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Difficulty: MediumBlack Abolitionism and Anti-Slavery Activism

Read the following excerpt from the poem "Free Labor" by Black abolitionist Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, published in 1854:

"I wear an easy garment,
O'er which no brother may have wept,
Or, shedded his sweat in agony,
While his master's promise slept;
I eat of food untainted
By the blood of a brother's pain..."

Which of the following anti-slavery strategies is Harper advocating for in this excerpt?

  1. Boycotting goods produced by enslaved labor to exert economic pressure on the institution of slaveryAnswer
  2. B
    Organizing covert everyday resistance, such as slowing down agricultural work on plantations
  3. C
    Emigrating to independent colonies in West Africa or Canada to build self-sustaining agricultural cooperatives
  4. D
    Fleeing plantations to establish autonomous maroon communities in remote geographic regions

Answer

Boycotting goods produced by enslaved labor to exert economic pressure on the institution of slavery
In the poem 'Free Labor,' Frances Ellen Watkins Harper expresses her refusal to consume products generated through the exploitation of enslaved workers. This aligns with the Free Produce Movement, an anti-slavery strategy that promoted the purchase of goods made by paid, free laborers to boycott and financially weaken the slaveholding economy.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the poem's imagery and key terms.
The author references wearing garments over which no one wept and eating food untainted by a brother's pain.
To identify that the author is discussing consumer choices regarding goods produced by enslaved labor.
2
Connect the consumer behavior to historical abolitionist methods.
Boycotting slave-produced goods and promoting free-labor alternatives was known as the Free Produce Movement.
To link the primary source text to the specific political and economic strategy it advocates.
3
Compare the analyzed strategy against the provided choices.
The choice describing the boycott of goods produced by enslaved labor aligns perfectly with the text's message.
To determine the correct option based on historical consensus.

Key Concept

The Free Produce Movement as an economic anti-slavery strategy
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Black Abolitionism and Anti-Slavery Activism

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