Slavery Narratives Basing Their Arguments Term Paper

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Both religion and the law purport to advocate human rights, freedoms, and liberties. Yet neither religion nor the law can offer any justification for the dichotomy of slavery. No logic can sustain the argument that slavery is humane or just, and the brilliance of Jacobs' and Douglass' lsave narratives is their mutual ability to expose the fallacies in both religion and the law. The optimism with which the authors express their views does not negate their overt critiques. For instance, Jacobs and Douglass are both deeply religious. They do not criticize Christianity but only the way Christian doctrine is distorted to support slavery. Neither author criticizes the United States but only the way American law and values are distorted to support slavery. Their incredible ability to overcome a lack of formal education to write their stories bears witness to the power of the individual to transform defunct social norms and institutions.

Similarly, Jacobs and Douglass critique the fallacy that black people are inferior to whites. Having been fed nonsense since they were born makes it more difficult to develop the self-esteem necessary to wage a war against oppression. Their instinct not just to survive but to help change the future of America shows that Douglass and Jacobs both recognized the potential of the written word. Being exposed to abolitionist literature fueled their passion primarily because they felt part of a larger community of both whites and blacks who believed in human rights.

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No scientific basis for slavery could ever stand up to logic, which is why Jacobs and Douglass rely on reason and rhetoric. Morality is not framed as a product of the Church or as an expression of the law. Rather, morality is a universal ethic that protects the rights of all human beings.

The moral arguments in the Jacobs and Douglass narratives are strong. Graphic details of beatings, brutality, cruelty, and rape draw in the reader. Moral values can be instinctual. Causing another human being to suffer cannot be moral under any logical system. On a purely philosophical level, Jacobs and Douglass' arguments are coherent and in keeping with the principles of the Enlightenment. In fact, the authors are both aware that slavery is not a universal practice. Her brief experience with freedom in the North and in England show Jacobs that Enlightenment principles have taken root in regions outside of the American south. Her struggle to transform American society starts with the fundamental knowledge that human rights can become the fundamental value guiding law and social norms in any country. Therefore, religion, morality, and the law are the main ways Jacobs and Douglass make their arguments. Slave narratives like theirs helped expose the hypocrisy in 19th century….....

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