The Columbian Orator

In his book The Columbian Orator in 1797, Caleb Bingham refers a conversation between a slave and a master. In part of the dialogue, the master said that “it is in the order of Providence that one man should become subservient to another.” The slave responded that “the robber who puts a pistol to your breast may make just the same plea. Providence gives him a power over your life and property.” This dialogue states a significant concept that the slavery is not natural because that just a kind of power to make that happen. This conversation also implies that a person is not a slave when he was born. He should have the right to obtain freedom, but he is not controlled by others. This history—slavery—does not happen naturally or …show more content…
In his book A People’s American History, Zinn depicts that “their helplessness made enslavement easier. The Indians were on their own land. The whites were in their own European culture. The blacks had been torn from their land and culture, forced into a situation where the heritage of language, dress, custom, family relations, was bit by bit obliterated except for remnants that blacks could hold on to by sheer, extraordinary persistence.” Being a strange group, blacks are not compatible with other ethnic groups because people have bias on them. The Europeans think that they are superiors to the Africans. Therefore, they bring the blacks to a foreign land, and use family isolation on them to develop their helplessness. As you see, the Europeans keep practicing this pattern to maintain …show more content…
In his book A People’s American History, Zinn describes that “there is evidence that where whites and blacks found themselves with common problems, common work, common enemy in their master, they behaved toward one another as equals.” Besides, in his book Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Douglass also talks about how his mistress, Mrs. Auld, who treats him as well as others. Additionally, Mrs. Auld teaches him knowledge and shows her kindest heart to him. He states that “the crouching servility, usually so acceptable a quality in a slave, did not answer when manifested toward her.” These passages both express that slaves can have equal status as well as others. Therefore, they have the same situations such as common work and common problems as others. Most importantly, some slaves are treated as human and given education by their masters. But the unexpected result happens. Douglass mentions that “Mr. Auld found out what was going on, and at once forbade Mrs. Auld to instruct me further.” Having the bias on blacks, Mr. Auld knows that he may loss the control of a slave or have a worse situation by giving education to a Negro. Because a slave having an education will find out the truth of his situation, and he may know that it is right to