What was the actual reason for Julius not wanting him to buy the vineyard if it was as successful as it was?

Ironic and kind of weird that they would (willingly) want to stay on an old plantation farm.

If the land was so valuable, why was it so cheap?

Is he saying the people of the past who were in bondage had more or less faith than black slaves?

Here, he compares the road to emancipation to the biblical journey to Canaan.

Is he talking about blacks tearing down blacks?

The fact that people actually tried to justify their reasoning behind unlawful lynchings, why was there not more of an up-rage about this topic. Fear definitely played a part in this.

Wells is explaining here that no matter how barbaric, wild, or how negatively blacks were perceived, they still were not the "bad" people in this situation. The actions taken on them are far worse than any social constructed allegation formed against them.

The fat that they could be lynched for "allegedly" doing something is horrific. People were losing their lives solely based on what one person thought they did.

The songs that they sang made a larger impact than they ever could have imagined. Even today, a lot of these songs are very popular and still a big part of AA culture.

Here we see an appeal tot he idea of religion and blacks and how it was a very important foundation of our culture.

What are bards?

This is true, ebonics were/are very common in the black community. It is another stamp of the uniqueness of black culture.

I never noticed this, interesting.

I wonder what aspects of European/White American music did blacks adopt?

I wonder how common were situations like this, and to what other extents did people go to in hopes to gain their freedom?

There is a common misconception that all AAs resented whites, but some actually found contentment in their situations and seek the approval of their masters.

I find it interesting she had been through so much in her life she had to "sift" out the most important things. AAs lived much more complex lifestyles that we do now, which is kind of ironic.

This is the first time we have read about a couple separating willingly. Although the thought other marriage are undeveloped in this narrative, it would be interesting to know some more details of her marriage to Mr Keckley.

The idea of AAs relying heavily on the promises of God and that their suffering on Earth was no comparison to the rewards they would receive in Heaven.

This is so important. A lot of times we look at the circumstances of slavery as being cruel and barbaric (which they were), but AAs took the situations they faced and learned from them. In a sense they helped them grow, and become mentally stronger and able to handle situations most would not be able to.

This is supporting the fact that AAs produced a new sound with their songs. They did not sound the same or mention the same things as many songs had before. They were tailored to the struggles they they were facing at the time.

The writer seems amazed that such beautiful songs could of been made up from someone who was enduring such a horrible experience. The strength of slaves has always amazed me too, I find it amazing that they made many beautiful things that have become a large part of our culture during such a dark time.

The wording of this poem is hard to follow, but is the writer inquiring about the origin of AA hymnals?

The role of the grandmother or "mammy" figure has really stood the test of time. Most older women in the family (today, still) generate so much love for their younger family, they just have a persona that makes people gravitate towards them.

Interesting to see this term being used again.

AAs still carry the burden of this stereotype, oftentimes blacks are complemented on "speaking so well", which can be considered an insult seeing as it can be taken as most of us are not expected to be able to do so.

There is a contradicting viewpoint here. Most masters who were viewed as "good" were cruel and kept a short leash on their slaves, not allowing them much freedom or leisure to do as they pleased. Here we have Colonel Frank, a more "gentle" master, being labeled as one of the best religious men around. When did this perception change?

Slavery was just as much as a mental restraining as a physical one. Mrs. Ballard was disturbed by the confidence Maggie's presence brought around. She sought out to "break" her spirit which in itself is pitiful and a sign of feeling inferior to Maggie.

What made Maggie so special? Why was she considered the favorite? This situation is very ironic, usually the mixed children of the master are mistreated and generally not accepted, especially by the master' wife.

This is a very beautiful moment, its arguably the moment he realized he wanted to become an abolitionist.

The living conditions forced upon blacks were so horrid. The description of his feet frosting and his expectations for Baltimore are perfect examples of the cruelties they faced.

I find the extent to which whites thought themselves superior to blacks very interesting. To even think that it's okay to treat another human being this way is completely inhumane.

Why did the consider the house so great? I would think that slaves despised every aspect of slavery, but it seems as if they still found some light in their dark situation.

To think that blacks were tortured in this manner is really disturbing. I admire the strength they harnested that made them able to endure so much pain, both physically and mentally.

I understand the slave owners wanting to keep blacks from reading and writing, but what was the significance of keeping them from knowing their age?

I find it very inspiring that Sojourner Truth was able to preach so well, but she did not know how to read or write. This also makes me question the credibility of her teachings, considering the fact that they were all memory-based.

Just as many other's we have read about, Sojourner Truth was very religious.

In today's society it is common for Christian churches to not be as welcoming to female preachers. Was this a social construct in this time period as well?

It seems that a lot of abolitionists believe that slavery was wrong according to the basis of the Christina faith. If Europeans had neglected to introduce blacks to Christ, would some of them still have the same opinions about slavery?

Similarly to The Mulatto, Garnet believes vengeance is the way to rid African Americans of their oppressors. They both believe in the power of revenge, unlike some of the others we have read about who believed God would ultimately free them.

Considering the fact that this is not the first writing of its type, what makes Garnet's work more appealing than the others? Does this necessarily mean he is a "better" writer, or did timing play the bigger part?

He speaks with a tone of vengeance, sort of like the guy in The Mulatto.

This is basically describing the society that we live in now, how ironic?

It is important to him that people know who and what has oppressed African Americans for so long, he has no intentions to let them go overlooked. One reason this reading is so long is because the writer is very detailed and he doesn't want to leave any questions unanswered.

Were black women actually sexually exploited in this particular manner? The auctioner was willing to let the rich planter have his way with her to test her out as if she was a car or something.

Juan seems to have been converted to the Christian faith as well, like the others we read about.

In contrast to many of the other writers we have read about, Juan comes from a family that would be considered "well-off" in this time period. Most of the people we read about were originally from wealth in their homelands, but failed to acquire any once in America.

I love how they put in so much time writing hymnals, they created their own complex sound.

Why would their hymnals have to be reported to someone else?

I love how they made this a collaboration type thing and included different elements of the African culture.

This is similar to the organization of songs now.

They made music a priority, it has been very important to African Americans since the beginning. I think its creative how they took their knowledge of folktales and European hymnals and made their own.

The fact that the hymnal became so popular supports the fact that people in this time period were very religious. In comparison to this time period, I do not think the hymnal would not have done as well.

Whitaker valued the opinion of the reverend, like many of the other writers we've discussed, they all had an inspiration behind their works.

Is she saying they are being fed "beautiful lies" by the public concerning the realities of slavery?

Some of Wheatley's writings are similar to Equiano's narrative. They both not only had a passion for writing, but they both seemed to write to inform their generations, as well as those to come.

Was he the only person they took with them? if so, I wonder what made him so valuable.

Is he saying the man was headless?

Why did he not say the names of the men? Most of the men we have read about mentioned the names of their oppressors.

There is a saying that says "cleanliness is next to Godliness", could Africans (once brought to America and familiarized with the Christian belief) have morphed some of their rooted beliefs in with the basis of Christianity?

Interesting to see that Africans already had a "slave" system in place before European exploration.

It seems that he's saying, although he may have suffered a great bit, he has seen many others that have suffered in worse predicaments.

I've never heard of slaves in America having a Justice of Peace, or even being able to seek refuge from abuse by their masters. This is very interesting!

He descried this situation as one of the worse he had suffered, but he didn't provide a vivd narrative to describe the situation as well as he described other situations.

He mentions that he comes from a genetic line of above-average height. Is height seen as a biological symbol of royalty in this culture?

What does he mean by "American troubles"?

What has the author done throughout his life to make him repeatedly speak of himself as if he is cursed?

Why did the author feel as if he would be beaten by the men? What's going on in this time period to have people so hostile?