美国内战与重建美国内战与重建transcript05Word下载.docx
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美国内战与重建美国内战与重建transcript05Word下载.docx
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Thisweekyou'
rereadingthegreatestoftheslavenarratives.FrederickDouglass'
sfirstautobiography,publishedin1845,is,Istillwouldmaintain,thegreatestoftheslavenarratives,certainlyinaliterarysense.Hewasanalmostmysticallybrilliantwriter,foronesoyoung.Hefirstdraftedthiswhenhewas26.Heescapedfromslaverywhenhewas20-years-old.You'
llfindoutinthetexthowhelearnedhisliteracy.Helearneditfirstfromhiswhitemistress,MissSophia,whobecamelikeanangelicmother-figuretohimuntilshetooklanguageawayfromhim.
Thebookisfullofmetaphor,itisfullofonekindoftaleandstoryafteranotherthatDouglassshapesintotellingafreestory.Tellingafreestory,asthegreatliterarycriticofthisgenre,BillAndrews,hasputit.ForafugitiveslavetoemergeintheNorthernstates--forthatmatterafugitiveslavewhogoestoBritain,likeOlaudahEquianodid,Africanborn,orsowestillthink,andwriteshisstoryinBritain--butforafugitiveslavetowritehisorherstoryandpublishitinEnglishinthewesternworldwastosay:
"
I'
mapersonofletters,Iamsomebody,Ihaveahistory,Iamfree,butIamnotfreeuntilyouletmewrite,andIwillmakemyselffree,ifImust,bytellingyouwhoIam."
WhenafugitiveslavecouldgotoEnglandandholduphisbookinfrontofhugeaudiences--DouglassspokeinLondonatonepointbefore10,000people,in1846--andhecouldholdhislittlebookupinhishand,hecouldprobablyatthatmomentfeelfreerthanhe'
deverfelt,becausehecouldactuallysay"
thisiswhoIam,I'
mnotamanufacturedidentity,I'
mnotwhatyounecessarilywantmetobe.Iwon'
ttalkthewayyouexpectmetotalk.Iwon'
tscratchmyheadwhenItellmystory."
Butwhatastory.
WhenIwasafledglinggraduatestudent,notknowingwhatIwasdoingandwritingadissertationonFrederickDouglass,acouple--afewdecadesago,anewbookhadcomeoutcalledYoungFrederickDouglass.ItwasawonderfulstudyofDouglass'
syouth.Ithadbeenwrittenbyajournalist,sohewashardtofind--hewasn'
tanacademic.Thisispre-email,pre-Google,pre-lotsofthings.Iwrotetohispublisher,JohnsHopkinsUniversityPress,andsaidcanyougivemeaphonenumberforDickPreston--DicksonPrestonwashisname.Theysaid,"
yes,here'
shisphonenumber."
IwasinWashington,D.C.,doingresearch;
calledhim.HelivedontheEasternShoreofMaryland,thatmuchIknew,whichiswhereDouglassgrewup.Ididn'
tknowmuchaboutDickexceptthathehadwrittenthisextraordinarybookonDouglass'
syouth.Infact,itwasPrestonwhoactuallydiscoveredDouglass'
sbirthdate.Douglasswasoneyearyoungerthanheeverknew--wouldn'
tthatbecool?
I'
lltakeayearbackanytimeatthispoint.Calledhim,hesaid,"
Yeah,comeonouttotheEasternShore,meetmeintheEastonCommunityCollegeparkinglotat9a.m."
--onwhateverWednesdaymorningitwasinJuly--"
llgiveyouatourofthesitesofDouglass'
syouth."
Anditwasoneofthemostextraordinarydaysofmylife.IfoldedmyselfintohisstationwagonandwedrovebackroadsallovertheEasternShore.Hetookmeforawalkthroughamuddycornfield,asIbelieveit,outtothebacklotofafield,toabendinTuckahoeCreek,andhesaid,"
ThisiswhereDouglasswasborn.Here'
swhereGrandmotherBetsy'
scabinwas."
Thenhetookmedownallkindsofbackroads,thenweendedupattheFreelandFarm.Ifyou'
vereadtheNarrativeyouknowtheFreelandFarmwas--amongDouglass'
sthreeorfourmastershehadasayouth,Freelandheadmiredthemostorrespectedthemost.Andthenhesaid,"
DoyouwanttoseeCovey'
sFarm?
"
EdwardCovey,theso-calledslave-breakerDouglasshadbeenhiredoutto,orsentto,byhismasterThomasAuld,whenhewasa17-year-old,quiterebelliousandratheruncontrollableteenager.Isaid,"
Sure,showmeCovey'
sfarm."
ThenbackroadsagainthatIcouldn'
tfindtodayifmylifedependedonit.Wegetoutofacarand,inmymemory,westeppedoverafencepost,wewalkedoutthisridge,andDicksaidsomethinglike"
turnaround."
Andtheretheywere.Hehadn'
tmadeitup.Inthenarrative,ifyou'
vereadfarenough,ifyou'
vereadtopage83inmyedition,you'
veencounteredthemostbeautifulmetaphorinanti-slaveryliterature.It'
sDouglass'
smetaphorofthewhitesailingshipsontheChesapeakethathewouldseefromCovey'
sfarmforeightmonths,andhewouldtrytodreamandimaginehiswayontotheirdecks,their"
gallantdecks"
ashecalledthem.AndIrealizedthatdaysometimesmetaphorisnotjustametaphor."
OurhousestoodwithinafewrodsoftheChesapeakeBay"
--thisisDouglass'
sdescription--"
whosebroadbosomwaseverwhitewithsailsfromeveryquarterofthehabitableglobe.Thosebeautifulvesselsrobedinpurestwhite,sodelightfultotheeyeoffreemen"
--don'
tyouwishyoucouldwritelikethiswhenyou'
re26?
--"
weretomesomanyshroudedghosts,toterrifyandtormentmewiththoughtsofmywretchedcondition.Ihaveoften,inthedeepstillnessofasummerSabbath,stoodallaloneupontheloftybanksofthatnoblebayandtraced,withsaddenedheartandtearfuleye,thecountlessnumberofsailsmovingofftothemightyocean."
Douglasswasfondofadjectives."
Thesightofthesealwaysaffectedmepowerfully.Mythoughtswouldcompelutterance,andtherewithnoaudiencebuttheAlmightyIwouldpouroutmysoul'
scomplaint"
--aphraserightfromtheBookofJob--"
inmyrudeway,withanapostrophetothemovingmultitudesofships."
Andwhenyoureadthis,notewhathedoesthen,heputshisownteenagevoice,orhismemory,inquotationmarks,andhespeakstotheships."
Youareloosefromyourmooringsandarefree.Iamfastinmychainsandamaslave.YoumovemerrilybeforethegentlegaleandIsadlybeforethebloodywhip.Youarefreedom'
sswiftwingedangelsthatflyaroundtheworld.Iamconfinedinbandsofiron.OhthatIwerefree.OhthatIwereononeofyourgallantdecksandunderyourprotectingwing.Butalas,betwixtmeandyoutheturbidwatersroll.Goon,goon.OhthatIcouldalsogo."
Andhestillgoesonforanotherparagraph,milking,ifyoulike,thesailingshipmetaphorforallit'
sworth.Howmanyofus--perhapsallofus,Ithinkeverybody,hastheirownChesapeake.Itmaybeeverymorningwhenyouhavetogotoclass.WeallhaveourownChesapeakeBayswe'
velookedoutonandwondered"
wouldn'
tIratherbethere?
Or"
howcanIgetoutofhere?
isthereasailingshipthatwillliberateme?
Tellingafreestoryiswhattheslavenarrativeswereabout.Theywereactsoftellingthatinsomewaysmadetheformerslavealmostliterallyfreebyanactoflanguage.Languageitselftoaformerslavewhocouldwritewasaformofliberation.Wetendtotakeitforgrantedtoday,thesebooks,language.
Okay,abolitionism,itsroots.Reformers,thebarrierstheyfaced.I'
mgoingtorunthroughthiswithsomespeed,andthenthestagesinthedevelopmentofananti-slaveryimpulse--let'
scallitthattobeginwith.Itbeginswiththisideaofcolonization,colonizingAfrican-AmericanfreedpeopleorformerslavesoutsidetheUnitedStates;
anideathatneverlostitskindofbeguilingholdontheAmericanimagination,evenwellaftertheCivilWar,ironically.Andthenontoamoreradicalizedformofanti-slaverythinkingandaction,exemplifiedespeciallybyWilliamLloydGarrison,butbyahostofotherblackandwhiteabolitionists.AndthenIwanttoworkyouatleasttothestory,inmythandreality,oftheUndergroundRailroad,sinceitissomuchapartofourimaginationofthisstory,anditwouldatleastIhopetakeustothepointofunderstandingwhythatFugitiveSlaveAct,thatwe'
llhearaboutonThursdayandintonextweek,thatFugitive--thatFederalFugitiveSlaveActpassedin1850,inthecompromiseof1850thatflowedoutoftheMexicanWar--whythatFugitiveSlaveActwassopertinent,sodivisive,sosignificant,inthekindsofwaysAmericanswerebeginningtodivideoverthefutureoffreelaborandslavelabor,whatever.TheymayhavethoughtaboutAfrican-Americansastheirneighbors.
ButpermitmetouseEmersonagain,atleastbriefly.Thisideaofreform.Imentionedlasttimethat--andsortofendedthere--thatinAmericanHistorywe'
vehadatleastfourmajorreformerasorwavesofreform.Andcertainlythisisthefirst.InAntebellumAmericafromthe1820sthroughthe1850sallkindsofreformfermentcametothesurface.SometimesthatwasagainstfloggingintheNavy.Sometimesitwasinutopianexperimentsandcommunities.SometimesthatwasinWomen'
sRights.SometimesthatwasinTemperance,whichwasbyfar--thatistheanti-alcohol,anti-booze,anti-demonrummovement--TemperancewasbyfarthemostwidespreadAmericanreformmovementinpre-CivilWartimes.ItwasprobablytheonlymajorreformmovementthatgotaholdintheSouth.PersonalreformofsomesortwassomethingthatthatSouthernsocietywelookedat--aslavesociety,averyhierarchicalsociety--certainkindsofpersonalreformthatdealtwithpers
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