HSTR 161: United States I Essay Assignment #3 3-4 pages (900 to 1,200 words) due Wednesday, April 23 by 11pm While the generation that fought the American Revolution tended to treat slavery as something of an unfortunate, even regrettable, necessity, by the 1850s many Southerners were defending the practice as a positive good. Southern author George Fitzhugh does exactly this in describing what he called the “blessings of slavery.” Evaluate Fitzhugh’s claims regarding the slave system in light of information from the textbook and the recollections that former slave Frederick Douglass set down in his autobiography. Do you find Fitzhugh’s portrayal of Southern slavery convincing? Be sure to make an argument supported with relevant, specific evidence from the lectures, textbook, and relevant supplemental readings—in this case, George Fitzhugh’s “The Blessings of Slavery” and Frederick Douglass’ “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Essays must be typed in double space with 12-point Times New Roman font and standard margins. I also ask that you cite the sources you use in writing your papers. A bibliography is not necessary, but I would like to see either footnotes, endnotes, or in-text citations. There are a number of major citation formats, such as MLA and Chicago, and either one of these are acceptable. Whatever format you choose, however, remember to apply it consistently.
