Item One – http://omekahst251.jenniferandrella.com/items/show/3: The first item that I decided to do was a letter from Mosby Sheppard to James Monroe warning him of Gabriel’s Conspiracy. This letter was written after two enslaved men, that were owned by Moore, told him of the plans to rebel.
After reading chapter four I thought this was a very interesting part of slave rebellions. I think that this event raises more questions than it has answers to. I think the biggest question that this event raises is what would have happened if Gabriel and his man were successful? Would we be looking at a different future for slaves in the south? How many people would have died? Would have anything changed for slaves?
There were still some impacts of his failed rebellion that we saw in the future, most of these effects were bad. Slaveholders restricted the movement of slaves, free blacks could only stay in Virginia for a small amount of time or they would be enslaved and the enslaved would not be able to learn to read and write anymore. Another impact would have been the inspiration for future rebellions. Some people might think this is a bad thing because more and more restrictions were put in place along with an increase in violence. Others may think it was a good thing because it brought hope to the enslaves. It could have inspired them to keep going and fight for their freedom. (this point is me just inferring, there are no sources to back that up)
Item Two – http://omekahst251.jenniferandrella.com/items/show/4: The second Item that I chose to do was an image from the Second Seminal War, This image depicts a dramatization of tactics used by Zachary Taylor against the Seminole Indians. In this image, American soldiers are searching for fleeing Seminoles with help of bloodhounds. The American troops are on horseback and foot traveling through the carnage on the ground.
As discussed in class, I really never considered the USA without Flordia, it is very hard to do. I decided to choose this because I wanted to explore the Seminole wars. I was interested in exploring these wars because, in all of my history classes throughout my schooling career, I do not think one word was mentioned about them.
I found this image by searching for “The Seminole Wars” on the library of the congresses website, then I filtered by image. In the description, it says it is a “dramatization” so I don’t believe that this is a picture image. I think this image is more in line with an artist’s rendition of memory or of word of mouth. I think this image is interesting because it raises a few questions about its conception. You have to wonder if the creator was biased and what influences he had when this image was created. In terms of the image itself, I think some research questions can be introduced. One I was thinking of is, “what is the long-lasting impact of the Seminole Wars?” I also think exploring the impact of Zachary Taylor is important too because you must wonder if someone else was in charge could it have been any more peaceful or did he have a deep desire to make these wars as violent as possible.
These two items are fantastic and give some additional insight into the chapter we read this past week. From what I recall on the discussion of Gabriel’s revolt, it seemed that there wasn’t much evidence supporting that narrative. A source like the one you found would have greatly strengthened Gabriel’s part in the chapter. The questions you ask regarding both of these sources are important ones to consider. Regarding the second item, I would be interested in knowing how the military careers of presidents (like Zachary Taylor or Andrew Jackson) contributed to their “war hero” character and became a common trait for many US presidents.