Town Hall Meeting

My name is Mary Ann Shadd was born October 9, 1823,

in Wilmington, Delaware. I am the oldest of 13 siblings.

I was not a slave cuz my parents were free.

My mom is Harriet Parnell from North Carolina and my dad is 

Abraham Doras Shadd, who was a shoemaker in Wilmington, Delaware,

and a leader in Delaware's free Black community. My parents raised me in

a family dedicated to the abolition of slavery and in my childhood home

often served as a shelter for fugitive slaves.

We were forced to relocate because it was legal to educate black people in Delaware.  We moved to Pennsylvania where I went to a Quaker boarding school. I used my education to start a school for black children in Pennsylvania. Then we had to move to Canada because we were jeopardized because of the Fugitive Slave Act. 

But my dad got elected the counselor of Riley Township. This election made Abraham the first black man in a political office. 

In 1849 I published a 12-page pamphlet called Hints to the colored people from the north. I was the first woman to write a newspaper and be published in North America and I had to use my brother to hide because women were not allowed to be written. I had an anti-slavery newspaper where we told other African-Americans in Canada about opportunities for them and if they needed help to escape. Where to find us and how we would help. 

I was the second black woman who got a law degree after graduating from Howard University.  

I was raised to not worry about the boundaries to always break them and push them, I grew up seeing my parents always helping anti-slavery And I always knew I wanted to do the same. When I was growing up I was told I wasn’t allowed to do a lot because I was a woman and not even just a woman. I was a black woman. I never let that stop me from pushing the boundaries. And I am so proud of everything I have done and falling in my dad's footsteps and how many people ended up helping.  

slavery bible debate

In the Bible there is nothing condoning the heinous act of slavery. However, as we know, many slave owners would call themselves Christian and claim to be following what the Bible says. This is not what the Bible says, but they twist the words to fit the frame of their small and narrow mind.  

There are many verses in the Bible that call to serve one another for the glory of God. Among these being  Ephesians, VI, 5-7 stating: “Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; not with eye-service, as men-pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.” This verse tells us many things, first that we are to be obedient not to men, but to Christ. This alone shows that the bible does not condone slavery, but people read what they want to see not what is there. Instead of emphasizing “as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart”, it turns into “servants be obedient to your masters with fear and trembling” and the whole reason for this verse in the Bible is taken out. This is outlandish because the Bible highlights how the Israeli and Jewish people were exiled and taken as slaves in Egypt. 

Other people claiming to be Christian were extremely self-righteous and arrogant, genuinely believing their cruel and inhumane ways were helpful to the slaves. The History Engine even says, “Slaveholders believed that slavery would liberate Africans from their savage-like ways, especially if they were infused with Christianity. As religion ran deep through slavery, white Christian slaveholders argued that slavery was a necessary evil because it would control the sinful, less humane, black race.” These ideals are disgusting and vile; this was normal at the time.  

It is inspiring to see how far we have come from this, but there is still a long road ahead of us. 

Although many slave owners believed they were following the Bible by having slaves, in reality the Bible says otherwise. Many times in the bible it has statements guiding one who follows it to be against slavery. A example  In Exodus 21:16 it states  

“Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.” meaning if you buy a human or sell a human you shall die.if you had a slave you had to buy then so it would not be supporting slavery. Another example is Exodus 21:20-21 say “When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be avenged. But if the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be avenged, for the slave is his money.” you can clearly see in these states then to not support it. Everything slavery stands for. Then do not want you to hit  your salve then say you will get karma. The bible does not stand for treating humans differently and hurting each other. 

The Supreme Court

This shows how important the Supreme Court is and all of its glory. The Supreme Court has the most judicial power then plays a big role in our government. in the video, you see how much work and effort actually goes into it even stuff won't think about. The video has also given me an understanding of what the Supreme Court does and why they are important. then go through a hundred new cases a week Imagine how much hard work goes into that. actually really intrigued me and I would be excited to learn more about it.