http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/slavery Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Wed, 03 Jun 2026 01:51:28 -0400 Wed, 03 Jun 2026 01:51:28 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1903/from-flourishing-industrial-slavocracy-to-restrictive-tenancy-and-re-enslavement-the-southern-labor-force-before-and-after-the-civil-war By Mang Lu - Some scholars of American history suggest the institution of slavery was dying out on the eve of the Civil War, implying the Civil War was fought over more generic, philosophical states' rights principles rather than slavery itself. Economic evidence shows this conclusion is largely incorrect; the industrial slavocracy of the south was thriving—Southern aristocrats had every reason to fight the prospect of abolition, for the Southern economy and capital structure was almost exclusively on the ownership of Black men and women. After the war, repression continued through economic means, as... Tue, 25 May 2021 09:44 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1903/from-flourishing-industrial-slavocracy-to-restrictive-tenancy-and-re-enslavement-the-southern-labor-force-before-and-after-the-civil-war http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1858/the-lingering-influence-of-revolutionary-political-discourse-from-the-civil-war-and-reconstruction-era By Bhadrajee S. Hewage - The Civil War was a seminal moment in the historical development in the United States. The American Revolution may have created the U.S. as a sovereign nation, but the Civil War helped to determine what kind of nation America would become. The Reconstruction era, from Lincoln's 1863 Emancipation Proclamation to Hayes's removal of federal troops from the South in 1877, further defined how exactly the U.S. would evolve into the nation that it is today. By examining the attitudes towards the extension of slavery in the pre-war U.S., the decisions taken by the Union and Confederate governments during... Fri, 08 Jan 2021 10:45 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1858/the-lingering-influence-of-revolutionary-political-discourse-from-the-civil-war-and-reconstruction-era http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1845/bonds-of-slavery-and-bonds-of-love-investigating-the-role-of-african-american-families-and-marital-unions-in-the-struggle-against-slavery By Xavier G. Reader - Resistance to oppression is often found in the most unlikely of places. This article investigates the significance that families and partnerships played in fostering the emotional support necessary to sustain enslaved peoples throughout the onslaught of slavery in the antebellum South. Despite the ever-present threat of separation and sale that sought to split families and spouses apart, the bonds of love that enslaved African-Americans held and shared were not easily severed. This examination of the lived experiences of enslaved folk demonstrates that the creation, mutability, and endurance of... Sat, 28 Nov 2020 10:03 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1845/bonds-of-slavery-and-bonds-of-love-investigating-the-role-of-african-american-families-and-marital-unions-in-the-struggle-against-slavery http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1763/echoes-of-web-du-bois-double-consciousness-in-the-narrative-of-the-life-of-frederick-douglass By Mohammed Ritchane - A detailed analysis through a text-based study of Frederick Douglass’ Narrative of the Life Of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself (1845) will allow the reader to see the characteristics of double-consciousness dramatized in exactly the same way they would be delineated by Du Bois in The Souls of Black Folk (1903). Hence, this study of the Narrative with the aim of revealing all the aspects pertaining to double-consciousness would concentrate on the text as a closed system, putting aside all extraneous material so that the text, by itself, be considered a repository... Sat, 20 Apr 2019 10:40 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1763/echoes-of-web-du-bois-double-consciousness-in-the-narrative-of-the-life-of-frederick-douglass http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1758/slavery-to-self-liberation-the-haitian-revolution-in-marxist-theory By Alexander J. Clegg - The Haitian Revolution of 1791 – 1804 was a successful slave rebellion in the French colony of Saint-Domingue that began in the wake of the French Revolution and went on to influence subsequent liberation movements for decades to come. The Saint-Domingue revolutionaries have been described as having "invented decolonisation" (Nesbitt, 2008: 9), thus making the newly independent Haiti "the first postcolonial state" (ibid.: 56) in 1804, an extraordinary achievement considering that only a few years before, Saint-Domingue had been the world’s most valuable colony. This essay examines... Wed, 06 Feb 2019 09:08 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1758/slavery-to-self-liberation-the-haitian-revolution-in-marxist-theory http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1751/the-captains-compromise-political-symbolism-in-herman-melvilles-benito-cereno By Brian Chen - Until the outbreak of civil war, the United States would continually try and fail to subdue the existential threat of slavery, with each attempt exacerbating the sectional tensions between slave and free states. In 1830, Massachusetts Senator Daniel Webster claimed that the country stood on the “precipice of disunion” and foresaw a future in which “the broken and dishonored fragments of a once glorious Union” are drenched in “fraternal blood.”[1] As tribalism tore away the shared history between the North and South, Webster’s grim prediction would eventually... Wed, 09 Jan 2019 10:37 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1751/the-captains-compromise-political-symbolism-in-herman-melvilles-benito-cereno http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1669/cacao-cravings-europes-assimilation-and-europeanization-of-chocolate-drinking-from-mesoamerica-1492-1700-ce By James C. Miller - Chocolate is a foodstuff that many people in the modern world take for granted; the sweet treat can today be found plentifully and cheaply in practically any store all across the globe, especially in the Euro-American world. Despite its commonplace, most people do not know exactly where the addictive confection came from and how it became a near staple of industrialized, modern societies. Many in the ‘Western World’ would be surprised to learn the true origins of chocolate and how it first became a European craze. Chocolate was a confection made mostly from powder that originated from... Fri, 27 Oct 2017 12:08 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1669/cacao-cravings-europes-assimilation-and-europeanization-of-chocolate-drinking-from-mesoamerica-1492-1700-ce http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1644/aristocratism-and-authoritative-politics-in-behns-oroonoko-the-existential-and-socio-political-semiotics-of-death-and-torture By Conner R. Hayes - Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko offers a complex representation of the semiotic and socio-political meaning of seventeenth-century torture and death and the intersectional manner in which physical agony coincides with authoritative colonial politics. The novella’s protagonist, Oroonoko, is hyperbolically described in terms of his Eurocentric physicality and aristocratic traits; this descriptive treatment reinforces his singularity from his slave peers and objectifies him as the subject of their mass spectatorship. His sharp physical, cultural, and ideological divergence from the collective slave... Tue, 30 May 2017 09:28 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1644/aristocratism-and-authoritative-politics-in-behns-oroonoko-the-existential-and-socio-political-semiotics-of-death-and-torture http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1445/creating-life-within-the-confines-of-slavery-comparing-northrups-memoir-twelve-years-a-slave-and-genoveses-the-world-the-slaves-made By Hayley E. Tartell - Solomon Northup’s Twelve Years a Slave (1853) provides a comprehensive first-hand account of slavery that both corroborates and challenges Eugene Genovese’s argument in his later analysis of the institution of slavery in The World the Slaves Made (1976). Genovese’s description of slaves’ recognition of their situation is reflected in Northup’s picture of slavery. By the same token, resilience and determination to live life as fully as possible – despite the narrow confines to which life was restrained by the slaveholding institution – is epitomized in... Tue, 13 Sep 2016 09:27 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1445/creating-life-within-the-confines-of-slavery-comparing-northrups-memoir-twelve-years-a-slave-and-genoveses-the-world-the-slaves-made http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1435/addressing-shortcomings-in-afro-pessimism By Michael A. Barlow Jr. - Afro-Pessimism forwards a crucially important foundation with which anyone concerned with forming Black resistance strategy should navigate. It accurately understands that Black life exists outside of the traditional humanist metric, and Blackness is rather an ontological condition that is relegated to the level of the non-human. While Afro-Pessimism is a vital starting point, there are needed revisions to some theoretical applications within the field. Pessimists go too far in their understanding of how internal Black liberation interacts with its own ontology. This paper provides insight to... Thu, 01 Sep 2016 08:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1435/addressing-shortcomings-in-afro-pessimism http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1409/the-uprisings-of-nat-turner-and-john-brown-response-and-treatment-from-the-abolitionist-movement-and-the-press By Franco A. Paz - This paper examines two influential slave uprisings and the treatment these received by both the abolitionist movement and the press. The first section explores the country’s reaction to John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry, as well as his subsequent trial, conviction, and execution. The second section discusses the media coverage of and reaction to the Southampton Insurrection, the largest slave rebellion in the history of the United States. The third section explores the contrasting reactions to Nat Turner’s and John Brown’s respective revolts, and analyzes some... Mon, 23 May 2016 05:55 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1409/the-uprisings-of-nat-turner-and-john-brown-response-and-treatment-from-the-abolitionist-movement-and-the-press http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1408/exploiting-the-poor-and-powerless-forced-labor-systems-in-the-early-and-later-modern-world By Drew Liquerman - Our world has witnessed significant shifts, transformations, and evolution in government systems, the balance of power among nations, economics, the rights of men and women, and social structures and relationships over the past 500 years. However, the plight of the poor and powerless worker has remained static. Societies blessed by climate, latitude, disease resistance, powerful militaries, and a little bit of luck have used this opportunity to exploit others. Throughout recorded history, nations and cultures have taken advantage of the cheap or free labor of conquered areas or the downtrodden... Sat, 14 May 2016 07:46 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1408/exploiting-the-poor-and-powerless-forced-labor-systems-in-the-early-and-later-modern-world http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1072/the-concept-of-property-and-ownership-in-the-antebellum-american-south-slaves-slaveholders-theft-conflict-and-the-law By John Wood - The role of personal property in our lives is one that to a very great extent we take for granted. We, in a crowded country such as the UK, all clearly understand that some things are ‘ours’, some things ‘others’ and some things ‘public’, most people in Western society have a fully developed conception of ownership and property from an early age. For slaves, condemned by law to be treated as property due to being the descendants of black Africans imported in the pre-revolutionary period,1 and their white masters, as those who owned other human beings as property... Thu, 01 Jan 2015 07:58 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1072/the-concept-of-property-and-ownership-in-the-antebellum-american-south-slaves-slaveholders-theft-conflict-and-the-law http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/904/naming-and-identity-in-toni-morrisons-beloved-and-song-of-solomon By Sean M. Kirby - As an African American author, Toni Morrison is acutely aware of the pain that is intertwined with the history of her history. She articulates the debilitating physical and psychological strain that slavery, prejudices, and discrimination placed upon countless African Americans with incredible detail. One of her most powerful statements, however, comes in just one sentence near the end of Beloved. It is a truth that all African Americans know, one that was born out of slavery, one that still burns people today: the truth that “anybody white could take your whole self for anything that came... Sun, 22 Jun 2014 10:39 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/904/naming-and-identity-in-toni-morrisons-beloved-and-song-of-solomon http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/893/infanticide-as-slave-resistance-evidence-from-barbados-jamaica-and-saint-domingue By Anon S. Anon - Colonial-era fictional and non-fictional descriptions of slave motherhood offer conflicting accounts of the attitudes of slave mothers toward their children. While abolitionists tended to portray slave mothers as wholly selfless, doting, and maternal, pro-slavery writers described slave mothers as negligent and cruel. The debate over the nature of slave motherhood was especially relevant to the Caribbean, where brutal working conditions, disease, and malnutrition impeded slave reproduction. Plantation owners blamed slave women for their failure to reproduce, accusing them of practicing birth control... Tue, 29 Apr 2014 12:34 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/893/infanticide-as-slave-resistance-evidence-from-barbados-jamaica-and-saint-domingue http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1277/reliving-american-slavery-in-12-years-a-slave By Dustin R. Turin - As if for the first time, the film unveiled the simple and uncorrupted evil that was American slavery, the institution we would rather forget but which stalks nevertheless through our nation’s all-too-recent history. The place whereto we are delivered is soul-crushing, a black hole of hatred so virulent as to extinguish any notion of redemption. We bear witness to a reality from which we have been feverishly running: American slavery, in its fundamental brutality, by virtue of its massive scale, and on account of its lengthy tenure, was one of the worst crimes in human history. Yes: as bad... Wed, 20 Nov 2013 11:34 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1277/reliving-american-slavery-in-12-years-a-slave http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1674/sexual-relations-between-elite-white-women-and-enslaved-men-in-the-antebellum-south-a-socio-historical-analysis By Anon S. Anon - There is ample evidence of sexual relations, from rapes to what appear to be relatively symbiotic romantic partnerships, between white slave masters and black women in the Antebellum South. Much rarer were sexual relations between white women and black slave men, yet they too occurred. Using an intersectional socio-historical analysis, this paper explores the factors that contributed or may have contributed to the incidence of sexual encounters between elite white women and slave men, the power dynamics embedded in them, and their implications in terms of sexual consent. The paper demonstrates... Sun, 18 Aug 2013 04:44 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1674/sexual-relations-between-elite-white-women-and-enslaved-men-in-the-antebellum-south-a-socio-historical-analysis http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/703/a-nation-divided-civil-war-politics-and-emancipation By Joshua A. Jones - The Emancipation Proclamation was arguably the United States’ first step away from hypocrisy and toward true racial equality. However, commentators often obscure its pivotal role in bringing the Civil War to a close by inferring that it was contrived out of benevolence and concern for the civil rights of minorities. These romanticized narratives overlook the position of slavery in the pre-Civil War economy and the use of segregation as a social control mechanism. This paper examines the content of various speeches given by the “Great Emancipator” Abraham Lincoln during his campaign... Fri, 28 Sep 2012 09:54 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/703/a-nation-divided-civil-war-politics-and-emancipation http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/372/slavery-and-religion-in-the-antebellum-south By Iulia O. Basu-Zharku - For many decades, scholars have debated the importance of religion in helping slaves cope with the horrible experience of slavery in the antebellum South. However, the way they treated the subject differs and the conclusions they reached are varied. From the early 1920s through the 1960s, the accent was put on the variety of religious traditions and rituals of the antebellum Southern slaves, but without them receiving the credit for these traditions, which were considered as being adaptations of European beliefs and rituals. Later on, in the 1970s and 1980s these traditions are considered as actually... Mon, 24 Jan 2011 09:26 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/372/slavery-and-religion-in-the-antebellum-south http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/147/nat-turner-and-the-bloodiest-slave-rebellion-in-american-history By Heather E. Lacey - Frederick Douglass’ statement about slavery concisely defines the effect that such an institution had on the entire shape of a nation: Without slavery, how does one understand freedom? For hundreds of years, the United States thrived economically at the expense of millions of men and women who were not permitted to realize the freedoms and rights established by their country.  To paraphrase Douglass’ words satirically (and in a way common with 1830’s Southern thinking): Ignorance is bliss.  As he experienced, this was the type of bliss involving occasional beatings,... Fri, 29 Jan 2010 11:41 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/147/nat-turner-and-the-bloodiest-slave-rebellion-in-american-history http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/126/breaking-the-cycle-violence-control-and-resistance-in-american-slave-narratives By Joshua C. Feblowitz - Yet Douglass’s conception of violence contains additional significance, offering the possibility for resistance and suggesting that those who lift themselves up from degradation and endure are less likely to be the victims of violence. The ubiquity and severity of violence in slavery is something that is represented in a great variety of slave narratives. Though many of these narratives served to promote awareness of the inherent brutality of slavery, this was not their only function; representations of violence also allowed slave narratives to evaluate how violence destroyed both master... Mon, 18 Jan 2010 09:55 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/126/breaking-the-cycle-violence-control-and-resistance-in-american-slave-narratives http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/121/rethinking-the-american-civil-war-through-the-eyes-of-a-teenager By Adrienne M. Naylor - The legacy of the American Civil War with which we are left is one that emphasizes a participatory American populace, overwhelmingly enthused over and invested in the conflict. Particularly in the North, we are likely to think of a cooperative culture unifying civilians and the enlisted in a shared war effort. Indeed, the popularity of this vision is such that a production currently runs at Boston’s Huntington Theatre called A Civil War Christmas: An American Musical Celebration. While self-congratulatory histories of uplift and reconciliation everywhere abound, contradictory records lay... Wed, 13 Jan 2010 10:22 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/121/rethinking-the-american-civil-war-through-the-eyes-of-a-teenager http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/84/slavery-plays-jump-rope-with-racism-examining-the-poetry-of-phillis-wheatley By Ian Khadan - Children’s literature in the context of this research paper (and hopefully too in the eyes of the majority) is the ultimate escape; it is neither box nor leash nor constraint of any sort. It is the one genre of literature that does not hold itself to a predetermined standard upon which the postmodern (as in the theory, not as in the time) minds can muddle together an amalgamation of text to form something novel. It is a genre of literature in which we look upon ourselves and our own childhood imaginations for inspiration. As such it is capable of taking us to the most beautiful places we... Thu, 10 Dec 2009 10:21 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/84/slavery-plays-jump-rope-with-racism-examining-the-poetry-of-phillis-wheatley http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/46/stamp-paid-and-the-power-of-self-actualization-in-beloved By Michael C. Mindemann - Stamp Paid is introduced in a rather glowing manner. He is the reliable ferryman over the Ohio River, who takes Sethe to 124, working off the kind of antiquated methods that resonate with a quaint nobility in the GPS era: the system he works out telling those on the other side of the river when a crossing is coming and whether or not a child will be on board. (108) He is also introduced as an eminently decent and just-minded person when he has his nephew give up his coat for Denver, the newborn. When the boy complains, Stamp tells the boy that he can have it if he can stomach taking it off the... Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:23 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/46/stamp-paid-and-the-power-of-self-actualization-in-beloved