Misconceptions of the Holocaust of Enslavement - Essay Example

Another misconception relates to the assumption that no African influence exists in the current culture of African Americans. Alexander and Rucker refute the misconception by stating that “many dance forms in the United States were influenced by West-Central Africans” (129) and the Charleston dance gives a perfect example. Another misconception was related to the lynching of black men. Most lynches were associated with accusations of sexual incidents with a white woman. However, most lynches were as a result of a black person attempting to vote, demanding their rights, or operating a successful business (Ruffins 1) Impact of the Holocaust The holocaust destroyed the lives of the people involved in the enslavement.

It forced them to leave the comfort of their homeland for a foreign country. Consequently, it affected negatively on the social lives of those enslaved. It, for example, separated family members, leading to disintegration of the social unit. More to this, family providers who were taken into slavery left their families struggling to survive, thus causing them economic problems. Africans suffered emotional instability, given the long periods of separation from their loved ones. Young children grew up without their parents, hence forcing them to take up parental responsibilities at an early age that led to psychological imbalance.

Those enslaved have succumbed to hard labor. They worked hard, leading to the prosperity of Europe, and America at the expense of Africa. The whites amassed a lot of wealth from Africa, which they centralized, and locked up in their continent, thus boosting their prosperity. On the other hand, the enslavement denied Africans an opportunity to build their economy for many years, resulting in the underdevelopment of the African continent (Merretazon 1). Major Forms of Resistance to the Enslavement Being enslaved restricts one from accessing basic human rights.

Therefore, blacks used a number of ways to escape the trauma of slavery. Those in their homelands used a number of ways to escape the terror associated with working as a slave in a foreign country. These included: Hiding Some of them ran away into hiding in such places as the mountains, like in Brazil (Ruffins 1). They went to such places as they felt safer, and slaves were not sought in such places. Suicide There were people who committed suicide because they preferred to die, instead of becoming a slave.

This follows the fact that slavery was associated with death, which made some people take their lives, instead of suffering in a foreign country. Fighting Some engaged in fights, for example, in Haiti. They fought the whites with the intention of defeating them and thus earning their freedom. Amelioration and War Slaves in foreign countries organized slave rebellions to conquer slavery. They continually sent messages to the whites that they needed to be given their freedom, as evidenced in Jamaica.

Sam Sharpe’s rebellion in Jamaica in 1831 to 1832 involved the participation of many slaves as they advocated for their rights of humanity (Dunkley, 170). Conclusion In conclusion, enslavement involved a lot of dehumanization. It took advantage of people and introduced classes in the society as the white was seen as being superior to the blacks. Therefore, the resistance of the blacks was justified, given that all humans deserve to be treated with dignity. Works Cited Alexander, Leslie.

& Rucker, Walter. Encyclopedia of African American History. Santa Barbara: CA: ABC-CLIO, 2010. Print. Dunkley, Drive. Agency of the Enslaved: Jamaica and the Culture of Freedom in the Atlantic World. Lanham, MA: Lexington Books, 2013. Print. Merretazon, Ari. The Holocaust of Enslavement Was Not That Long Ago. OpEdNews. November 4, 2009. Web. March 20, 2014. < http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-holocaust-of-enslaveme-by-Ari-Merretazon-090410-438.html> Ruffins, Paul. Ten Myths, Half-Truths and Misunderstandings about Black History.

Diverse Issues in Education. June 16, 2007. Web. March 20, 2014. < http://diverseeducation.com/article/7469/>