Slavery, Sex, and Equality:

John C. Calhoun, Speeches and Disquisition on Government:

Provides a powerful defense of slavery as a "positive good," argues for states' rights and nullification, and develops theories of a "concurrent majority" to protect minority (Southern) interests against majority rule.

James Henry Hammond, “Mud Sill” Speech:

Articulates a defense of slavery based on the argument that every society requires a class of laborers who perform menial tasks ("mudsills") and that enslaved people fulfill this necessary role in the South.

Roger Taney, Dred Scott v. Sandford:

A landmark Supreme Court decision that ruled African Americans were not citizens, could not sue in federal court, declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional, and asserted that Congress could not prohibit slavery in the territories, representing a major pro-slavery legal victory.

Frederick Douglass, “Lectures on Slavery” and “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”:

 Eloquent critiques of slavery from the perspective of a former enslaved person, exposing the hypocrisy of American ideals of freedom and independence while millions remained enslaved.

Judith Sargent Stevens Murray, “On the Equality of the Sexes”

• An early argument for the intellectual equality of women to men, attributing observed differences to unequal educational opportunities rather than natural inferiority.

Catharine E. Beecher, “A Treatise on Domestic Economy”

 Argues for the importance and dignity of women's role within the domestic sphere, emphasizing their responsibilities in managing the household and raising children, advocating for separate spheres for men and women.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions & “Address to the New York State Legislature”

• Calls for radical changes to secure women's rights, listing grievances against male dominance in the style of the Declaration of Independence and demanding women's suffrage.

Victoria Woodhull, “On Constitutional Equality” and “The Principles of Social Freedom”

• Offers more radical feminist views, arguing for women's equality based on the 14th Amendment and potentially advocating for social reforms like free love.

Jane Addams, “If Men Were Seeking the Franchise”

• Uses satire to highlight the arguments for women's suffrage by imagining a scenario where men are seeking the vote and faced with the same condescending arguments used against women.