William R.

Nash Fall 2022

AMST 358 MWF: 10:10-11:00
Office: 250 Axinn Axinn 219
Office phone: 443-5337 OH: 1:30-2:45 T, W
By appointment

READING SLAVERY AND ABOLITION

Course Rationale
In this course we will study both black and white writers’ psychological responses to and their
verbal onslaughts on the “peculiar institution” of American chattel slavery. We will explore how
and by whom the written word was deployed in pursuit of physical and mental freedom and
racial and socioeconomic justice. We will deepen our study of historical context as the course
progresses; drawing on the substantial resources of Middlebury’s special collections, students
will have the opportunity to engage in archival work.

Studying American chattel slavery is an invaluable exercise in its own right—this crucial chapter
of America’s history is often oversimplified or misunderstood in popular discourse; we will be
well served by exploring and analyzing how and why slavery made up a significant portion of
the foundation of America’s economic, social, political, and religious identities.

This subject matter also has much to teach us about the present. As historian Ira Berlin notes,
“slavery has become a language, a way to talk about race, in a society in which it seems that
blacks and whites hardly talk to each other at all.” Our engagement with that language will
enable us to assess and contribute to the ongoing dialogue about race that must be a part of our
path forward as a nation more effectively.

A course such as this one cannot hope to be comprehensive, or perhaps even exhaustive, within
the boundaries of a single semester. Put another way, for every moment and artifact we are
going to consider, there are other significant moments and artifacts from the history of slavery
that will go unexamined or unaddressed by the group. We can’t cover it all, but we will dive
deeply into the parts of this history that we explore.

Learning Goals
In this course we will work to
 develop an awareness and understanding of the cultural context in which American
chattel slavery rose and fell;
 formulate an understanding of enslavement’s essential role in the creation of American
culture;
 acquire a multi-faceted understanding of the arguments for and against abolishing
enslavement;
  gain a thorough grasp of the importance of print culture to the anti-slavery struggle;
 determine the contributions various individual writers and speakers made to the
abolitionist conversation;
 strengthen critical & analytical reading and writing skills; and
 articulate and practice effective spoken communication skills

A Word about The Classroom

This course will be primarily discussion-driven—sometimes in pairs, sometimes in small groups,
often all together. I will, as I deem necessary, introduce relevant background information in the
form of mini-lectures; our main purpose, however, will be to talk together about the topics and
the works in question. To engage with the history of American enslavement and explore the
arguments that people made for and against the peculiar institution is, of necessity, to delve
deeply into complicated, charged issues. In my experience at Middlebury, I’ve found that
conversations touching on issues of race and class can be hard to get started. I realize that we
will have to trust one another to achieve the sort of conversation that I have in mind, and I know
that trust must be built—but I also know that absent a collective willingness and commitment to
taking risks, we can’t get there.

The success of this endeavor depends largely on your willingness to meet these obligations,
which you are implicitly accepting by staying in the course:
 coming to class consistently
 preparing for each class by doing the reading early enough to have time to reflect on it
and to prepare yourself to discuss it
 adhering in good faith to the fundamental principles of successful dialogue: openness,
honesty, and respect
 pushing yourself beyond your class participation comfort zone and committing to our
collective effort to make meaningful dialogue

Course Texts

o Hinks, Peter, ed. David Walker’s Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World
(Penn State Press)
o Risley, Ford. Abolition and the Press.(Northwestern U Press)
o Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American
Slave, Written By Himself (Norton Critical)
o Northup, Solomon. Twelve Years a Slave (Norton Critical)
o Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Uncle Tom’s Cabin (Norton Critical)
o Jacobs, Harriet. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Written By Herself (Norton
Critical)
Course texts are on reserve in the library; please note that library copies might not be the same
editions as the ones I ordered for class; all references to pagination will be based on the editions I
ordered.

Assignments and Evaluation

Some of the assignments for this course will be conventional, others will ask you to move
beyond your comfort zone and think more creatively and critically. I will offer you consistent
feedback so that you have a clear sense of your standing in the course as the semester unfolds.

Here is a list of the assignments that you must complete with a breakdown of their weights.
Descriptions and details to follow.
 Response to Kolchin reading—15%%
 Participation in discussion blog on Canvas—15%
 Final Examination—30%
 Final Group presentation on Special Collections item—40%

Academic Integrity
As a community of learners, we have all agreed to abide by the provisions of the College honor
code; I expect your work to be yours, your use of other’s work within appropriate guidelines and
properly cited, and your discussion of assignments with your classmates to remain within the
guidelines I have set. If you have any questions or concerns about the honor code or about a
particular assignment, please do not hesitate to ask—I am always happy to have those
discussions and much prefer having them before work has been submitted, so that students can
rectify any errors or oversights.

Please note:
 Deadlines are firm
 Students who do not turn in all assigned work will not pass the course

Accessibility, Accommodation, Full Participation

This course is built with accessibility and full participation as guiding principles. If you have a
documented disability (or think you may have a disability) and, as a result, need a reasonable
accommodation to participate in this class, complete course requirements, or benefit from the
College’s programs or services, contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) as soon as
possible. To receive any academic accommodation, you must be appropriately registered with
DRC. The DRC works with students confidentially and does not disclose any disability-related
information without their permission. For further information about services for students with
disabilities, please contact Jodi Litchfield (litchfie@middlebury.edu) or Peter Ploegman
(pploegman@middlebury.edu) . If you do not have a documented disability, there are other
useful services, including the Writing Center and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and
Research: these are available to all Middlebury students.
With or without documentation, it is my intent to make our learning experience as accessible as
possible. With documentation, I am especially interested in providing any student
accommodations that have probably been best determined by the student and the ADA
Coordinators in advance. Please let me know NOW what we can do to maximize your learning
potential, participation, and general access in this course. I am available to meet with you in
person or to discuss such things on email.

In this spirit, I also want to say a word about the use of electronic devices in the classroom. In
some instances, obviously, students’ use of electronics can be disruptive and distracting;
however, as a person who uses a cell phone app to control my hearing aids and who knows that
some students take notes better with a laptop, I know that not every use of phones or computers
is what it seems to be. Therefore, rather than banning the use of electronics unilaterally, I
will say that I expect any use of electronics in the classroom to be for the purpose of making
yourself more, rather than less, present and engaged with our collective work.

READINGS AND ASSIGNMENTS

WEEK ONE
09/12 M Introductions; Housekeeping; Why Are We Here?
09/14 W What is American Studies? What is Black Studies?
09/16 F American Chattel Slavery—Preconceptions and
Misconceptions; discuss Paper 1 Assignment

WEEK TWO
09/19 M Kolchin, American Slavery, Ch. 4
09/21 W Kolchin, American Slavery, Ch. 5
09/23 F Kolchin, American Slavery, Ch. 6
09/24 S Paper 1 due by 11:59 PM—turn in on Canvas

WEEK THREE
09/26 M Walker, An Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World
09/28 W Walker, An Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World
09/30 F Walker, An Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World

WEEK FOUR
10/03 M Risley, Abolition and the Press, Chapters 1 & 2
10/05 W Risley, Abolition and the Press, Chapters 3-5
10/06 R Ford Risley lecture, 7 PM; attendance mandatory
10/07 F Ford Risley visits our class

WEEK FIVE
10/10 M Special Collections, Introduction and Overview
10/12 W In-class discussion of Archives project
10/14 F Mid-Term Recess; no class meeting

WEEK SIX
10/17 M Special Collections; Choosing a text for your group project
10/19 W Douglass, Narrative of the Life, pp. 3-44
10/21 F Douglass, Narrative of the Life, pp. 45-84

WEEK SEVEN
10/24 M Douglass, Narrative of the Life, pp. 131-180
10/26 W The Compromise of 1850
10/28 F Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, pp. 3-139

WEEK EIGHT
10/31 M Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, pp. 139-287
11/02 W Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, pp. 288-418
11/04 F Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, pp. 454-76

WEEK NINE
11/07 M Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, pp. 478-504
11/09 W Douglass, Narrative of the Life, pp. 94-108
11/11 F Northup, Twelve Years a Slave, pp. 1-63

WEEK TEN
11/14 M Northup, Twelve Years a Slave, pp. 64-140
11/16 W Northup, Twelve Years a Slave, pp. 141-215
11/18 F Northup, Twelve Years a Slave, pp. 279-352

WEEK ELEVEN
11/21 M Thanksgiving Break; no class meeting
11/23 W Thanksgiving Break; no class meeting
11/25 F Thanksgiving Break; no class meeting
WEEK TWELVE
11/28 M Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, pp. 1-85
11/30 W Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, pp. 86-169
12/02 F Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, pp. 213-274

WEEK THIRTEEN
12/05 M Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, pp. 274-350
12/07 W Group Presentations
12/09 F Group Presentations

WEEK FOURTEEN
12/12 M Classes end—optional review session
12/16 F Final Exam due by 5 PM