Essay Slavery: Negated Familial Ties

Living with the perpetual possibility of being separated from family was stressful and overwhelming. Slaves were sold to other plantation owners for various reasons. It could be to clear debt or because the former owners died or moved away. Slave owners did not care about separating families no matter how much the mother would beg and plead for her children or children crying because their mother is sold. This made it challenging for families to be stable because they could be separated at any moment. Although it was difficult for slaves to cope with the separation, some lived in nuclear families where the father would belong to one plantation and his family would belong to another, but the father would only have the chance to see his family on Wednesday nights and

Slave as defined by the dictionary means that a slave is a person who is the property of and wholly subject to another; a bond servant. So why is it that every time you go and visit a historical place like the Hampton-Preston mansion in Columbia South Carolina, the Lowell Factory where the mill girls work in Massachusetts or the Old town of Williamsburg Virginia they only talk about the good things that happened at these place, like such things as who owned them, who worked them, how they were financed and what life was like for the owners. They never talk about the background information of the lower level people like the slaves or servants who helped take care and run these places behind the scenes.

     Slavery caused a great impact in the evolution of history. Slavery was the cause of many wars and disruptions along the time line that dates to the present twenty--first century. People of color were deprived of having a life of their own and going about normal ways because of the greed that consumed society. The role of slavery in society attributed to the desperation and anger the slaves felt and lead them to strike against their owners in many occasions. Despite the threats and the unfair treatment, many people of color retaliated and firmly stood up for their rights as equal human beings. It was absurd how society based their government on religion at one point and still managed to dispossess people of

Slaves were considered property, not as human beings, and were bought and sold as commodities. They were often listed in sales along with corn and land (document 5) and were leased and sold openly from slave dealer’s places of business where human beings were kept in a “slave pen” prior to sale. Inhumane punishment, such as severe and cruel whippings were inflicted on slaves for any minor infraction, often in public view. (document 2) The harshness of these beatings

Europeans, after the rise of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, vindicated the enslaving of Africans by depending on religious authority because they supposedly followed God’s will (notes). According to Pope Nicholas V, the African enslavement has helped the Catholic Church (source A). In a 1455 letter, he wrote, “... A large number of these have been converted to the Catholic faith…” (source A). The quote suggests the pontiff held a positive outlook on slavery, but he only supported it for the conversion of the slaves (notes). Over 100 years later, a letter surfaced from Jesuit Brother Luis Bandaon to Father Sandoval that read he and other educated Fathers from Brazil support slavery for the purpose of more conversions and labor (source B and

Between 1775 and 1830, in many places African Americans gained their freedom from slavery and in others, the institution of slavery expanded. Eventually, slavery became abundant in places where it was most necessary and died out in the places where it was of little use. In response, most free African Americans and enslaved African Americans took action against their maltreatment by petitions and willingness to fight.

There were many things that were going on during the seventeen century. That was also one major thing that had shaped the aspect of the south and the southern colonies. The major thing was slavery. Slavery was work being done by not getting paid, and being forced to do the work. Slaves where being miss treated and it was unfair, it made the population sky raise, and it cause there to be two different agricultural zones.

Introduction Background – slave/enslaved So what is a slave? When looking up definitions of a slave, words like “device”, “owned” and “property” will show up (cite). These are all words that could be used to describe an object or a thing, and most importantly something that is non-human. This being the case, the word “slave” emphasizes that the people who were called slaves were not human.

Slavery had an immense impact on African American families, as the familial dynamic of the African American family was in many ways responsible for the stereotypes surrounding black families in the present moment. Not only were families the sole property of their slave owner, but there were laws restricting their rights and privileges. However, despite the fact that the African American slave family existed in a perpetually tumultuous state, there were cohesive slave families, but they faced many struggles and challenges. In particular, black women were faced with incredible hardships with regard to sustaining the familial structure. This paper explores aspects of the African American family structure during slavery, considering the effect that slavery had on black women. The legacy of slavery in the present moment is also considered, in addition to whether slavery continues to exist.

When reading Slavery and Social Death the author, Orlando Patterson, unfolds the dimensions of honour in slaveholding societies. According to Patterson, a slave is, as he refers to it, “socially dead”—the status of limbo in society, where-in-which one has no claims, nor the ability to make any such claims. Building off of this assumption, Patterson explains how in all slave societies, slaves were degraded persons, where by being under ones command is the essential loss of honor; the essential essence of honor is personal autonomy (which a slave does not have). Understanding the notion of the slave’s position adds confusion once Patterson introduces the idea that a slave is an outlet for the slave-owners honour, where ones consciousness, i.e. the masters, is mediated through the consciousness of the other, in this case the slave. The problem lies in Patterson’s assumption that an action by a slave is a reflection of the masters will.

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

“SLAVERY was abolished 150 years ago, right? While it is true that slavery is illegal almost everywhere on earth, the fact is there are more slaves today than there ever were…” Despite the grim reality described in this quote, I believe Robert Alan successfully undermines a common misconception held by Americans, both young and old. Although we are brought up thinking that Abraham Lincoln with his Emancipation Proclamation along with the Civil War Amendments brought an end to the enemy known as slavery, in today’s society, however, that is sadly not the case. The harsh reality is that this problem never truly

The narrative begins with the tale of Jacob’s childhood. She tells tales of a childhood oblivious to slavery being allowed to enjoy the pleasures of child’s play. Her mother died when she was six years old and was left under the mastership of her white foster sister. On her deathbed, her mother’s white sister promised to protect her slave sister’s children. While, this was true during her lifetime, upon her death, Jacob’s expected that she would be freed. Jacob’s first painful realization that despite what appeared to be a good relationship, her mistress viewed her as a slave and did not free but bequeathed her to her five year old niece. From this point Jacob’s has a new master and mistress .

     Slavery in America stems well back to when the new world was first discovered and was led by the country to start the African Slave Trade-Portugal. The African Slave Trade was first exploited for plantations

The slave masters did not care whether their children or relatives were undergoing the harsh conditions of slavery. It is believed that Douglass’ father owned the slaves, “the opinion was whispered that my master was my father; but of the correctness of this opinion I know nothing.... My mother and I were separated when I was but an infant” (p 10). Slave masters use totalitarianism as a means of monitoring their subjects. The slaves are required to behave in a particular manner when they are interacting with their masters. Slaves themselves encounter cruel interaction among their peers and slave holders. Slave masters administer fears among the slaves, since this is what keeps them going. When they speak the truth, they are penalized by their owners.