JOURNEY THROUGH SLAVERY PART 3

                    The Age of Enlightenment seemed like a series of encouraging ideas for white men to advance in society but the idea of liberty for slaves did not seem beyond reach. Even though early documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution do not defend the rights of slaves or free blacks, Thomas Jefferson, the creator of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and owner of 130 slaves, believed that slaves would one day rise against their masters. Jefferson also believed that biologically, blacks were like children that needed to be taken care of.

                   Richard Allen was the first to found the African church and one of the few blacks to work to buy his freedom. He founded the church in Philadelphia for the oppressed in what is called the Evangelical revolution. Benjamin Rush was a white man and a doctor that was also a leader of the African church.The African church paved the way for abolitionist movements to make an impact in the North.

                    In 1793, Eli Whitney invented something that would change the course of America and affect slaves themselves. The cotton gin was advanced but it affected slaves.Since the invention of the cotton gin, cotton became the number one cash crop and it called for a higher demand for slaves.

In that same year, ten thousand blacks formed societies and churches in Philadelphia in order to help fugitive slaves. For instance, in 1817, the American Colonization Society focused on the resettlement of free blacks back in Africa

                     Some of the first slave rebellions were led by Nat Turner and Gabriel Prosser in an uprise towards whites. It brought awareness and fear among white men as well as hope for slaves. However, the taunting of blacks continued with the cartoon characters made by Edward Clay to ridicule blacks and in the 1830s a stage character by the name of Jim Crow was also a taunting image of blacks.



Primary Source: Letter from William Lloyd Garrison to the American Colonization Society
http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/address-to-the-colonization-society/