There was one passage in chapter 8 where Jacob’s put forward a religious argument against slavery, and an argument to make Christianity accessible to current slaves. This is similar to the argument made by Stowe in Uncle Tom’s Cabin, but I thought Jacobs did a better job of incorporating an adequate amount of anger and recognition of the hypocrisy within Christianity surrounding the morality of slaveholders.
This is the full quote I’m referring to: “They send the Bible to heathen abroad, and neglect the heathen at home. I am glad that missionaries go out to the dark corners of the earth; but I ask them not to overlook the dark corners at home. Talk to American slaveholders as you talk to savages in Africa. Tell them it was wrong to traffic in men. Tell them it is sinful to sell their own children, and atrocious to violate their own daughters. Tell them that all men are brethren, and that man has no right to shut out the light of knowledge from his brother. Tell them they are answerable to God for sealing up the Fountain of Life from souls that are thirsting for it.”
I appreciate that while she alludes to the Christian nation in Africa (that Stowe was also in favor of), she also recognizes that there are people in need in America, and that they should not be overlooked in the effort to improve the conditions of people in Africa. I also think she does a great job of representing the hypocrisy of the mission as a whole. Because in reality, preachers did not speak to slaveholders better than they did the people in Africa, and they didn’t say that there is anything immoral about slavery, despite the fact that it so clearly goes against the moral teachings of Christianity. Through calling out this hypocrisy, she adds a level of (well deserved) anger to her argument that Stowe was lacking. I think this highlights the importance of hearing this type of opinion on slavery from someone who has been through it themselves. While Stowe’s intentions were likely good and based in her own moral understanding, Jacobs’ argument is much more compelling because of the personal experience that backs her opinions.
Sophia, I think you make a really good observation here. With this quote, I noted something similar. Stowe and Jacobs express the same argument, but they place different emphasis on who is the object of the missions. While the hypocrisy of Stowe’s Christian slave-holders were not without critique, they did not seem to be the object of conversion. Each of the slaveholders in Uncle Tom’s Cabin encounter the power of religion, yet this is not enough to change their ways as it does with the slaves who encounter it. There is the implication that if slaves become true Christians they will be able to defy any self-claimed, Christian slave-holder and upset the institution of slavery/gain their freedom (through escape or death or a “good” master). Whereas for Jacobs, the object of missions seems to be more directly aimed at the slave-holders, who are the people in control of slavery’s system, and as a result, manipulate the Bible’s words to justify their sins and withhold their slaves’ ability to independently create their own perception/interpretation of the religion.
Hi Sophia! I also noticed the motifs of the hypocrisy of Christianity of slaveholders. Your post reminds me of the scene in which Linda’s first mistress dies, as she says, “My mistress had taught me the precepts of God’s Word: ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.’ ‘Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them.’ But I was her slave, and I suppose she did not recognize me as her neighbor” (Jacobs 14). The cruel irony in not practicing the morals of Christianity in regards to their slaves seems particularly vicious to Linda, as she recognizes clearly that her mistress’s morals are lost in their relationship. Once recognized as property by her mistress, Linda feels as though she loses the opportunity to share in the same word of God.