Devin Plascencia HST 2201 Enslavement may have functioned as the single-greatest contributing factor to the economic prosperity of the United States. Even so, enslaved Americans’ experiences were far from singular. Not only did enslaved experiences differ based on the demands of each cash crop – namely tobacco, rice, sugar, and cotton – but also based on the size of slaveholding residencies, urban or rural conditions, and the temperaments of individual enslavers. Historical eras also informed differing slave experiences. Making use of evidence from historians Peter Kolchin and Chandra Manning, I argue that the experiences of enslaved Americans differed between the antebellum period and the Civil War. I assert that one way enslaved African …show more content…
Slaves during the civil war saw their ability to act independently and autonomously rise dramatically due to the chaotic time period they found themselves in, while antebellum slaves often had far more restrictive, intrusive, and detailed systems in place to restrict their agency. In the antebellum, slave “autonomy was sharply circumsized” as close contact and operation between masters and slaves meant that “whites were impinged to an unusual degree on slave life”, and used this proximity to restrict the agency of their slaves (Kolchin, pg.118). Masters would often set up a long list of rules which “told them when to rise in the morning, when to go to the fields, when to break for meals, how long and how much to work”, along with a large catalog of other tasks, actions, and privileges which were enforced in brutal fashions (Kolchin pg. 118). In a stark shift from this time period, the civil war allowed slaves to act more autonomously and enact agency they previously had been limited in as both man and woman “took advantage of opportunities the war uncovered to gain freedom” (Manning, pg 109). Other examples of slaves enacting agency include when they would be caught “dressing themselves in their masters’ ‘best apparels’ and ‘valuables’”, an action unthinkable during the antebellum due to the close eye of the owners (Manning, pg. 109). Therefore, …show more content…
During the antebellum era, many enslaved Americans would undergo significant trauma and hardship as their family structures were subject to rapid and harsh separation due to slavery, however, the civil war differed from this as although this practice maintained its horrible grasp, slaves had the ability to potentially escape this once iron-gripped fate. It is undeniable that slavery caused the separation of many families, as “There were numerous occasions, by no means all involving sale, in which slaves were forcibly removed, either temporarily or permanently, from their loved ones” (Kolchin, pg. 125). Systems of selling or transporting slaves across plantation and state lines were commonplace, with “wrenching - and permanent - disruption of families” being a primary symptom of this common practice (Kolchin, pg. 125). Throughout this period, “about one first marriage in three was broken by forced separation and close to half of all children were separated from at least one parent.”, and though the Civil War did not eradicate this stain upon society, it did provide alleviation in some forms (Kolchin, pg. 126). As Union soldiers marched further south, “With their own eyes, soldiers saw slavery snap bonds between parents and children”, and many took deep within themselves a hatred of what tragedies they saw (Manning, pg. 49). This shifted the slave experience as it made maintaining the
This demonstrates that the slaves’ drive to “prove themselves a part of the human family,” which results from their enslavement, is stronger than their loyalty to each other (30). There is a natural fellowship among slaves, but the system of slavery, nevertheless, promotes disunity between
Small acts could trigger these authorities, and that would result in painful repercussions. They lived in constant anxiety, waiting for punishment for anything. The female slave was the object of white men’s lust. They were expected to perform work and were punished just the same as the male slave. They often had to deal with the mistress’s resentment towards them.
Finni Padgitt MC202 Petrie April 18th 2023 The Intersection of Gender and Slavery: Uncovering the Control Tactics Used Against Enslaved Women During the Civil War Slavery: the evil and barbaric institution that took place during the Civil War. For women, the horrors of slavery were particularly brutal, as they were subjected to unspeakable acts of violence, degradation, and exploitation. Black women were treated as commodities to male slave owners and objects of hatred and jealousy for female slave owners. They were stripped of their humanity, robbed of their freedom, and subjected to unimaginable pain and suffering.
That cheerful eye, under the influence of slavery, soon became red with rage; that voice, made all of sweet accord, changed to one of harsh and horrid discord…”( 47). After the effects of slavery had an impact on her, she had changed for the worse. The author's purpose in generating this profile was to prove that the system of slavery is skewed and to give examples of those in power who were corrupted. A once kind and loving woman, turned to a monster by simply owning one
Worse than Slavery, by David Oshinsky, is a novel about post-Civil War America, and the life it gave free African Americans in Mississippi and other parts of the South. Oshinsky writes about the strict laws and corrupt criminal justice system blacks faced after they were freed, and while the contents of the book are not typically read about in history textbooks, it is important to understand what life was like for the freedman. Anyone interested in reading his book would profit from it. With the end of the Civil War came the destruction of the old system of slavery. Many white Southerner’s were outraged, but were forced to accept the newly freed blacks.
Of all the aspects of history, the one that humankind would love to forget is the enslavement of one culture by another. Since the beginning of civilization, there has been slavery, but the suffrage of the African-American slave was different. Walter Johnson, Professor of American history at Harvard has authored an insightful explanation of slavery in the United States entitled “Soul by Soul: Life inside the Antebellum Slave Market”. Johnson focuses attention on the New Orleans slave trade market, providing a human element to this inhumane activity.
My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark that lingered about my eye died; the dark night of slavery closed in upon me; and behold a man transformed into a brute” (55)! On the contrary, there were masters who treated their slaves fairly. For example, John Pinney was a
Treating slaves as property affected slave owners mentally, but physically the consequence was endured by the slaves. Slave owners believed that an unmanageable slave was of no use to them as the slave owners believed that the slaves would be unhappy, “ He would at once become unmanageable, and of no value to his master. As to himself, it could do him no good, but great deal of harm. It would make him discontented and unhappy” (Pg 20). This mentality of power over the slaves created the need for slave owners to do harm to slaves in order to “protect” them.
From this, derives a bond with the reader that pushes their understanding of the evil nature of slavery that society deemed appropriate therefore enhancing their understanding of history. While only glossed over in most classroom settings of the twenty-first century, students often neglect the sad but true reality that the backbone of slavery, was the dehumanization of an entire race of people. To create a group of individuals known for their extreme oppression derived from slavery, required plantation owner’s of the South to constantly embedded certain values into the lives of their slaves. To talk back means to be whipped.
Introduction: During the 1800’s, Slavery was an immense problem in the United States. Slaves were people who were harshly forced to work against their will and were often deprived of their basic human rights. Forced marriages, child soldiers, and servants were all considered part of enslaved workers. As a consequence to the abolition people found guilty were severely punished by the law.