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SAMPLE ESSAY – FOR EXAMPLE PURPOSES ONLY [student name] Dr. Bonnie Harris History 109-09 1 June 2020 Them vs. Us: Perspectives of Reality After Nat Turner’s Slave Rebellion Introduction Nat Turner’s August 22, 1831 insurrection was a pivotal moment in American history. He is described by Harvard University professor of History Dr. Jane Kamensky in her textbook, A People and A Nation, Volume I: to 1877 with Midtap History; 11th edition as the “son of an African woman who passionately hated her enslavement” (Kamensky, et. al., ch.9-6f), and was himself a slave and a Preacher. Before the insurrection was stopped, Turner and some seventy followers had attacked and brutally murdered sixty white men, women and children in a two-day period throughout South Hampton County and the surrounding area. The uprising shocked and terrified America and caused the Virginia General Assembly to seriously consider, among other things, abolishing slavery within its borders and deporting blacks from the state. This essay will identify, compare and contrast differing perspectives of Turner’s uprising through the theme, “Them versus Us” by examining writings, recollections and observations of primarily two individuals; Harriet Ann Jacobs, a writer born into slavery in 1813 in Edenton, North Carolina and Thomas R. Dew, an influential slaveholder and professor at The College of William and Mary, ultimately becoming its President. Fear of Insurrection by Harriot Ann Jacobs is taken from the second grading period primary sources of our History 109-09 class and Pro-Slavery Argument by Thomas R. Dew (1802-1846) is taken from the third grading period primary sources. Further, the two documents will be analyzed to find similarities and differences in perspective of the writers and will conclude by arguing how and why these two disparate viewpoints on slavery could prevail simultaneously. Identification of Documents Fear of Insurrection is the twelfth chapter in Harriett Ann Jacobs’s 1861 autobiography Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Written by Herself, that expounds on being born into slavery on a North Carolina plantation in 1813. Fear of Insurrection chronicles her experiences, while still a slave, in the subsequent days and weeks after Turner’s rebellion and the abuses suffered by herself, other slaves and free African Americans in North Carolina as a result of the fear and suspicion rampant throughout the entire South. In Fear of Insurrection, Jacobs writes, “Those who never witnessed such scenes can hardly believe what I know was inflicted at this time on innocent men, women and children, against whom there was not the slightest ground for suspicion” (Jacobs, 98). Jacobs goes on to describe, in some detail, her perspective and first-hand experiences during this period and how society changed for her and other blacks as a result of the rebellion – in essence how the “them versus us” scenario of black slaves and white slave owners escalated. It must be noted that events described by Jacobs were not unique. Free blacks and slaves were similarly targeted throughout the South in the wake of Turner’s rebellion. Thomas R. Dew, born into slave owning in King and Queen County, Virginia, in 1802, was a strong supporter of the institution of slavery, not primarily for econmic reasons, but from a place of racial superiority. Having been a professor of history and president at William and Mary College, he gained national prominence through his several political publications on such topics as tariffs and the national bank.  His Pro-Slavery Argument, written for the Virginia General Assembly debates in 1831 and ’32,  was rooted in racism and white supremacy, as he believed that blacks were not only better off as slaves, but were incapable of living in freedom and were happy to live in their forced servitude. As the Virginia legislature debated what to do about slavery in the aftermath of Turner’s uprising, Dew sought to influence the discussion by publishing his thoughts and opinions about slavery and race relations in the book, Review of the Debate in the Virginia Legislature of 1831 and 1832, where he argued among other things, “we cannot get rid of slavery without producing a greater injury to both the masters and slaves” (Dew, 106).   Historical Context The fear felt by antebellum white America, particularly in the South where the black population sometimes outnumbered whites, cannot be overstated. Never before in America’s racial relations had African Americans fought back in this way and Nat Turner’s Rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia, in August 1831 brought visions of the Haitian Revolution of 1791 where slaves rose up against their French masters and killed most of the white residents on the island before declaring independence. That fear, which ran throughout all slave owners, manifested itself in suspicion and anger towards every black person, free and slave, believing that they had actively supported Turner’s actions or at the very least had some knowledge of the plot. For weeks, white men, mostly poor, gathered in militia groups to interrogate, beat and jail blacks thought to be complicit in some way. Black men, women and children were rounded up in an attempt to force them to “confess” to their crimes. Harriett Jacobs describes what she saw: “Every where [sp] men, women and children were whipped till the blood stood in puddles at their feet. Some received five hundred lashes; others were tied hands and feet, and tortured with a bucking paddle, which blisters the skin terribly” (Jacobs, 98). Additionally, it was an opportunity for poor whites to express resentment towards blacks whom they believed unfairly, and in their minds undeservedly, lived more comfortably than themselves – another aspect of “them versus us” in the tumultuous race relations of the South at this time. Jacobs writes, “It was a grand opportunity for the low whites, who had no negroes of their own to scourge . . . the dwellings of the colored people [] were robbed of clothing and everything else that marauders thought worth carrying away” (Jacobs, 98-99). Under the pretense of looking for proof of complicity, homes and cabins were searched and ransacked. Clothing and other items considered to be of value were either destroyed or stolen from the black occupants. Jacobs went on to describe them as “a troop of demons, terrifying and tormenting the helpless” (Jacobs, 99). Concurrently, the panic was such that the Virginia legislature began, in late 1831, to consider the disposition of slavery in Virginia. After weeks of debate, there emerged two resolutions; one calling for the gradual emancipation of the State’s slaves and removing them from the State. The other rejected any attempt to end slavery. In the later weeks of this debate, politically influential Thomas R. Dew published his thoughts and reflections on the emancipation of slaves; which he was against. In some arguments he used Christianity as a foundation, writing in part, “…there is no rule of conscience or revealed law of God which can condemn us” (Dew, 106). In other arguments, he used generalization to support his position, “Every one [sp] acquainted with southern slaves, knows that the slave rejoices in the elevation and prosperity of his master” (Dew, 110). Here Dew promotes the notion that there is no them versus us because they champion our successes.   Interpretation of Contents Both Fear of Insurrection and Pro-Slavery Argument emerge from a common event, Nat Turner’s Rebellion. They are, however, separated by the perspectives of their writers from the lives they led on opposite sides of the slavery issue. Fear of Insurrection recalls the personal experiences of a slave and Pro-Slavery Argument represents the opinions of a slave owner. When describing Dew’s Pro-Slavery Argument, Melvin Patrick Ely, professor of History at The College of William and Mary writes, “While the book is righty remembered as a proslavery manifesto, it is more complex, and at times more self-contradictory, than is sometimes recognized” (Ely).  Using the Christian Bible as justification Dew writes, “When we turn to the New Testament, we find not one single passage at all calculated to disturb the conscience of an honest slave holder” (Dew, 106). Dew goes on to contradict himself by writing that “slavery is against the spirit of Christianity, [and] we are ready to admit the general assertion” (Dew, 106). Reverend Dr. Aaron Menikoff, senior pastor of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in Atlanta GA, debunks Dew’s assertion this way: “Slavery is a clear violation of Matthew 19:19; ‘You shall love thy neighbor as yourself.’ It is impossible to love your neighbor and simultaneously use your strength to refuse him personal freedom” (Menikoff). Dew continues not only to assert that slaves are happy with their position in life, “A merrier being does not exist on the face of the globe, than the negro slave of the United States” (Dew, 111), but he assumes that it was common knowledge. Harriett Jacobs contradicts this statement through personal experience, writing that her town was thrown into “great commotion” after Turner’s insurrection, observing that it was, “Strange that they [the white townspeople] should be alarmed when their slaves were so ‘contented and happy’” (Jacobs, 97). The editors of the online Encyclopedia Britannica database in an article posted in July 1998 write that, “Nat Turner’s rebellion put an end to the white Southern myth that slaves were either contented with their lot or too servile to mount an armed revolt” (“Nat Turner” Encyclopedia Britannica). White southern complacency was being replaced by a growing fear and insecurity. Dew further contradicts himself, first by stating, “We have no hesitation in affirming, that throughout the whole slave holding country, the slaves of a good master, are his warmest, most constant, and most devoted friends” (Dew, 110). He then later contends that because of the “Insecurity of the whites, arising from plots, insurrections, of the blacks” that emancipation would “produce all these horrors [insurrections] in still greater degree” (Dew, 113). In short, according to Dew, a free black population would seek to kill white residents, presumably in retaliation for slavery, contradicting an earlier statement he made that  “nothing but the mere relations of husband and wife, parent and child, brother and sister, which produce a closer tie, than the relation of master and servant” (Dew, 110). Dews continuing contradictions reveal his feeble attempts to logically and morally defend the enslavement of blacks. Telling, perhaps, is Dew’s assertion that, “no white man feels such inferiority of rank as to be unworthy of association with those around him. Color alone is here the badge of distinction, the true mark of aristocracy, and all who are white are equal in spite of the variety of occupation” (Dew, 113). Ironically, this may be one of the more factually correct opinions in all of Dew’s writings. Throughout most of American history, one could be dirt poor but as long as you were white, at least you weren’t black. Harriett Jacobs supports Dew’s observation when she describes the “country bullies and the poor whites” who had come to search her home knowing that, “nothing annoyed them so much as to see colored people living in comfort and respectability” (Jacobs, 97). Jacobs recounts the anger and resentment expressed to her grandmother when the men searching her home found clean bedding and tablecloths in a trunk, “you seem to feel mighty gran’ ‘cause you got all them ‘ere fixens. White folks oughter have ‘em all” (Jacobs, 100).    Conclusion It is not surprising that both perspectives could exist simultaneously. When confronted with uncomfortable truths, human beings will often use denial and self-deception to avoid reality. The slave, Ms. Jacobs, had her personal experiences to draw upon. The slaveholder, Mr. Dew, seeking to validate his way of life, saw only what he wanted to see. As a beneficiary of a system that could beat, torture or even kill a slave without consequence, and coupled with his racist and white supremacist beliefs, it is easy to understand how Thomas Dew could convince himself that slavery provided some moral good to society. Like most in his position, he needed to believe there was something good and necessary in slavery. However, no slave would ever dare tell Mr. Dew how they really felt about their position in society. When Dew wrote, “…the slaves of a good master, are his warmest, most constant, and most devoted friends” (Dew, 110), it is doubtful that he would have realized, or even cared tyo consider, that since a slave’s life depended on it, they would do or say whatever was necessary to be safe. Harriet Jacobs describes it this way, “Mighty is the power of the torturing lash” (Jacobs, 97). Unfortunately, Dew’s Pro Slavery Argument helped convince the Virginia legislature to tighten restrictions on both the slaves and the free African Americans instead of liberating them. Further, his beliefs and those of like-minded people help shape public thinking and policy then and into the future; heaping misery and oppression upon generations of African American people. One small victory is that Harriet Ann Jacobs was able to escape her enslavement in North Carolina and flee to New York in 1842, where she lived the rest of her life reunited with her family. Jane Kamensky et. al., writes, “Nat Turner remains one of the most haunting symbols in America’s unresolved history with racial slavery and discrimination” (Kamensky et. al., ch. 9-6f). However, America is slowly dragging itself out of its brutal and racist past to fully embrace the words of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, ““We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal” (US 1776).  —————————————– NOTE by Dr. Harris:  A similar paper could have been written using the theme, “One Man’s Virtue is another Man’s Evil,” in which a slave narrative  from colonial times could have shown the evil actions and conditions of slavery, while another document from a pro-slavery advocate of the antebellum era could have extolled the benefits of slavery and then a thesis could have been developoed connecting them, such as: “this paper will argue that it is because of generations of abuse waged against black slaves by white slave owners that concepts of racial inferiority of the one and superiority of the other haunt American society still today.”  ————————— Works Cited Primary Documents: Jacobs, Harriett A. “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Written by Herself”. (1861) Edited by Lydia Maria Francis Child, 1802-1880. Electronic Edition. Documenting the American South. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Davis Library, Southern Historical Collection. https://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/jacobs/jacobs.html  (Links to an external site.)     Dew, Thomas R. Review of the debate [on the abolition of slavery] in the Virginia legislature of 1831 and 1832. Richmond, Virginia: T. W. White. 1832.  The Library of Congress. Electronic Edition. The Internet Archives. https://archive.org/details/reviewofdebateon00dewt  (Links to an external site.)   “Declaration of Independence: A Transcription.” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript  (Links to an external site.)  .   Secondary Sources: Jane Kamensky, Carol Sheriff, David W. Blight, Howard P. Chudacoff, Fredrik Logevall. A People and A Nation Vol. 1: to 1877 11th Edition.  Boston: Cengage Learning Ebook, 2018. Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. “Nat Turner”. Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. Published July 9, 2015. Accessed Apr 18, 2020. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nat-Turner  (Links to an external site.)   Ely, Melvin Patrick, Jennifer R. Loux and the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. “Thomas R. Dew (1802-1846).” Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, 27 Jan. 2015. WEB 18 Apr. 2020. https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Dew_Thomas_R_1802-1846  (Links to an external site.)   Menikoff, Aaron. “How and Why Did Some Christians Defend Slavery?” The Gospel Coalition, 24 Feb. 2017, www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/how-and-why-did-some-christians-defend-slavery/  (Links to an external site.) .