International Importation of Slaves - Essay Example

The slaves were considered property and not people, and African Americans were considered inferior to white Americans; but it was recognized that enslaving another human being and making him or her work for free could not be an everlasting institution in a country that recognized the freedom and equality of all its people.

2. What were some primary differences between large and small slave plantations?
Large plantations were similar to modern factories, extremely organized, and focused primarily on one goal: improving production. The slaves had a specific task assigned to them and they were expected to do a specific amount of the work each day. They were usually inspected by an overseer who would often be cruel and inconsiderate, pushing them beyond human endurance. The owner was usually not present or looked in on the work at suitable intervals, interacting only with the overseer.

Some of the harshest treatments to the slaves were meted out at large plantations of sugar, rice, or cotton in the Old South. On a small plantation or a farm, on the other hand, the slaves were given different tasks to do directly by their master and were more a part of the household because they worked in the home as well as the field. There was no overseer, and all the work was given out by the owner himself. This gave the slaves a better sense of belonging, and they were treated much better because usually, they were more like servants in European households than tortured slaves.

3. Where does the phrase "jumping the broom" come from?
The phrase” jumping the broom” comes from a practice in Ghana, where the groom and the bride had brooms waved over their heads to ward off evil spirits and would often jump over the broom at the end of the marriage ceremony. The bride jumping over the broom showed her commitment to sweeping the courtyard of her new home and was thus a symbol of her commitment to the new family. It was also a way of getting over the past and welcoming new beginnings. During slavery in America, the people who were brought in from the Ghana area continued with their tradition of jumping over the broom, and this gradually spread to a whole host of the slave community as a marriage practice. Marriage between slaves was not recognized, so this ritual gave the couple the feeling of transitioning into domesticity and lifetime commitment.  Read More