This week’s assignment is to learn to learn the value of working with primary sources. In our case, put yourself into the place of the interviewees in the audio recording transcripts above (Mr. Hughes and your second interviewee).
How does hearing/reading first-person takes on slavery impact your perspective on the “crimes” (i.e., Underground Railroad, insurrection/revolt, etc.) committed under the Fugitive Slave Law ? How would being a former slave impact your views on crime, law, and justice (i.e., listen carefully to Mr. Hughes’ account of the Yankee soldiers)? Cite examples drawn from the transcripts.
The rules for the text reflection assignment are as follows:
No-more-than 400 words.
Follow directions and answer question fully and directly.
Cite your references as ([insert source], [insert page number]): For example (Mann, 39)
Proofread. Avoid run-on sentences and paragraphs.
It is due no later than Sunday at 11:59 pm PST.
No plagiarism
Late submissions will neither be accepted nor accepted towards your grade.
Papers must be uploaded and submitted as .doc, .docx, or .pdf files.
You will be graded on three criteria:
quality of writing (grammar, style, and structure; make sure to proofread!);
substance of answer (answering question completely and accurately/persuasively);
demonstrating direct ties (reference) to the Roth reading to support your argument.
Interview with Fountain Hughes, Baltimore, Maryland, June 11, 1949
How hearing/reading first-person does takes on slavery impact your perspective on the “crimes” (i.e., Underground Railroad, insurrection/revolt, etc.) committed under the Fugitive Slave Law?
The hearing and reading on the actual accounts Fountain Hughes experiences during slavery create a perspective that the law is developed and enacted to serve the majority’s interests despite its impact on the minority group. This indicates that the law is relative, meaning an aspect of life considered a crime can be considered legal at some other time. Under the Fugitive Slave Law, acts of revolt, insurrection and Underground Railroad operations were considered crimes (Campbell, 185). The law required that any slave found escaping would be returned to their owners. Consequently, in the conversation, Fountain Hughes argues that people were sold the same way as horses. In this, the recent time selling of people would be considered illegal as it amounts to human trafficking (Hughes and Norwood, 5). Therefore, the law is relative, and it is meant to serve the interest of the majority. Additionally, the criminality of a social or legal aspect is dependent on the existing laws. During the slavery days, slavery was in violation of human rights, but the Fugitive slave laws upheld it and ensured that it was practiced in the interest of the white majority. Therefore, the criminality societal and legal aspects change with time and circumstances.
How would being a former slave impact your views on crime, law, and justice (i.e., listen carefully to Mr. Hughes’ account of the Yankee soldiers)?
The operations and acts of the slave indicate that the law and justices operate selectively in addressing criminal issues in society. Fountain Hughes creates the picture of Yankees to be brutal, destructive and ruthless at law-abiding citizens. The Yankee soldiers were ignorantly involved in a violation of the law while the law ignored their crimes. In this regard, when the Yankee soldiers visited the villages, the destroyed and threw meat four sugar to ensure that people did not have anything to live on. Additionally, in the case they found cooked food, they ate it and drunk all the milk. Fountain Hughes had more hatred on the Yankee Soldiers as compared to the slave owners (Hughes and Norwood, 7). The Yankees were inhuman, and they disregarded human rights and other laws through the destruction of food at the expense of the slaves and their masters. The Yankees’ actions concerning the people show a disregard of the laws such as property laws and Human rights law. There was no justice since the criminal justice system ignored the Yankees’ crimes by not bringing them to justice (De Oliveira, 139). In this case, the slaves are involved in the same actions as the Yankees; they would be judged harshly by the society and criminal justice system. Therefore, a formers slave would view that the law and justice system are applied selectively, thus negating the law’s purpose.
Works Cited
Hughes F and Norwood Hermond. Interview with Fountain Hughes, Baltimore, Maryland, June 11, 1949 AFS t9990A. Library of the Congress (1949): 1-10. Retrieved from https://cdn.loc.gov/service/afc/afc1950037/afc1950037_afs09990/afc1950037_afs09990a.pdf
de Oliveira, Luís R. Cardoso. “Equality, dignity and fairness: Brazilian citizenship in comparative perspective.” Critique of Anthropology 33.2 (2013): 131-145.
Campbell, Stanley W. The Slave Catchers: Enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Law, 1850-1860. UNC Press Books, 2012.
