Built Off Bindings

Both free and enslaved Africans were discriminated against in this time period but responded differently towards their challenges. African Americans found ways to cope with their situation one being religious gatherings (Doc D). They sang old traditional African songs and danced. By doing so, they can forget about life troubles for a moment and give themselves a sense of hope that someday they would by free. Some slaves where more violent than other and began rebellions against their white owners. The use of rebellion was inspired to them by the Bible and that God was pleading for their cause with earnestness and zeal (Doc G). Slaves who caused mischief was relocated deeper south where the treatment and condition was even worse. The Fugitive Slave Law forced the North to send back any slaves who escaped to the North in return for a reward. Slaves who tried to escape to the North were also relocated. By relocating them, the chances of escape decreased for them. Even

He notes that, the slavery institution made them forget about their origin, and anything else that entails their past, and even when they were born. The slaves forgot everything about their families, and none knew about their family because, they were torn from them without any warning. Douglass explains how they went without food, clothing and even sleep because their masters were cruel to them. American slavery took advantage of black laborers as they were beaten mercilessly without committing any offense. They were not treated as human beings, but as property that could be manipulated in any way. The slavery institution was harsh for the Africans especially women who were regularly raped, and forced to bear their masters children and if they declined, they were maimed or killed.

During a most dark and dismal time in our nations history, we find that the Africans who endured horrible circumstances during slavery, found ways of peace and hope in their religious beliefs. During slavery, African's where able to survive unbearable conditions by focusing on their spirituality.

Family dynamics across all races are complex. For the state of the black family is made even more complicated by a history rooted in slavery. Fractured families were born out of a system where husbands were taken away, jailed or killed, leaving the family weakened with a mother and/or grandmother at the helm. While these historical facts may be true; that the black family is weak, can be argued. Yet, the family for many in the black community and other communities of color extend to include a large number of kin. On the other hand, it can also be argued that since families were ripped apart during the slave trade it created an opportunity for setting up networks of support and family units to include members who may not be blood related. You often hear black people refer to an elder as “aunt” or “uncle” these networks were put in place as protective factors in the event that parents were sold there was an assurance that someone would care for the children. To an extent this behavior continues to this day as we see many fathers sentenced to long jail terms for petty crimes or killed. The family structure makeup may be a blood relative and it may also be kin of another kind. LaShawnDa Pittman discusses how these factors shape the African-American family and how slavery impacted the role of the mother and father within the family system. During slavery there wasn’t any possibility of childhood. Children were socialized to begin work at the age of

Family and community are immensely important in Incidents. Even with the tendency of some slaves to fall prey to rage, depression, or slumber, many were able to sustain due to the immense support of their family and others in the black community. Family, friends and neighbors gave love, compassion, material care, helped in eluding or hiding. They were able to instill in each other a strong sense of acceptance and signification. They may have been denied the conventional

How did slavery continue to exist despite its inhumane practices? Many of these owners employed the ideas of dehumanizing slaves and religion in order to perpetuate their actions. Dehumanization demoted the societal status of slaves, therefore deeming blacks inferior to their white counterparts. Moreover, although directly opposing religious principles of kindness and avoidance of sin, plantation owners used Christianity as a mechanism to mask their inhumanity and encourage their cruelty toward slaves. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass develops themes of dehumanization and religion, which helps readers understand the techniques slave owners utilized to alleviate their guilt, condone malice toward slaves, and preserve supremacy over colored people in Southern society.

There are many things that shaped the experience of enslaved people. One of the main forces that caused slavery to be so common was the simple fact that there were no laws to control or prohibit slavery. For many farms and industries, having slaves was very profitable because once the farm or company was done with the slave, they could resell them. It is also the simple fact that slaves were free labor. Bacon's Rebellion in 1676 also changed the lives of many enslaved people. Bacon had promised freedom to anyone who joined his army. However, this promise was short lived. In ore to avoid anymore outbursts or rebellions of the former slaves, the Virginia authorities pushed the slaves whom would never again be "free" to the tobacco fields and

Whether it’s the racist talk, the physical or psychological abuse, or the unnecessary abusiveness, every slave was to receive

Slavery is a stain in the history of the United States that will always be particularly remembered for the cruelty it exhibited. Up until 1865 slaves were imported in shiploads and treated as if they were merely cattle. On the farms slaves were given no mercy and had to work long, arduous days for nothing. Additionally they were often subject to cruel overseers who would beat and whip them on a regular basis. As brutal and destructive as the institution of slavery was, slaves were not defenseless victims. Through their families, and religion, as well as more direct forms of resistance, Africans-Americans resisted the debilitating effects of slavery and created a vital culture supportive of human dignity.

Some slaves resisted by stealing tobacco, food or money anything they could take from their masters. Slaves resisted by rebelling they would even run away whatever they feel they can do to resist. Working slaves would break the machines at work to slow down the lines. Anything to mess the production up that day of work. The way the slaves communicated they developed a family system. The family system was to make sure that any child slave that was sold had family not just blood relatives.The slaves also communicated through encouragement and religion. The prayers the slaves did was to be freed from slavery.Slaves would spend time with their families to cope with the pain that they endured. (Holt and Brown, 2000)

Examination of the Slave Experience Most African Americans of the early to mid-nineteenth century experienced slavery on plantations similar to the experiences described by Frederick Douglass; the majority of slaves lived on units owned by planters who had twenty or more slaves. The planters and the white masters of these agrarian communities sought to ensure their personal safety and the profitability of their enterprises by using all the tactics-physical and psychological-at their command to make slaves obedient. Even Christianity was manipulated in a way that masters communicated to their slaves that God had commanded them to obey their masters. Hence, by word and deed whites tried to convince

The slave’s life depended on their owners. Most owners treated their slaves well by making sure they had decent food, clean houses, and warm clothes to wear. Other planters spent little time caring about these things. They were determining to get the most work possible from their slaves. Slaves worked from sunup to sundown, at least sixteen hours a day. They sometimes suffered whippings and other cruel punishments. Owners thought of them as valuable property, that way the owners wanted to keep their human property healthy and as productive as they can. Keeping slaves families together was very difficult to do because slaves were considered as

By this stage, slave owners had begun to realise that the only way to control slaves was by using violence and threats. A new culture had been introduced: one of black inferiority and white superiority. Many white plantation owners used extreme violence to make their slaves work, as they had no other means with which to control them. They could not reward the slaves by decreasing their length of servitude; the slaves were used for life, and their monetary value was too great for the plantation owners to reprieve them. However, sometimes the violence became so extreme that the slaves died, which decreased the plantation's profit. This use of violence extended to rape of black women and children, mutilation and branding. Rape of slaves produced an inter-race community, although this was violently unstable due to the racial and social discrimination present at that time. The plantation masters branded their slaves so that if they escaped, they would have a mark to show they were fugitive slaves. Families were often split up, to weaken the individual's spirit, and thus their confidence and urge to rebel decreased. The slave owner's greatest fear was of the slaves rebelling, so this method of weakening their reserves of energy and will was found to be effective. The plantation

Slaves were maimed and sometimes killed for practicing certain forms of their culture. Punishment of slaves was usually carried out for these offences, because the planter was intimidated by these practices, knowing that the slaves could start a revolt at any time.

During the Pre Civil War Era (1840’s), slavery of African American people was already existed. Throughout the country the concept of slavery was widespread to every state, but primarily slavery was located in the South. They were enslaved on farms, large plantation, inside homes, out in the fields, industry, transportation. These people are considered as a property, they were forced to be slaves because they were black. These slaves were forced to be property using violence and threat. The most common threat is that the slaves will be separated from their family, murdered or even put into an auction. Slaves were often followed by the constant fear of being sold to other masters. Majority of slaves in South worked and lived in cotton plantation where it employs number of slaves, possible hundred. The master didn’t provide decent bedding and clothing, they usually sleep in a barn that was non resistance to bad weather condition and diseases. The slaves that worked in plantation are easily prone to sickness due to the blistering heat, unsanitary condition, insufficient nutrition, lack of rest since they were constantly forced to work even when they are