School assessment task with work samples
Modern History: Preliminary Course

This material has been supplied by Arran Lawrence (teacher) and Brian Everingham (Head teacher) at Birrong Girls High School.

For the purposes of this article only the essay part of the task is being discussed. The number of outcomes has been reduced and marking guidelines have been modified to suit the purposes of this discussion.

The work samples provided are the product of work in pairs and they are reproduced here with the kind permission of the students involved.

TRADITIONAL ESSAY RESPONSE
Slave holders defended slavery on the grounds that it was a fundamentally humane institution. How did they make the case that it was humane, and to what extent do you believe they actually believed what they said and wrote?

Slave holders defended slavery on the grounds that it was a fundamentally humane institution. The slave holders of the Shenandoah Valley believed that slavery enabled Negroes a better life which satisfied both the black and white communities and led the way to prosperity. They believed it to be humane since the Bible sanctioned the traditional foundation of slavery. Slavery endorsed a lifestyle in which whites and Negroes could live together peacefully. They were under the impression that Negroes were inferior creatures and therefore needed the guidance of the white man to survive in the world. They also believed that slaves were adequately provided with a sufficient amount of food, clothing, housing and security. The flourishment of slavery enhanced the success and economic power of the nation.

In the mid-nineteenth century religion and superstitions were the crux of society. They were fervently followed by all. As quoted “It is very evident that the moral and religious conviction of the South is better adopted to the Bible.” It was also noted that the institution of slavery was “... doing God service…”, 2 Southerners argued that slavery was not only permitted, but also encouraged, by the Bible. Because of this they held a firm and unyielding inclination to own slaves. “Did not the Hebrews of the Old Testament own bondsmen, and did not the New Testament apostle Paul advise, ‘Servants, obey your masters’?”3 It was a strong point against Northern antislavery free soilers and abolitionists.

The white community of the Shenandoah Valley, and also throughout the South, believed that since they dominated and monitored the slaves they were able to live in a community of peace and harmony. They believed their teachings were vital to the construction of civilised behaviour of the Negroes. Therefore by bringing the Negroes into slavery they were able to control and relay these essential teachings to them. If the Negroes were not under the control of the civilised whites they would not be able to live humanely. This was depicted by the actions of free Negroes who behaved in inhumane manners. As quoted in a Shenandoah Valley newspaper “A free Negro from the neighbourhood of Spring Hill, in this county, was committed to jail in this place on Wednesday last, charged with killing his wife.”4 This point was also constructed by the bearing of slaves who were freed, but refused to have freedom as stated in a Shenandoah Valley newspaper “The whole number set free was forty-four men, women and children, but only thirty-seven left, the balance preferring to remain in servitude in Old Virginia rather than enjoy their freedom elsewhere. Some of those who did leave, were thrown on the boat by main force, so much opposed were they to leaving, and many expressed their determination of returning to Virginia as soon as an opportunity offered... the freed Negroes struck up ‘Carry me back to Old Virginia,’ which was joined in by one and all, and in a tone which indicated plainly that if left to their own free will, they would gladly spend the remainder of their days in servitude in the home of their birth.”2 The slave holders and the slaves established strong, trustworthy relationships between each other. Their confidence in the slaves went to the extent where the slaves were trusted with weapons.

A private letter form South Carolina describes a common situation “On my expressing surprise at their being permitted to have arms, he remarked,nothing was more common, and he supposed that on his plantation there were forty or fifty of one kind or another, and that in a hostile invasion he felt perfectly assured those arms would be used in the defence of their master, instead of against him.”2 Being freed would not allow them to live in a content
and peaceful community.

The whites were under the impression that the Negroes were an inferior species, hence needing the guidance of the white man. They were not usually regarded as humans and were commonly compared to “the ape”5. The slaves were also believed to be property: “slaves are property”6. Hence this obliterated their identity as human beings and fabricated the illusion of them being an entity. However the whites also contradicted themselves by stating that the Negroes were a “queer people” 5 and that “...the people of Africa are described as backward people...”5 It seemed as though the white community had different ideas of who and what they were and could not come to a single agreement as to the classification of Negroes. Either way, human or not, the Negroes were inferior to all white people. The Negroes did not have any objections to their standing in the white society “... slaves are content and don’t
seek to change their status.” 7 The whites carried the burden which came along with the supervision of this inferior race that needed direction. So therefore the whites thought that it was their duty to direct the Negroes to a better and more comfortable life.

Those who argued that slaves were treated poorly were misguided. Negroes were in fact better off living under the guidance of the whites rather than living independently. The conditions of the free Negroes in the North were of inferior quality to that of the enslaved Negroes. The enslaved Negroes were adequately provided with sufficient amounts of food, clothing, housing and security. “In no part of the South is the slave more cared for, more humanely treated, better clothed, fed and nursed when sick; and what untold and unspeakable comfort would there be to the thousands of houseless sufferers, especially females, in the Northern States, this winter, and at this very moment, if they could not only share the blessings of these slaves...”2 In the context of the time in which this letter was written the emphasis on ‘females’ depicts the importance of security for women. This is also shown through the actions of slave women. The Spectator “Praises a slave women who was freed by her master but who voluntarily re-enslaved herself’’8 also in another case “Abolitionists in Philadelphia attempted to free a slave woman. She stated that she didn’t want to be freed, however, because she was well treated. The Spirit argues that if she had been freed she probably would be living in poverty.”8 The masters of the slaves, through their wealth and power, could guarantee the slaves a secure and fortunate life. A slave wedding which was reported in a Shenandoah Valley newspaper stated “how well dressed the slaves were and how well provided they were with food and decorations.”9 The supply of necessities provided by the masters to their slaves ensured that “the Negroes enjoy uninterrupted health.” 2 The Southerners believed that the work performed by the Negro could “as well be performed by the white.” 2 The slaves of the South had the assurance of a job whereas the free Negroes of the North did not. Educating the Northern Mind compares slaves to Northern workers and says ”that at least slaves are taken care of by their masters.”10

The whites of the North did nothing to secure a fulfilled life for the free Negroes and set about robbing the slaves of their satisfying and comfortable life. “And yet all that class of pseudo-philanthropists—not only shut their eyes to these starving, suffering, wretched thousands famishing at their doors, but must incite these happy, contented, well cared for slaves to murder and pillage, to rapine and blood.” 2

The success and economic power of the nation was due to the growth of cotton, for this reason the workings of Negroes was needed. “...the cotton states will be advanced in the scale of wealth, prosperity, happiness and glory to an infinitely higher degree. . . “11 This wealth and prosperity would benefit both the white society as well as the Negroes. The greater the wealth of the whites, set fewer limitations on the expenditure for necessities and therefore the comfort of the slave community improved. The work, which was carried out by the slaves, was humane due to the comforts provided for the communities. The importance of the slaves is stressed in this quote “If the slaves are indeed such valuable property, how can the government set them free and thus lose so many millions of dollars?” 12 The abolishment of slavery would not only affect the success and economy of the South but also the North, since they were dependent on the growth of resource materials which enabled them to profit from their use and trade.

Slavery was a fundamentally humane institution. The slave holders believed this for the following reasons; it was sanctioned by the bible, it created peace between the whites and the Negroes, it directed the Negroes to a better life, provided them with necessities and enhanced the prosperity of the nation as a whole. The white community had a great belief in the institution of slavery as their actions were based on their ideals.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SLAVES IN THE AUGUSTAN COUNTY

Slave holder’s and slaveholder’s interests dominated the county. This was evidently seen through the south’s fight for the reintroduction of the slave trade, welfare of slaves along with its connections to the slave trade, the idea of expulsion and also the subject matter of faith arose.

All non-slave holders in the cotton states wanted slaves as much as their neighbours did. The problem with this was that the non-slave holder’s couldn’t afford them. Some Virginians wanted to bring in the system where they improved slaves who were savages from Africa and sell them at a cheaper rate. A proper slave being worth $1500 would then have to complete a rowdy slave being worth $150. This should interest the slaveholder’s because for one they would increase profit. More workers at cheaper rates equals profit. The southerners tried to introduce this by using many arguments such as the nonslave holder’s should have a source where they could obtain the slaves due to the disadvantages of money. If the slave trade was to pass it would not only benefit the non-slave holder’s but also the larger slave holder’s who wanted to satisfy their greed by owning more slaves then they had at present time. Another argument was they said that if cheaper slaves were introduced then the unsettled land can be secured to the south and so with this reopening of the trade, the balance of power would then be restored. This also influenced the union, saying the union can be preserved. They also use the constitution in their argument, saying, “Prohibition of the traffic is unconstitutional”. The purpose of this is to point out the opposition did not take into account or acknowledge the ninth section of the first article of the constitution. ln a further desperate attempt to reopen the slave trade was poor usage of religion. Stating “the only way to Christianise African’s is to enslave them”.

Every time a cargo of slaves was to be imported approximately ten men die. They did not take into account the 6th commandment “Thou shall not kill”.

The southerner’s had tried to reopen the slave trade for five years justified by political, moral and even religious grounds. This shows how much the south was dependent on slaves and how the need for slave ownership made up most of the southern community. They needed the slaves mainly for profit but also in a way to fit into society. As stated before “All non-slave holder’s in the cotton states wanted slaves as much as their neighbours did.”

The south wanted the reopening of the slave trade badly and put several articles in the newspapers informing people of the alleged better treatment the black slaves got in comparison to the treatment the north gave. In all the southern newspaper articles it exaggerates the accounts and favours the southern fight for the reopening of the slave trade. In one article, it accounted of a run away slave in Canada. The writer wrote of the most exaggerated descriptions of the conditions of the Negro, while in slavery, whilst exaggerating himself of the fact that they were stolen away from their comfort and protection of their southern homes. It retells the story of the blacks who let off then hussed off because it was believed it lowered the price of labor, which led to a collision where two white guys were killed. The point of this story was to show what sort of sympathy the guy received when he entered the free state. Further on down the track, the composer gives some sums of how much a slave got for doing his job, he also states they work well and cheerfully in the day and night, during the holidays they sing, dance and smoke, eat sweet potatoes, drink hard cider, sit around big kitchen fires.

Another newspaper article tells a story of a black slave who had purchased his freedom and went up to the free state willing to work but instead was deceived, cheated and driven from their presence. The composer also says that the man weeps and moans to go back to his former master and wanted to return to the plantation. He also stated that his experience is of the large majority of the runaway slaves.

It also states that free coloured people in the north are uneducated, can’t ride in the cars of the city railroads, are snuffed at in church and people look and stare at them in disgusts. There are little job opportunities for the black man. The point that was being made was that they look down upon the blacks but when the subject arises of black slavery they preach of the rights and liberties of humanity. The article also states that when a black guy dies then their slave owners will grieve, not in loss of property but “for the death of a member in the
family”.

It brought up that the north believed the south were scared, they’d be killed by their slaves but rebutted by saying they all feel perfectly secure of their slaves and that because the north are attacking the boarder line the head of the family have to leave their kids and wives behind to fight for their beliefs. They emphasise the fact that the head of the family would leave their family behind and also their salves to protect their families. It says that the north were the ones who were creating the blood in their country. The purpose of all these articles is to try and persuade the public more to support this. This shows how strongly the southerners felt about the reopening of the slave trade to go to such lengths and measures emphasise this point. The fact that the southerners tried for five years shows just how desperate they are to get the slave trade reopened and how much they believed it would better society.

The third party of the war did not favour the Democratic Party, who wanted slavery to be extended nor did it favour the Republican Party, who wanted slavery abolished all together. The third party was other wise known as Whigs who sat right in the middle. They did not want any further expansion towards slavery, yet did not want to abolish it altogether which was believed by the Whigs to have been good for the whole country. If the Whigs got their way, they believed it would’ve avoided war. In other words, the Whigs wanted a complete “stand still”.

Religion took a powerful effect throughout society, to both blacks and whites. It was quite hard to see blacks workshop together with the whites. Quite often they were separated. After emancipation, this changed even more. A law had been introduced which was called the “black code”. This law stated that it was forbidden for blacks to hold assembly without having one or more whites present. This affected the black religious services immensely and as a result, these service came to an end. In order to go to religious ceremonies, the white had invited the blacks to their church. Overtime, membership had favoured the black community in central. Central was a part of an even bigger organization called the Methodist & Pucopal church. Some churches had withdrawn as a result of black membership while others stayed. The blacks had no other choice because the “black code” still stood strongly. The purpose of this code was to maintain power over the black. The black slaves were christened so the slave owner emphasized mainly an acceptance of what they had. They used their religion against the black by using parts of the bible to try and keep them in the roles of being a slave. For example they used the story when one of Abraham’s slaves ran away and an angel appeared to that slave and told him to return to his master. This disciplined the slaves more and resulted in less revolt. The whites reminded them of obeying their masters and had enforced father figure upon the slaves, the father figure being the white person present. This whole approach made it easier for the slaveholder’s as it created discipline.

To conclude, slaveholders and slaveholder’s interests dominated the county as evidently shown in the points made. Slaves in the south was predominantly a strong issue in the country whether it be in negativity or positively. It still dominated the country.