Slavery and the Emancipation

Slavery and the Emancipation

Reconstruction and the Emancipation of 1863

The listed image is from Princeton Library created by Thomas Nast on January 12, 1867 published in New York. This image vividly illustrates the unequal dynamics between whites and blacks in the United States during slavery and after. In the drawing it shows how the United States is built on the values of liberty and freedom although there is a clear gap in treatment and rights between races. In the book the Piney Woods it states “Slaveholders valued slaves according to their sex, age, and physical capabilities…female reproductive value promised significxant returns on their investment”(Page 30). Slaves were veiwed as a source of income for slaveholders and whites took pride in maintaining obedience and On the right side one tactic of punishment via whipping is demostrated although there were plenty of others used such as lynchings and branding. The irony of America being land of the free is expressed since black were not freed until the declaration of emancipation in 1863. This was due to the belief of white supremacy, emphasis on economic advantages, and need for cheap labor for mass production. Whites often auction off slaves depriving blacks of their cluture and belitiled them until they solely relyed on their masters especially in the South. In the book the Most Southern Place on Earth it states “Although Delta slaves were substained emotionally by a strong sense of community, their physical comfort and security lay wholly in the hands of their white owners and overseers” (Page 27). The statue on the right side emphasizes how America showed a blind eye to racism and brutality of blacks throughout history before change occured. Even when black were eventually free they were still dependent on whites for labor jobs to earn wageable living. Blacks have been viewed as specimens of amusement and wealth for whites clearly expressed in the whites' cheerful expressions portrayed.

Thomas Nast

Princeton Library https://catalog.princeton.edu/catalog/99106419093506421

1/12/1867

Aaliyah Daniel

English

Cartoon
Educational