February 28th Lecture In Class Reflection

In today's lecture we discussed the question: "How can sources diagree in different ways?" Although this may seem like an obvious question with an obvious answer, it is important to realize this when analyzing sources. There are more than just pro or con arguments and we should look to find sources from all directions. An example of an argument that is more than agree/disagree is the question of abortion. You can be for or against abortion, but the third argument could be that it depends on the situation.
It is important to learn just as much about the position that we are arguing against as the one that we are supporting. The ability to argue against the other side will strengthen our angle. Therefore, it is crucial to research from both directions. This information will help me to write my essay because I'm getting hung up on researching leaders in history who used power for evil. It is just as important to find leaders who used their power effectively without being demeaning. This is how I plan to used this information to help me with my essay.

Kantz Article Annotations

Pg. 40- “Many students expect their sources to tell the truth; hence, they equate persuasive writing in this context with making things up.” I found this point to be striking because I fall into this category as well. Sometimes I rely too heavily on the opinions and bias of my sources that I lose my original thought process. I plan to avoid this from now on by asking myself rhetorical questions when reviewing sources.

Pg. 44- “Rhetorical reading is not a magical technique for producing sophisticated arguments.” –Even though rhetorical reading strategies can give you ideas and iron out your thought process, it is not going to write the paper for you. Arguments must be crafted based on other factors as well. This includes personal experiences, history, and your gut feeling.

Pg. 46- “A skillful student using the summarize-the-main-ideas approach can set her writing goals and even plan (i.e., outline) a paper before she reads the sources.” –Planning is the key to effective writing. A paper will be better crafted if the writer reviews the sources and takes notes beforehand. This way when the actual paper is being written, the writer knows exactly where important information is to tie into the paper. This saves time in the long run.

Five "User Friendly" Points from The Curious Researcher

1. Encouraging writing in the first person.
2. You can get personal in an essay without relying on the first person.
3. Broad introductions are not the only option. Focus on being compelling!
4. Try a variety of different leads before you settle on one.
5. Don’t get so caught up on the introduction. You’re not going to write the perfect one the first time you sit down.

In Class Reflection

Two questions that were checked a lot on my sheet were: “What psychological studies show average people doing horrible things?” and “What leaders throughout history have used power without harming others?” I think it is extremely feasible for me to research both of these questions further in my essay and I plan to do so. I think that psychological studies are great sources because they offer relatable data and they show how people act in controlled settings. I plan to focus on characters in leadership positions in the book but also look through other historical events as well. Both of these questions offer a lot of support to my thesis on Power and Leadership.

One question suggested by a peer was: “ What is the irony in Equiano’s situation being a slave turned slave owner?” I will touch upon this question in my essay because it is a perfect example of how power can make people do things that they would never imagine. Although Equiano barely touched upon this incident in his book, I take that as an indication that he was ashamed about his actions as a leader. This question makes me think about all the other people who were in a similar situation when given power. The guards of The Stanford Prison Experiment especially come to mind.

How The Text Will Help Me In My Essay:

At this point, my essay topic is about power and leadership. I want to stem off of this topic and use examples from history in which leaders have used their power for the well being of others and also times in which they used their power for evil. I will use material from the text to highlight Thomas Clarkson and his positive use of power. From this I want to conclude why some leaders help others while some hurt others.

Chapter 21 through 23 summaries

In Chapter 21 of Adam Hochschild’s book, Bury the Chains, hard work finally pays off for the British abolitionists. At the beginning of the chapter, slave traffic is at a high yet the key players are still not willing to give up. James Stephen joins Clarkson, the Quakers, Wilberforce, and Granville Sharp as a prominent lawyer motivated from seeing slavery directly. Together, Wilberforce and Granville Sharp draft “The Foreign Slave Trade Act” aiming to eliminate 2/3 of the British slave trade. Despite some hesitation from The House of Lords, the bill eventually passed thanks to thousands of signatures from Clarkson’s network of supporters. That year, slavery was actually an election issue persuading followers for or against certain candidates. There was an unimaginable amount of abolitionist support in Parliament. Finally in 1807, a bill was passed to abolish the British slave trade and soon after it became a law. Regardless, blacks in the British Caribbean were still slaves.

In Chapter 22 of the book, Bury the Chains, Adam Hochschild describes the role of women in the antislavery movement. We are introduced to Elizabeth Heyrick, a Quaker who strongly believes that the male abolitionists of her time were too polite. She campaigned a sugar boycott, and with other females she demanded immediate emancipation. Women’s societies kept antislavery alive. More rebellions occurred, and despite many dead a wounded slaves, Parliament still would not end slavery.

In Chapter 23 of the book, Bury the Chains, author Adam Hochschild describes Britain’s ineffective electoral system and undemocratically chosen Parliament which lead to talk of a reform. “The growing pressure for Reform reignited the antislavery movement.” Antislavery supporters were looking for change fast and this lead to the formation of the Agency Antislavery Committee. The fate of slavery depended on a more democratically chosen Parliament passing the Reform bill. After even more extreme slave uprisings, it became clear that freeing slaves was the only option to avoid war. In the summer of 1833, this dream finally came true and 800,000 slaves were freed in the British Empire. The revolutionary men and women whom refused to give up will forever be remembered in history.

At The Foot of Vesuvius

In Chapter 18 of Bury the Chains, Adam Hochschild depicts a large slave revolt in St. Domingue and the French Revolution. St. Domingue was the area with the harshest slavery and largest slave population in the Caribbean. This revolt was shocking because St. Domingue was “the Eden of the western world.” When word reached London of the brutal slave revolt, British forces sailed to France’s Caribbean colonies. Next we are introduced to Touissaint Louverture, a tactical French slave leader with an intensity that brought him much success. Yet as the French Revolution continued, armies were dying out due to the spread of malaria and yellow fever. The hypocritical British began buying slaves to fight in their army because their numbers were quickly dwindling. “There was no disguising one central fact: the soldiers of the world’s greatest slave-trading nation had given way before an army of ex-slaves.”

Anecdote Lead

At first glance, they were average college males. All twenty-four volunteers were of the same age, social class, and education level chosen to participate in a psychology study at Stanford University. Divided into two groups, they were to live and work in a simulation prison as either prisoners or guards. Within hours the males were immersed in their roles and quickly forgot that they were all equals. With leadership came power, and the guards enjoyed abusing it. History and psychology studies have introduced us to people using power for the advancement of one group even when they have no reason to be superior. So, why does power make average people do horrible things?

*My lead was "anecdote". I plan on tying The Stanford Prison into the theme of power making average people do horrible things and then relating it back to Bury the Chains and characters throughout history.

The Sweets of Liberty

In Chapter 15 of Adam Hochschild’s book, Bury the Chains, the significance of Britain in the rapidity of the antislavery movement is explained. Compared to other countries of the time, Britain had developed a solid road system that aided in travel and they were also graced with The British Post Office, the best postal service of its time. The popularity of coffeehouses increased the readership of newspapers and books which was great for publishing antislavery literature. Another reason was Britain was the quickest to react to the antislavery movement was due to location: “And with slaves on the other side of the ocean, for Britons to oppose slavery did not threaten their own way of life. Slaves were not cooking the meals or doing the laundry or working the fields of people in Britain itself.”

Rhetorical Question Post

I don’t have this question eloquently phrased yet. But it’s something along the lines of: “What happens to people when they are given power?” in my paper I want to support with examples from the text Bury The Chains as well as the Stanford Prison Experiment. This experiment was one in which college students were randomly selected to fulfill the role of either prisoner or guard. It was frightening how immersed they got into their roles, even though they were all the same age and social class. I want to find other examples like this where power is given to someone and it turns wrong.

Chapter 11 and more

In Chapter 11 of Adam Hochschild’s book, Bury the Chains, we learn about the Privy Council hearings in 1789. “This was the first time in any country that the slave trade had been subject to an official investigation, and the resulting testimony is a crucial source of information to us still.” Abolitionists feared that if British ships stopped carrying slaves, the French would in turn pick it up. An influential slave diagram helped the case by representing hundreds of miserable, ill, or dead slaves aboard a vessel. This diagram was impossible to argue and remains the most widely reproduced political graphic of all time.
Pages 167 to 174 describe Equiano’s book tour as he traveled all over the world. Wherever he traveled, he found local abolitionists to help him with sales. His journal became a best seller and the timing could not be better because the Privy Council were winding up their hearings. Equiano was ahead of his time with skills of promotion and diplomacy. Pages 192 to 198 account the sugar boycott after the 1791 Parliament abolitionist bill. This boycott was symbolic because sugar was popularly consumed which made slavery advocated horrified. This chapter also introduces The Abstract, a journal filled with graphic descriptions of slave life. To this day, The Abstract is the most widely read piece of nonfiction antislavery literature of all time.

The Curious Researcher

I think that there is a subconscious “dun dun dunnnn” in everyone’s mind after the two words “research paper” are said aloud. I had the pleasure of writing three in high school, so I agree wholeheartedly with the following quote. “Very few of us recall the research papers we wrote in high school, and if we do, what we remember is not what we learned about our topics but what a bad experience writing them was.” Finding sources was a good skill to master and I thank my high school teachers for teaching me that. However, the stressful 3x5 and 4x6 index cards were extremely unnecessary. The Curious Researcher enforces the spirit of inquiry and writing conversational papers rather than full accounts of everything you found. I believe that the research reports that we write this semester will be a refreshing change from the stale formats of the research papers from our past. This book is also written in such a way that it is easy to follow and not as boring as other guides of its sort. I expect The Curious Researcher to be a beneficial source.

Why Do We Knowingly Do Something That Is Wrong?

Chapter Six provides a slight turning point in the book when people begin to openly question slavery. Despite this questioning, change was minimal. "A latent feeling was in the air, but intellectuals disapproving of slavery was something very different from the belief that anything could ever be done about it." So why is it that people continue to do something if they know that it is wrong? And at what point does guilt sink in? An example that I think of is cheating. Obviously this does not even come close to the caliber of slavery, but it is easy for college students to relate to. Why do students still cheat if they know that it is wrong? Is it true that some students who normally don't cheat will cheat if they know that everyone else is doing it? I think this is a good thought to ponder.

A Moral Steam Engine and The First Emancipation

In chapter six of Adam Hochschild’s book, Bury the Chains, Thomas Clarkson learns that he is not alone fighting for the abolitionist movement. At this point in history, more people disapproved of slavery, however few people were willing to take a stand against it. Despite being uneasy about slavery, living without it seemed nearly impossible. After winning an award for his antislavery paper, Clarkson had a family friend publish the paper to attract more people to his cause. This led him to a printing press at 2 George Yard and with the help of eleven other men, the following events were unprecedented. In chapter seven of Adam Hochschild’s book, Bury the Chains, we go further back in time to learn about the first emancipation of slaves. The British gained American slaves by offering them freedom by escaping from their masters and joining the British Army. This act was not to abolish slavery, but rather to hurt American noblemen. After the war, slaves were still in the pursuit of freedom. British and American peace negotiators aimed to make changes. British commander, General Sir Guy Carleton, aimed to keep his promise to ex-slaves and evacuated them to Nova Scotia resulting in the largest group of free blacks in one place.

Why Do We Always Want More?

Adam Hochschild is impressive as an author in his story telling ability. His descriptions are extremely vivid and that makes the book much more enjoyable to read. What has been especially striking is how he manages to contrast the white slave owners and African slaves. His portrayal of the eighteen century white male has led me to believe that all of them are sleazy sinners with absolutely no remorse for their greedy actions. Although this is a harsh generalization, the actions of John Newton and James Stephen offer me no reason to think otherwise. These two men toss out the term “love” carelessly. John Newton longed for Mary Catlett, however saw no wrong in raping female slaves on his vessel. James Stephen, on the other hand, seemed to fall in love with every attractive girl he laid eyes on. Not only were these men greedy with there slaves, estates, and money, they were also greedy with their women.

The question that I want to ask here is: Why do we always want more? John Newton and James Stephen aren't the only guilty ones. Greed didn't just exist on eighteenth century sugar plantations. The same problems exist today, only the playing fields have changed.

Atlantic Wanderer and King Sugar

In chapter two of Adam Hochschild’s book, Bury the Chains, we are introduced to Olaudah Equiano, a Nigerian boy forced into chains by slave raiders. This chapter highlights his time spent on slave ships through his journal entries and offers us insight into the world of bondage. At the time, the booming sugar industry resulted in an increase of African slaves on plantations. And despite Olaudah’s gradual rise and business deal that unlocked his chains, his story offered a reminder that no black person could be completely free as long as the British Empire permitted slavery. In chapter four of Adam Hochschild’s book, Bury the Chains, the connection between sugar and slavery is explained further. Hochschild manages to depict the extreme contrast between the white slave owners and the African slaves. He does this by illustrating the daily activities of these two groups and the different repercussions that exist when rules are broken by either African slaves or white slave owners.

Many Golden Dreams

In chapter one of Adam Hochschild’s book, Bury the Chains, we learn about the extreme pursuit of wealth and the booming slave industry. Slavery became the foundation of commerce, and organizing long trading voyages turned men like John Newton into entrepreneurs. Gaining the wealth and respectability associated with these trade voyages, other traders joined the industry. The original goal to fill the vessel with slaves became increasingly more difficult, and anything was traded to beat the competition. Men quickly turned greedy, slaves were treated brutally, and the death toll was rising due to unlivable conditions on the vessels.

Twelve Men In a Printing Shop

The introduction of Adam Hochschild’s book, Bury the Chains, sets the stage by describing the prevalence of slavery in the eighteenth century. In a world where slaves outnumbered free people, it was difficult to imagine life without slavery and bondage. However, human empathy led to a meeting of twelve men looking to change the rights of someone else. This compassion was unheard of for the slaves were in another country and of another race. An ordinary printing shop became the site of a revolutionary meeting that paved the way for the abolitionist movement.