Lacy Lakner
19 April 2001
Dr. White

Moving to Higher Ground

Whether one notices or not, each person has the right to make choices concerning his or her life. Being able to make these decisions is a God-given right that vibrates in the heart of every human being who claims possession and mastery over his or her own self. However, for slaves, this concept did not exist, and they became the property of someone else with no place to call their own. For this reason, many slaves turned to religion to comfort them in their darkest hour, to help them gain the strength to continue in their struggles, and to hope that a day would come when they would rise above their condition to a better place. For slaveowners, the Bible became a place where the institution of slavery was justified, but for the slaves, Christianity became a symbol of redemption in which they envisioned a future free from bondage, and if earthly escape was not possible, their faith would be rewarded in the afterlife, securing them a home of their own in a free heaven.

While many white slave owners discouraged slaves from learning the Bible for fear it would encourage slaves to seek freedom, slaves, nevertheless, felt the Bible was their source for obtaining earthly freedom; thus "their persistent hope for the future was tied to their faith in God." (Stammering Tongue, 57). Their convictions gave them the ounce of hope they needed to believe that there was a better life awaiting them. "The Spirit of the Lord allowed black slaves to transcend the horizon of their immediate experiences and to hope for a future in which they would be free." (Stammering Tongue, 60). In Frederick Douglass' "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave," Douglass maintains that "in the darkest hours of my career in slavery, this living word of faith and spirit of hope departed [not] from me, but remained like ministering angels to cheer me through gloom. The good spirit was from God, and to him I offer thanksgiving and praise" (1775). Douglass' belief that God is on his side

helps secure the notion that the possibility of a future could be sought and obtained.

Meanwhile, Douglass continues to struggle in his present condition, and begins to see possible freedom in daily objects that surround him. Upon seeing a ship, Douglass imagines it to be a symbol for "freedom's swiftwinged angels, that fly around the world; I am confined in bands of iron! O that I were free! Oh, that I were on one of your gallant decks, and under your protecting wing!...I am left in the hottest hell of unending slavery. O God, save me! God, deliver me! Let me be free!" (1790). Thus "the religious imagination played a powerful role in creating new horizons of possibility that linked experiences of the Spirit with the struggle for earthly freedom" (Stammering Tongue, 52). This longing desire to be free combined with his faith and determination set the stage for Douglass' to attempt to achieve a loosening of chains as he rebels against Mr. Covey, his emotions moving him into action. The two soon become embroiled in a battle for control: both want the rights to Douglass' body and soul; however, Douglass, no longer willing to allow another person to dominate him, is overcome with adrenaline and easily overpowers Covey.

Douglass' victory consumes him with feelings of liberation, and he exalts, "I felt as I never felt before. It was a glorious resurrection, from the tomb of slavery, to the heaven of freedom. My long-crushed spirit rose..."(1793-94). Douglass' triumph causes him to feel as though he has risen from the darkest depths of the grave to the highest glory of heaven. With his faith restored, he pursues his dream of being free and building his own future. Others like Frederick Douglass are not alone in their quest for sovereignty, nor in their struggles, for "upholding their confidence that a day would come where slaves would be free," became a daily test for those bound to slavery, and yet "the exciting vision of what was to come released the power of the future into their lives, bringing not only the strength to survive but also the courage to strive

toward freedom" (Stammering Tongue, 58). While some slaves managed to obtain their freedom through risky escapes, others preferred to surrender themselves to God and place their fate in His hands. This path is always available even when an escape route is not, for slaves believe that their unwavering faith on earth will be rewarded in the afterlife.

This idea of heavenly reward for earthly good is especially relevant to Uncle Tom, the tragic hero in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. Uncle Tom, who is once given the opportunity to escape his earthly prison, chooses to stand by his faith in God, which he believes will earn him freedom in heaven. He carries his Bible which "seemed to him all of his life that remained, as well as the promise of a future one" (2338). Tom's faith in God is so admirably strong, and unflinching, that he refuses to disclose the location of a runaway slave even as he is threatened with a torturous death, for "he felt strong in God to met death, rather than betray the helpless" (2350). Tom is not afraid of the damage to his body because he relies on his commitment that God will compensate his sacrifice in the afterlife, and that death will only bring him closer to the gates of heaven. According to Gayraud S. Wilmore, author of Black Religion and Black Radicalism, believing in "a religion that could unveil the reality of another world beyond "this vale of tears"...was an absolute necessity for survival" (106). Tom knows that God will save him, not in body, but in spirit. Without something to believe in or to strive for, the prospect of a better life slips

away.

Tom depends on his faith in God to save his soul as well as the souls of others. Even after Tom suffers a horrendous beating at the hands of his fellow slaves, and is on the verge of death, he continues to spread the word of Jesus to Sambo and Quimbo to save their souls. "He poured forth a few energetic sentences of that wondrous One, -- his life, his death, his everlasting presence, and power to save" (2352). Clinging to life Tom professes that true faith gives one's soul a house in which to reign and saves it from despair. Later he attempts to save his friend George's soul from sin by defending Mr. Legree's actions. Hoping to quench George's appetite for revenge on Mr. Legree, Tom pleads, "Don't feel so! He an't done me no real harm, -- only opened the gate of kingdom for me that's all" (2352)! Author Paul D. Escott asserts that "despite all their suffering the slaves somehow maintained a faith that God would deliver them" (Slavery Remembered, 112). It is this faith that sustains Tom, and arms him with the will to save others even if he cannot save himself.

At the same time, Tom gains his vigor because he feels God is next to him, comforting his essence with words of support and reassurance. Author Albert J. Raboteau writes in his book Slave Religion that while many "were unable to read the Bible, some slaves believed that God revealed [H]is word to them directly, in their hearts" (242). Tom, too, believes this to be the case, for during his ordeal, he is filled with a loving spirit that moves him beyond the physical torture he endures. While being threatened with a beating by Quimbo to tell the whereabouts of the runaway slaves, Tom has a higher calling that affirms "fear not them that kill the body, and, after that, have no more that they can do." Nerve and bone of that poor man's body vibrated to those words, as if touched by the finger of God; and he felt the strength of a thousand souls in one" (2350). God fills him with the capacity to endure and transcend his present circumstances. With God beside him, Tom grows more powerful in spirit and strives to instill this in others.

On the other hand, to many slaves, true freedom remained to be that which could be seen, and felt with their earthly senses. But Tom's devotion extends beyond the physical realm as he chooses to continue in his present condition, not only because he is certain that he will be rewarded in heaven, but also because he feels that his only home is in heaven, with God as his one and only master. Tom's true test of faith is as he is dying, and his vision of heaven intensifies his commitment, for "heaven was to be a reversal of the present order. In the present they had no home, but in heaven they did. In the present they were enslaved, but in heaven freedom awaited. God will turn death into life, a life of freedom and justice." (Stammering Tongue, 57-58). Tom's body is beaten, but his spirit remains intact as "his soul throbbed, -- his home was in sight, -- and the hour of release seemed at hand" (2350). To Tom, his death signifies going into glory with God, not death, but life, one that he could see and feel with his whole being.

Throughout his ordeal, Tom's faith never wavers, as "the brave, true heart was firm on the Eternal Rock. Like his Master, he knew that if he saved others, himself he could not save" (2352). Tom sacrifices his body in the same manner as his Savior, and he is going home to his new master. On his death bed, Tom contends that "Jesus can make a dying-bed/ Feel soft as downy pillows are" (2353). Tom's friend George, whose faith in God is not as steadfast as Tom's, offers to buy Tom his earthly freedom. Yet, Tom's faith transcends earthly freedom, as he responds, "Ye're too late. The Lord's bought me, and is going to take me home, -- and I long to go. Heaven is better than Kintuck," (2353). In heaven Tom will belong to no man, nor will he ever be alone.

Tom insists that he is connected with God, and that Jesus has stood by him during his ordeal, as he describes his death as glorious. Tom's description gives hope to the mourners surrounding him: "I'm right in the door, going into glory! O, Mas'r George! Heaven has come! I've got the victory! -- the Lord Jesus has given it to me! Glory be to His name!...it's nothing but love! O, Mas'r George! What a thing Ît is to be a Christian!" (2353-54). Whether Tom actually sees visions or only believes he is seeing heaven does not change the fact that his unwavering faith allows him to die on his own terms, for his own convictions, something that no mortal man could touch or take away. Tom's last words, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" signify that for the first time Tom's creed cannot be taken from him by any earthly act (2354). In the end Tom gets to make his own decision as to how he will meet the Lord, and he does it with grandeur beauty and grace.

Tom's decision to go home to his master, and Frederick Douglass' decision to take his chances with escape show how the two transcend their conditions, and progress from having no authority in their own lives to taking charge and creating their own destinies. At the same time, the two heroes choose to stand by their faith in God to provide them with strength, hope, and freedom, assisting them in their escape, one to heaven, the other to the north. Thus Christianity became a symbol of redemption, and through their trust in God, Douglass is awarded an earthly haven, while Tomâs sacrifices on earth are rewarded with a new life, and home of his own in a free heaven.

WORKS CITED

Cut Loose Your Stammering Tongue: Black Theology in the Slave Narratives. Ed. D. Hopkins and G. Cummings. New York: Orbis Books, 1991.

Douglass, Frederick. "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave." The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter. 3rd ed. Vol. 1. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, 1998. 1762-1813.

Escott, Paul D. Slavery Remembered. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1979.

Raboteau, Albert J. Slave Religion. New York: Oxford University Press, 1978.

Stowe, Harriet B. Uncle Tomâs Cabin. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter. 3rd ed. Vol. 1. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1998.

2310-2356.

Wilmore, Gayraud S. Black Religion and Black Radicalism. Garden City:

Doubleday and Co., Inc., 1972.