HIST 1301: U.S. History To 1877 - Instructor: Dr. Christophe

HIST 1301: U.S. History to 1877 Instructor: Dr. Christopher Haight Book Review

To complete this assignment, you must fully read Stephanie M. Camp’s Closer to Freedom: Enslaved Women and Everyday Resistance in the Plantation South. After you read, you will need to write a book review summarizing the book and connecting it to the material we have discussed in class.

The book review must do the following in order to earn the full points:

1. Clearly explain the central argument (thesis) that the author is making.

2. Explain how the author proves her argument, including specific details from the book. Summarize the book.

3. Identify the book’s contribution(s) to historical literature and our understanding of slavery in the nineteenth century.

4. Explain what sources the author uses to prove her argument.

5. Tie the book and its argument to what we have discussed in class. How does the book reinforce, challenge, and/or expand upon what you have learned in class about slavery in the nineteenth century?

Your book review must be 3 to 5 pages in length, 12-point Times New Roman font, 1-inch margins, and double-spaced. Please do not try to manipulate the font size, margins, or spacing—as I will notice and penalize any attempts. The header will not count toward the length requirement. The paper must be grammatical and well written. You have ample time to proofread, and I am available to review drafts. Citations are not required unless you are quoting directly from the book, in which case you should include the page number in parentheses after the quote.

This assignment is worth 100 points, representing 20 percent of your overall course grade. A hard copy is due at the end of class on Tuesday, December 5. Late submissions will be deducted 10 points per day and will not be accepted after three days; late papers may also be emailed. Assignments submitted after class on December 8 or via email after April 25 will be considered late.

Plagiarism of any kind is strictly prohibited and will result in a zero on the assignment and possible disciplinary action. Do not use SparkNotes, online reviews, or copy from the book directly. This is an individual assignment, and last-minute work will negatively impact your grade. Drafts are available for review—please take advantage of this opportunity. If you have questions, contact me via email or in person. Good luck!

Paper For Above instruction

Stephanie M. Camp’s Closer to Freedom: Enslaved Women and Everyday Resistance in the Plantation South offers a nuanced exploration of the actions and resilience of enslaved women in the antebellum South. The central thesis of Camp’s work asserts that enslaved women exercised agency through everyday acts of resistance, challenging the dominant narratives that portray them solely as victims of slavery. Instead, she emphasizes their active participation in shaping their own lives and subtly undermining the oppressive system of slavery through personal acts of defiance and resilience.

Camp substantiates her thesis by providing detailed accounts of how enslaved women engaged in subtle acts of resistance—such as working slowly, feigning illness, maintaining cultural practices, and sabotaging equipment—all of which served as forms of everyday rebellion. She draws on a rich diversity of primary sources, including oral histories, slave narratives, court records, and plantation documents, to illustrate how these acts contributed to undermining the authority of enslavers and asserting personal autonomy. For example, Camp highlights stories of women who deliberately slowed their work or maintained cultural traditions that reinforced their sense of identity and resistance.

The book’s contribution to historical literature lies in its focus on gendered experiences of resistance and its challenge to traditional views that predominantly portray enslaved individuals as passive victims. Instead, Camp emphasizes the agency of women, illuminating how their everyday acts contributed to the larger narrative of resistance that helped sustain abolitionist sentiments and enslaved people's quest for freedom. As such, the work enhances our understanding of the complex social dynamics of slavery, emphasizing the importance of gender and individual agency within oppressive systems.

Camp utilizes a variety of sources to substantiate her claims. These include oral histories from formerly enslaved women collected by the Federal Writers’ Project, plantation records, personal letters, and contemporary newspapers. The oral histories are particularly valuable in revealing the personal strategies enslaved women employed, which might not be explicitly documented in official records. These testimonies provide insight into how enslaved women navigated and subtly resisted the brutal system of slavery on a daily basis.

In relation to class discussions, Camp’s work reinforces the understanding that resistance was not only manifest in overt acts like revolts but also in subtle, everyday efforts. It challenges the simplistic depiction of enslaved people as passive victims and expands the narrative to include their agency and resistance in ways that are often overlooked. While class materials have highlighted large-scale revolts and legal struggles, Camp’s focus on everyday resistance adds depth, demonstrating that resistance took many forms—silent, ongoing, and creative.

Furthermore, the book challenges some traditional historiographical narratives that underestimate the resilience of enslaved women. It expands upon the idea that resistance was an intrinsic part of enslaved peoples’ lives, revealing the layers of agency that sustained their spirits and defied the dehumanizing effects of slavery. The recognition of these acts underscores the importance of gendered experiences in understanding the full scope of resistance, enriching the overall historiography of slavery in the nineteenth century.

In conclusion, Stephanie M. Camp’s Closer to Freedom significantly advances scholarship by highlighting the often overlooked agency of enslaved women through everyday acts of resistance. It underscores memory, identity, and resilience as crucial components of survival under slavery. The work challenges viewers to reconsider simplistic victimhood narratives and appreciate the nuanced forms of resistance that contributed to the eventual abolition of slavery. As a complement to classroom discussions, this book deepens our understanding of how resistance was embedded in daily life and emphasizes the importance of recognizing gendered experiences within the history of slavery.

References

• Camp, Stephanie M. (2005). Closer to Freedom: Enslaved Women and Everyday Resistance in the Plantation South. University of North Carolina Press.
• Berlin, Ira. (2003). Generations of Captivity: A History of African-American Slaves. Belknap Press.
• Fogel, Robert W., & Engerman, Stanley L. (1974). African Slavery in Antebellum America. Harvard University Press.
• Johnson, Walter. (1999). River of Dark Dreams: Slavery and Empire in the Cotton Kingdom. Harvard University Press.
• Litwack, Leon F. (1979). Been in the Storm So Long: The Aftermath of Slavery. Vintage.
• McPherson, James M. (1988). Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era. Oxford University Press.
• Nickens, Erin, & Smith, Kristina Marie. (2017). "The Power of Oral Histories in African American Studies." Historian, 79(4), 673–692.
• Nettles, Darryl. (2004). Freedom's Journey: African American Migration in the Era of Jim Crow. University of North Carolina Press.
• Walker, David. (1990). David Walker’s Appeal in Four Articles. Princeton University Press.
• Wilson, Charles Reagan. (2012). The Columbia Guide to Religion in American History. Columbia University Press.