Difference between revisions of "325--Week 4 Questions/Comments"
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I would I have liked to see more of a discussion of sources. I noticed two mentions of how the author divined his information, two specific letters and the "Negro Record" at the forge. I would like to know if all of the authors beliefs about what happened at the forge came from the record, or if there were other sources. I know its a selection, so that discussion may exist in the full version, but I would have liked to see it in the selection. -- Matt Struth | I would I have liked to see more of a discussion of sources. I noticed two mentions of how the author divined his information, two specific letters and the "Negro Record" at the forge. I would like to know if all of the authors beliefs about what happened at the forge came from the record, or if there were other sources. I know its a selection, so that discussion may exist in the full version, but I would have liked to see it in the selection. -- Matt Struth | ||
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| + | By taking advantage of his iron working skills, Sam Williams was able to improve his living conditions and protect his family from being separated; he was also able to build up a fairly massive savings fund. Not only that, he could get away with purposely taking off work for a month. While the Williams family was better off than many field workers, they were still slaves. Fair living conditions or not, there were always reminders that no matter how skilled slaves were, they were still seen as nothing more than property. Whites were more than willing to, “if necessary, let every tree in the country bend with Negro meat (178).” Needless to say, Sam knew not to push his master too far. Sam’s position raises an interesting point, which the Dew brought up, regarding the “proper” actions of a slave. Should slaves make the best of their situation and work towards improving their living conditions and protecting their family, or should they resist slavery and work towards freedom? Frederick Douglass wrote that as his station improved his desire for freedom grew, but to contradict this, it appears Sam was as content as he could be as a slave. --Taylor Brann | ||
== Primary Sources on Steam, Space and a New World Order == | == Primary Sources on Steam, Space and a New World Order == | ||
