The Northern Bride Analysis

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What do these passages reveal about northern and southern opinions about slaves and slavery? These two passages review that northerners and southerners had completely opposite views on slavery. Uncle Tom’s Cabin represents the northern view that slavery was a cruel practice in which slaves were treated as property. On the other hand The Planter’s Northern Bride depicts a utopian system in which slaves are necessary for a thriving society. The bride in this passage depicts slaves as childlike, and lesser beings compared to her husband. With these two views on slavery it can be said that northerners saw slaves as mistreated people who shouldn’t be owned, whereas southerners believe that slavery were inherently unequal. Compare the attitudes…show more content…
He calls Tom a “dog” and a “rascal” while kicking him (Beecher 197). He also forcefully assaults that Tom is his property, since he paid for him. Legree also shows his harshness at the end of the section when he tells his men to severely beat Tom. This was the view of slavery that Southerners were opposed to because they asserted that slaves were not treated this poorly. On the other hand, this cruel view of slavery convinced northerners that it was an immoral system. For an opposite view, Hentz presents Mr. Moreland who is depicted as a kind owner, much like a father to the slaves. This was the view of slavery that many Southerners favored. They believe that most slaves were treated well and love like family. If a Northern was to read this they might become convinced that slavery was an acceptable institution because the slaves lived a good life and were cared for by their…show more content…
While most didn’t support his violent tactics, John Brown’s supports felt that he was fighting for a noble cause. Henry David Thoreau was one of these supporters. In his essays he writes that Brown was a noble man who put his mission above his life. Thoreau puts himself in the mindset of the slaves and says that Brown accomplish more in his attempts than some abolitionists who sat around and discussed slavery without taking any concrete action. While Thoreau doesn’t say he approves of violence, he does say that he “can forsee circumstances in which [killing] would be unavoidable” (Redpath 2, 30, 37-38, 41-42). Through these statements Thoreau is able to give his full support to the late Brown, while at same time not outright encouraging people to partake in violence for the cause of ending slavery. Another supporter of Brown was former slave, Reverend J. Sella Martin. Martin compares Brown to other notable people such as John the Baptist and the men who had fought for freedom from Britain at Concord and Bunker Hill. Martin’s most powerful description of Brown’s action is when he talks about it being like a “physician cut[ting] a cancer from my face” (“The Liberator”). This is an important comparison because it means that although the actions of Brown may have been harsh, they were ultimately for the good of the
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