When the Founding Fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence in 1776, they did not know the period of great transformation their beloved country would go through in the next 80 years. The economy would flourish and then fall into a panic, only to be revived again. Battles would be fought over land, freedom, and money. Presidents would cause the United States to spiral downward and other presidents had to save the country from dying before it ever really lived. These were the years of several reform movements like the Second Great Awakening and education reform. However, these years were also built on the oppression of those with darker skin through the “peculiar institution” of slavery. This issue divided the country up to and during the
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Black women’s role in slavery influenced society’s views on them. The “Jezebel” and “Mammy” stereotypes were rooted in slavery. The “Jezebel” stereotype represented African American women as coercive and hypersexualized beings, while the “Mammy” stereotype characterized these women as passionless and lacking empowerment. These stereotypes cast black women as “breeders” to their masters. Stereotypes also affected black men. They were called “lustful brutes” and white women needed to be protected from them at all costs. These stereotypes were much of the reason why free blacks protested slavery and white man’s power. They were tired of being reduced to sexualized or violent beings instead of who they really were, …show more content…
It was a labor system that turned people into livestock. They could be bought, sold, and punished, just like cattle. Slaves had no rights and could be quickly separated from their families with the drop of a mallet. When these actions were brought to Americans’ attention, whether it was through Uncle Tom’s Cabin or from free and escaped slaves, the morality of slavery was brought into question.
In the late 1850s, America was a rubber band stretched to its max and it was only a matter of time before that rubber band snapped. The rising tensions combined with the stereotypes, international relations, and injustices, brought about the inevitable fall of the Republic. While the American Republic fell with the onset of the Civil War, it was not completely destroyed. The country may not have been united any longer, but many of its core ideals endured. When the war ended, the country was united once more and was once again the United States of
Black women’s role in slavery influenced society’s views on them. The “Jezebel” and “Mammy” stereotypes were rooted in slavery. The “Jezebel” stereotype represented African American women as coercive and hypersexualized beings, while the “Mammy” stereotype characterized these women as passionless and lacking empowerment. These stereotypes cast black women as “breeders” to their masters. Stereotypes also affected black men. They were called “lustful brutes” and white women needed to be protected from them at all costs. These stereotypes were much of the reason why free blacks protested slavery and white man’s power. They were tired of being reduced to sexualized or violent beings instead of who they really were, …show more content…
It was a labor system that turned people into livestock. They could be bought, sold, and punished, just like cattle. Slaves had no rights and could be quickly separated from their families with the drop of a mallet. When these actions were brought to Americans’ attention, whether it was through Uncle Tom’s Cabin or from free and escaped slaves, the morality of slavery was brought into question.
In the late 1850s, America was a rubber band stretched to its max and it was only a matter of time before that rubber band snapped. The rising tensions combined with the stereotypes, international relations, and injustices, brought about the inevitable fall of the Republic. While the American Republic fell with the onset of the Civil War, it was not completely destroyed. The country may not have been united any longer, but many of its core ideals endured. When the war ended, the country was united once more and was once again the United States of