JennY+Journal+Entry1

My dad seemed to be happy today. I have never seen him so overjoyed at something. He was drunk, singing all day in the house, mumbling about Fugitive slave law, which I never heard of. Honestly, I knew nothing. Along with eating, sleeping, and going to school, goofing off was one of the central obligations of American boys. Of course, I was definitely an ardent 12 years old patriot fully devoted to that duty in Maryland.

My curiosity agitated me to ask my dad why he was so excited. He lifted and put me up on his knee and started to tell me a story. The smell of whiskey gave me a headache but I managed myself to keep up the complicated story. He told me that the balance in the country between slavery and antislavery states was broken after Mexican-American War, as California was proclaimed a free state.

I asked why. Never having thought that politics would be this complex and interesting, I listened to every word that he said. My dad explained that people who migrated to California were mostly Northerners and they voted to ban slavery. He said pro-slavery Americans were angered by this shift in the balance of power towards free states and threatened secession. He finally rose up, finishing the story how the Fugitive Slave Act was strengthened to prevent further turmoil.

As soon as I saw him going into bed to sleep, I quickly grabbed a newspaper and started to read the front page. It described that the Fugitive Slave Law, which required the return of runaway slaves and aid to slave catchers.

Frankly speaking, it was confusing. I always thought slaves were a property. When my family came from Great Britain, they bought slaves like they would buy horses and cows in the market. I saw no difference. I couldn’t understand why we have to free slaves but not livestock.

My dad always told me that if I find a strayed dog, I am responsible for finding its owner and give it back. I think the Northerners should do the same. If they find something that isn’t theirs, like the slaves, they should give it back. To me, abolitionists’ arguments seemed ridiculous.

I quickly skimmed through most of the articles in the newspaper as they mainly focused on the Fugitive Slave Law. I quickly skimmed through most of the articles in the newspaper as they mainly focused on the Fugitive Slave Law. But then, an interesting article caught my eyes. It compared two totally different responses to the newly passed law. One was from a Southern Plantation owner who was satisfied but the other was from a free African American who grieved about the situation. It was anonymous but I assume it can possibly be one of the slaves in our neighborhood that ran away few weeks ago. Maybe I should go up to the owner and tell.


