Opinion of The Life of an American Slave
Slavery in America began when the first African slaves were brought to the American colonies in the South, in the 17th century, to aid in the production of various crops. The practice of slavery spread quickly throughout the colonies over the next century, as African-American slaves contributed significantly to the economic foundations of the new nation. The invention of the cotton gin, in 1783, increased the demand for slaves and solidified the central importance of slavery to the South’s economy, as plantation owners relied heavily on the work of slaves for their labour intensive crops.
Although slavery was fundamental to the establishment of the South’s colonies, it was a barbaric and inhumane institution. The life of a slave, from being imported on a slave ship to the breaking up of families at slave markets, from the overzealous punishments dealt by masters to the working conditions of a field or house slave, was oppressive and one of neglect. American slaves lost their freedom and identity, and had no legal or civil rights, as slave owners sought to make their slaves completely dependent on them, and a system of restrictive codes governed life among slaves.
The life of an American slave was brutally harsh, prejudiced and one of racial inequality. The oppression of black slaves and the social injustice, which they endured, are some of the darkest moments of American history, and is clearly apparent in the vivid recollections of an abundance of slaves who fortunately wrote narratives for posterity.
The life of an American slave was brutally harsh, prejudiced and one of racial inequality. The oppression of black slaves and the social injustice, which they endured, are some of the darkest moments of American history, and is clearly apparent in the vivid recollections of an abundance of slaves who fortunately wrote narratives for posterity.
There were various opportunities for change during the 18th and 19th centuries, but any potential change was met with strong opposition and resistance. After the American Revolution (1775-83), many colonists (particularly in the North, were slavery was less important to the economy) began to link the oppression of black slaves to their own oppression by the British, and to call for slavery’s abolition. By 1804, all the northern states abolished slavery, but the institution remained absolutely vital to the South. Though the U.S. Congress outlawed the African slave trade in 1808, the domestic trade flourished, provoking a great debate over slavery, in the mid-19th century, that would tear the nation apart in the bloody American Civil War (1861-65). Though the Union victory freed the nation’s 4 million slaves, the legacy of slavery continued to influence American history, from the tumultuous years of Reconstruction (1865-77) to the civil rights movement that emerged in the 1960s, a century after emancipation.
This four-day journey to the slave South in America has been memorable and insightful. It is people like Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, who are the embodiment of the strength and struggle of the American slave, and a symbol of the unique voice of humanism and social justice, that have impacted me profoundly.