The White Men

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.

Good evening to everyone in attendance, today I intend to persuade you that the modern day struggles you may endure do not equate to the struggles of an African-American slave like myself during the American Revolutionary period. In the 1770’s, the colonies’ relationship with British monarchy became rotten after an abuse of power and resulted in the American Revolutionary War. I saw the war as a beacon of hope and an opportunity at freedom; unfortunately, while the colonists won, and though the founding fathers of this country advocated in the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal”, my status as a slave never changed. Although the American Revolution was able to reform much of the corrupt tyranny the British placed in North America, America’s newly founded government

Captivity narratives were popular with readers in both America and the European continent during the era of North and South American discovery and colonization. They related the experiences of whites being enslaved by Native Americans and of Africans being enslaved by whites. Two captivity narratives that were widely read during the time are A Narrative of the Capture and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson by Mary Rowlandson and The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano by Olaudah Equiano. They relate the experiences of a married white Puritan woman captured by Native Americans and an African boy captured for the American slave trade at a young age respectively. They were often used as propaganda, Europeans during this time created stereotypes for Native Americans as being cruel and warlike and helped whites to start to see the slavery of African-Americans as wrong. The two narratives are similar in the use of diction to describe each author’s fear of their captors. Further examination reveals several other similarities and differences in the purposes of the narratives as well as in the experiences, reactions, comforts, and views about religion of these two captives.

Despite its inception some 400 odd years ago, slavery continues to impact families of African descent. Al though forcibly taken to American shores with shack les and chains draped around them like garments, Africans retained some sense of family both mentally and spiritually. The familial bond which was present those 400 years ago still exists today. It is the tradi tional African family structure that is the baseline for the past, present and future black American family. It is therefore imperative that we examine this tradi tional structure.

Slavery’s dehumanizing restriction on slaves’ emotions and intellect is clear as Douglass explains the common practice of separating young children from their mothers to destroy slaves’ first account with affection.1 Douglass demonstrates, in this moment, that the fundamental practices of slavery are to restrict its victims understanding of love to create heartless, mindless laborers. This process begins by stripping innocent children from their mothers, as a means strip enslaved children of their humanity. Furthermore, the emotionally numbing nature of enslavement can be seen through Douglass learns of his mother’s death and is minimally afflicted by it.2 The very thought that a person could be left unmoved by their own mother's death is devastating, Fredrick Douglass's lack of

To what extent were African-American slaves “free” after the abolition of slavery by the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863? What challenges did they face after their emancipation? This is a subject of continued interest. History is rife with records of decades of untold torture and harrowing experiences. African-American slaves suffered at the hands of their captors and masters. They were denied all natural rights as human beings and forced to live like animals. A slave was viewed as one-third of a person and the property of their owner(s) and treated as objects, mere things. One would therefore assume that after their emancipation, life would become significantly better because the slaves were free to move away from

I am an African America child living. It is the summer of 1979 and I am incredibly hot right now. I live in Wyoming. There are not a lot of people who appear similar to me here. I talk to my mother plus ask her many questions. I remember asking her, “Why am I called an African American?” My mother went on to say that our race originated in Africa. After she explained this to me I asked her, “How did we get here?” She replied by explaining that we were first people sent here as early as 1619 (Robinson, 1999). My mother went on to explain to me that we were part of a slave trade. I learned that we were slaves until a law was passed to give us freedom. I occasionally wonder

Slavery has always been viewed as one of the most scandalous times in American history. It may seem that the entire institution of slavery has been categorized as white masters torturing defenseless African Americans. However, not every slave has encountered this experience. In this essay I will focus on the life of two former slaves Harriet Smith and Mr. George Johnson and how in some cases their experience were similar as well as different in other aspects. The negative aspects of slave life were unquestionably heinous and for that reason especially, it is also important to also reveal the lives of slaves whom were treated fairly and with respect.

Slavery was nothing more than a cruel Institution, that degraded the lives of many African Americans. Slavery was brutal and inhumane at its very. Although slavery has been abolished, many slaves have published narratives that vividly illustrate the abuse and maltreatment they have endured. Mary Prince, a west Indian slave was one out of many slaves to publish her narrative that recounts her life and sheds light on the barbarous ways in which she was treated. One can learn so much about African slavery in the Americas from reading Mary Princes Memoir.

The slaves recently brought from agricultural Africa to the industrialize jungles of America had small chances of effectively resisting enslavement enforced by the white men, who made technologies and social order work for them. The recognition of oneself as a slave and adaptation of the Western mode of living and thinking could take a while. It was not until then that a slave could accumulate enough knowledge and resources to dare stand up for himself. However, the historical accounts present a peculiar picture of the black slaves’ values and what they regarded as the major vice of slavery and, consequently as something worth fighting for. As soon as a black slave recovered from the shock of crossing the ocean into a different civilization, he tried hard to reunite with his friends and family.

Olaudah Equiano had a first glance of slavery when saw a ship on the coast of a sea. The first thing that entered his mind was fear of being eaten by these scary white men. When he got on the ship he was observed by British men, and right away he felt the bad spirits. He knew they were very different from his African people with long hair, lighter skin, and different languages. When he looked around the ship all he seen was a very large furnace with copper boiling, also with many other blacks chained together. Everyone he saw around him was very sad and scared, so he knew it wasn’t going to end good. Then he got a motionless feeling and fainted. When he woke up, it was nothing but blacks surrounding him; they started talking to him to make

With his article David M. Caletta, “Those White Guys Are Working for Me” (2007) analyzes the United States governments usage of selected and distinct American culture in foreign countries to influence political and economic relations at the height of the Cold War and the spread of communism starting in the 1950s. By focusing on Jazz with interracial bands overseas, as one of the many sponsored cultural programs, Caletta highlights the contrasting difference in racial relations with what represented U.S.prestige versus the divide and absence of civil rights politics that was realistically occurring on American soil. He intends to show how individuals such as Dizzy Gillespie became ‘Jazz Ambassadors,' would use their notoriety to promote a positive

I walked up the stairs from the cool basement and stood outside for five minutes in the humid Savannah air to clear my mind from becoming unnecessarily emotional about something that happened long ago. It’s not that I refused to transcribe the names or desire to keep this part of my family history hidden. My mind struggled to see history from an objective point of view since this document revealed the sins of my ancestors. America’s Human rights issues were no longer ingrained in my mind as something that occurred in the past. History became personal. I had to remind myself that I am not Willie Martin, Roswell King Jr., or John Maxwell. If investigations were made further on the family tree of humankind, one would ultimately find themselves to be descendants of the oppressed and the oppressor.

I. The white men have intentions opposite of those from Invisible Mans. IM is merely an entertainer or comedy act for the wealthy white men.

This specific story reminds me very much of words said seventy years ago when all hope seemed lost. When many believed it was time to raise the white