Introduction
Few subjects from the American past have garnered as much attention from historians as antebellum slavery. Indeed historians have probed the institution from numerous angles, including looking at the economic, legal, social, political and psychological dimensions of slavery. A brief look at the historiography on the subject reveals that historians understanding of the institution has varied widely. Put differently, American slavery has been a major source of contention among academics. This is striking considering that a single, central question underlay all of their investigations. No matter their specific research interests, all slave scholars inquiries boil down to: What was the nature of antebellum slavery?
Prompt
Your charge in this assignment is to weigh in on these debates using Douglass narrative as evidence. In your essay, address the following questions:
Who were slaves? Who were masters? What was the nature of antebellum slavery? Use specific evidence from Douglass Narrative to address these questions. You may also draw from lecture and Foners Give Me Liberty! to construct your essay.
Be sure to establish a strong thesis in your introduction that directly addresses the essay prompt and support it throughout the body of your paper with specific evidence. When incorporating direct quotes (which you really,really should), use the citation system described below.
Requirements
Ø 4 to 5 pages in length.
Ø 1 inch margins
Ø Double-spaced
Ø Times New Roman 12 point font
Using citations: When you borrow an idea or are quoting an author in your paper, you must cite. Heres how-
Ø If you are citing Douglass Narrative or our textbook Give Me Liberty!, put the authors last name and the page number as a footnote ie
[1] Douglass, 72.
If you are citing a primary source document that was assigned for the course, put the authors (of the primary source) last name, abbreviated title of the document.
