Sources for America’s History: Printed Page 299
Explain and evaluate the multiple perspectives on southern slavery to identify similarities and differences in the way the institution was perceived during the period. To what extent do the points of view of these sources impact the interpretation of slavery they present?
How can you interpret the historical evidence in this chapter to construct an argument about the lives of enslaved African Americans? What evidence might point to ways slaves exercised some degree of power and autonomy within a system of white dominance?
How do your insights about the historical context of antebellum slavery help you understand the broader history of American race relations?
In addition to slave songs, what types of primary source evidence would help historians understand slavery from the perspective of the slaves themselves, most of whom left no written records?
What historical patterns of continuity or change concerning the politics of slavery can you observe, comparing 1850s Charleston with Luis Brandaon’s 1610 letter (Document 1-6), Virginia’s slave codes (Document 3-3), and the free blacks’ 1777 petition (Document 6-3)?