African-British Writings in the Eighteenth Century: The Politics of Race and ReasonThe eighteenth century was a time of great cultural change in Britain. It was a period marked by expeditions to the New World, Africa, and the Orient, and these voyages were reflected in the travel literature of the era. It was also a period in which seventeenth-century empiricism and the scientific method became dominant, and in which society became increasingly secular. Fundamental to the eighteenth-century worldview was the notion of the Great Chain of Being, in which all creatures and their Creator stood in a hierarchical relationship with one another. The years from 1660 to 1833 witnessed both Britain's participation in slavery and the appropriation of the Great Chain of Being by social anthropologists and political leaders. With the rise of the slave trade, blacks were brought to Britain against their will, where they were enslaved. At the same time, intellectuals of the period tried to place these slaves within the hierarchical frame provided by the Great Chain of Being. |
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... enslaved blacks in the British West Indies , though at the same time he maneuvers around the issues of both slavery ... enslaved to an Englishman at St. Christophers fall in love with the same woman , who is also enslaved on the ...
... enslaved population's support of that universal order . Furthermore , Pamela's status as a servant girl who retains her virtue ( and as a result is able to marry her wealthy boss ) explicitly subjects the Chain of Being to overtones of ...
... enslaved , along with her mother , by the Darrell family . Prince was enslaved from birth . Her parents , though enslaved nearby , were virtually powerless to intercede for their daughter , who suffered numerous cruelties associated ...
Contents
Enlightenment Humanism | 1 |
Perspectives on a Theological Chain | 31 |
Conclusion | 149 |
Copyright | |
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African-British Writings in the Eighteenth Century: The Politics of Race and ... Helena Woodard No preview available - 1999 |