http://omekahst251.jenniferandrella.com/admin/items/show/12
The text document I chose to turn into an Omeka item pertains to anti-slavery in the United States. This speech by Frederick Douglas, a well-known anti-slavery figure in throughout the 1800’s. This document entails the problems that Frederick Douglass saw with Slavery in America. The audience for this speech was the American Anti-Slavery society, which consisted of those who shared similar viewpoints on the horrific injustice of slavery. The concept of all men being equal deriving from the founding fathers of the United States is brought into question within this document. One of the interesting things about this primary source are the handwritten speech notes that are shown which help to give the viewer a greater insight into Frederick Douglass’s thought process. This document was obtained from the Library of Congress’s access to the Frederick Douglass Papers. The potential research questions that this document raises pertain to the African American perspective of slavery in America. A potential research question could be to explain the arguments of Anti-Slavery groups in America during the 1800’s.
http://omekahst251.jenniferandrella.com/admin/items/show/14
The visual document I chose was a card sized drawing from Henry Louis Stephens. This drawing depicts a slave standing atop a white man who is holding a whip. This image is meant to demonstrate the slave rebellions in 1860’s where enslaved people began to take back their rights. The Library of Congress is where I was able to access this source in a full color still image. The image allows one to easy identify the situation of the times and also give insight to the style of drawing during the mid 1800’s. This source has the potential to raise a variety of different research questions pertaining to the slave rebellions within the United States. In particular the research questions would focus on the African Americans attempt to take back their rights In America. A potential research question could be to explain the Slave rebellions and their effect on American society in the 1800’s.
These are both excellent and insightful sources. As you suggest in your analysis, Frederick Douglass offers a unique positionality and legacy in the history of abolition. He is one of the most recognizable figures in the fight for abolition and early efforts in civil rights after the Civil War. The visual source also raises some interesting questions. I would also be interested in learning more about the context of the drawing’s creation; with a caption like “A Blow for a Blow”, it suggests to me that the illustrator was perhaps sympathetic to freedom fighters and viewed revolts as justifiable when considering the amount and severity of violence enslaved people suffered for hundreds of years.