The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson

Daniely Modesto
Engl 48A
Thomas Jefferson
The Declaration of Independence


"Jefferson kept a mockingbird named Dick in the White House study, and let the bird ride on his shoulder whenever possible. President Jefferson even trained Dick to take bits of food that he held between his lips at meals! When Jefferson went upstairs, his faithful companion would hop up after him, step after step, never far from his side." www.ushistory.com


“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”


The main purpose of The Declaration of Independence was to explain the foreign nations why the colonies had chosen to separate themselves from Great Britain. According to Jefferson, all men are equal and with right, that government should not violate. Rights those which include “right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” and when the government fails in providing people with such rights, there is no reason to conform.

Jefferson explains that George III, the king, is guilty for many specific abuses, such as acting with Parliament, the king instituted legislations that was affecting colonies without their consent. This legislation also levies taxes on colonists and preventing them from trading. Jefferson wanted to set the colonies free from this pressure and create a new and different nation. This new nation, called United States of America, which will no further have any connections with Great Britain

Common Sense by Thomas Paine

Daniely Modesto
48A
Thomas Paine- Common Sense

"a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right..." (Norton 630)

"Thomas Paine had a grand vision for society: he was staunchly anti-slavery, and he was one of the first to advocate a world peace organization and social security for the poor and elderly. But his radical views on religion would destroy his success, and by the end of his life, only a handful of people attended his funeral."

www.ushistory.org


Thomas Paine in “Common sense” encourages people to fight for American Independence explaining with “simple facts, plain arguments, and common sense” that American colonies had received no advantage from Great Britain, which was trying to corrupt them. Paine’s played a large part in the separate America from England; he thought that the colonies should revolt against the government that he believes is not right for them.




Paine believed there was no reason for the Colonies to stay dependent on England as he argues that colonies have too little to gains to be attached to Britain. As he recommends an envoy democracy that gives equal weight to each colonies, he uses his persuading tone to led people to take actions against what they believe is unfair. He also uses motivation on his writing to bring people the courage they need to fight for their independence.

Paine uses of many Biblical references to support its claims; he argues that texts from the bible originated in sin and if America remains under the Britain’s rules there will be new taxes and rates interfering in the colonial life.

He explains that America was not a "British nation"; America was composed of influences and peoples from all of Europe, so why should they live by England’s rules.

Poems from Phillis Wheatley

Daniely Modesto

Engl 48A

Phillis Wheatley

"After the death of John Wheatley and his wife, Phillis married John Peters, a free black man, who ran a small grocery store in Boston. The business was unsuccessful and Phillis was forced to find work as a servant. Phillis Wheatley died in poverty in Boston on 5th December, 1784."

Spartacus Educational.

On Being Brought from Africa to America.

“Remember, Christians, Negroes, black as Cain, May be refined, and join the angelic train”
Wheatley in this poem describes her anger against racism that African American suffered and they lost of identity. Wheatley points out the idea that slaves are as intelligent as the whites and that by the law of God, we are all the same and that they should have legal rights.

To the University of Cambridge in New England

The poet makes a clear distinction between her and the students, however she still points out that they are all the same. The poet calls the attention for the whites- to think about the religious aspects “How Jesus’ blood for your redemption flows. /See Him with hands outstretched upon the cross” explaining the idea that Christian people are enslaving the blacks, and that it is not right from the God’s eyes.

To His Excellency George Washington

“While freedom’s cause her anxious breast alarms, she flashes dreadful in refulgent arms”
In this poem, Wheathey writes a letter to General Washington before the American Independency with the theme of freedom. She describes the struggle from the colonialism to be free from England.

To S. M., a Young African Painter, on Seeing His Works

In this poem Wheatley encourage and gives power to the imagination of an artist.”When first thy pencil did those beauties give” Wheatley says his words create vivid images on the reader’s head and she tries to understand the process of his imagination.

The interesting Narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavas Vassa, the African Written by Himself

Daniely Modesto

Engl 48 A
Olaudah Equiano

“Sometimes by land, sometimes by water, through different countries and various nations, till . . . [he] arrive[s] at the sea coast"

"As a major voice in this movement, Equiano petitioned the Queen of England in 1788. He was appointed to the expedition to settle London's poor Blacks in Sierra Leone, a British colony on the west coast of Africa. Sadly, he did not complete the journey back to his native land.

www.atomicage.com/equiano/life.html

Olaudah Equiano writes about his life and the cruelty of slavery. Equiano was born in Nigeria, and as a child he and his sister were kidnapped and sold to slavery, and consequently, he never came back home.He explains that he was sold many times, as he claims in the quote above, and in one of those trades h

e finds his sis

ter, but they are not together for long and soon he is sold again. Later on he became a seaman, when he traveled the world, including Atlantic, Arctic, Mediterranean and the Caribbean. Comin

g to London, he became involved in the abolishment of slavery. He explains that even though many slaves were treated badly, he only felt the real slavery when he was sold to America. Equiano clearl

y points out the differences between African slavery and American slavery.

An Indian's Looking-Glass For The White Man by William Apess

Daniely Modesto

Engl. 48A

William Apess

“Or have you the folly to think that the white man, being one in fifteen or sixteen, are the only beloved images of God?”

According to Barry O'Connell (listed below), Apes changed his name to Apess is his later publications and in the legal documents of 1836 and 1837. His family members continue to use the spelling Apes.
By Paul P. Reuben

In “An Indian's Looking-Glass for the White Man”, William Apess writes about religion, racism and its injustice. Apess shows his anger for the mistreatment the Indians and other races suffer from the predominant white Christians, raising the idea that the bible and the concept of religion should be revised.

Apess writes the essays for the whites, who are the dominant society at the time, pointing his finger in the white society’s face, Apess raise questions such as "Is not religion the same now under a colored skin as it ever was? If so, I would ask, why is not a man of color respected?" (1055), Apess points out that Christianity distinguishes race and do not support the Bible. Apess claims that if God loves only white people why did he create fifteen other races? “Who are the children of God? Perhaps you may say, none but white. If so, the word of the Lord is not true,"(1056), Apess also emphasizes that neither Jesus nor his disciples were white skinned and why are the whites superior? Apess cannot understand the reason why other races have to be passive and inferior to the whites. Apess essay shows the strong words of a mixed blood man seeking for an equality life style for everybody, and the right reasons to believe in God.

Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving

Daniely Modesto
Engl 48A
Week 5

Washington Irving
Rip Van Winkle


“Rip Van Winkle, however, was one of those happy mortals, of foolish, well-oiled dispositions, who take the world easy, eat white bread or brown, which even can be got with least thought or trouble, and would rather starve on a penny than work for a pound.”

When I mention the name Washington Irving (1783-1859), chances are audiences either (1) think I’m talking about a basketball player, (2) don’t know who he is, or (3) know generally who he is, but can’t name a thing he’s written.
Yet, two of his most famous stories, “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle” — both ripped from a longer work that most readers can’t name – are so ingrained in our American DNA that you can probably summarize the plot of each even if you’ve never read it.

Brian Jay Jones

(I wonder if that is because he was writing using his pseudonym Geoffrey Crayon)

Rip Van Winkle, is described in the story as a man who used to work in odd jobs always helping his neighbors, but did not want to do anything around his own house and farm. He always does what he could “got with least thought or trouble” just like some kids do. His wife is always telling him what to do, and he is tired of listening to her, however he never did anything to change or make her happy.

As usual, he decides to take a nap and he just wakes up after 20 years. As he got up, he was very stiff, his bones did not want to corporate, and he thinks he might have developed rheumatism from sleeping outside in the cold night. When he wakes up, everything is “different” however, somehow familiar. There are strange faces and names in his old hometown that for a second he started to wonder if he is getting crazy, if he is really Rip Van winkle. He finds his house “gone to decay- the roof falling in, the windows shattered and the doors off the hinges” (960). He finds his daughter, his son, and he finds out that his wife died a short time after him. Rip Vim winkle also realize that his friends fought in the war and are all dead now.

The story is very creative an interesting. At first, the reader does not know that he had slept for 20 years, but throughout the description, we can see the difference in the period of the history as Irving describes. Irving describes two different periods of society, American during the English rules and after the revolutionary War.

Resistance to Civil Government by Henry David Thoreau

"I was not born to be forced. I will breathe after my own fashion."

Wouldn't Thoreau roll over in his grave at the state of politics in America today? Or rather, he would urge us to stand up as individuals, take revolutionary action against the established order with autonomy, reason and intellect.

Shannon Riley, Virginia Commonwealth University

Thoreau, in his essay describes his philosophical ideas about government, the conformism and obedience. Thoreau portrays the civil Government on the 18th and describes the disadvantage of it against people.“Resistance to Civil Government” was neither his first nor the last of his writings on social and political reform. Thoreau believed the individual was not exempt from the power of the state; a decision to disobey also meant a willingness to accept the consequences. And as merely machines, people could easily conform to life at that time.

Thoreau refusal to pay the tax was intended as a direct protest against an unpopular tax and as an indirect protest against the government's condoning of slavery. He also linked slavery to the Mexican-American War, protesting against it. Thoreau was not afraid of saying what he thinks, and he was trying to make people also speak for themselves. In addition, it is clear that, it seems to be either justice or law, and that unfortunately, we cannot have it both ways.

It really makes me compare the today’s government and the 18th century. We still suffer from many issues that great part of the society do not agree, however, many people are afraid of speak up and just conform to life. Unfortunately, we were born cowards, and we still do not fight for what we believe is right. I do not think that many people agree with war and other issues in our present government, although we still kill so many people and conform with many laws, we just obey and pretend nothing is happening and just following the trail, as a good “puppets”, like the government wants us to be.