Introduction
The history of slavery is also the history of liberation, which can be no less harmful. Leon Litwack (1980), in the chapter “Slaves no more,” describes how Blacks had to establish their freedom after the abolition of slavery. The piece was written in the late 1970s when structural racism and racial tension were prevalent in the US. The author is trying to convey the point that despite the abolition of slavery, many people are still reluctant to grant equal rights to others based on race. He seeks to explore the roots of the racism existing in the 1970s and explain its connection to social attitudes and political events found in history.
Themes
The author underlines that the abolition of slavery is not equal to the disappearance of racism. He notes that “the death of slavery proved to be agonizingly slow” (Litwack 1980, 250). Black people had to establish their freedom even after the official abolition. The historical event did not change the attitudes of slave-owning social classes (Litwack 1980). Privileged white people were still considering Black people as their property. They were not ready to accept the new reality granting equal rights to formerly enslaved people.
The piece highlights that the status of Black people after the abolition depended on the moods of society. Litwack (1980) explains that the doubts regarding the validity of the Emancipation Proclamation were persistent in the society at the time. The moods of the privileged classes were constantly changing, “leaving many of them quite confused if not thoroughly disillusioned” (Litwack 1980, 252). Formerly enslaved people were not sure about their position in society after the abolition as they had trouble emancipating from their masters due to fear of a sudden change.
Notwithstanding the political background, the elites were convinced that their rights as enslavers were not abolished, as the piece underlines. Litwack (1980) argues that they gradually acknowledged the new reality. However, they were reluctant to leave the ideology of slave ownership and grant equal rights to formerly enslaved people. Social attitudes did not match with the political reality of the time. Former enslavers still saw Black people as mere property.
Analysis
The main strength of the piece is its appeal to human emotions and intentions. The author describes the perceptions and attitudes of both sides in great detail, which makes the picture vivid. However, the same point can also be considered a primary weakness of the text. The reading lacks reliability as a historical documentation as it appears more as historical prose. The author quotes the participants without immediate references to sources, which negatively affects reliability.
The text’s purpose is to show society’s reluctance to accept a new reality of abolition. The intended audience is a wide range of population groups, as the author avoids using complicated terminology and appeals to the emotional side of the conflict. The piece reveals general social attitudes to race underlying the prevalence of racial prejudice. The reading may contain evidence of bias as the documents presented are carefully selected, and the discussion of opposing views is limited. I feel that the reading may not be a reliable source as it is intended to promote an author’s viewpoint regarding racism both in history and the modern world.
Conclusion
The author successfully defended the thesis as he showed that people are often reluctant to accept changes that limit their rights. I believe that the text efficiently contributes to the body of existing literature, providing a more stance on the problem based on exploring social context. For example, he elaborates on the attitudes and perceptions of both sides of the conflict. The connections between political changes and social moods are also described in detail. The source best relates to the current problem of racism as it shows that it is impossible to change its ideology. The sources helped me to produce a possible solution to the problem, which is more attention to cultural differences and the development of acceptance among people from a young age.
References
Litwack, Leon. 1980. Been in the Storm So Long: The Aftermath of Slavery. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.