Slavery! Sometimes at the most random moments I sit in disbelief with the thought of how a whole race was oppressed, beaten, tortured, traumatized, dehumanized, ridiculed, raped, murdered, threatened, and denied their rights because of the color of their skin. Slavery is defined as a civil relationship whereby one person has absolute power over another and controls his life, liberty and fortune. I cannot fathom a time in American History where black people were not even considered human beings but chattel, 3/5th of a person this however was the reality for years. 1865 marked emancipation for slaves but the legacy of slavery haunts us to this day. Blacks on a socioeconomic level are not where they should be. We are struggling, and forced to thrive with poor living conditions in underdeveloped neighborhoods, inadequate school systems and low employment levels. Single parent homes are the norm in black communities, strong, resilient black mothers play both mommy and daddy while fathers run around refusing to take responsibility and are unfazed that they have a child without a dad in this world. During slavery the separation of the black family was the norm. Mothers taken away from their children, fathers taken away from their families, children sold off to other plantations without a trace...But before I jump to the legacy that slavery has left on the world, I want to address slavery from the beginning. Commencing from the beginning of the slave trade, whites went over to Africa to kidnap and enslave blacks. Their tactics were brutal and many Africans turned against their own people, with the assurance that they would not be sent to America. Africans were violently separated from their families, their village and the only culture they ever knew. They were shackled, sometimes together with hard, cold iron that was very uncomfortable and left unruly marks on their bodies. The slave capturers sought after Africans who were fit to work and were very strong. They were to have flawless bodies and they were to be healthy. These captives were placed in Slave Ships and journeyed through the Middle Passage. The Middle Passage was horrendous. Slaves packed on top of each other, for weeks and even months. Women raped, men emasculated and many suicides occurred. Slaves were not even allotted the necessary means to use the bathroom so they were forced to go in the same vicinity where they slept, ate and was surrounded by other slaves. The stench of the ship was reported to be vile. The middle passage was a living death, but this hell on earth was just the beginning. Once they reached America they endured eternal hardship for the rest of their lives. Slavery is unfathomable. Slaves were beaten, whipped, over worked, denied compensation, denied an education, malnutritioned, tortured, and overall oppressed. Women were raped by their slave masters regularly even though black and white relations were taboo. It was very common for black women slaves to be preyed upon by their slave masters especially the house slaves. The Black man's life was based upon emasculation during slavery because they could not come to the help of the victimized women; possibly because they couldn't help themselves. Blacks were denied the right to read and on some scales to practice religion or get married. After major rebellions like the one caused by Nat Turner, blacks attending church services were seen as a potential plot against slave masters etc. If a slave was caught reading or writing, they were whipped. An educated slave posed a threat to the white man. An educated slave knew that the institution of slavery was morally wrong and would try to rebel. White slave masters believed slaves should be content with their situation, hence the stereotypical "contented slave" ideology. Slaves ought to be grateful for the clothes on their backs, the shelter and food provided for their livelihood according to slave masters. However an educated slave would know how skewed this expectation was. Educated slaves would also have more of a chance to escape to freedom. Some slaves were so caught up in this idea of freedom because to them freedom meant starting their lives and gaining opportunities that were denied to them. Many slaves sought and found freedom, while others died dreaming of it. Another part of slavery that proved to be detrimental to the self-perception of all blacks until this day was the white man's clever ability to manipulate blacks to turn against each other. Many plantations deemed the darker hue slaves to work the fields while the lighter hue slaves worked in the house. The field slaves, woke up at dawn and didn't stop working until the sun went down. They were supervised by the overseer who whipped them if he witnessed any discrepancy. Slaves were given a scarce amount of food and clothing. Conversely house slaves were the domesticated slaves. They looked after the children, cooked meals, sewed and helped the slave master as well as his wife with all aspects of their lives. It is known that house slaves were preyed upon by their masters, subjected to rape more and scorned by the mistress. Some say slavery has perpetuated the idea of Colorism which reflects the conflict that many cultures and races including blacks have with skin color. Slavery has had many detrimental effects on society as a whole. Even though slavery ended in 1865 its legacy is strong and will live forever. We can never forget our ancestors who came before us and suffered the hardship of such a tumultuous institution. We can never forget the sacrifices they faced so we could be born on this earth free to be a human being and in control of our lives. Free to read, write and to attend college. Free to practice religion or get married to any race we want and free to be in charge of our own destiny, not a destiny of servitude predisposed for us.
Sources:Facts of Slavery comes from my accumulated knowledge of slavery throughout the years
Picture Credit:www.anunews.net/ blog/?p=10800 veteranstoday.com
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