美国内战与重建美国内战与重建transcript05Word下载.docx

美国内战与重建美国内战与重建transcript05Word下载.docx

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Thisweekyou'

rereadingthegreatestoftheslavenarratives.FrederickDouglass'

sfirstautobiography,publishedin1845,is,Istillwouldmaintain,thegreatestoftheslavenarratives,certainlyinaliterarysense.Hewasanalmostmysticallybrilliantwriter,foronesoyoung.Hefirstdraftedthiswhenhewas26.Heescapedfromslaverywhenhewas20-years-old.You'

llfindoutinthetexthowhelearnedhisliteracy.Helearneditfirstfromhiswhitemistress,MissSophia,whobecamelikeanangelicmother-figuretohimuntilshetooklanguageawayfromhim.

Thebookisfullofmetaphor,itisfullofonekindoftaleandstoryafteranotherthatDouglassshapesintotellingafreestory.Tellingafreestory,asthegreatliterarycriticofthisgenre,BillAndrews,hasputit.ForafugitiveslavetoemergeintheNorthernstates--forthatmatterafugitiveslavewhogoestoBritain,likeOlaudahEquianodid,Africanborn,orsowestillthink,andwriteshisstoryinBritain--butforafugitiveslavetowritehisorherstoryandpublishitinEnglishinthewesternworldwastosay:

"

I'

mapersonofletters,Iamsomebody,Ihaveahistory,Iamfree,butIamnotfreeuntilyouletmewrite,andIwillmakemyselffree,ifImust,bytellingyouwhoIam."

WhenafugitiveslavecouldgotoEnglandandholduphisbookinfrontofhugeaudiences--DouglassspokeinLondonatonepointbefore10,000people,in1846--andhecouldholdhislittlebookupinhishand,hecouldprobablyatthatmomentfeelfreerthanhe'

deverfelt,becausehecouldactuallysay"

thisiswhoIam,I'

mnotamanufacturedidentity,I'

mnotwhatyounecessarilywantmetobe.Iwon'

ttalkthewayyouexpectmetotalk.Iwon'

tscratchmyheadwhenItellmystory."

Butwhatastory.

WhenIwasafledglinggraduatestudent,notknowingwhatIwasdoingandwritingadissertationonFrederickDouglass,acouple--afewdecadesago,anewbookhadcomeoutcalledYoungFrederickDouglass.ItwasawonderfulstudyofDouglass'

syouth.Ithadbeenwrittenbyajournalist,sohewashardtofind--hewasn'

tanacademic.Thisispre-email,pre-Google,pre-lotsofthings.Iwrotetohispublisher,JohnsHopkinsUniversityPress,andsaidcanyougivemeaphonenumberforDickPreston--DicksonPrestonwashisname.Theysaid,"

yes,here'

shisphonenumber."

IwasinWashington,D.C.,doingresearch;

calledhim.HelivedontheEasternShoreofMaryland,thatmuchIknew,whichiswhereDouglassgrewup.Ididn'

tknowmuchaboutDickexceptthathehadwrittenthisextraordinarybookonDouglass'

syouth.Infact,itwasPrestonwhoactuallydiscoveredDouglass'

sbirthdate.Douglasswasoneyearyoungerthanheeverknew--wouldn'

tthatbecool?

I'

lltakeayearbackanytimeatthispoint.Calledhim,hesaid,"

Yeah,comeonouttotheEasternShore,meetmeintheEastonCommunityCollegeparkinglotat9a.m."

--onwhateverWednesdaymorningitwasinJuly--"

llgiveyouatourofthesitesofDouglass'

syouth."

Anditwasoneofthemostextraordinarydaysofmylife.IfoldedmyselfintohisstationwagonandwedrovebackroadsallovertheEasternShore.Hetookmeforawalkthroughamuddycornfield,asIbelieveit,outtothebacklotofafield,toabendinTuckahoeCreek,andhesaid,"

ThisiswhereDouglasswasborn.Here'

swhereGrandmotherBetsy'

scabinwas."

Thenhetookmedownallkindsofbackroads,thenweendedupattheFreelandFarm.Ifyou'

vereadtheNarrativeyouknowtheFreelandFarmwas--amongDouglass'

sthreeorfourmastershehadasayouth,Freelandheadmiredthemostorrespectedthemost.Andthenhesaid,"

DoyouwanttoseeCovey'

sFarm?

"

EdwardCovey,theso-calledslave-breakerDouglasshadbeenhiredoutto,orsentto,byhismasterThomasAuld,whenhewasa17-year-old,quiterebelliousandratheruncontrollableteenager.Isaid,"

Sure,showmeCovey'

sfarm."

ThenbackroadsagainthatIcouldn'

tfindtodayifmylifedependedonit.Wegetoutofacarand,inmymemory,westeppedoverafencepost,wewalkedoutthisridge,andDicksaidsomethinglike"

turnaround."

Andtheretheywere.Hehadn'

tmadeitup.Inthenarrative,ifyou'

vereadfarenough,ifyou'

vereadtopage83inmyedition,you'

veencounteredthemostbeautifulmetaphorinanti-slaveryliterature.It'

sDouglass'

smetaphorofthewhitesailingshipsontheChesapeakethathewouldseefromCovey'

sfarmforeightmonths,andhewouldtrytodreamandimaginehiswayontotheirdecks,their"

gallantdecks"

ashecalledthem.AndIrealizedthatdaysometimesmetaphorisnotjustametaphor."

OurhousestoodwithinafewrodsoftheChesapeakeBay"

--thisisDouglass'

sdescription--"

whosebroadbosomwaseverwhitewithsailsfromeveryquarterofthehabitableglobe.Thosebeautifulvesselsrobedinpurestwhite,sodelightfultotheeyeoffreemen"

--don'

tyouwishyoucouldwritelikethiswhenyou'

re26?

--"

weretomesomanyshroudedghosts,toterrifyandtormentmewiththoughtsofmywretchedcondition.Ihaveoften,inthedeepstillnessofasummerSabbath,stoodallaloneupontheloftybanksofthatnoblebayandtraced,withsaddenedheartandtearfuleye,thecountlessnumberofsailsmovingofftothemightyocean."

Douglasswasfondofadjectives."

Thesightofthesealwaysaffectedmepowerfully.Mythoughtswouldcompelutterance,andtherewithnoaudiencebuttheAlmightyIwouldpouroutmysoul'

scomplaint"

--aphraserightfromtheBookofJob--"

inmyrudeway,withanapostrophetothemovingmultitudesofships."

Andwhenyoureadthis,notewhathedoesthen,heputshisownteenagevoice,orhismemory,inquotationmarks,andhespeakstotheships."

Youareloosefromyourmooringsandarefree.Iamfastinmychainsandamaslave.YoumovemerrilybeforethegentlegaleandIsadlybeforethebloodywhip.Youarefreedom'

sswiftwingedangelsthatflyaroundtheworld.Iamconfinedinbandsofiron.OhthatIwerefree.OhthatIwereononeofyourgallantdecksandunderyourprotectingwing.Butalas,betwixtmeandyoutheturbidwatersroll.Goon,goon.OhthatIcouldalsogo."

Andhestillgoesonforanotherparagraph,milking,ifyoulike,thesailingshipmetaphorforallit'

sworth.Howmanyofus--perhapsallofus,Ithinkeverybody,hastheirownChesapeake.Itmaybeeverymorningwhenyouhavetogotoclass.WeallhaveourownChesapeakeBayswe'

velookedoutonandwondered"

wouldn'

tIratherbethere?

Or"

howcanIgetoutofhere?

isthereasailingshipthatwillliberateme?

Tellingafreestoryiswhattheslavenarrativeswereabout.Theywereactsoftellingthatinsomewaysmadetheformerslavealmostliterallyfreebyanactoflanguage.Languageitselftoaformerslavewhocouldwritewasaformofliberation.Wetendtotakeitforgrantedtoday,thesebooks,language.

Okay,abolitionism,itsroots.Reformers,thebarrierstheyfaced.I'

mgoingtorunthroughthiswithsomespeed,andthenthestagesinthedevelopmentofananti-slaveryimpulse--let'

scallitthattobeginwith.Itbeginswiththisideaofcolonization,colonizingAfrican-AmericanfreedpeopleorformerslavesoutsidetheUnitedStates;

anideathatneverlostitskindofbeguilingholdontheAmericanimagination,evenwellaftertheCivilWar,ironically.Andthenontoamoreradicalizedformofanti-slaverythinkingandaction,exemplifiedespeciallybyWilliamLloydGarrison,butbyahostofotherblackandwhiteabolitionists.AndthenIwanttoworkyouatleasttothestory,inmythandreality,oftheUndergroundRailroad,sinceitissomuchapartofourimaginationofthisstory,anditwouldatleastIhopetakeustothepointofunderstandingwhythatFugitiveSlaveAct,thatwe'

llhearaboutonThursdayandintonextweek,thatFugitive--thatFederalFugitiveSlaveActpassedin1850,inthecompromiseof1850thatflowedoutoftheMexicanWar--whythatFugitiveSlaveActwassopertinent,sodivisive,sosignificant,inthekindsofwaysAmericanswerebeginningtodivideoverthefutureoffreelaborandslavelabor,whatever.TheymayhavethoughtaboutAfrican-Americansastheirneighbors.

ButpermitmetouseEmersonagain,atleastbriefly.Thisideaofreform.Imentionedlasttimethat--andsortofendedthere--thatinAmericanHistorywe'

vehadatleastfourmajorreformerasorwavesofreform.Andcertainlythisisthefirst.InAntebellumAmericafromthe1820sthroughthe1850sallkindsofreformfermentcametothesurface.SometimesthatwasagainstfloggingintheNavy.Sometimesitwasinutopianexperimentsandcommunities.SometimesthatwasinWomen'

sRights.SometimesthatwasinTemperance,whichwasbyfar--thatistheanti-alcohol,anti-booze,anti-demonrummovement--TemperancewasbyfarthemostwidespreadAmericanreformmovementinpre-CivilWartimes.ItwasprobablytheonlymajorreformmovementthatgotaholdintheSouth.PersonalreformofsomesortwassomethingthatthatSouthernsocietywelookedat--aslavesociety,averyhierarchicalsociety--certainkindsofpersonalreformthatdealtwithpers