icon for Home page
icon for Digital Collection
icon for Activities
icon for Turns Exhibit
icon for In the Classroom
icon for Chronologies
icon for My Collection

In the Classroom > African Americans Lessons > Ministers Owned Slaves

Back to Ministers Owned Slaves

Possible Answers to Discussion Questions

Antislavery

Rights of slaves:

  • liberty
  • comforts of life
  • exemption from being treated as property to be sold
  • family unity
  • spiritual freedom
  • fair treatment

Sewall's views about slaves:

  • they "can seldom use their freedom well"
  • they shouldn't "embody", or commingle with us
  • they will "never grow up into orderly families"- their family structures will not be as they should be according to white society
  • they are "poor silly Wretches"

Why Sewall is against slavery:

  • We are all of one blood and as such, slaves have as much right to liberty as anyone else
  • It goes against the teachings of the Bible
  • Slaveholders do not exhibit Christian behavior by holding people against their will
  • We are going against the golden rule of doing unto others as we would have them do unto us

Proslavery

How slaves are equal to Europeans:

  • They are entitled to become Christians
  • They are men too- we are all of one blood
  • They are children of God too

How slaves are inferior to Europeans:

  • They need Europeans to take care of them
  • They are ignorant, wicked, base, with poor miserable souls
  • They are possessions

Best way to treat slaves:

  • With charity
  • Turn them into good Christians- help them to convert their souls
  • Treat them as men, neighbors, brothers
  • Govern & protect them
  • Feed & clothe them, offer them times of rest, make them comfortable
  • Love them as you love yourself

How a minister is doing good work by keeping slaves:

  • He is converting them to Christianity and allowing them to be children of God too
  • He is instructing them in the ways of Christianity

Why the views of people in the 18th and early 19th centuries are different from ours:

  • On the whole, theirs was a much more religious society than ours, thus making for different values or a different emphasis on some values.
  • Many believed that those of a non-European origin were inherently less intelligent, and not enough scientific or psychological experiments had been developed or performed to prove otherwise.


button for Side by Side Viewingbutton for Glossarybutton for Printing Helpbutton for How to Read Old Documents

 

Home | Digital Collection | Activities | Turns Exhibit | Classroom | Chronologies | My Collection
About This Site | Site Index | Site Search | Feedback