For a seminar coming up in the next two weeks, we have been tasked with writing through the eyes of somebody involved with slavery. As I imagine the role of the plantation mistress will be largely overlooked by those eager to write as slaves or masters, I took it upon myself to complete the task. … Continue reading A Day in the Life of a Plantation Mistress
19thcentury
If there is no struggle, there is no progress
By far one of my favourite speeches of all time. I give you Mr Frederick Douglass, speaking in New York, 1857. Let me give you a word of the philosophy of reform. The whole history of the progress of human liberty shows that all concessions yet made to her august claims have been born of … Continue reading If there is no struggle, there is no progress
And yet the people of the free states have no guilt in slavery!
Slowly beginning work on my dissertation on racial violence and I found this article from 1834, Boston, Massachusetts. I think it really is fascinating but I can't use it because of its location, so I thought I'd share it with you guys. It is from an online archive called Accessible Archives and is followed by … Continue reading And yet the people of the free states have no guilt in slavery!
It Consumed Her, the Grief of Queen Victoria
I mentioned in my recent post on Sati that Queen Victoria outlawed the practice shortly before losing her own husband in December 1861. At the age of 42, Prince Albert passed away after a painful illness stretching more than two years. However, in an eerie prediction of things to come, Albert sensed his time was … Continue reading It Consumed Her, the Grief of Queen Victoria
Hysterical Females
Hysteria comes from 'hyster' (Greek for uterus). From the phenomenon of the wandering womb believed by the ancient Greeks to hysteria's popularisation in the 19th century, Victorian males were quick to diagnose female hysteria with the emergence of symptoms such as depression, nervousness, erratic behaviour, loss of appetite, insomnia, sexual desire and so on. It … Continue reading Hysterical Females
The Historian's Apprentice 