Daniel Shays, a small Massachusetts farmer, was a hero because he started a rebellion. This rebellion started on September 29, 1786 (10 days). This rebellion against the government was called Shays’ Rebellion, which consisted of Shays and a group of farmers fighting against unfair taxes. Daniel Shays was heroic, because he fought against a very unfair government. He fought for not only for himself, but also the people.…
The Grapes of Wrath remains one of the greatest angry books. Its dominating idea is that of imminent, overwhelming anger. Steinbeck, as a responsible writer, was concerned with exposing a problem in all its complexity instead of arguing a single solution. In writing his novel, he decided to depict for the readers the insult and deprivation suffered by people like the Joads. To present the story of simple human beings while providing at the same time the social documentation. Steibeck's anger of the whole situation turns into a book to show an example of the fate of Joads and their problems while moving with the mass to…
The Red King's Rebellion fought more than three hundred years ago between the Algonquian peoples and New England settlers was in per-capita terms the bloodiest war in our nation's history. Before the conflict ended, over 9,000 people were dead (two-thirds of them Native Americans), and homelessness, starvation, and economic hardship plagued the descendants of both races for generations to come. In this fascinating book, Russell Bourne examines the epic struggle from both sides, seeking to explain how the biracial harmony that once reigned--when the Plymouth Colony's neighboring Wampanoag’s, under the stately Massasoit (King…
The book, Shays' Rebellion: The Making of an Agrarian Insurrection, is a historical account that provides an interesting perspective on the accounts of many struggling men, earning wages in the agricultural force, who were driven to form a rebellion against the government and the court system, because of a crisis of debt and credit that struck after the Revolutionary War in the years from1786 to 1787. The text as a whole provides a good analysis on the subject at hand and achieves its goal to the reader. The source would be helpful to those who already have an understanding about this period in history; however, because of the lack of a decent timeline, for those who are new to Shay’s Rebellion, the book may be hard to follow. There is good evidence provided in the text to support his ideas, and from my knowledge on the subject I agree with these ideas. Author Szatmary, takes the stance that Shay’s Rebellion was an ironic, three-stage occurrence that just so happened to be one of the crucial factors leading to the formation of the United States Constitution.…
The Great Depression was a hard time for Americans. The time of the depression was a time of recession in the economy. Nobody's life was easy during this time; People tried to make the best of it though. The Great Depression affected people in many different ways.…
During the period between 1790 and 1850, the United States was rapidly changing. It was now a separate country with its own economy, laws, and government. The country was learning to live on its own, apart from England. There began to appear a rift between North and South. The North believing in the Puritan Merchant role model, and the South in the role model of the English Country Squire. The North traded with everyone, while the South traded primarily with England. The major crop in the South was tobacco, and because of the decline in the price of tobacco the slave trade was dying, just as those in the North hoped it would. Then came a man, and an invention, which changed the course of history. In 1792, Eli Whitney visited the plantation of Catherine Greene, the wife of Revolutionary War general, Nathaniel Greene, near Savannah Georgia. He watched cotton being cleaned; a very long and time consuming process to do by hand. Watching the cotton being cleaned an idea came to Whitney. He decided he would build a machine that would clean cotton faster than it could be done by hand. Thus, he created the cotton gin.…
No other time in history preserved the terror of slaves owners in the 1831 from the 1831 from south of Virginia like the revolt led by Nat Turner. A group of slaves killed innocent white people. Everyone involved, including Nat Turner, were killed. Nat was the last person caught that was thought to be involved in the plot. Nat Turner was caught and arrested for his involvement. Durind Nat’s time in jail he was interviewed by Thomas R. Gray. Thoms Gray was a lawyer from South Hampton and a slave owner himself. The interview and information that Thomas Gray gathered was used in the trial of Nat Turner.…
Time after time in the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, the author shows horrific and grotesque experiences that Frederick Douglass went through in his time as a slave. In his book, Douglass reveals to a Christian audience the evil corruption of slavery upon a Godly society.…
Some Americans believe this novel is dirty, blasphemous, and advocate a communistic society, and therefore should not be taught in high schools. Explain why you agree or disagree that the novel should be read and studied in you high school.…
There is something mysterious about the reason why people feel the need to look out for one another. In some cases, it is like humans feel a certain obligation of compassion. The Grapes of Wrath encourages this part of human nature. During the Joad’s westbound journey, the characters were held face to face with people who needed help just as much as they did. In this way, John Steinback presents the question: how can we as humans support the livelihood of one another? His answer is that humans must support each other’s livelihood by providing what others are deprived of.…
Around 1790, there were 700,000 slaves in the United States. And by 1860, the number of slaves moved up to 4 million (lecture). The reason why the numbers had changed so drastically was because of the cotton boom. The cotton growing was concentrated on plantations rather than the small farms. Around 75% of slaves lived in groups of around 10 or more slaves, which made changes in the African American slave communities and culture (lecture). With the slave communities developing, they were very unstable. Around 1 million slaves migrated from the upper to lower south, which split the communities and families apart. Since the slave communities were growing, Southern African American communities were different from other slave groups such as Cuba where they constantly imported slaves from Africa. With being a slave, it resulted in a lot of health challenges but the planters tried to keep them healthy enough to work. The death rate for the slave children were rather high because the women worked hard and were not nourished enough. Their masters provided them with food and supplemented the food by growing and hunting (lecture). The slave children did not work the fields at the start of their lives. They were to observe how to survive as slaves. They learned what the penalties were for disobedience and observed how white men violated black women. They saw how slaves were sold away for punishment and also for profit. The older children were to take care of the younger ones and there was no schools for the slave kids. Adult slaves served as servants, artisans, skilled workers, or most were field workers. Most of the skilled workers were men rather than women. Around 75% worked in the field directly affected by the cotton plantation labor system (lecture). With the cotton, it demanded a year rounds worth of labor. The owners divided the slaves up into 20-25 slaves. At harvest they would work 18-hour days. In the evening the women would…
Turner was then instructed to take this “yoke” and fight against the serpent. The way Nat Turner interpreted his vision at the time was that his duty was to emerge and formulate himself to the destruction and damnation of his enemies with the aid of their own armament. Almost three years later, there was a solar eclipse in February of 1831. He interpreted this solar eclipse as a supernatural sign to complete his instructions and follow through with his vision. He informed his four most trusted friends, Henry, Hark, Nelson, and Sam of his plan of rebellion with the intention to initiate their plan of action on the fourth of July of that year, 1831. Their original plan to attack was postponed due to Turner’s ill health at the time. A month later, their plan finally came into effect. The night prior to the rebellion, Turner’s group of trusted comrades assembled and outlined their scheme of action. The assembly was strictly ordered to not spare anyone, regardless of age or gender, a rule that was rigorously enforced and…
“Freedom” a text written in English 363, and a literary analysis of the autobiography of Frederick Douglas, examines the use of literary elements (Formalism approach) that conveys Douglas’ wish for freedom from slavery and addresses the human condition for freedom. Frederick Douglas the author of, “Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave” writes about his wish for freedom from slavery during the 1800’s. Frederick Douglas begins his life with a good master, who allows him to become literate, but a change in owners leads to cruel treatment and then he seeks his freedom from slavery. Douglass in his poem to the ships reflects upon one Sunday afternoon like many other Sundays when he is off from work and near the water…
The Confessions of Nat Turner is far more than the work of Thomas R. Gray. It also includes the voice of Nat Turner. We can hear that voice whenever the Confessions contains information which Gray would have had no reason to create or distort. When Nat Turner describes early childhood events, when he gives the details of his religious visions, or when he portrays the planning meeting at Cabin Pond, then we hear Nat Turner…
The State of Virginia embodies the Founding Fathers, the American Revolution and the nation by symbolically demonstrating the beauty of the union. But similarly to the State of Virginia, the sense of American Nationality is flawed because of the institution of slavery. Using Jeffersonian rhetoric, abolitionist Fredrick Douglass’ “Heroic Slave” transforms white attitudes through his promotion for solidarity, activism and resistance.…