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Articles 1 - 11 of 11

Full-Text Articles in History

Freedom: The Temporary Gift Of Christmas, Suzy Bills May 2024

Freedom: The Temporary Gift Of Christmas, Suzy Bills

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

In Solomon Northup's account of his years as a slave, he described "the happiest day in the whole year for the slave. . . . Happiness sparkled in the eyes and overspread the countenances of all." What was the day that caused so much delight for slaves, and what were the reasons for this joy? It was Christmas Day and, more broadly, the larger Christmas holiday that often lasted many days. Northup continued to explain that these feelings resulted because "it was to be a day of liberty among the children of Slavery. Wherefore they were happy and rejoiced." In …


No Dog In The Fight: East Tennessee And Its Response To The Succession Crisis, Douglas Marsh May 2024

No Dog In The Fight: East Tennessee And Its Response To The Succession Crisis, Douglas Marsh

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Despite arguments that the South fought in the 'War Of Northern Aggression' to protect the rights of the states, or to defend their homes and their freedom from a foreign power, it is clear slavery was the central issue of the American Civil War. Even the Confederate Vice-President Alexander Stephens declared that the inferiority of the Negro was the "immediate cause of the late rupture and present revolution" and the "cornerstone" of the Confederacy. The centrality of the slave issue becomes even clearer when noting that where slavery was not so engrained in the socioeconomic system, Confederate sympathy diminished.


"All Men Are Born Free And Equal:" Abolition Of Slavery In Revolutionary Massachusetts, Michael Lundberg May 2024

"All Men Are Born Free And Equal:" Abolition Of Slavery In Revolutionary Massachusetts, Michael Lundberg

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

In 1795 a law professor at the College of William and Mary wrote a letter to a clergyman who lived in Massachusetts. The professor was Judge St. George Tucker; the clergyman was the Reverend Dr. Jeremy Belknap of the Massachusetts Historical Society. In more than just a routine correspondence between friends, Judge Tucker was seeking advice, not just for himself, but for the entire state of Virginia. As he explained in his letter, Tucker had "observed, with much pleasure, that [slavery] has been wholly exterminated from ... Massachusetts" and sought to "learn what methods are most likely to succeed in …


A War Of Words: Old Testament Slavery Debates In Antebellum Era, Sara Mcconkie May 2024

A War Of Words: Old Testament Slavery Debates In Antebellum Era, Sara Mcconkie

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Rligious leader Joseph Smith put it eloquently when he stated that early nineteenth-century religious leaders "understood the same passages of cripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling . .. question[s] by an appeal to the Bible." 1 The debates surrounding slavery during the antebellum era validate Smith's statement. With compelling arguments, religious leaders between 1830 and 1860 condoned and condemned slavery, using the Bible to support their claims.


From Slavery To Freedom: Why Free Blacks Stayed In Warwick, New York, Elizabeth Morris May 2024

From Slavery To Freedom: Why Free Blacks Stayed In Warwick, New York, Elizabeth Morris

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

In 1991, construction crews uncovered New York's "Negro Burying Ground" in lower Manhattan, prompting a resurgence of interest in the history of blacks and slavery in New York City. Recent historical literature includes works about black and slave culture in New York City and about the politics of slavery in New York. Although these historians make inferences about slavery in rural areas of New York in these works, very little research and literature is devoted specifically to this subject.


Oh My Heart Has Been Pained Within Me: Benjamin Lay And The Quaker Acceptance Of Antislavery Ideology, Zachariah Young May 2024

Oh My Heart Has Been Pained Within Me: Benjamin Lay And The Quaker Acceptance Of Antislavery Ideology, Zachariah Young

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

in 1758, a sickly hunchback lay ill in his cave-like dwelling. He had devoted his life to the cause of eradicating slavery. He was alone, a widower and an outcast among those called Friends. Now, in the winter of his life, 77-yearold Benjamin Lay heard the news that the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting had embraced antislavery thought to the extent that those who "could not be persuaded to desist from the practice of holding slaves, or were concerned in the importation of them" could face disciplinary action, just as he had for decrying the evils of racial slavery decades before. At …


Breaking Bondage: Manumission And The Absence Of Abolitionist Ideology In Rome, Thomas Andrew Witcher May 2024

Breaking Bondage: Manumission And The Absence Of Abolitionist Ideology In Rome, Thomas Andrew Witcher

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.


The Economy: The Heart Of The Brazilian Quilombo, Benjamin Passey Apr 2024

The Economy: The Heart Of The Brazilian Quilombo, Benjamin Passey

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Over Centuries of slavery in Brazil, thousands escaped enslavement in search of freedom and a new life. Fugitive slaves seldom survived more than a few days on the run before they were captured and returned to their masters. Those who avoided capture made their way to one of the many fugitive slave settlements called quilombos, hidden throughout the Brazilian countryside.


Recognizing Freedom: Manumission In The Roman Republic, Tristan Husby Jun 2017

Recognizing Freedom: Manumission In The Roman Republic, Tristan Husby

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Roman manumission was at the center of three different groups: the Roman state, Roman slave-owners, and freeborn Romans who did not own slaves. I draw upon G.F.W. Hegel, Orlando Patterson, Judith Butler, and Pierre Bourdieu to describe Roman manumission as a ritualized practice that transforms a slave’s life from unlivable to livable. The term “unlivable” comes from the philosopher Judith Butler, who developed it in conversation with Hegel’s master/slave dialectic and the term “social death,” which sociologist Orlando Patterson used to describe slavery. Hegel and Patterson’s thoughts on the movement and experience of freedom are useful for theorizing Roman slavery …


Spartacus The Liberator: Modern Reception Of An Ancient Narrative, Charlotte Lehman Jun 2014

Spartacus The Liberator: Modern Reception Of An Ancient Narrative, Charlotte Lehman

Honors Theses

Spartacus, the Thracian gladiator who led the rebels of the Third Servile War, is one of the most widely known figures of Ancient Rome. Despite the lack of ancient sources describing him, Spartacus has become popular in modern society. After being held as a slave in a gladiator training school, Spartacus inspired a revolt in which almost 100,000 slaves stood before several Roman legions and won. Before being subdued by the praetor Marcus Licinius Crassus, the escaped slaves won many battles against the powerful Roman army. Spartacus’ story has been adapted in novels, films, and even ballets. This thesis examines …


Roman Slavery: A Study Of Roman Society And Its Dependence On Slaves., Andrew Mason Burks Aug 2008

Roman Slavery: A Study Of Roman Society And Its Dependence On Slaves., Andrew Mason Burks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rome's dependence upon slaves has been well established in terms of economics and general society. This paper, however, seeks to demonstrate this dependence, during the end of the Republic and the beginning of the Empire, through detailed examples of slave use in various areas of Roman life. The areas covered include agriculture, industry, domestic life, the state, entertainment, intellectual life, military, religion, and the use of female slaves. A look at manumission demonstrates Rome's growing awareness of this dependence. Through this discussion, it becomes apparent that Roman society existed during this time as it did due to slavery. Rome depended …