The Ill Couple Of Slaves Separation Of Family

During the mid-1800s, it was challenging being a slave. Belonging to another human being instead of being free brought numerous hardships African Americans had to endure. It brought about unimaginable pain, frustration, disruption, and stress. In America, slavery was glorified, even though, families were separated and destroyed. Slavery made it tedious to have stability in families because of the effects it had on the African American people. After reading “How Affected African American Families” and “Narrative of Jenny Proctor,” slavery caused African American families to cope with separation, unfair marriage stipulations, horrible living condition, mistreatment and labor, and also the ending of slavery.

“The Autobiography of a Runaway Slave” revolves around the life of Esteban Montejo: who once set his life is the Caribbean island of Cuba; in which this story provides readers with another distinctive approach to teaching the lives of slavery. As the narration progresses through this writing, readers consequently have many opportunities to annotate how the abolition of slavery played a great role in his personal life. Evidently, whether it is intentional or unintentional, the narrator frequently mentions the ending of slavery, as he substantially detailed “…till slavery left Cuba,” (Barnet 38); “… I got to know all these people better after slavery was abolished,” (Barnet 58); and “It was after Abolition that the term ‘effeminate’ came into

Harris, Leslie M. In the Shadow of Slavery: African Americans in New York City, 1626-1863.

In Search of the Promised Land: A Slave Family In The Old South by John Hope Franklin and Loren Schweninger outlines a very unique African American family living in Nashville, TN accounting tales of the trials and tribulations that Sally Thomas, the mother, and her sons had to go through; and how in the end she accomplished her goal. The authors excellently executed the life of this family in an informational and intriguing text by explaining and comparing the different lives and classes of slaves back in that century through Sally and her son’s stories.The detail and the historical pictures in the text help give life and a sense of “realness” and credibility to the situations given to help breathe life into the story, making the story easier to understand and believe.

After the emancipation of slaves, many things changed throughout the south. The slaves had the title of freed people, but these freed people didn't have the same rights and privileges as their white counterparts. Even though the freed slaves were suppose to be able to live an equal life with the whites, the whites still found ways to keep the African-Americans from being equal with them on all levels. The whites imposed all kinds of hidden rules towards the blacks and the consequence of breaking those laws was death. The whites did not want the ex slaves to be equal and even after the white men's mistress failed at assuming the jobs of their ex slaves, the slave masters still didn't give blacks credit for being able to do the work that

The PBS Documentary Slavery by Another Name goes into detail describing one of America’s most disgraceful periods of time. In the video you can see photos and testimonies of people who once lived through the hardship of being an African American at that point in history. Families member tell the stories of their relatives. By doing so maybe it will impact the future generations.

Slave punishment was bad in both plantations and cities, but the punishment of slaves was relatively less severe in cities. Slave owners on plantations treated their slaves terribly. “Such abusive owners might whip their slaves dozens of times, creating extensive blistering on their victims’ backs” (McNeese 78-79). This quote is one piece of evidence that detailed the horrors and brutality slaves had to face. Slaves were never safe from punishment, especially if their owners were known for being cruel to slaves. When Douglass lived on the plantation he witnessed many horrific events at a young age. Douglass explains how even the most minute offenses can cause severe punishment. If a slave ate a piece of fruit that they were not supposed to then they were whipped. If they did not brush the horses in a certain direction then they were punished. If they snuck off of the plantation to see someone they loved then they were punished. Any offense, no matter how small, had an extremely severe punishment. Slave owners were known for being brutal, and Douglass' owner was no exception to that rule. When Douglass was a young child, he witnessed his aunt get whipped by their owner.

In Frederick Douglass’ Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Mr. Douglass gives many examples of cruelty towards slaves as he shows many reasons that could have been used to abolish slavery. Throughout the well-written narrative, Douglass uses examples from the severe whippings that took place constantly to a form of brainwashing by the slaveholders over the slaves describing the terrible conditions that the slaves were faced with in the south in the first half of the 1800’s. The purpose of this narrative was most likely to give others not affiliated with slaves an explicit view of what actually happened to the slaves physically, mentally, and emotionally to show the explicit importance of knowledge to the liberation

Although freemen were legally free and no longer slaves, they had certain laws that counteracted the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. While reading the article of “Former Slaves Seek to Reunite Their Families” many former slaves never seen their family since after being separated and sold. Some trials freemen faced after emancipation meant having no source of income and being separated from family members, never being able to see them again. In one of the ads, a husband is looking for his wife who was taken away from him while he was performing duties of a servant. He has no contact only that she was claimed property of Nicholas Wilkins. These ads are heartbreaking knowing that family members who were slaves are free, but have no source to

As a child Frederick Douglass was introduced to the acts of violence towards slaves including the beatings as too common amongst them. He mentioned “ I have often been awakened at the down of the day by the most heart-rendering shrieks of an own aunt of mine, whom he used to tie up to a joist, and whip upon her naked back till she was literally covered with blood”. The total disrespect by slaveholders towards the slave

If a slave were to try to show any emotion or try to stand up to their master, they would simply just be beaten or whipped. It was common for slave owners to rape and impregnate their female slaves. They would do this so that the number of slaves that they had on their plantations would increase. Frederick Douglass was an example of a slave whose father was his slave master. Douglass was separated from his mother at birth. Although he did see her a few times when she came running at night on foot. When Douglass found out about the death of his mother he stated that, “I received the tidings of her death with much the same emotions I should have probably felt at the death of a stranger”(Douglass 14). Not having a relationship with his mother shows how slaves are “made” since birth. When a slaveholder removes the child from his family at birth, this will destroy any bonds that the slave may of had with their family. On the other hand, if a slave does get to keep his family, it is not good for the slave owner. For example, most scenarios of slaves trying to escape slavery come from help from family. Separating a slave from his family at such a young age also creates the identity of a slave that his master puts forth for him. This identity is that the slave was born to do labor for his master. If the slave master is able to emotionally oppress the slave

Fittingly, they treated the slaves as if their family bonds were completely worthless – something they would never have imagined doing to a white man. This is illustrated through Douglass's relationship with his own mother, Harriet Bailey, whom he was separated from as an infant. As Douglass reminisced, "very little communication ever took place between us…I was not allowed to be present during her illness, at her death, or burial…I received the tidings of her death with much the same emotions I should have probably felt at the death of a stranger" (26). This passage depicts how the slaveholders became so convinced of the worthlessness of the slaves that they saw no reason to respect the vital bond between a mother and child. Consequently, the slaves' view of family fell askew. Although Douglass appeared to know that his mother was important and desired a relationship with her, her passing clearly did not ever sadden him. He also showed no affection for his brother and sisters, as he lacked the necessary interactions with them needed to form familial bondage. Additionally, slaveholders expressed extreme animosity towards the slave families by raping slave women, impregnating them, and then encouraging their white children to whip their half-black siblings. As a result of the dehumanizing behavior that slavery presents, slaves not only suffered and lost all of their freedoms, but also lost their entire family lives, which the slaveholders deemed necessary to

The daily life of a slave in North Carolina was incredibly difficult. Hard workers, especially those in the field, played from sunrise until sundown. Even small kids and the elderly were not exempt from these long work hours. Slaves were generally granted a day off on Sunday, and on infrequent holidays such as Christmas or the Fourth of July.

Imagine, if you will, rising earlier than the sun, eating a mere “snack”- lacking essentially all nutritional value - and trekking miles to toil in the unforgiving climate of the southern states, and laboring until the sun once again slipped under the horizon. Clad only in the rags your master provided (perhaps years ago), you begin walking in the dark the miles to your “home.” As described by the writers Jacob Stroyer and Josiah Henson, this “home” was actually a mere thatched roof, that you built with your own hands, held up by pathetic walls, over a dirt floor and you shared this tiny space with another family. Upon return to “home,” once again you eat the meager rations you were provided, and fall into bed

The dynamic of the relationships between slaves and their master was one which was designed to undermine and demean the slave. The master exercised complete authority and dominion over his slaves and