Thesis Statements/What-How-Why Analysis
Mary W. Stewart lecture:
We imagine shackles forged of steel and iron painfully gripping wrists and
ankles when we here the phrase “chains of slavery.” We do not imagine a
free people, constricted by a society that professes to strive for racial
equality. We do not imagine a people whose personal fulfillment is thwarted
at every turn by their liberators. Though the “free” blacks of the northern
states are not bound by the traditional chains of slavery that oppress their
southern counterparts, Mary W. Stewart argues that socially imposed
employment restrictions for African American’s in the north enslave them in
a manner that mocks the very concept of “freedom”.
What
Diction:
“deadens”
“benumbs”
“uncultivated”
“barren”
How
Creates a hellish image
devoid of life and hope
Why
Illustrates for the
progressive abolitionists
the unproductive and
unfruitful result of
limiting African
Americans to manual
labor, which is in direct
contradiction of the
professed desire for
industry and ambitionthe traditional American
work philosophy
Alfred Green speech:
In the first days of the Civil War, Green has a difficult task before him in
persuading his fellow African Americans to enlist and serve a country that
has offered little reward, respect, or compensation of any kind for previous
military contributions. Despite a professed pursuit of freedom for all, the
northern states refusal to allow African Americans to fight in the Union
army provides a fertile landscape for Alfred M. Green’s speech asking his
fellow men to rally and fight, to be bigger than the prejudices that hold them
back. Green recognizes the vast array of historical evidence that belies the
African American’s responsibility as patriots, yet in spite of this he appeals
to an innate love of God, country, and hope for change to rouse the African
American men to fight to defend the Union against the tyranny of slavery.
What
Historical examples:
forefathers that fought
with Washington and
Jackson; Dred Scott
decisions, fugitive slave
laws
How
To concede both the
lack of recognition for
the historical precedent
of African American’s
in the armed forces and
the multitude of
injustices suffered as a
repayment for this
service
Why
reminds the men of their
duty as patriots and as
men who seek change to
correct those injustices
of the past and pursue
“freedom” and
“universal political
equality”