Tag Archives: slavery

Christianity in the Slave Owning South

By Robin Bates | Published: January 19, 2014

“Uncle Tom’s Cabin” shows how the Bible can be misused and how we should interpret it to promote social justice.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , , | Comments closed

The Myth of Slaves as Faithful Companions

By Robin Bates | Published: October 5, 2011

A visiting lecture on “Slaves as Loyal Confederates” reminded me of the complex relationships between black and white as they are explored by Twain and Stowe.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , , | Comments closed

The Novel that Changed the World

By Robin Bates | Published: June 16, 2011

When it comes to literature changing lives, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” is the gold standard for what is possible.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , | Comments closed

Behn & Friendships across Race Lines

By Robin Bates | Published: January 17, 2011

Recalling an interracial friendship from my days in my newly integrated high school, I turn to Aprha Behn’s “Oroonoko” to understand why such friendships are so difficult, even for the best intentioned people.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , | Comments closed

Defending Miss Watson

By Robin Bates | Published: July 21, 2010

Many readers of Huckleberry Finn enjoy laughing at Miss Watson’s approach to teaching Huck. She tries to use the Bible to scare him into good behavior, insists that he sit still, and prohibits him from smoking and drinking. Romantics that we are, we make fun of her educational philosophy and find her a hypocrite, especially […]

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , , | Comments closed

A Slave Novel about Race Today

By Robin Bates | Published: September 21, 2009

Harriet Tubman, inspiration for the heroine   About our “One Maryland One Book” discussion at Leonardtown Library on Thursday, I’m sorry to report that (as expected) we didn’t pull in anyone other than our book group regulars.  The good news is that that group appears as solid as ever and we had a very good conversation […]

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , | Comments closed

How Racism Sullies Everything

By Robin Bates | Published: August 13, 2009

If race has been the subject of these past two weeks of posting it is because, as a Sherrilyn Ifil article notes in the on-line publication Root, we are having a hard time talking about race this summer, what with the furor over the Sonia Sotomayor nomination and the Henry Louis Gates affair.  I haven’t […]

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , , | Comments closed