Thurs., Jan 14: Benjamin Rush on Slavery

We will begin this semester with a review of important sources of public motivation for action and reform in American history.

I have selected a text for this class period which gives us an opportunity to see MANY of these sources of argument in action during the very founding of the American experiment. Please read it and answer the questions. I will then use it to introduce key concepts in class on Thursday.

Before class on Thursday, January 14.

Read:

• Benjamin Rush, On Slave-Keeping, 1773

Bring a typed, single-spaced sheet, answer each of these questions in 2-3 sentences each:

According to Benjamin Rush’s argument –

1. What are the sources of human equality, making both black and white Americans equally human?
2. What advantage does free labor offer over slave labor?
3. What is the role of the Bible in Rush’s argument?
4. What is the role of emotion in his argument?
5. What kinds of persons does Rush particularly charge with responsibility to speak out and act on the issue of slavery?