John Stuart Mill, 1800s

"In the 1800s, John Stuart Mill developed the "liberal" idea of politics. Mill said that democracy is the most important political development of the 1800s. He said that there should be more protection for individual rights against the government."
http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics

During the time Frankenstein was written, according to Mill democracy was the most important political development of the 1800s. In a democracy, power lies in the citizens who elect the people to represent them. I feel Dr. Frankenstein's creation is in the exact opposite situation. I feel if he did have to power to choose who represents him the last person he would chose is his creator. I think the monster would choose Safie to represent him because when she comes into the peasant's home everyone is overjoyed! Unfortunately, this has not been the case for the monster because of his appearance. If the monster chooses Safie to represent him people might get to know him because of the type of person Safie is rather than automaticall assuming that this tall, hideous creature has ONLY the worst intentions.

Adrianna Sikula

Treaty with the Chickasaw, 1805

Article 1 of the Chickasaw Treaty states "Whereas the Chickasaw nation of Indians have been for some time embarassed by heavy debts due to their merchants and traders, and being destitute-of funds to effect important improvements in their country, they have agreed and do hereby agree to cede the United States, and forever quit claim to the tract of country included within the following bounds..."
http://www.floridahistory.com/chickasaw-land.html

The Chickasaw Treaty was approved May 22, 1807 and annouced and enforced only a day later. This treaty consisted of articles of arrangement made between two comissioners of the United States, James Robertson and Silas Dinsmoor, and the warriors and Mingo Chiefs of the Chickasaw nation of Indians. Artile 1 of this treaty reminds me of Dr. Frankenstein's embarassment when the monster came alive. Like the Chickasaw merchants and traders of this treaty... Dr. Frankenstein looked to create something to benefit man kind and himself. How ever both intentions did exactly the opposite of what they hoped. The Chickasaws lost priviledge to land, while Dr. Frankenstein, in a way, lost the priviledge of having a relationship with some of those he held dear to his heart.

Adrianna Sikula

Harriet Tubman -- What?? Harriet Tubman.. in the story of Frankenstein? YUP! How??

Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in 1819. As a child she was raised under very harsh conditions. In 1851 she started moving other slaves, her family being first, via the underground railroad.

A quote from Thomas Garrett from The New York History Net page states...

"Harriet Tubman had been their "Moses," but not in the sense that Andrew Johnson was the "Moses of the colored people." She had faithfully gone down into Egypt, and had delivered these six bondmen by her own heroism. Harriet was a woman of no pretensions, indeed, a more ordinary specimen of humanity could hardly be found among the most unfortunate-looking farm hands of the South. Yet, in point of courage, shrewdness and disinterested exertions to rescue her fellow-men, by making personal visits to Maryland among the slaves, she was without her equal."

http://www.nyhistory.com/harriettubman/life.htm

When I read this excerpt about Harriet Tubman it made me think of Henry Clerval. Henry is the one who ends up nursing Victor back to health when he becomes very ill not once, but twice. He is truly a great friend. He stood out from the crowd, like Harriet Tubman. Everyone else in the novel of Frankenstein seemed to be careless. Henry, however, was a great friend to Victor when he needed him most. The fear of Harriet Tubman getting caught and killed probably crossed her mind, as did the though of Henry possibly becoming ill from Victor but these two strong people didn't stop them from doing what they knew was right and had to be done. However, when Harriet Tubman died she received many honors and much recognition. In Frankenstein, when Henry dies Victor doesn't seem to give him the least bit of recognition for all that he has done for him.

Adrianna Sikula

Party Games- Politics of the 1800s

Mark Wahlgren Summers, a University of Kentucky history Professor, wrote a book about the politics of the 1800s called Party Games.

Critic Ralph Derickson summarizes that in Summer's book...

"Summers also points out that hardball politics and third-party challenges helped make the parties more responsive. Ballyhoo did not replace government action. In order to maintain power, major parties not only rigged the system but also gave dissidents part of what they wanted, Summers added.The persistence of a two-party system, Summers concludes, resulted from its adaptability, as well as its ruthlessness. Even the reform of political abuses was shaped to fit the needs of the real owners of the political system – the politicians themselves."

http://www.uky.edu/PR/News/Archives/2004/May2004/040507_summers_book.htm

When Derickson mentions the political parties rigging the system I immediately thought of Dr. Frankenstein and how he too "rigged the system"... the system being procreation or even science.

Even though Dr. Frankenstein was told that his efforts were going to end up being a "waste of time", he didn't let that stop him. As the two-party system Derickson mentions above was ruthless.. I feel that Dr. Frankenstein's selfish lifestyle (ignoring his family and friends, ignoring possible consequences) was also. His ruthlessness allowed him to stick by and complete the creation as the two-party system's ruthlessness allowed them to remain persistent.

Adrianna Sikula

After the French’s success against Prussia at the battle of Jena, Napoleon issued the Berlin Decree in response to laws passed by Britain also known as an order in council. (An Order-in-Council is a type of law making by wealthy governing individuals in the name of the queen and who answer to the queen, who in the time being was Queen Elizabeth II.) The Berlin decree forbade any country allied or dependant on France to trade with the British and the Irish. This move was implemented by Napoleon to destroy the United Kingdoms economy. However, this plan backfired. The only country’s economy which was affected by this plan was France itself. The British controlled the Atlantic trade. Consequently, the United Kingdom did not falter. Eventually countries began to break away from the Continental system, created by Napoleon, which consisted of all countries dependant or allied with France. This sequentially devastated France and led to Napoleon Bonaparte’s downfall.

On the website: http://www.salemwitchtrials.com/history/1800-1840.htm, it is stated:

“Berlin Decree, 1806: Was created in response to the Order in Council by the British, in which the French proclaimed a blockade of the British Isles, and any ship attempting to enter or leave a British port would be seized by France. The Decree was answered with another Order in Council, in which all ships must come to England for licenses of trade.”

The Berlin decree had a minimal effect on the United Kingdom’s economy due to some of Britain’s order in council which were laws created to mediate the problematic trade situation.

-Reuven Ilyayev

Anti-slavery Campaign in Britain

Slavery was around for thousands of years; a cheap and effective method of profit with little expense. In the late 1700s and early 1800s slave trade was a blooming business. European Countries sent their ships to Africa to trade cheap merchandise for humans. These men and women were treated horribly and kept in unlivable conditions while transported to their designated areas such as the American colonies for cheap labor on the plantations.
The first few movements were made against slavery, here stated in a quote from www.victorianweb.org/history/antislavery.html :
“In 1815 at the Congress of Vienna, European statesmen condemned slavery but nothing was done to improve the conditions of slaves. The campaign to abolish slavery continued in Britain. Wilberforce and his co-workers held meetings all over the country to try to persuade people that abolition should be supported. They discovered that many people were unaware of the horrors of slavery and that others were not interested in something which happened thousands of miles away.”
Little by little, slavery was slowly brought to an end.

-Reuven Ilyayev

1812 - Napolean Retreats from Moscow

"Napoleon maintained his army in the burned capital of Russia for five weeks in the hope of bringing Alexander to terms; finally on October 19th with winter setting in and his armies far from home he ordered a retreat from Moscow. His army was harassed throughout their retreat. Of his army of 600,000 less then 100,000 were left when they straggled across the Niemen River in the middle of December."
http://www.historycentral.com/dates/1810ad.html

Basically, the French went into Moscow hoping to burn it down and win the battle, but they were left in the middle of a harsh Russian winter, one they were not ready for. They had no food or proper supplies. This lead to the demise of many of Napoleon's soldiers. Most of them died, and the rest of them were forced to retreat back home.


This event made me think back to the story of Frankenstein. When Dr. Frankenstein's creation comes alive for the first time the doctor frantically runs out of his home. The French's unpreparedness for the harsh winter could symbolize the doctor's unpreparedness of the discovery that his creation started murdering the people who are very important to him. Dr. Frankenstein grew ill due to heartache and guilt as the French being unprepared lead to the soldier's demise in the year 1812.

Adrianna Sikula