Ethnic Lit Midterm

What do the Spanish assume in terms of their right to conquer the lands Columbus sailed to?

They thought they could take the land

Columbus keeps claiming that the natives have no religion. What evidence does he provide?

He offers no evidence

What did Cuneo do with the woman that was "given" to him?

He sexually assaulted her

What is the nature of De las Casas's writing?

It's critical of Spanish behavior, and he doesn't approve of it

How is Equiano first enslaved?

He's kidnapped with his sister

When he's on board with the boat, what is his relationship with his master's son?

He believes they are brothers

How did Equino gain his freedom?

He bought it; he loaned himself and worked as a hairdresser; sold fruit on the side hairdresser and

What loophole allowed Equino's master to sell him into the slave trade?

He sold him to Martinique, a place in the Caribbean

Once Equiano gained his freedom, was he ever again harassed?

Yes; he was constantly in danger

What extra job did Equiano do aboard the ship?

He was a hairdresser

What is the missionary's response to Sagoyewathn's argument?

The missionary stands up and walks out without a word

What was the warning to William Henry Harrison from Tecumseh?

Not to break the treaty; stop buying the land; He shouldn't break the boundaries because there will be war

What did Benito Cereno claim happened to his ship and crew?

• First, there was a storm that wrecked the ship

• Then there was a plague

Who jumps into the whale boat?

Benito and Balbo (who wants to kill Benito Cereno)

Whom does Emerson claim we should focus our benevolent attention on?

Your nearest neighbor (worry about yourself too)

How is Phillis Wheatley's poetry typical of the poetry at the time?

• It has lots of religious themes

  • She was converted to Christianity young

• Neoclassical references

  • Emphasis on logic, intellect, and structure

• Written in heroic couplets in iambic pentameter

• All parts of 18th-century British Lit

What are some conflicts concerning Phillis Wheatley's attitude toward slavery?

• "On Being Brought from Africa to America”

  • Brought her spiritual salvation

  • Lacked race pride/ Compliant

• She argues against slavery but is grateful for Christianity

• One of her poems expresses gratitude for her conversion though others condemn slavery

What is the main claim of the Mudsill Theory speech?

• Slavery is justified because, under this institution, they take care of their laborers

  • They are not starving

  • The labor isn’t too laborious

  • They are well compensated

• White people were superior; Africans were inferior

  • Africans allegedly had low intellect and skill

What are some of the ways George Moses Horton's poetry is typical of the time?

• Used ballad stanza

• He used natural and biblical imagery

• Less emphasis on classical allusions

• Used colloquial + conventional language

• 19th-century literature

In what ways is George Moses Horton’s poetry not typical of the time?

• He was an enslaved Black man in North Carolina

  • First to publish a book about the abolition of slavery as an ensalved Black man

• The abolition claims he makes are similar to the claims that are made up north, but he resides in the south

John brown claims he feels no guilt for what he did. Why?

• Aligned himself with Black abolitionists

  • Established a guerrilla force in the Appalachian Mountains

• Took & Killed hostages

• His defense: His intentions were “pure”

  • He didn't mean to hurt anyone

  • He intended to abolish slavery + aid the slaves

• Believed it was his religious calling to do so

  • Motivated by the Golden Rule

Caleb Cheeshahteaumuck

• First Native to graduate from Harvard University

• Wrote the oldest document written by an Indigenous person

  • For the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in New England

• Reflects his education in Western classics and mythology

• Proved that indigenous people could assimilate, capable of intellectual conversation

Tecumseh

• A Shawnee leader

• Wrote a speech to William Henry Harrison

  • Objected to the Fort Wayne Treaty, which gave acres of land to U.S. authorities without the representation of other Indigenous groups, enforced for Indigenous leaders

  • Asserted all Natives owned the land and that no single tribe had the right to sell without consent

• Advocated for his community

  • Worked against colonization

• Used the white man’s language against them

  • Claimed natives were induced to go to war as a result of colonization, killing many

• Used military strategies and oratory philosophy

Sagoyewatha

• Known as the Red Jacket

  • Seneca chief and orator

• Sought peace and diplomatic tradition

• Known for his speech “Reply to Jacob Cram”

  • Addressed how the white people started coming in small groups and were treated with care out of pity

    • Took them to be brothers/friends

  • White people took advantage of their kindness

    • Began forcing their religion on them; He questions their beliefs (Why didn’t we get a Bible if it’s so important?)

• Rejected the idea that natives were meant to be conquered and were instead religiously imposed upon