History 103: Young Woman Writes of the Evils of Factory Life in 1845

History 103/ Fall 2017 Professor Liebman Paper II- DUE November 28, 2017
Directions: Select ONE primary source from this packet and in a 2-3 page, double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font response, analyze the source. This analysis will be written in essay form. You should only use the course lectures and the textbook as points of reference. DO NOT USE THE INTERNET. This is not a research paper. This assignment is to help students better develop their analytical and writing skills and to help the students understand the work of historians. You do not need to provide an introduction or conclusion to this essay. 
Below are sets of questions you should address in your essay. These questions are meant to guide you in writing and analyzing the source. 
Context – What is the title of this source? What type of document is this source? When was it produced? Who produced it? Why? What is the main idea or argument of the source? What historical situation produced this source? Is there any indication this source many be biased? If yes, what is that bias? Who is the imagined audience? 
The Elements of Argument -- What is the major point or meaning of the source in its context? Is the source making an argument or is it more of an observation? What is the nature of that argument or observation? Who or what is it trying to persuade? Describe the author’s tone. Does the tone shift at any point in the document? Is it more an observation than an argument? If so, what is it observing? How is the argument structured? How does it develop? 
Language, Rhetoric, and Structure-- How does the author construct his or her argument or observation? Does the author seem to be a good writer/speaker – how so? Does the language display bias of any sort or ignore certain facts? What does the kind of language being employed tell you? Does the author use slang or speak “properly” or both?  Is the author relatable? Does the author use imagery?  Is the imagery effective? Is there anything else noteworthy about this source? If yes, what is it and why?
Historical Significance -- Why is this source historically significant?  To put it another way, what does this source show us about the past? This section should be at the end of your essay. 
VERY IMPORTANT- I am not looking for you to summarize the documents. We have done this type of analysis in class and I would like you to take lessons from that in how to write this essay. Since I have already read these documents, write your essay like you know I have read them. Crucial to this essay is your analysis of the source, so summary should only appear in the context section of your essay. You must support your claims with textual evidence from the source you choose to analyze, which means you must use quotes from the source in your essay. You must properly cite your evidence. 
The assignment is due at the beginning of class on November 28, 2017 in class and on Blackboard. No late submissions will be accepted as per the syllabus. 
Citing: You only need to use the textbook and lectures to provide background information. DO NOT USE THE INTERNET. 
If you cite from the textbook, do so as follows: “The Allies forced Wilson to make drastic compromises” (Roark 594). NOTE THE PUNCTUATION HERE. PLACE THE PERIOD OUTSIDE THE PARENTHESES. THERE IS NO COMMA BETWEEN THE AUTHOR AND PAGE NUMBER.
When quoting from the primary source do not worry about these rules. Just quote as follows:“…that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights…”
Source I:  Indian Removal Act- May 28, 1830An Act to provide for an exchange of lands with the Indians residing in any of the states or territories, and for their removal west of the river Mississippi.Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That it shall and may be lawful for the President of the United States to cause so much of any territory belonging to the United States, west of the river Mississippi, not included in any state or organized territory, and to which the Indian title has been extinguished, as he may judge necessary, to be divided into a suitable number of districts, for the reception of such tribes or nations of Indians as may choose to exchange the lands where they now reside, and remove there; and to cause each of said districts to be so described by natural or artificial marks, as to be easily distinguished from every other.And be it further enacted, That it shall and may be lawful for the President to exchange any or all of such districts, so to be laid off and described, with any tribe or nation of Indians now residing within the limits of any of the states or territories, and with which the United States have existing treaties, for the whole or any part or portion of the territory claimed and occupied by such tribe or nation, within the bounds of any one or more of the states or territories, where the land claimed and occupied by the Indians, is owned by the United States, or the United States are bound to the state within which it lies to extinguish the Indian claim thereto.And be it further enacted, That in the making of any such exchange or exchanges, it shall and may be lawful for the President solemnly to assure the tribe or nation with which the exchange is made, that the United States will forever secure and guaranty to them, and their heirs or successors, the country so exchanged with them; and if they prefer it, that the United States will cause a patent or grant to be made and executed to them for the same: Provided always, That such lands shall revert to the United States, if the Indians become extinct, or abandon the same.And be it further enacted, That if, upon any of the lands now occupied by the Indians, and to be exchanged for, there should be such improvements as add value to the land claimed by any individual or individuals of such tribes or nations, it shall and may be lawful for the President to cause such value to be ascertained by appraisement or otherwise, and to cause such ascertained value to be paid to the person or persons rightfully claiming such improvements. And upon the payment of such valuation, the improvements so valued and paid for, shall pass to the United States, and possession shall not afterwards be permitted to any of the same tribe.And be it further enacted, That upon the making of any such exchange as is contemplated by this act, it shall and may be lawful for the President to cause such aid and assistance to be furnished to the emigrants as may be necessary and proper to enable them to remove to, and settle in, the country for which they may have exchanged; and also, to give them such aid and assistance as may be necessary for their support and subsistence for the first year after their removal.And be it further enacted, That it shall and may be lawful for the President to cause such tribe or nation to be protected, at their new residence, against all interruption or disturbance from any other tribe or nation of Indians, or from any other person or persons whatever.And be it further enacted, That it shall and may be lawful for the President to have the same superintendence and care over any tribe or nation in the country to which they may remove, as contemplated by this act, that he is now authorized to have over them at their present places of residence: Provided, That nothing in this act contained shall be construed as authorizing or directing the violation of any existing treaty between the United States and any of the Indian tribes.And be it further enacted, That for the purpose of giving effect to the Provisions of this act, the sum of five hundred thousand dollars is hereby appropriated, to be paid out of any money in the treasury, not otherwise appropriated.Source: https://memory(dot)loc(dot)gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsl&fileName=004/llsl004.db&recNum=458Source II: A Young Woman Writes of the Evils of Factory Life in 1845
The women employed in the textile factories of Lowell, Massachusetts, became nationally famous because of the publication of the Lowell Offering, a literary magazine sponsored by the manufacturers. The Offering painted a rosy picture of life in the mills. But not all the women who worked at Lowell shared these sentiments. The following letter written by a woman calling herself “Julianna,” was rejected by the Offering and published in 1845 as a pamphlet entitled Factory Life As it Is by the Lowell Female Labor Reform Association, a militant labor organization. 
Among the first which we shall notice, is the tendency it has, at the present time, to destroy all love of order and practice in domestic affairs. It is a common remark, that by the time a young lady has worked in a factory for one year, she will lose all relish for the quiet, fireside comforts of life, and the neatness attendant upon order and precision. The truth is, time is wanting, and opportunity, in order to cultivate the mind and form good habits. All is hurry, bustle and confusion in the street, in the mill, and in the overflowing boarding house. If there chance to be an intelligent mind in that crowd which is striving to lay up treasures of knowledge, how unfavorably it is situated! Crowded into a small room, which contains three beds and six females, all possessing the “without end” tongue of woman, what chance is there for studying? and much less so for thinking and reflecting?....
Let us look forward into the future, and what does the picture present to our imagination! Methinks I behold the self same females occupying new and responsible stations in society. They are now wives and mothers! But oh! how deficient in everything pertaining to those holy, sacred names! Behold what disorder, confusion and disquietude reigns, where quiet, neatness and calm serenity should sanctify and render almost like heaven the home of domestic union and love! Instead of being qualified to rear a family, - to instruct them in the great duties of life- to cultivate and unfold the intellect- to imbue the soul in the true and living principles of right and justice- to trach them the most important of all lessons, the art of being useful members in the world, ornaments in society and blessing to all around them,- they, themselves, have need to be instructed in the very first principles of living well and thinking right. Incarcerated within the walls of a factory, while as yet mere children- drilled there from five till seven o’clock, year after year- thrown into company with all sorts and descriptions of minds, dispositions and intellects, without counsellor or friends to advise- far away from a watchful mother’s tender care or father’s kind instruction- surrounded on all sides with the vain ostentation of fashion, vanity, and light frivolity- beset with temptations without, and the carnal propensities of nature within, what must, what will be the natural, rational result? What but ignorance, misery, and premature decay of both body and intellect? Our country will be but one great hospital filled with worn out operatives and colored slaves! Those who marry, even, become a curse instead of a help-meet to their husbands, because of having broken the laws of God and their own physical natures, in these modern prisons (alias palaces,) in the gardens of Eden! It has been remarked by some writer that the mother educates the man. Now, if this be a truth, as we believe it is, to a very great extent, what, we would ask, are we to expect, the same system of labor prevailing. Will be the mental and intellectual character of the future generations of New England? What but a race weak, sickly, imbecile, both mental and physical? A race fit only for corporation tools and time-serving slaves?
Nobility of America!- producers of all the luxuries and comforts of life! will you not wake up on this subject? Will you sit supinely down and let the drones in society fasten the yoke of tyranny, which is already fitted to your necks so cunningly that you do not feel it but slightly,- will you, I say suffer them to rivet that yoke upon you, which has crushed and is crushing its millions in the old world to earth: yea, to starvation and death? Now is the time to answer this all important question. Shall we not hear the response from every hill and vale, “EQUAL RIGHTS, or death to corporations”? God grant it, is the fervent prayer of -Julianna
Source: Factory Life as It Is By An Operative (Lowell, Mass.: Lowell Female Labor Reform Association, 1845). 
Source III: A Slave Tells of His Sale at Auction, 1848
The auctioning of slaves, the separation of mothers from their children, men from their families, was perhaps one of the most inhumane aspects of slavery. As anti-slavery opinions continued to rise, slave narratives became more and more popular to account for the atrocities of southern slave owners. No one was seen as more villainous than the slave trader himself, even by slave owners. The account of one slave’s auction is captured here in a passage from Henry Watson’s narrative of Henry Watson, A Fugitive Slave, Written by Himself, was published in 1848. 
…My mother was the cook at what slaves call the great house. I was allowed to remain with her at the house. The last time I saw her, she places me on the bed, which was in a room adjoining the kitchen, and bid me go to sleep, saying that she would be back again in a few moments. I did so; and when I awoke in the morning I found myself in the great house, wrapped in a blanket, before the fire. I could not account for the change that had been made with me through the night. I asked for my mother, but no one spoke. I went out into the kitchen, where she used to work. She was not there, and it was evident to me, that she was gone; where, I knew not. I returned to the house, and implored my mistress, with tears in my eyes, to me where my mother had gone. She refused, though a mothers herself, to give me any satisfaction whatever. Every exertion was made on my part to find her, or hear some tidings of her; but all my efforts were unsuccessful; and from that day I have never seen or heard from her. This cruel separation brought on a fit of sickness, by way of consolation, gave me as much information as she could about my mother’s being taken away. She told me that a slave-dealer drove to the door in a buggy, and my mother was sent for to come into the house; when, getting inside, she was knocked down, tied, and thrown into the buggy, and carried away. As the old woman related these things to me, I felt as it all hope was gone; that I was forsaken and alone in this world. More forcible did I then feel the galling chains of slavery, the cruelty and barbarism arising from it, than I ever have since. I resolved, however, to bear with all patiently, till I became large enough to run away, and search for my mother. 
I had recovered from my sickness but a few months, when one day, looking up the road, I saw a man riding towards the house; I ran with the rest of the children to hide ourselves until the man had gone. When I had remained concealed some time, I ventured out again, and found Mr. Bibb, my master, looking for me, who ordered me into the house; an when I got there, to my astonishment, I found the man whom we had hid ourselves from, sitting in the room. After he had inspected me to his satisfaction, I was ordered out of the room, and went to play, and had forgotten the whole affair, when my master called me again, and ordered me to hold the stranger’s horse. I did so, and in a few minutes he came forth and ordered me to mount behind him. This, with his assistance, I did; but rode only a short distance; when I jumped horse and ran for the house as fast as I could. He succeeded, however, in overtaking me, and I was again put on the horse, this time in front of him; and in this way was I carried to Fredericksburg. I was then placed in the possession of Mr. Janer, better known as Parson Janer, the man that had bought me being the son of Mr. Janer, who was one of those jolly, good-natured clergymen, who, while he feasted his numerous guests in the parlor, starved his slaves in the kitchen. After remaining there awhile, it was determined to send me to Richmond. The same man that brought me, came for me and ordered me to take a seat on the stage-coach, and the next day I found myself in Richmond, and stopped at the Eagle Hotel, kept by Mr. Holman, where I remained two or three days, and then was carried to the auction room; entering which, I found several slaves, seated around the room waiting for the hour of sale. Some were in tears; others were apparently cheerful. This brought to mind my mother, and caused me to shed many tears; but they fell unheeded. The auctioneer was busy examining the slaves before the sale commenced. At last everything was ready, and the traffic in human flesh began. I will attempt to give as accurate an account of the language and ceremony of a slave auction as I possibly can. “Gentlemen, here is a likely boy; how much? He is sold for no fault; the owner wants money. His age is forty. Three hundred dollars is all that I am offered for him. Please to examine him; he is warranted sound. Boy, pull off your shirt roll up your pants- for we want to see if you have been whipped.” If they discover any scars, they will not buy; saying that the nigger is a bad one. The auctioneer seeing this, cries, “Three hundred dollars, gentlemen, three hundred dollars. Shall I sell him for three hundred dollars? I have just been informed by his master, that he is an honest boy, and belongs to the same church that he does.” This turns the tide frequently, and the bids go up fast; and he is knocked off for a good sum. After the men and women are sold, the children are put on the stand. I was the first put up. On my appearance, several voices cried, “How old is this little nigger?” On hearing this expression, I again burst into tears, and wept so that I have no distinct recollection of his answer, I was at length knocked down to a man whose name was Denton, a slave trader, then purchasing slaves for the Southern market. His first name I have forgotten. Each one of the traders has private jails, which are for the purpose of keeping slaves in; and they are generally kept by some confidential slave. Denton had one of these jails, to which I was conducted by his trusty slave; and on entering I found a great many slaves there, waiting to be sent off as soon as their numbers increased. These jails are enclosed by a wall about 16 feet high, and the yard-room is for the slaves to exercise in; and consists of but one room, in which all sexes and ages are huddled together in a mass. I stayed in this jail but two days, when the number was completed, and we were called out to form a line. Horses and wagons were in readiness to carry our provisions and tents, so that we might camp out at night. Before we had proceeded far, Mr. Denton gave orders for us to stop, for the purpose of handcuffing some of the men, which, he said in a loud voice, “had the devil in them.” The men belonging to this drove were all married men, and all leaving their wives and children behind; he, judging from their tears that they were unwilling to go, had them made secure. We started again on our journey, Mr. Denton taking the lead in his sulky; and the driver, Mr. Thornton, brought up the rear. I will not weary my readers with the particulars of our march to Tennessee, where we stopped several days for the purpose of arranging our clothes. While stopping, the men were hired out to pick cotton. While in Tennessee, we lost four of our number, who died from exposure on the road. After the lapse of three weeks, we started again on our journey, and in about four weeks arrived in Natchez, Miss., and went to our pen, which Mr. Denton had previously hired for us, and had our irons taken off and our clothes changes; for Mr. Denton was expecting some visitors to examine the flock, as he would sometimes term us. There was a sign-board in front of the house, which informed traders that he had on hand, blacksmith’s carpenters, field-hands; also several sickly ones, whom he would sell very cheap. In a short time purchasers became plenty, and our number diminished. I was not sold for several weeks, though I wished to be the first, not wishing to witness his cruelty to his slaves any longer; for if they displeased him in the least, he would order them to be stripped, and tired hand and foot together. He would then have his paddle brought, which was a board about two feet in length and one inch in thickness, having fourteen holes bored through it, about an inch in circumference. This instrument of torture he would apply, until the slave was exhausted, on parts which the purchaser would not be likely to examine. This mode of punishment is considered to be one of the most cruel ever invented, as the flesh protrudes through these holes at every blow, and forms bunches and blisters the size of each hole, causing much lameness and soreness to the person receiving them. This punishment is generally inflicted in the morning, before visitors come to examine the slaves…
Source: Henry Watson, Narrative of Henry Watson: A Fugitive Slave (Boston, 1848).