Journal Entry-2

Amy Blackman
Journal Entry-2
It is evident in the narrative, “Running A Thousand Miles for Freedom”, that Christianity plays and integral role in both the lives of the slave owners as well as the slaves. However, both sides represent Christianity differently.
William and Ellen Craft, as well as other slaves, view Christianity as a sign of hope. They pray to God in order to seek both guidance and safety along their journey. Also, once someone would provide both him and Ellen with Generous hospitality, he would respond by saying “God Bless.” Once they made it to Philadelphia, William stated in his narrative, “we knelt down on this Sabbath, and Christmas Day, a day that will be memorable to us, and poured out our heartfelt gratitude for God, for his goodness in enabling us to overcome so many perilous difficulties, in escaping the jaws of the wicked”(80). It’s surprising that William and Ellen Craft as well as other slaves did not lose their Faith in God. You’d think that if one faced as many hardships as the slaves did, without being protected by the greatest protector, God, they would lose their faith.
William Craft views God as someone to punish the slave owners. On page 9 of the narrative he states, “It is not for me to what will become of those heartless tyrants. I must leave them in the hands of an all-wise and just God, who will, in his own good time and in his own way, avenge the wrongs of his oppressed people.” In this quotes he’s saying that he will not take revenge on the slave owners, but that God will punish the slave owner’s for their evil doings.
The slave owners claim to be Christians, however they fail to see that they aren’t truly living the lives as Christians because Christians love, respect, and treat others equally. For example, on page 9, William talks about how his own master claimed to be a Christian but his master treated William’s family very cruelly and ended up splitting up the family. This was not a Christian act.
Abolitionists played a very important role in the abolishment of slavery. Abolitionists were without a doubt, the highest respected Christians in this time period. They believed in treating everyone equally; a Christian view. William speaks of various instances in which both he and Ellen came in contact with Abolitionists. On page 83, William talks about meeting Mr. Barkley Ivens, and how his family were the first ones to take in Ellen and William. They clothed and fed them as well as teaching them to read a bit. William spoke of his gratitude toward abolitionists “May God bless the thousands of unflinching, disinterested abolitionists of America, who are laboring through evil as well as through good report, to cleanse their country’s escutcheon from the foul destructive blot of slavery”(93).
During this time period, the bible was taken very literally. What was written in the bible about slavery was clearly written for that time period and was not meant to be carried over into slavery. What Just God would want to permit slavery? I feel that the Bible was mainly used to justify arguments about slavery. The reverends used the Bible to justify their views on slavery. I almost feel as though reverends were not completely against slavery. Rev. Hopkins states that since it was in the Bible, every Christian is allowed to by, Divine Right, to own slaves (97). The narrative states that slaves have a right to run away, and they cannot be sent back (98).