Sign In
Not register? Register Now!
Essay Available:
Pages:
2 pages/≈550 words
Sources:
6 Sources
Style:
MLA
Subject:
History
Type:
Essay
Language:
English (U.S.)
Document:
MS Word
Date:
Total cost:
$ 7.2
Topic:

Response to James Forten’s Letters from a Man of Color

Essay Instructions:

James Forten, Letter #2 from “Letters from a Man of Colour” to the Pennsylvania State Legislature, 1813 (please note that the primary source document erroneously sources the letter as written by "John" Forten. It's "James Forten).

The Atlantic slave trade was still operating at the beginning of the 19th Century, but there was a growing abolitionist movement in the United States. The state of Pennsylvania had passed a Gradual Abolition Act in 1780, which promised to free at age 28 all children born to enslaved women, creating a free black cohort beginning in 1808. Philadelphia whites by 1800 began to feel uncertainty about a growing free black population and, in response, sought legislation to close the state’s borders to free blacks, register all African American residents in the state, and have the freedom to sell black lawbreakers. James Forten, a black veteran of the War of Independence and well-to-do Philadelphia businessman, published an eight page pamphlet in protest of the proposed legislation.

Your response should be up to two pages long, double spaced, with one inch margins. It should include a clear thesis and a set of arguments that respond to the questions below. Please submit your paper on Canvas no later than noon on Monday, January 14.

Questions to be answered:

What is the significance of this document for understanding America at the beginning of the 19th Century?
How does this document add to our understanding of citizenship at the beginning of the 19th Century?
What is the relationship between Forten's second letter and other readings assigned for the week, including John Adams views on slavery, Hector St. John Creveceour’s views on the definition of an American, and Benjamin Rush’s “Thoughts upon Female Education”?
How does Forten’s protest speak to the tensions between democratic ideals and reality in the new republic?
Please pose at least one discussion question about this reading in a separate answer from your essay. What do you think is important to talk about with regard to this text?

Responses will be graded according to the following criteria:
Does the response address all the questions posed?
Does the response demonstrate that the student has done a close and careful reading of the text?
Does the response offer a thoughtful engagement with the text?
Does the response demonstrate a concerted effort to think about the significance of the text and its relationship to course topics?
Does the response make sense? Are the ideas within it clearly communicated?
Is the response written in essay form, with a thesis, a set of paragraphs that each address a distinct argument in support of the thesis, and a conclusion?
Does the response include a question that the student has posed about the reading that is separate from the essay?

Essay Sample Content Preview:
Student’s Name
Tutor’s Name
Course
Date
Response to James Forten’s Letters from a Man of Color
It is the beginning of the 19th century; the Atlantic slave trade still rages regardless of the abolitionist movement slowly gaining momentum in the United States. The state of Pennsylvania had passed the Gradual Abolition Act that sought to free all children born to slaves at the age of 28 starting in 1808. By the turn of the century, the whites in Philadelphia had already started feeling uncertain about the growing population of free blacks. In response to this, they sought to enact legislation that would close the borders of the state to free blacks. Moreover, the legislation would require the registration of all the black residents living in the state and give the whites the right to sell blacks who broke the law. Such legislation would have far-reaching negative effects on the gains made in the fight against slavery and racism in the state and the country in general. It is in response to this development that James Forten, a Philadelphia businessman and war veteran, published a pamphlet to oppose the proposed legislation. In the pamphlet, which he signed as Letters from a Man of Color, Forten addressed the issues of equality especially regarding citizenship among the black Americans. Published using his resources and support from influential white citizens, the document did not lose its meaning after the passage of the crisis but continued to serve as a plea for equal rights and a passionate plea to the country to stand for the promise on which the country was built (Forten).
Historical events and documents such as these help the current generation reflect on both the past and present. They make us think deeply about the choices we make, the values we stand for, the dreams we have achieved as a nation as well as those that we are still chasing. Such is the significance of the Letters from a Man of Color. Though written several decades and in quite different circumstances, the document still has the potential to move readers. It emphasizes the need for equality for all, an issue that nation still grapples with (Calder). The fall of the proposed bills can largely be attributed to the document also. The document also demonstrates the dema...
Updated on
Get the Whole Paper!
Not exactly what you need?
Do you need a custom essay? Order right now:
Order

👀 Other Visitors are Viewing These MLA Essay Samples:

HIRE A WRITER FROM $11.95 / PAGE
ORDER WITH 15% DISCOUNT!
Order Now