Read the following excerpt from a letter written by Phillis Wheatley, an enslaved African American poet, to the Presbyterian minister Samson Occom in 1774:
'in every human Breast, God has implanted a Principle, which we call Love of Freedom; it is impatient of Oppression, and pants for Deliverance; and by the Leave of our modern Egyptians I will assert, that the same Principle lives in us.'
Which of the following developments in the revolutionary era is most directly reflected in the excerpt?
- AThe conflict over the division of power between state legislatures and the new federal government.
- BThe mobilization of colonists to boycott British goods in response to imperial tax policies.
- The use of revolutionary ideals of liberty by enslaved people to challenge the institution of slavery.Answer
- DThe emergence of early political parties debating the federal government's economic policies.
Answer
The use of revolutionary ideals of liberty by enslaved people to challenge the institution of slavery.
The correct answer is correct because Phillis Wheatley uses the revolutionary concepts of freedom and opposition to oppression to argue that the desire for liberty is universal, thereby challenging the practice of chattel slavery. During the revolutionary era, the language of natural rights and liberty inspired many enslaved and free African Americans to point out the contradiction between American colonists fighting for freedom from Great Britain while continuing to hold others in bondage.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Social Impact and the Influence of Revolutionary Ideals