“Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards,” Attorney General Eric Holder. I do believe that as a nation, we do steer away from controversial subjects as race, racism, and the old times of slavery. As a nation we have come a very good way from the past, slaves are no longer a part of everyday life, and for the most part there are equal opportunities, and laws for equal opportunities for anyone of all races, colors, and ethnic backgrounds. Through the years African Americans have been a target for slavery at the beginning of times to the still racial slurs people utter under their breaths. We as a nation need to come together as one and realize the considerable experiences African Americans have been through. In the late 1700's slaves were uprooted from their homes in West Africa, shackled and transported to the New World, where they were sold off. The conditions of the chambers where the African American slaves were held were deplorable, roomed with rats and given just enough food for survival. They endured physical and psychological trials from the European slave traders, who saw them as only a pretty penny. Many slaves did not make the full journey and died from smallpox. Coming forty-seven years or so later, a case was made against slavery and owning and selling the people of Africa by Edward Trelawny. Unfortunately, slaves
A valid point Howard Zinn wrote in A People's History of the United States was that African Americans were "ensnared" into American slavery for many reasons, those of which include desperate settlers, the helplessness of Africans outside their home country, the greed of colonists, the control against rebellion, and the consequences of black and white collaboration. I believe he makes a very valid point, for all his reasons have historical evidence to back them up.
In 1619, the first African Americans arrived in the colonies. Only a handful of survivors had outlasted a gruesome sea voyage. They had all been taken during a raid of a Spanish ship that was sailing for the Spanish West Indies. During the next few years, many African Americans were uprooted from their homelands and forced into slavery. They were unwillingly taken from their families and tribes, forced onto slave ships, and forced to endure cruel treatment at the hands of their captors. Many of the African American women were sexually assaulted during their time on the ship, and in many cases, it would not stop when they reached port. Upon their arrival in the colonies, the slaves that survived would be auctioned off or used for
Throughout the 1800’s, slavery was a very widespread and common thing in all of the United States. In Tennessee, though, there was a large amount involvement in slavery. Almost all the African Americans living in Tennessee were slaves, and about ¼ of all people living in Tennessee were slaves. Throughout the entire state of Tennessee there were more than 275,000 slaves, and they made up ¼ (25%) of the population. 25% of white families owned slaves, and while these families made a large portion of the population, most families owned a small number of slaves. There was one person in Tennessee who owned more than 300 slaves, 47 people owned more than 100 slaves, and more than ¾ of all slave masters held less than 10 slaves.
Slavery during the 18th century in the North and South became a part of the normal culture. In the North, having a slave was equivalent to having a household maid. In the South, having a slave was equivalent to a machine that did free labor for you. It is during this time, one was able to see the distinct difference in the way of life between the North and the South.
Epictetus, the great Greek philosopher once said, “only the educated are free.” Epictetus was born a slave in Greece, and gained his freedom as he acquired knowledge. To those who are oppressed by the chains of slavery, education is a rarity. To oppressors, keeping slaves ignorant is ideal. African-American social reformer, Frederick Douglass, experienced the bondage of slavery and the influence education held in regards to gaining his freedom. Education was a major force for social change with regard to to slavery and African-American rights.
In the late 1700s, most African Americans were enslaved and treated poorly, because of their skin color. By the 1800s, some African Americans were free, because they fled to towns that allowed them to be treated fairly or they bought their freedom. Although some African Americans were free they were treated like they were still enslaved. Free African Americans did not have any rights, so they were still being prohibited from many things that whites had the privilege to do freely. For instance, free African Americans could not own land and they could only live in certain areas. While whites could own land and live wherever they desired. Whites had laws that allowed them to be free and live without limitations, while African Americans had
The Europeans tried to enslave the Native Americans but found it to be very difficult as it was easy for them to escape and rejoin their tribes and in such a time, there were power in numbers. On the other hand, it was not so easy for Africans to escape and travel back to Africa, and if they did attempt to escape, the punishment in most cases was death. Slavery was profitable and the slaves were sustainable to the tobacco plantations. The African were physically able to work under harsh conditions and another key aspect is that although the African slaves were from Africa they came from different parts of Africa and were diverse in language and skills. The diversity especially in language made it hard for them to rebel. Since, they spoke different dialects it made it hard for them to communicate with each other, rebuttal, and more importantly made it hard for them to organize and to stage any form of rebellion.
Enslavement of African Americans was a common and legal practice in the United States from the 18th to the 19th century. Slavery of African Americans began in the American colonies when the British colonies in America bought slaves from Africa. It was a practice that was used as well as legal in all 13 colonies. It lasted in many states up until the end of the American Civil War. Slavery lasted longer in some states then it did in others. In the north slavery was abolished earlier then it was in the south. Reason being is in the south, there was more plantations and farms that needed tending to. Many young slaves were exposed to harsh conditions, having to pick cotton on farms or work in the plantations for their owners who treated them poorly.
Although it has been over 150 years since the abolishment of slavery in America, its effects are still present to this day. Racism lurks in the minds of many Americans whether they are aware of it or not. This negatively effects African Americans in many ways. An example of such is increased stress which leads to negative health outcomes in African Americans such as low birth weights, and low life expectancies. Since they have worse health outcomes compared to their racial counterparts, one would expect them to be seen by physicians more. However, they also have decreased access to healthcare because of these health disparities. In addition, once they are finally able to see the doctor, they again have to deal with racism. Although we as a society hold doctors to a higher value of expectations and morals, they are still average human beings. In consequence, they too can have unconscious racist bias towards their patients. This has been confirmed by numerous studies and could be why African Americans are less likely to go to the doctor when ill. For example, in a study done by Harvard University, it was found that African American patients with pneumonia were only 32% likely to receive an antibiotic within 6 hours of admission as opposed to 53% of other Medicare patients with pneumoniaINSERT SOURCES HERE. In a societal viewpoint, this issue must be addressed. We must find a way to decrease unconscious bias towards patients. One way this can be done is by having doctors
In an era where African-American slavery was a huge factor in Arkansas, a cotton rich state that used black peoples to supplement their income but forcing labor among those who considers lesser than a dog. While many held on to hope that, their life will become better after fighting alongside with a white citizen in expectation of being equal to each other. The sacrifice many African Americans made in the hope of their children can taste the forbidden fruit of equality. As a child of many ancestors who was sharecropper and tenant, heard many stories of the issue at hand. Arkansas among other southern state became the staple of the worldviews on hatred toward other ethnic. Therefore, in my opinion I think the slavery and integration dramatically
Manumission was one of the many hopes that African American slaves had during the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Manumission was not only a way to freedom for slaves, but also a way for many slaveholders to rid, of their older slaves who were no longer useful. To say that manumission was agreed upon all states and slave-owners would be an understatement. Not all states or slave-owners thought of manumission as being a good or equal trade for a slave’s duty of work. To many slave owners manumission was disfavored, but to many, including the slaves, manumission was an act of an individual doing what is right and just for another human being, for this many favored manumission.
African American veneration of elders did not begin in the new world but was transported by slave ships from Africa during the Middle Passage. Despite the many Africans who chose to acclimate to slavery to survive in the new world, there were many who held tight to their beliefs and traditions including ancestor worship. The values that have been passed down from generation to generation have focused on family, along with the emphasis on both children and elders in the African American community (Billingsley, 1992). From the onset of slavery in the United States, informal caregiving included fictive kin and has played a crucial role in the African American community as a response to racism, according to Sudarkasa (1996). During slavery in the
Slavery had also been present in New York from the earliest days of Dutch settlement. As their role expanded so did slavery in the city, 30 percent of its laborers were slaves. Most came from different cultures, spoke different languages, and practiced many regions. Slavery allowed different individuals who would never otherwise have encountered, their bond was not kinship, language, or even race, but the impressment of slavery. They eventually came together an created a cohesive culture and community that took many years, and it processed at different rates of speed in different regions.
The slaves from Africa were forced into unimaginable circumstances during the colonial American times, and because of this they were forced to change and adapt their culture and lifestyles extremely. This culture was mainly composed of Christian religion, resistance against slave owners, and their original tribal African culture. The slaves were quickly forced to adapt to these lives, yet they also still strove to retain their traditional African practices and customs. These horrible times also drove the slaves together, forming new communities and strengthening their importance of families. The Africans were forbidden to read or write, and thus responded to this trauma through the use of firm oral traditions. Many prayers, stories, and
During the war of Independence, the slaves of African descent were led in many different directions. British was promising to free them and were not fulfilling their end of the deal, “British was recognized as independent, yet they kept the salve-owning exclusive.” (Chasteen, 111); while in other places the slaves were being freed. In Brazil the emperor Pedro 11 freed his own slaves. Slaves of the African descent were said to know much more than other slaves, such as; they knew how to work with iron, they knew how to care and tend to farmlands and animals, overall, they had a lot of experience that they brought with them. Because of their worth the slave owners did not want give them up. Some of the slaves were even taught how to read and write,