was freedom or means to gain freedom; yet for the slave owners also saw that keeping the slaves illiterate kept them manageable. I believe that in any instance, in any given period of history, education and the ability to read and write gives a person social freedom, meaning the ability to communicate in a more understanding way.…
Public Education was an important fundamental to Thomas Jefferson. In the Liberty to Learn, there is an explanation on how public education was one of his main priorities, and even though there were a few obstacles along the way he did not lose interest in his pursuit to establish public education. During this time, Americans were going through something in where they were getting their liberty and property violated by King George III. Thomas Jefferson believed that Americans were being ignorant but due to the lack of education and that was why they did not try to fight for their rights. Thomas Jefferson tried to pass a bill in where it had three different elements and education would be free. It was not passed but he was very proud of it.…
In “Thomas Jefferson and the Meanings of Liberty” by Douglas L. Wilson, there is a recurring topic of presentism. The question of whether or not presentism should be applied is left ambiguous to the reader. While some may say that presentism should not be applied because history should remain the same, presentism helps history stay relevant and interesting. One instance is when Wilson was questioning whether or not historical figures should be remembered for the best or worst accomplishments. The answer to that question depends on the reader and whether or not they are practicing presentism. An example to further demonstrate the use of presentism, Jefferson’s liaison with one of his slaves, Sally Hemings. When applying presentism some people…
I think Frederick Douglass hoped readers would understand the importance of an education, because without an education or literacy, you couldn’t function in everyday life. From reading “learning how to read and write”, I learned that people in the past worked hard to get where we are today and we just throw it away. They worked hard for freedom and we imprison ourselves. They worked hard for an education and we don’t pay attention in school or even bother coming to class. They worked hard to get jobs and we don’t put 100% into what we do, or we just up and quit when something doesn’t go our way. Something I’ve realized while Frederick Douglass’ piece is that the mind is the WORST/MOST TERRIBLE thing to waste. Frederick Douglass wrote this piece…
John Locke was a political figure and well known for his studies in medicine. Locke also was well educated in medicine. He was a key advocate of the observed approaches of the Scientific Revolution. During his final years John Locke wrote and published all of his most significant works. One of them was his “Essay Concerning Human Understanding” in which he advanced a theory of the self as a blank page, with knowledge and identity arising only from accumulated experiences. Locke made a perfect example: “Rejecting the divine right of kings, that societies form governments by mutual (and, in later generations, tacit) agreement. Thus, when a king loses the consent of the governed, a society may remove him—an approach quoted almost verbatim in Thomas Jefferson’s 1776 Declaration of Independence.” In the end Locke came up with a final answer from all of his studies that explained his work. Locke said “A child is a blank slate that is formed through experience.”2…
The Enlightenment period played an important part in deciding practically every part of building Colonial America, mostly because it change the way people considered legislative issues, governmental issues, and religion. Without the principle thoughts and figures of the Enlightenment, the United States would have been radically different. The ideas that came within this period molded the ideals of the United States in its developmental years. The Enlightenment emphasized normal rights and legitimate governments laid on the consent and approval of the governed. Ideas like the freedom from oppression, natural rights, and better approaches for contemplating legislative structure came straight from Enlightenment philosophers. Colonists were tired…
Slavery tends to be looked at casually by people in today's society. People have little knowledge of the truths that lie behind slavery. Many people view slavery as white plantation owners abusing the civil rights of colored people and forcing them to work using physical punishment to reinforce their authority over them. Although these events did occur, slavery was more complicated than this. Frederick Douglass' autobiography opened the door on a new view of what slavery was about. The main conflict in the story is Douglass' struggle to be free physically and mentally from slavery. He discovered at an early age that education was the key to freedom.…
Without education, there can never be true freedom. Although your body may be free, your mind will remain confined by ignorance. Education frees your mind to the wonders of the world and allows you to think for yourself. In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave by Frederick Douglass, Douglass realizes that he needs to be educated. In order to be totally free, one must first educate him or herself.…
1. a.) Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson were both representative of their time in the fact that they still held prejudices against different races. This was nothing but the norm for the 18th and 19th century. Jefferson owned slaves and Franklin, for most of his life, adamantly believed that African Americans were lesser. b.) But, quite unlike the mainstream ideals of their time, both men held strong ideals of equality. Franklin did at the end of his life reverse his ideas about African Americans, and dedicated many of his later years to equality for blacks. Jefferson also believed slavery to be an atrocious blot on the face of America. Their strong opinions of equality resonate in today’s world but were not considered the correct morals in their time.…
what a man is, and not how to teach someone to have faith when he himself doesn't.…