SPEECH OF JANUARY,1840 - James Curry

Presented by: Group 6Indira PoudelSwati ShahYajan KhadkaPrajol joshi

BIOGRAPHY

ECONOMIC CONDITIONSIn a region thus sparsely settled the average prosperity of the inhabitants was necessarily low. Those who produced a surplus found difficulty in disposing of it because of the lack of convenient markets. Planters living near the mouths of the rivers might, by the purchase of sea-going vessels, transport their commodities to the West Indies or to northern markets with the assurance of a reasonable return. Industries were limited, towns small, and each farm an economic unit. Throughout the colonial period the price of tobacco was uncertain and the fluctuations were accompanied by economic distress. The production of naval stores was usually profitable, but life in the pine forests was hard and primitive. Stock raising and farming were the chief occupations of the settlers. The raising of stock was, in fact, the most profitable pursuit of those living in the back country, for the woods provided forage and the cost of transportation to market was negligible.

SOCIAL CONDITIONEven in the early days of the frontier, life had its social distinctions. In general, colonial society was divided into four classes: the gentry, the yeomanry, the indentured servants and poor whites, and the Negroes.

The highest social group was that of the large landholders, professional men, and public officials. Bringing with them ideas of class distinction from the Old World, they insisted upon a recognition of superiority in the New World. In documents such as wills, deeds, and county court records, signatures may be found followed by such terms as "gentleman," "esquire," "planter." Members of this group were usually well educated and cultured.

Small farmers made up by far the largest single social group in the Province. They worked the land with their own hands, knew few conveniences, and were contented to subsist on corn and pork "in the most slovenly manner. They took pride in the title of yeoman and those who could write attached the title to their names in all their public dealings.

The class next below that of the yeomanry was composed of indentured white servants. it was made up of convicts sold as punishment for petty crime or for political offenses, of women and children kidnapped in London or other English ports, of colonial dependent children, and especially of those who voluntarily sold their services in payment for passage to the New World. The term of service for those under sixteen years of age brought from Europe was five years. Dependent orphans or illegitimate children of white parents were legally known as apprentices but actually they were in the same social class as indentured servants. They served their masters from the time of apprenticeship to the age of maturity, which was fixed at eighteen for the girl and twenty-one for the boy.

At the bottom of the social scale stood the Negro. It was possible for the white man by diligence and hard work to pass from one social class to that next above; but the cultural development of the Negro, the color of his skin, and the laws of the Province operated to keep him at the bottom.

EDUCATIONAL CONDITION

The history of education in North Carolina is closely related to that of religion. For more than a century the preachers of North Carolina were also the school teachers. The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel made the first attempt to establish schools in the Colony. The Colony also had a few academies. Children of the gentry had been educated at home by their mothers, taught by tutors, or less frequently were sent to school in Britain, but the majority of inhabitants were neither educated nor had a great thirst for knowledge. Nearly every planter had a small collection of books.

ANTE-BELLUMNorthern politicians were opposed to extending slavery into new territories west of the Mississippi River. Southern politicians held that slavery should be allowed to follow the flag into new territories and new states, and they were concerned about their power to influence. These southern politicians feared an imbalance between slave states and free states would subvert their influence and give too much power to those hostile toward slavery. It was this concern that would lead to southern states attempting to secede from the union.

The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, changed this. A federal marshal who failed to arrest an alleged runaway slave could be fined 1,000 dollars and the federal government was now obligated to track down and apprehend runaway slaves in the North. In the North, any black could be arrested without a warrant and turned over to someone who claimed him or her to be a runaway and himself as the owner. A fine of 1,000 dollars and six months' imprisonment could be charged against anyone caught providing shelter, food or any other assistance to a slave. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 intensified the hunt for runaways. It jeopardized all free blacks

SLAVERYSlavery is a social-economic system under which certain persons — known as slaves — are deprived of personal freedom and compelled to work. Slaves are held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase, or birth, and are deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to receive compensation (such as wages) in return for their labor. As such, slavery is one form of unfree labor. In its narrowest sense, the word slave refers to people who are treated as the property of another person, household, company, corporation or government. This is referred to as chattel slavery.

Slavery Defined……The 1926 Slavery Convention described slavery as "...the status and/or condition of a person over whom any or all of the powers attaching to the right of ownership are exercised..." Slaves cannot leave an owner, an employer or a territory without explicit permission (they must have a passport to leave), and they will be returned if they escape. Therefore a system of slavery — as opposed to the isolated instances found in any society — requires official, legal recognition of ownership, or widespread tacit arrangements with local authorities, by masters who have some influence because of their social and/or economic status and their lives.

Pictures…….

Enslaved man and a boy

Enslaved woman with white child

SUMMARYThe narrator of the speech was a slave who used to play with his mother’s masters children and love each other as brothers but soon after this love turned into hatred. He had a great desire to learn and to read for which he insisted his master’s children to teach him and he even tried to learn by reading books whenever available. By reading the great bible he learned that it was contrary to the revealed will of god that one should hold another as a slave.

Their masters and mistress were cruel. Once his mistress had harshly beaten a small girl for breaking the comb worth about 25 – 37 cents. The poor child died due to the swelling but mistress also died soon after.

These slaves were poorly dressed as their master don’t provide them with clothes frequently. Slaves were provided with small barren land to cultivate and masters used to take them away after good cultivation and again they were given another barren land.

The narrator’s mother was a cook in the house for about 22 years who have to cook food for entire family members and other slaves that constitutes 25-35 people. One of the most trying scene for narrator was the day when his mother was beaten by the girl (daughter of a slave owner) whom she had self raised for a small cause. He just stand and didn’t dare to defend her. His mother’s labor was very hard from the early morning until 10 o’ clock in the night that includes cooking breakfast & supper, milking cows, taking care of children etc.

She would then be so tired that she can’t even stand but also she sew the torn out parts of the children’s clothes and in the same time also take a nap. She even take care of the orphans and provide them with available clothes.

After 16, he was kept into the field to work & he worked in hatter’s shop and raised plantation all day. His work and slaves in field do have striking difference: When hatter’s shop workers go home, they carry to their families the wages and they have the night to sleep and rest whereas slaves carries to his family at night only a weary body and a sick mind.

InterpretationSpeech of January,1840 is a touching narration

by James Curry which portrays the bitter reality of slavery system of 19th century United States.

Born as a son of slave and group up as a domestic servant, he shares his experience of being a slave. The whole narrative focuses on the brutality of the masters and slave holders; and difficulties faced by the slaves. We also come across a father (the master) who takes no cares about his daughters; and a mother (the mother of narrator) who treats her master’s children as her own.

The slaves were poor and they had to work in master’s tobacco plantation for living. The narrator recalls how a little girl was beaten by mistress to death and how his own mother was beaten by master’s daughter whom she raised as her own daughter. The description of hardship of narrator’s mother sweeps the emotion of readers and makes us feel that; Is it a real story of 19th century?

The slaves were involved in their works all spring and summer, winter and summer for tobacco plantation, some cotton and some grains. The narrator differentiates between a common man and slave.“When they (common people) go home at night, they carry to their families the wages of their labor; and then they have the night for rest and sleep. Whereas the slave carries to his family at night, only a weary body and sick mind, and all he can do for them is done during the hours allowed him for sleep”

The narrator meets another slave who had returned after working for a rich slaveholder in the neighborhood. The slaves said pointing towards the field, “I never saw blood flow anywhere as I’ve seen it flow in that field. It flows there like water.

RHETORICS

The speech is the classic example of a personal narrative in which the words flows to recall the nostalgia of the narrator during his early years as a slave. The narration also provides a visual appeal of the time. When we go through the narration, we can see a little girl getting punished by her mistress, the anguish of the master, the toil of the narrator’s mother and slaves hoeing the field. We also feel the pain faced by slaves of Carolina.

The narrator had also used the metaphor as “the great master” for god almost at the end of the 1st paragraph.”… The poor child never recovered. A white swelling cam from the bruises on one of her legs of which she died in two or three years. And my mistress was soon after called by her great master to give her account..”. And also in the middle of the 5th paragraph narrator uses the term blood to represent hard work.”… I never saw blood flow from anywhere as I’ve seen it flow in that field. It flows there like water…”.

The narration is emotionally expressive as it explains the personal emotions and feelings of the narrator so it is objective. The narration is in way a violent speech that includes all the violence occurred during the existence of slavery system.

Slavery and the making of America: ReviewDescription: This four-part PBS series examines the history of slavery in the United States with impressive attention to detail. Over four hours in length, SLAVERY AND THE MAKING OF AMERICA reveals just how central slavery was to the creation of this country by focusing on its political and economic roles in society. Using slave narratives, dramatic re-enactments, and stunning accounts of little-recorded historical events, the series exposes viewers to the many aspects of history that are often omitted from text books.

Slavery and the making of America: Review

…..This well-done series is not only informative and full of interesting facts, but also highly moving, as much of the story is told from the perspective of the slaves themselves. Suitable for the general viewer and for teachers to incorporate into their lesson plans, SLAVERY AND THE MAKING OF AMERICA features narration by Morgan Freeman, and a musical score by Michael Whalen.

Plot: Underscoring how slavery impacted the growth of this country's Southern and Northern states; the series examines issues still relevant today. The variety of cultures from which the slaves originated provided the budding states with a multitude of skills that had a dramatic effect on the diverse communities. From joining the British in the Revolutionary War, to fleeing to Canada, to joining rebel communities in the U.S. the slaves sought freedom in many ways, ultimately having a far-reaching effect on the new hemisphere they were forced to inhabit. Acclaimed actor Morgan Freeman narrates the series, which features a score by Michael Whalen.

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