Curious Researcher

I still have not gotten te bok so my post on the Curious Researcher may be kind of...dull. Basically i guess the Curious Researcher is about a curious little monkey...named George who gets himslef into all sorts of trouble while really trying to find the best way to do research. He probably sends himself back into time to get first hand primary resources and gets into some wacky adventures along the way

Bury the Chains: Chapter 7

In chapter 7 we begin with the American Revolution in a time where the British were so desperate against the rebels that they promised freedom to any American slave who deserted a rebel master to join the British Army (Hochschild 87). The British said the freed slaves would be called LIBERTY TO SLAVES. When the British implemented this operation they gave no thought to what would happen to all these ex-slaves once the war was over.
When it was time for the British to repay the Americans for the stolen "Property" The Americans demanded payback. The British tried to say that the slaves were not "property" because they were "freed." Eventually Washington won his fight and the Britains agreed to pay the American slave owners half the market value of their former slaves.
Once it was time to actually free the slaves the British came through with their word and released the freed slaves to Nova Scotia which became the largest community of free blacks in one spot anywhere in British territory in the Americas (Hochschild 105).
My question on this chapter is what happened to "Liberty to Slaves." That was the claim the British made to the slaves who left their American masters but that "Liberty" was actually still considered "Property." First off, it is horrible that these PEOPLE were considered property, but the fact that the Amercian homes, from which they were taken were repaid as if property was stolen is ridiculous. You just freed these slaves...don't let the American slave holders feel good by repaying them for another's human life.

Bury the Chains: Chapter 6

In chapter 6 of Bury the Chains we visited a time in which slavery was common day and therefore not viewed as unjust. "no major thinker defended slavery, but few spent real effort attacking it" (Hochschild 86). A good perspective to put on slavery is this; people understand how unhealthy cigarettes are to smoke and even though they know the health risk they continue to smoke cigarettes which makes an internal conflict, you know it's bad and you still continue to do it.
In 1784, Dr. Peter Peckard commented upon the slave trade, he condemned the slave trade to being a "most barbarous and cruel traffic" (Hochschild 87). Dr. Peckard was a professor and made the student write an essay on slavery and it's faults. One student, Thomas Clarkson, wrote a specifically special essay and his efforts helped to end the slave trade. Clarkson's quote of "Someone should see these calamities to the end" started a human rights uproar (Hochschild 89).
Clarkson was soon granted the oppurtunity to write another anti slavery "pamphlet" and he spent many hours digging up information such as "205 of each slave's ship crew had died by the time they reached their destination" and "malaria and yellow fever were leading killers on the boats" (Hochschild 94).
The question I am taking out is seen in the first paragraph. It has to due with the human race and how afraid we are as people to go against the norm. If you see someone stuck on the side of the road do you help? if you see a begger, do you always give money? if you see a hitchhiker do you offer a ride? it is like the famous case in new york of the lady who got robbed and beat on the street and she was yelling and screaming and no body called the cops because everyone else felt somebody else will do it...people are afraid to step up

my dog

mine is the big one

Bury the Chains Chapter 4

The most important commodity in the Caribbeans at this time was sugar. Before the slaves would be brought to America they were first cornered in the Caribbeans where sugar was king. James Stephen at this time was freshly married and proved to be a semi-descent man when he told chose his wife on the concept of "i will marry whoever cannot fin another husband." Stephens was a lawyer who traveled to the Caribbeans. In the Caribbeans Stephens saw four "guilty" slaves sentenced to death by being burned alive (Stephens felt these slaves were innocent). Stephens felt horrible knowing even he has benefited from slavery.

I chose to end my paragraph rite here because of that last sentence, read it again. STEPHENS FELT HORRIBLE KNOWING HE HAS BENEFITED FROM SLAVERY. In class we spoke about the sweatshops and how people turn a blind eye, Stephens instead of just turning a blind eye actually felt pain for even benefiting in such a horrible trade.

The slaves at this time were being prosecuted and oppressed. The form of execution used on the four men Stephens felt were innocent was a form of execution used all to often to keep the blacks afraid of retaliation. In America Lynching was basically a tool used for the same result. All through out time the oppressed have been held down by people of fewer numbers, the Romans did it, the Egyptians did it, the KKK did it, the nazis have done it and many other groups throughout time

Bury the Chains Chapter 2

Hochschild starts off with a scene of a slave boat. On this boat lies one of the most remembered (because of all he recorded) slaves. Olaudah Equiano was a slave who was a rider on one of Newtons slave ships. Equiano commented on the amount of deaths/suicides these ships produced; legend has it that sharks would follow the slave vessels feeding on the bodies in their wake. Equiano was a friendly man who could make friends with officers and men alike, he realized his key to survival, and also learned to read and write. Equiano rose in ranks and was even called a British seaman but once questions arose as to how illegal it was when they kept him in England they stripped Equiano if his writings and set him up on yet another slave ship. Finally at the end of the chapter we see Equiano got away successfully.

Equiano realized along the way nearly half of the captured slaves died being transported on the vessels. This was a very horrifying statistic for the British seamen who would be transporting these slaves. More so, this was a horrific statistic for the slaves and Equiano. The ships were so brutal and statistics of survival so grim that even once on the ship people would off themselves just to not be the white mans slave (shit can you blame them).

in 1762 Equiano was titled as a seamen. Equiano knew the ropes and did a good job educating himself on reading and writing. When he was "promoted" the captain realized keeping him enslaved in Britain may be illegal so he dropped off Equiano on another slave ship, ripped up his writings, and said farewell. This is monumentally fucked up, first Equiano was promoted and considered almost a real man on these ships then he was cast off as another slave.

Bury the Chains Chapter 1

The young, proud, good and loyal Newton is who we seem to be looking at. Newton is made out to be a caring, innocent and completely harmless individual...think again. Newton is the biggest hypocrite one can read about, he claims to be pro-freedom but he is truly making MILLIONS off of the slave trade as well as stealing peoples lives. At one point in his life Newton was also enslaved, he looked at that time as the worst and lowest p0int in his life yet he didn't mention ever how badly he felt for doing the same thing to the innocent blacks nor did he ever apologize for what he did.

Bury the Chains Introduction

This book is set in England taking place in the 1700's. At this time England was a slave driven nation, more slaves were being imported than immigrants. The slave trade was booming and it seems times will not change. Hochschild, the author of "Bury the Chains" sets the mood in a pit of doubt with no way out. Until finally, in approximately 1792 a group of citizens set sail to "change the world." Never before have we seen an uprising like this against such a widely accepted social norm.