George Whitfield’s Views on Slavery in the US

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The interpretation of Whitfield’s beliefs and the duties of Christians

Whitfield believed in compassion and mercy. Whitfield’s belief system was anchored in the idea that Christians served a merciful and compassionate God. Also, helping the poor and the oppressed is a Christian’s duty. Fighting for the rights and welfare of the downtrodden is a Christian’s duty.

Whitfield’s purpose in writing the article

Whitfield’s article attempted to open the eyes of the Christians to the sins that were committed against the Negro slaves. The article was written to focus the spotlight on inequality and injustice in American society during this particular period.¹ Whitfield’s article was an expression of his disapproval of how slave owners treated their slaves.

The historical significance

Whitfield’s article came at a critical time in the history of America. Less than a hundred years after he wrote the said article, the United States went through a bloody Civil War.² The nation was divided with regard to the right of slave owners to acquire and use slaves. Whitfield’s article strengthened the resolve of those who fought for the abolition of slavery.

Contribution to the understanding of the historical period and the thought process of the people in this period

The article sheds light on divergent ideas regarding the ownership of slaves.³ The article suggests that some treated slaves like beasts of burden. On the other hand, there were slave owners who wanted to treat slaves as human beings. The article exposes the conflicted thought process of the people in the said era. Some people viewed slavery as a necessary evil.

Questions after reading the article

It is interesting to find out how the slaveowners tried to compartmentalize their feelings with regard to the ownership of Negro slaves. It is also important to find out how they tried to maintain discipline without losing their humanity.⁴ It is also interesting to find out why the slaves were unable to revolt against their slave masters.

Whitfield’s vs. Kidd’s article

Whitfield’s article admonished slave owners for the way they treated their slaves. Thomas Kidd’s article, on the other hand, criticized Whitfield’s ownership of slaves. Whitfield’s article held slave owners to a higher moral standard because they professed belief in Christianity.⁵ However, Thomas Kidd’s article held Whitfield to a higher moral standard because was a preacher of the gospel.⁶

The contents of these two articles were different because the authors criticized the behavior of slave owners from their own historical perspective. Whitfield criticized slave owners on the ethical framework that was based on the humane treatment of slaves. Thomas Kidd criticized Whitfield’s ownership of slaves. Whitfield was unable to go beyond his criticism of the slave owner’s behavior because he believed that there was no practical solution to the labor problem that existed in the South.

The hypocrisy of George Whitfield

Whitfield is not a hypocrite because he did not denounce the institution of slavery. The economic and social disaster that engulfed the Southern states in the aftermath of the Civil War was a powerful counterargument to the abolition of slavery. Without doubt, slavery was a necessary evil. Although it is important to abolish slavery, the drastic eradication of a system that ensured the steady supply of workers was an issue that abolitionists did not consider in greater detail.

Bibliography

Bear, Dale. Exploring the American Past. Tillerman Press, 2007.

Douglas, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas, an American Slave. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.

Eyerman, Ron. Cultural Trauma: Slavery and the Formation of African American Identity. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001.

Kidd, Thomas. “George Whitfield’s Troubled Relationship to Race and Slavery.” The Christian Century. 2015. Web.

Washington, Booker. Up from Slavery. New York: Penguin Books, 2000.

George Whitfield. “George Whitfield Admonishes Southern Slave Holders.” In American Perspectives: Readings in American History, edited by William Hening, 125-136. New York: Pearson Custom Publishing, 2008.

Footnotes

Frederick Douglas, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas, an American Slave (New York: Oxford University Press, 1999), 65.
Ron Eyerman, Cultural Trauma: Slavery and the Formation of African American Identity (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001), 90.
Dale Bear, Exploring the American Past (Tillerman Press, 2007), 12.
Booker Washington, Up from Slavery (New York: Penguin Books, 2000), 100.
George Whitfield, “George Whitfield Admonishes Southern Slave Holders,” in American Perspectives: Readings in American History, ed. William Hening (New York: Pearson Custom Publishing, 2008), 125.
Thomas Kidd, “George Whitfield’s Troubled Relationship to Race and Slavery,” The Christian Century, 2015. Web.

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