Relationships of Power Featured in Virginian Luxuries - Assignment Example

Relationships of Power Featured in “Virginian Luxuries.” “Virginian luxuries” painting is an observation of slave life in America in 1800 painted by the unknown artist. It depicts a slave owner exercising of power over his human properties. One side shows a white man raising his arm to whip a black man’s bare back and the other shows him lasciviously caressing a black woman. It depicts sexual harassment and physical violence as common liberties taken by slave owners. The relationships of power that is featured in Virginian luxuries is exploitive as masters used force and violence to compel their slaves to work and kept the profit to themselves. It also shows the sexual harassment and abuse endured by slave women as they were used as sexual objects. It also illustrates gender and race power that white males had over African American women and men. How Unequal Power Relationships Reflected in Tocquevilles Distinctions Between Europeans, Blacks, and Indians. In Tocqueville book, the unequal power relationship is revealed as he states that among those families of men, the first to attract attention, superior in intelligent and in power are white people. Negros and Indians appear below them. The blacks of United States had lost the remembrance of their countries and stopped talking the language of their forefathers and had ceased to be African. There is an unequal power among the groups as the less privileged races are to adopt the cultures and the beliefs of the white community (Johnson). . The Future that Tocqueville Predicted for These Groups The three groups’ future was not great, according to Tocqueville. He states that he believed that Indians nations in North America were doomed to perish, and the race will have ceased to exist. He said that the Indians will die in the same isolated state they had lived. The destiny of the blacks was interwoven with that of the Europeans. He didn’t see great future for the three groups because Indians did not want to conform to the European culture and opted to die with their civilization. While blacks though willing to adapt to the culture were still viewed as slaves. Tocqueville predicted the whites and blacks will never mix with equality or even with civility. The two races, blacks, and Europeans were fastened to each other without intermingling and are unable to separate or to combine. He saw the possibility of black and white racial conflict in the South in the future (Johnson). Accuracy of Observations and Predictions Tocqueville observation and prediction about the future relationship of these groups are accurate. In Indians society, they are still conformed to their culture and are still not able to adapt to the Europeans cultural way of life. As for blacks, they totally abandoned their culture and way of life, and they try to live the Europeans way of life. Though the two groups have mingled, there are racial conflicts among the two groups and whites are still viewed as superior group. Relationships of Power Featured in “The Discord.” The discord is an artistic expression of woman struggle to get to power and end men supremacy. In “the discord” it depicts how women were trying to fight for equal rights and recognition. Having being drawn in 1855 when women were fighting for the equal rights and recognition in the American society, it shows the struggle they went through. On one side, there are two men and a male child and the other hand are two women and a female child. One woman and a man are fighting for a male pants symbolizing power was associated with men. As the two groups, men and women, are fighting for power, there is a government that urges both of them to fight on.The government has the authority and control over them as shown by the person portrayed as an angel forcing them to hold on. Declaration of Sentiments Reveals the Nature of Gender Relationships In 19th Century Declaration of Sentiments was adopted during the first women convention when women met to protest against male supremacy that prevailed throughout America. It was drafted by Elizabeth Cady Stanton whose husband was abolitionist and spread through America. It outlined some grievances concerning discrimination against women in the United States.It revealed the struggle women had in advocating equal rights with men (Johnson). In 18th century, women were viewed as the subject of men. I agree with the sentiment aired in the declaration as women wanted to have equal rights to men. It states how women had to conform to a man’s way of life when married and had to be his subject. Women viewed this as a form of slavery and wanted the government to give them the right to first citizenship. The sentiments having been the concern of women in 18th century, it is still a concern as women are still seen as abject subject to men Abraham Lincoln’s Views on The Institution of Slavery and Notion of Racial Equality In Abraham Lincoln Peoria Speech on October 16, 1854, he considered slavery as unjust and advocated for the release of the slaves as indicated in his speech. He said that if all earthly power were given him his first impulse would be to free all the slaves.Though He advocated for the release of the slaves, Abraham Lincoln never believed in racial equality. During his speech in 1858, he said that he has never been in any way for the equality of blacks and whites races. He was also not in favor of Negros holding any office or intermarry with whites and whites were to be made superior to the inferior blacks (Nagler). Real Thought Vs. Playing Politics When Abraham Lincoln made, these speeches slavery and racial equality in America were the greatest injustices. Though he portrayed his dislike for the slavery and racial inequality, this did not represent his real thought on the issues. As the speeches were made during the campaign trail, he was objected to represent the positive side of the issues to win votes from the northern side that was against slavery. In his real thoughts, he did not believe in racial equality and considered whites as superior to blacks. He also said if he were to free the slaves, he would take then back to their native countries indication that he was not of the idea of the coexisting between white and blacks. Ways the Questions and Crises of Liberty and Unequal Power Relationships were Resolved Or Exacerbated by the 1870s Before Abraham Lincoln was sworn in, constitutional amendments were presented to the Congress as part of the desperate attempt to hold the union together which was rapidly dissolving. The northern as victors of the civil war tried to restructure the constitution to accommodate the Corwin amendment that seems like the only hope of preserving the union. The amendments were later passed and put the end of the legal status of slavery. The intention was for the former slaves to experience the economic, social and political equality (Johnson). Works Cited Johnson, Michael P. Reading the American Past. Newyork: Bedford/St. Martins, 2012. Document. Nagler, Jörg. "Abraham Lincoln’s Attitudes on Slavery and Race." American Studies journal (2009). Web. Tocqueville, Alexia de. Democracy in America. London: Longman publishers, 1862. Web. Read More