Slave Narrative Project Essay

Perhaps one of the strongest elements of slavery is honor. Honor has had a wide range of impact in history, whether it was shaping major dynasties and hierarchies, deciding an individuals’ role in society, or family ties and marriages. This sense of worth, high esteem, or virtue was also manipulated by slave masters in order to control their slaves. “The slave could have no honor because of the origin of his status, the indignity and all-pervasiveness of his indebtedness, his absence of any independent social existence, but most of all because he was without power except through another” (p 6). This element is not just a physical force, such as coercive power, which one can heal and

The different treatments slaves received from their masters may have been caused by the different environments they were living in. After moving from the country to Baltimore, Douglass observed that slaves living in urban surroundings were treated differently from slaves living on plantations. Douglass notices that “a city slave is almost a freeman, compared with a slave on the plantation. He is much better fed and clothed, and enjoys privileges altogether unknown to the slave on the plantation” (Douglass 32). These differences can be seen through the experiences of George Womble and Douglass. Mr. Womble, a slave who lived on a plantation in Clinton, Georgia, says that “slaves on the Womble plantation were treated more like animals rather than like humans” (Womble 12). Children ate from a trough and shared meals with the animals, and his master would whip slaves “just to give himself a little fun” (Womble 2). Slaves were also punished unjustly. For instance, when he was sent off to complete an errand, Mr. Womble “stopped to eat some persimmons [instead]…of returning immediately” (Womble 13). As a result, his master “started beating him on the head with a wagon spoke” until “his head was covered with knots the size of hen eggs and blood was flowing from each of them” (Womble 13). This brutal treatment would not be accepted in the city. In urban areas, masters have “a sense of shame that does much to curb and check those outbreaks of atrocious cruelty so commonly enacted

Slaves that are owned could, depending on whom their masters are, have a decidedly better life than others that are like them. In Uncle Tom’s Cabin, it is noted that southern slave masters were often much more cruel

The slaves work in the field ceased at sunset, but this only began their second shift. All slaves had some form of chore they were responsible for, whether feeding the animals or cutting wood; conversely, when they get to retreat to their lavish cabins, the plantation hands proceeded to kindle their fire, ground corn mean in a small hand-mill and prep their food for their next day of leisurely field work. There was no rest for the weary. The women were forced into sexual submissions by their masters. The riches do not end there; there is more, Berlin describes the demeanor of the slaves in their submissions, “slaves learned to lower their eyes, take off their hats, and bare their heads in front of a white man – the “down-cast eyes and uncovered head – in the attitude and language of a slave.” Southern slaveholders in the 19th century were completely delusional...The claim, that their slaves were treated superior, was merely to ease their own subconscious; moreover, they presumed that this mentality would give them a chance to hide behind false pretenses, then maybe, the rest of the world would not get a glimpse into their sick and demented ways. However, slaveholders trying to persuade society of this mindset, are nothing more than awful jesters that are not

During the early developments of America, multiple states instituted the practice of owning African-Americans and using them as slaves. Surprisingly, this form of slavery was not only present in the Southern states, but also in the Northern too. Plantation owners from all over found their use in owning slaves, and were even shown taking advantage of the practice. By having ownership of slaves, it often contributed in farming production on plantations and also became useful when it came to voting. Unfortunately, though, the practice was abused by many plantation owners. When looking back at the many accounts written at the time, there seems to be a pattern of how the slaves were treated. Furthermore, the accounts additionally revealed problems that not only existed in the south, but also in the north too. Therefore, by using an account of a traveler visiting America and a plantation owner who owned slaves, it’s able to understood on how the slaves were actually treated within society. These two sources not only reveal a problem amongst the owners, but also reveal a side of the North that many did not know.

Can a slave make a difference? How about if this slave was not allowed an education?

Frederick L. Olmsted’s journeys throughout the American South during the mid-1950’s gives readers an inside “scoop” on what living conditions were like for many slaves during the pre-Civil War years as they labored on various cotton, sugar, and rice plantations. His personal accounts and impressions of the slave system across the southern states – from Virginia to Texas - are well documented in a collection of his journals, “The Cotton Kingdom.” Much of the Northern population, as well as Olmsted, had a preconceived idea of how slaves lived and were treated in the South. After spending time on several plantations, farms, and homes of Southerners from all classes, and interviewing travelers, plantation owners, overseers, and even the slaves themselves, his perceptions, to some degree, changed. Olmsted’s observations and writings as a journalist for the New York Daily Times document some of his personal views of various participants within the slavery system in the Southern United States.

Chapter 3 contains the aftermath of the ending of slavery in Washington and Turnage's lives and how they proceeded their lives as the "first freed". Of course, being in charge of their own lives a lot of responsibility came along especially since they had families to care for. For example, finding shelter in safe grounds, and feeding themselves.

The structure of slave narratives in the antebellum usually began with information about slave’s birth and childhood to establish an identity and to prove to the readers that they were normal human beings, but

During the times of slavery many people opposed the thought of forcing someone to do everything they say, to own someone. They believed in the freedom of others and to treat everyone equally. There were many abolitionists and slave narratives who wanted their side of the story to be heard. Aunt Harriet Smith was a black woman from Homestead Texas and Aunt Phoebe Boyd from Dunnsville Virginia, both slave narratives.

Whites have longed argued that slavery was good for slaves because it civilized them and that slaves were content to be held in bondage. But such is not the case, at least not according to those who were actually held in bondage. The accounts of slavery are greatly known by emancipated or run away slaves. One recorded account of slavery is by Solomon B. Northup's autobiography, Twelve Years a Slave which was published in 1853.

Slave narratives carry a huge importance in American history, because without them we would not be able to understand the extent of what slave owners went to with their “property”. The slave narrative is defined

In the documentary of “Readings from the Slave Narratives”, I learned a lot of new things. Some of the things that I learned was when the slave's’ owner using bible to support their reasons. For instance, when the slave’s owner said that if the slaves work hard and do what everything, they would go to heaven. I found it this real odd because someone that follow what the bible says would never hurt someone else. The next thing that I learned was when the slaves would get only one pair of the shoe a year. This was very sad to me, because in the winter when their shoe is worn out, they would have to walk barefooted. When they walked in the snow, their food would bleed from the coldness. Also, they worked very hard, and some of them slept

Slave narratives proved that, despite the probabilities, many slaves managed to escape their humiliation and learned how to read and write. After escaping their captivity and making contacts with abolitionists, they were able to tell their story to others. When the abolitionist movement identified ex-slaves were interested in publishing their stories, white editors followed narratives to the dictates of nineteenth century emotional literature in order to appeal to audiences nationwide. Publishers and editors fortified themes that shocked the nation.

As far as history has shown, there were two types of slave owners’ wives: those who were kind to the slaves and those who were rude. Some women, like Mrs. Bachelor, found themselves drawn to protect the slave girls their husbands would take advantage of. Throughout Louisa’s time with Mr. Cook, Mrs. Bachelor was good and kind to Louisa; Louisa even referred to her as “the best friend [she] had in some time” (Picquet, 6). However, Mrs. Bachelor’s kindness could only go so far. As Mr. Cook continued to ask Louisa to do him favors and come to his room at night, Louisa continued to tell Mrs. Bachelor every time; the more Mr. Cook asked,