Graduation Year
2016
Date of Submission
4-2016
Document Type
Campus Only Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
History
Second Department
Literature
Reader 1
Daniel Livesay
Reader 2
Ellen Rentz
Rights Information
© 2016 Bailey RM Yellen
Abstract
The purpose of this thesis is to examine the narratives of five formerly enslaved men and women in order to understand how they used this literary form to insert their voices into the anti-slavery discourse. These slave narratives were important for the advancement of the anti-slavery movement, both because they provided glimpse into the realities of the system of slavery from individuals who experienced it, and because these texts questioned the very ideologies they were meant to uphold by highlighting their inherent racial prejudices. Ultimately, the slave narrative allowed these formerly enslaved authors to demonstrate their autonomy through the act of authorship.
Recommended Citation
Yellen, Bailey, "Using Words to Break the Chains of Bondage: Examining the Political Narratives of American Slaves" (2016). CMC Senior Theses. 1397.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/1397
This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.
Comments
Best Senior Thesis in History