The "Giddy Multitude"

In the Takaki reading, The “Giddy Multitude,” the author’s thesis is that blacks and whites were once both able to be slaves and often joined together as one force to fight against such a practice.

This piece of writing explains how the Tempest’s Caliban was reconsidered to be a black man instead of a Native American. He was dark in complexion, brutish, belonged to a vile race, and a beast…just as Africans were described at the time. He was also known as a slave and a monster, and appeared at a time when there began to be associations between apes and Africans. However, although many people are unaware, white people were also considered servants when slavery was first introduced in the Americas. This equal treatment of slaves did not last long and soon white servants were not treated as harshly as those that were black. If they would runaway, their punishment would not be as severe as that of a black servant that did the same. Those Africans that did runaway often received punishment of being named a slave for life, having to labor for the rest of their natural life. Whites, on the other hand, were merely sentenced to one more year of enslavement or some punishment of the sort. Many unhappy white and black slaves, as well as those who were unsatisfied with the open promises of the New World, ended up joining together, known as the ‘giddy multitude,’ that ended up even organizing a revolt against such treatment. While blacks were punished for the revolt, whites ended up being excused from this treatment. After this unsuccessful rebellion, organized by landowner Nathaniel Bacon, slavery took a turn for the worse.

One question I have about the piece is why how those like Thomas Jefferson could be so hypocritical in what their motives were. He was a slave-owner himself and continued to profit off his land and production. However, he also admitted to wanting to abolish slavery sometime in his life, promising that as soon as his debts were paid off (by way of the work of slaves), he would work on freeing his slaves and returning to a sense of justice for everyone. While he practiced such means, he also claimed to believe that slavery deprived black of their liberty and should be abolished. It is hard to understand how someone practicing slavery and treating his own slaves with extreme cruelty, could at the same time convince people that slavery needed to end.

While quite lengthy for the information it presented, I enjoyed this reading. I particularly liked how Takaki explained the occurrences of whites in slavery when the practice first began. I was never aware that whites were once treated the same while they were servants and how abruptly the idea was turned around to be focused more on blacks.