Asia Johnson

Prof. Kozel

Hist 1062 *13

5/10/18

Fatell

The civilization I have created is called Fatell. It was founded in the 1800s around the

time of Hammurabi. The name originated from a slave’s last name. He dreamed of a civilization

built on freedom and equality. In this civilization, I am the queen. I rule using the concepts of a

constitutional monarch. The religion that I follow is Christianity, however, I am tolerant and

allow my people to worship their own gods. In this essay, I will cover three main topics

concerning Fatell: slavery, crime, and colonization. These three topics are a huge part as to why

Fatell is as peaceful of a civilization as it is.

The first topic that will be discussed is slavery and why it is wrong. From the beginning,

slavery has been illegal in Fatell. It goes against the type of environment and system that is

strived for in Fatell. A huge problem with slavery is that it deprives humans of their basic rights.

The most obvious loss is their freedom from slavery. Others include their right to equality, life

liberty and personal security, freedom from discrimination, torture and degrading treatment.1

There was a method of securing more slaves called indenturing.2 This method began being used

1
“The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Abbreviated).” Edited by Nancy Flowers, Human Rights Here and
Now, hrlibrary.umn.edu/edumat/hreduseries/hereandnow/Part-5/8_udhr-abbr.htm.
2
Aronson, Marc and Budhos, Marina, Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and
Science, (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015) 102-104.
in 1823 in British Guyana. They would fool innocent people into following them to a destination

with the promise of good work with fair wage. They brought them to sugar fields and would

have them work inhumane hours, normally longer shifts then what they were payed for. Their

masters would have them work for “as long as the sun was out.3” They would only receive 24

cents a day and were docked 8 cents each week for rations. Indentured work was slightly

different from typically slavery in that the workers were not whipped or shackled. They still were

not identified as humans equal to their masters and treated miserably. Harriet Jacobs was a girl

who worked as a slave most of her life. She wrote a testimony of her experiences with her

masters and how she was able to survive these experiences. This is one of the first accounts of

slavery for woman.4 She was born a slave in North Carolina under a man named Dr. Flint. She

spoke of her master as a “vile monster” constantly trying to defile her innocence. She was

threatened constantly but never harmed because Dr. Flint forbade it. She escaped his grasps only

by the protection of her grandmother. The wife of her master held some hatred for Harriet

because of her husband’s disgusting lust for her. She, in turn, became the one to protect Harriet

from Dr. Flint’s grasp until her escape in 1842.4 In my society, I want everyone to be identified

as equal and to be treated as such.

My next topic is crime and how it will be dealt with. I would like to model my rule and

how I handle crime after Cyrus the Great. Cyrus showed his people a lot of tolerance during his

rule. He allowed them to worship their own gods, keep their satraps (governments) and language.

His people saw him more as a liberator than a conqueror when he took over Babylon.5 He made

3
Aronson, Marc and Budhos, Marina, Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and
Science, (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015) 108.
4
Kevin Reilly, Worlds of History, A Comparative Reader, (Bedford/St. Martin’s, Boston, MA, 2016), 325-330
5
Hirad Abtahi, REFLECTIONS ON THE AMBIGUOUS UNIVERSALITY OF HUMAN RIGHTS: CYRUS THE GREAT’S
PROCLAMATION AS A CHALLENGE TO THE ATHENIAN DEMOCRACY’S PERCEIVED MONOPOLY ON HUMAN RIGHTS,
4/4/2008, http://www.law.du.edu/documents/djilp/36No1/Reflections-Ambiguous-Universality-Human-Rights-
Cyrus-Great-Proclomation-Challenge-Athenian.pdf, (accessed 5/10/2018) 9.
their lives better by doing so in giving freedom to the slaves and allowing the people to have a

say. He returned their private properties to them and repaired the temples that were destroyed.

He gave and reestablished peace. When dealing with crime, he was not such rash to use a death

sentence or physical punishment. Like this, I want the people of Fatell to have a fair trial

involving their crimes and I want the people to have a say in how it is dealt with. This I find

contrary to Hammurabi’s code. His punishments were extremely strict and harsh. They often led

to death. He had two chief principles: one, “life for life, eye for eye.” Two, “one crime, one

punishment.6” These two principles sum up most of Hammurabi’s codes. His codes were seen as

the divine supremacy and will of God.7 Though I agree with having a punishment for crime, I do

not see a need for extremely rash punishments.

The last topic I would like to touch on is colonization. This is the act of making or

establishing a colony.8 Fatell is filled with many emancipated slaves who colonized for a better

life. Here, they have learned to adjust to the land and survive through hard work and synergy.

Like the people of New Guinea, Fatell’s people do not have a lot of valuables (or cargo as the

New Guineans called it) as the “white people.9” This was a question Yali asked Jared Diamond,

who went on an exploration to find out this answer along with other regarding colonization.

Colonization can result for many different reasons. Some include the need for better soil and

land, and more space for population growth. For my people, this was a fresh start to their lives as

freed slaves and because of their experience, it was not hard for them to adjust to living this way.

6
Prince, J. Dyneley. "The Code of Hammurabi." The American Journal of Theology 8, no. 3 (1904): 601-09.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3153895, 607
7
Prince, J. Dyneley. "The Code of Hammurabi." The American Journal of Theology 8, no. 3 (1904): 601-09.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3153895, 603
8
"colonization, n.". OED Online. March 2018. Oxford University Press. http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/36538?
redirectedFrom=colonization (accessed May 11, 2018).
9
Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel, The Fates of Human Societies, W.W. Norton and Company, (New York,
NY, 1999) 14
 I believe my people will be happy in this civilization. No society will ever be perfect, and

rulers will always make mistakes. Some civilians may even choose not to respect or follow their

leaders and that is their choice to make. The main important point that should be understood

when it comes to civilizations is the need for basic human rights and a fair system in place for

order that respects everyone equally. This is easier said than done but is possible to be

accomplished.
Bibliography
“The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Abbreviated).” Edited by Nancy Flowers, Human
Rights Here and Now, hrlibrary.umn.edu/edumat/hreduseries/hereandnow/Part-5/8_udhr-
abbr.htm.
2
Aronson, Marc and Budhos, Marina, Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice,
Slavery, Freedom, and Science, (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015) 102-104.
3
Aronson, Marc and Budhos, Marina, Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice,
Slavery, Freedom, and Science, (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015) 108.

4
Kevin Reilly, Worlds of History, A Comparative Reader, (Bedford/St. Martin’s, Boston, MA,
2016), 325-330

5
Hirad Abtahi, REFLECTIONS ON THE AMBIGUOUS UNIVERSALITY OF HUMAN RIGHTS:
CYRUS THE GREAT’S PROCLAMATION AS A CHALLENGE TO THE ATHENIAN
DEMOCRACY’S PERCEIVED MONOPOLY ON HUMAN RIGHTS, 4/4/2008,
http://www.law.du.edu/documents/djilp/36No1/Reflections-Ambiguous-Universality-Human-
Rights-Cyrus-Great-Proclomation-Challenge-Athenian.pdf, (accessed 5/10/2018) 9.
6
Prince, J. Dyneley. "The Code of Hammurabi." The American Journal of Theology 8, no. 3
(1904): 601-09. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3153895, 607
7
Prince, J. Dyneley. "The Code of Hammurabi." The American Journal of Theology 8, no. 3
(1904): 601-09. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3153895, 603
8
"colonization, n.". OED Online. March 2018. Oxford University Press.
http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/36538?redirectedFrom=colonization (accessed May 11, 2018).

9
Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel, The Fates of Human Societies, W.W. Norton and
Company, (New York, NY, 1999) 14