One day in class this past week, we discussed the Scientific Revolution. I believe that the Scientific Revolution would not have happened so early. If it had not been for Martin Luther and John Calvin having a spiritual reformation before the Scientific Revolution, people would not have begun to question the church in a way that they never had before. This leads scientists to throw their ideas out there of a universe that runs independently from God. If these ideas would not have been put out there before the spiritual reformation happened, people would have been even less accepting to them then they already were. I believe that the Protestants already had questionable doubt about the church. This doubt led them to being more open minded to a universe that runs without God’s intervention.
Another day, we discussed the Philosophes; I believe the people that closely believed in and followed what the Philosophes taught were more likely to believe in the abolition of the slave trade. If they were true followers then they would believe that all men are created equal no matter their skin color; they deserved, at the least, not to travel across the ocean on vessels where as many as 15% died in transit. People who followed the Philosophes carefully should believe that all men are born with a clean slate and that people are born equally. This leads people to question authority because if all people are born equally then who has the right to enslave people based on their skin color.
Today, we talked about Olaudah Equiano and the question of whether or not he was born or even lived in Africa and if it really matters. Personally, I do not think he was born in Africa; I believe he was born in South Carolina. I believe he heard stories from other slaves about Africa and the trip over and later wrote them down in his Interesting Narrative and Other Stories. I believe it does truly matter if he was born in Africa or in South Carolina; It makes parts of his story unbelievable. If he heard the stories from other people and rewrote them even the same way he heard them, everything about what really happened could have changed. This second hand account could be largely based on fabrications of some one else. The reason I believe this is because a person who truly experienced the Middle Passage could have made up facts to make it more interesting. He could have made Africa sound like a better place, and the boat ride over a more horrible experience than what it truly was. I am not saying it was not a horrible experience. This is if Equiano wrote down word for word what he was told. He could have forgotten parts of the story and elaborated it to make the point he wanted to make. Equiano was a very intelligent man there is no doubt about it. I think he knew that if he were born in South Carolina then he his whole story would have been different, and that it would not have had the same impact that he wanted it to have. He could no longer say, look at me, I was born an African and with an education look what I have done. He also knew that without the part about the horrors of the slave ship then he could not have the same anti-slave trade stance that he had. His voice was very influential for the movement, due to his education and his first hand experience, but without that first hand experience his influence would not have been nearly the same. I believe that if he were not born in Africa it would have a made difference at that time and now. His book would not be a historical source; it would have to be used as a fictional story.
It is important to read the narrative knowing that Equiano was writing for a purpose. The advancing literacy rate helped many new Afro-British writers reach a much broader audience in their narratives making it imperative for this new group of authors to write in such a way that would not just captivate their readers but also subtly advance the message of abolishing Britain’s involvement in the slave trade. For our reading purposes we must know that there is skepticism regarding his birthplace and judge for ourselves whether we can hold him as a primary source or not. We must also realize how important it might have been to Equiano to embellish his story in order to keep people talking about his story and its cultural importance and, whether it is true or not, how beautifully he delivered a much needed message to the British people. So whether or not you believe in his story’s origin he still deserves credit for publishing such a timeless narrative.
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you tied the Scientific Revolution to the early changes in religious thought. I think that in many ways you are correct; without the earlier challenges to religion and willingness to question Church dogma, it is unlikely that the Scientific Revolution would have occurred the way it did. The importance of the religious issues is shown in the increasingly link between scientific advancement and Protestant nations, especially after 1633.
ReplyDeleteI also liked your comments about Equiano, as well as Ben's response. I agree with him that Equiano is writing for a purpose. It is for that reason that his account of life in Africa and the horrors of the Middle Passage were so very important. These descriptions allowed him to refute the claims made in favor of slavery by presenting a positive view of African life while contrasting that image with the inhumanity of the slave trade. I would argue that his birth place does change the historical importance of his work but should affect how we as historians approach and use it.