Political Cartoons

Carton C:

In Pennsylvania’s governors election in 1866, Hiester Clymer lost to John W. Geary. Clymer was a white supremacist and his campaign circulated extremely racist posters like this one. In this political cartoon the sun of liberty shines down on all but that is where the equality stops. There is a black man relaxing while white men chop wood and plow fields. The black man wonders why would he should work if the government will make appropriations for him. “The white man must work to keep his children and pay his taxes.” This is saying that it’s not fair that the whites have to work hard to make money and pay taxes while the blacks get to sit around and do nothing. On the US Capitol building it says “Freedom and No Work” implying that the blacks were now not only free but free from work as well. “For 1864 and 1865, the Freedman’s Bureau cost the Tax-payer of the Nation at least twenty-five millions of dollars.” This is a lot of money that the white supremacists saw not only as wasted on the blacks but also that the blacks didn’t deserve it because the whites were the ones paying taxes. The Freedman’s Bureau was made by Congress after the President vetoed it twice. If you support Congress then you support the blacks. Geary supported the Freedman’s Bureau while Clymer opposed it.

"Post War Years.” Scartoons: Racial Satire and the Civil War. http://xroads.virginia.edu/~cap/scartoons/caremanc.html (accessed on February. 15, 2012).

“Hiester Clymer.” Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiester_Clymer#cite_note-1 (accessed on February 15, 2012).

“File: Freedman’s bureau.jpg.” Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Freedman's_bureau.jpg (accessed on February 15, 2012).

Where do "human rights" come from?

T.H. Marshall claims that the idea of human rights began in the eighteenth century with the French Revolution and that it evolved into the civil, political, and social rights that we have today. It is true that these specific rights have evolved since then but that’s not where they began. We have to look at the foundations of human rights and then track them back to the beginning of time.

Where do the foundations of “human rights” come from? Many believe they come from God but then we have to ask ourselves who’s God are we talking about? Human rights come from the Christian God that western civilization and western government have been built on. We can’t look at the government’s role in the peoples lives and the rights that the government bestows onto the people without seeing where it all started. Christianity is all about human rights and when we look at human rights through the lens of Christianity we can see that it is something that has always been fought for.

Christianity teaches equality for all people. Galations 3:28 says “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” This goes even further then the French Revolution to include women and slaves into the equality that we are all one in the eyes of God. A similar verse, Colossians 3:11 reinforces this idea by saying, “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.” And we see it again in James 2:1 “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.” There is no difference between any of us and we shouldn’t allow biases to cloud our judgement about our fellow man. 

The bible not only talks about equality, it also says that we must fight for it. Proverbs 31:8-9 says, “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.” We must speak up when people’s rights have been taken away and we must fight for those who can not fight for themselves. Psalm 82:3 says, “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.” We must fight for liberty, equality, and fraternity!

Equiano- Where was he born?

Brycchan Carey’s website question’s the birthplace of Olaudah Equiano, also known as Gustavus Vassa. Equiano, in his book The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, claims that he was born in the village of Essaka in Africa. Equiano gives a very good description of his village; describing the look of the land, the architecture, and intricate customs of his people. This would give some historians peace of mind, thinking that with all of this information he must be telling the truth, but it leads me in a different direction. When I think back to my own childhood, and I speak to others about theirs there are usually giant holes in mine/their memories. Equiano was supposedly kidnapped at the age of eleven which is quite young to be able to still remember, decades later, your homeland in such detail. It makes much more sense for Equiano to have spoken with other Africans and used this information to piece together a story. 

In Equiano’s narrative, he discusses the importance of honesty. He was taught by his master that if he lied he would not get into heaven. Equiano wrote in his book, “for I always remembered the old adage; and I trust it has ever been my ruling principle, that honesty is the best policy.”

 If, during his slavery, as this quote was taken, honesty was of such importance to Equiano then why would he lie when he was baptized saying that he was born in South Carolina. Also, why would he lie to the Royal Navy again saying he was born in South Carolina? He would not. Equiano would, in my opinion, only lie when it was of the utmost importance and it was when he was trying to abolish slavery. 

Equiano’s narrative was a smart use of propaganda in England when parliament was discussing abolishing slavery. When Equiano’s fellow member of the Sons of Africa, Ottobah Cugoano, also know as John Stewart, wrote Thoughts and Sentiments on the Evil of Slavery, he left out his own experience as a slave. The book failed because of this omission. Equiano saw this and must of know that to appeal to both the public and the government he must play to their emotions. Equiano plays to the emotions of the people perfectly and his book became a huge tool for abolition. Lying about his birthplace was worth it for the freedom of his people. He could of even argued at the time that if it was true for one of his fellow blacks, then it could be true for all of them.

¹ Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano (Bedford/St. Martins, 2007), 119.