Slavery in the American south - Essay Example

Slavery in the American south In the 18th and 19th century, slavery had taken its roots in the southern parts of America. The intensified slave activities resulted to increased documentation showing how people unequally treated due to differences in skin colour, nationality, and gender. The documentations by former slaves show how the whites were brutal to the blacks. There were increased disparities among the blacks economically, socially, and even culturally. The hard labour, restrictions on movement, and lack of freedom for worship led to the emergence of activist groups who demanded freedom and equality of blacks and whites (Turner-Sadler, 2009). This essay will discuss how former slaves like Richard Allen, Solomon Northup, Nat Turner, William Craft, Fredrick Douglas, Harriet Jacobs and others. Either they all lived during the period of slavery and are victims of slavery by loosing their relatives or they lost their lives in support for end in slavery. It will also discuss on the benefits of ending the slavery trading to enhance the welfare of individuals and to promote human rights and equality to the entire globe. In the North America, people forced to work and sold off as individual properties could not enjoy their rights of movement, expression, and worship. They never enjoyed their rights to get in touch with family members and some sold off as young children to work in hard labour and as sex workers. Most societies do not conform to slavery activities but in claims of debt bondage, and to work as child soldiers. Some people became slaves to compensate for loans that they were unable to pay. Some people forced to work for the benefit of Americans, and this prompted more record developers within America (Deyle, 2005). Fredrick Douglas a narrator describes how life as a slave denied him his rights and the remarkable contribution ha made in fighting for the freedom of fellow Blacks. He describes the lords and masters of Slavery in North America, how they acquired slaves from African states in the north like Mauritania and Lagos. Slaves bought in exchange of the American manufactured goods and transported along the Atlantic Ocean. African chiefs sold off their natives to earn wealth from the whites, and this triggered the activities by African to conquer the trading off their fellow blacks (Turner-Sadler, 2009). This reduced the populations in Africa and exposed Africans to threats of attacks by stronger kingdoms. Africans sold off to the whites, forced to work in the American plantations and production industries. Douglas explains that the increased demand for labour resulted to the need to acquire more slaves from Africa, and hence they resulted to new tactics of forcefully raiding African villages and capturing the natives. They faced a lot of resistance, hence did not invade the interior of Africa, and only attacked the areas close to the coast. In his article, he adds that, slaves acquired accomplished domestic chores and professional jobs that required training. Young virgins captured to work as sex workers and hence such inhuman actions resulted to the eruption of human rights for protecting the most vulnerable especially women and children. Slaves who got any forms of training would go back to their countries and take part in developing the African Economy (Deyle, 2005). However, those left back in Africa were not strong enough to produce enough agricultural products for their meals. They were also weak and not able to form strong armies for the defense of their kingdoms. This resulted to high mortality rates, and since the villages lacked enough men, women started performing hard labour previously done by men. The birth rates were also low and hence under population. The increased slave trading in South America did not value human rights and therefore African resisted against unfair treatments and the harsh working environments. They accomplished this best by developing activist groups and rebelling against some of the demands by the slave owners. Some like Fredrick Douglas slowed down on work or run away from the harsh treatment to show the lords that there was the need for better working terms and personal freedom. The slaves who run away formed revolutionary movements to abolish the slave trade. The bible also discouraged slavery because it does not respect individual human rights and individual’s equality is necessary. Slave narrations have emerged trying to describe the situation that the blacks survived during times of slavery in America. Some of the authors are individuals born in slavery and have presented their experiences in manuscripts, photographs, and prints. They include Richard Allen, Henry “Box” Brown, Henry Bibb, William Wells Brown, Ellen and William Craft, Frederick Douglass, Olaudah Equiano, Harriet Jacobs, Solomon Northup, Sojourner Truth, Nat Turner, Phillis Wheatley and other synonymous writers. These narrations drew the attention of the entire globe and hence pushed for freedom for the slaves and development of the Great Britain (Turner-Sadler, 2009). The literatures on slavery prompted anti-slavery meetings by the whites. Their experiences in slavery with revelations on the struggles and sorrows signaled the need for Africans to achieve their freedom. Other narrators such as William Wells Brown, Ellen, and William Craft contrasted the priorities that the whites enjoyed at the expense of the blacks. Growth of industries triggered forward by the easy accessibility of labour and the ready market in Africa. Most of the narrators including Henry Bibb, gives the story of their lives in slavery since childhood, the experience of separation from the family members and his struggles to get freedom for himself and other slaves. He described the hard duties they performed and some of the tricks for evading work including feigning sickness. Henry Brown, a narrator, was also born in slavery and his hard labour in the tobacco industry. In the quest for freedom, he escaped with assistance from a black shoemaker and a white friend. He moved to Philadelphia where he advocated for the antislavery movements. Richard Allen was not a slave, but a plantation owner in Philadelphia and a preacher spread the gospel against slavery and preached for equality of both whites and blacks (Turner-Sadler, 2009). Olaudah Equiano was an African slave traded from Nigeria who went into slavery as a young boy and subjected to hard labour of weeding and collecting stones. After a time of learning how to read and write and several years of advocating against slavery, he wrote a letter to the queen describing the cruelty of slavery and the need for its termination. Another narrator, a female traded off to slavery are Harriet Jacobs who describes the brutalities that women went through in slavery, the vulnerability of women, and the need freedom of expression by enhancing the literacy of women (Turner-Sadler, 2009). Another woman is Sojourner Truth who wrote an article describing the conditions that black women underwent in slavery. Such contributions pushed for the need of human rights and outstanding protection for women. Phillis Wheatley was also an also traded of in the slave market, and she expresses her experiences as a slave through poetry work which she developed from her hobby of reading. Her poems influenced the end of slavery and the poverty that blacks survived in slavery. Some dismissed her works while others gave a positive assessment to her works. Nat Turner led bloody rebellions against slavery, and he used satire to describe the ways through which America had prospered economically at the expense of humanity needs of their slaves. He explains that slaves are unable to do anything by their own and hence this triggered him to write articles against the whites, and he fought in revolutions against slavery. Others are synonymous writers who failed to disclose their identities due to the pressures from the whites. They wrote articles and publications in support for the end of slavery and criticizing the actions of the whites as inhuman. Others expressed their lives in slavery and the denial of human rights they went through. They also wrote articles describing how fellow activists died after brutal punishments by the whites (Turner-Sadler, 2009). The anonymous anti-slavery writers described how chiefs sold off their natives to the slave trade for personal wealth and the need for better leaders in Africa to cater for the needs of the people. The end of slavery achieved long after Africans took in unending war demanding their rights. The state had to come up with laws to protect slaves from the brutal treatments and the use of women forcefully as sex workers (Deyle, 2005). The increased activity by African narrators also enabled them to pass their opinion on slavery and the demands about their working conditions. The spread of such literature material and the pressures from activist groups forced President Lincoln to declare the freedom of slaves. To conclude, slave trade, initiated by the invention of machines increased demand for labour and hence Americans sought to acquire African slaves who were strong and disease resistant. This gave the states increased outcomes and increased production that favored the progress in the economy of America. Africans denied their rights, they had to forcefully demand for their freedom that acquired in 1865. References Deyle. S. (2005). Carry me back: The domestic slave trade in American life. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Turner-Sadler, J. (2009). African American History: An Introduction. New York: Peter Lang. Read More