(Douglass, 129) The slave system had mistreated the slaves in variety of ways. But the slave system affected everyone, including people who were and were not involved in it. Although slaves were victimized harshly by slavery, slaveholders and non-slaveholders were also affected by the system. The main way slaves were victimized was being stripped of their identities. They did not know when they were born, how old they were, and did not have any knowledge of their parents or family.
a) Humiliation was a key aspect of many slave owners’ tactics. It was used to keep the slaves in line, reminding them that they had no power. b) Rape of the slave women by the masters was used as a way in which to humiliate both the men and women, serving to belittle the women while leaving the men powerless to protect their women. ii. When describing her experience, one former slave commented on the intense and relentless work schedule that the slaves kept.
Thus, Southern Slavery was a system of exploitation, but not to the extent which many abolitionists claim. Slavery in Southern America varied vastly between different masters. Some slaves were put through very harsh and demeaning experiences, such as the description of a slave named Francis Henderson in the book ‘A North-Side View of Slavery’. Francis was said to witness his master physically abusing his family right before his eyes. “I have known him to kick my aunt, an old woman who had raised the nursed him, and I have seen him punish my sisters awfully with hickories from the woods.” However, slavery in Southern America was usually patriarchal in character contrary to common belief; quite a big portion of slaves were regarded and considered to be part of the family to which they belonged.
The Atlantic Slave Trade Question: How does the absence of humanitarian concerns influence the treatment of slaves during the slave trade? Neglecting humane feelings is what influenced the terrible and horrid treatment to slaves during the slave trade. From beatings and whippings to breaking their bones, slaves were treated and considered inferior for no reason. After reading the documents, certain ones pointed out the outcomes of the absence of humanity. Document 7 reveals how these punishments were horrid and fear causing.
Cyril Enagbare Dr. Grubbs History 2110 15 November 2013 The Narrative of Fredrick Douglass The “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave" strived to education concerning the slave's troubles. This powerful account contains Douglass' desire to escape from damaging restrictions, which lead to the writing of his story. In the Narrative, Douglass uses many themes, and representations to teach people on the reality of slavery. The Narrative’s main purpose was to teach humanity of the unnaturalness of slavery and the significances it had on the enslaved and the masters. Douglass’s Narrative really displayed how white slaveholders kept slavery by keeping their slaves ignorant.
Slavery, which was a major uproar from colonial America to the civil war, is the racial epidemic of the enslavement of people for money and cheap labor with extensive abuses. The question that could be asked is were the slaves dignified, did they still keep their dignity? The word dignity is the conducting of self-respect as a person sees himself or herself rather than, how others perceive that person. Slavery has been around for years and slaves have been treated unfairly for countless of reasons and situations. Did they still keep their self-respect?
More often than not it was a battle of wills between the slave and their master – and due to politics being dramatically unfavourable against the blacks, the masters would often abuse this political freedom in their punishment. However, this would cause a lot of expense and trouble to masters so it was soon established that slaves could cause severe inconvenience and disruption to their business if masters continued like this. Once reasonable authority was exerted by the slaves, many masters saw it easier to let them work within (comparatively) bigger perimeters. Masters tended not to push this convention as slaves had nothing to lose whereas masters had money and pride at stake if some, unspoken, boundaries weren't set. By using the same racist nicknames which whites called blacks, such as “niggers”, with each other, it ridiculed the whole scenario.
Fredrick even notices and identifies this in his narrative by saying "it is the wish of most masters . . . to keep their slaves thus ignorant". Growing up as children in slavery is a difficult life.
Trade in iron, cotton and coal was growing, and so the British didn’t have to use slaves to work the sugar plantations anymore. But these are only the reasons on why the people weren’t so keen on the trade, not the reasons for why the trade was abolished. The reasons on why the slave trade was abolished are now going to be explained in more depth, and I will also decide which reason had the most impact and why. One of the reasons was the slaves themselves. Because they were forced to work and always punished badly for the slightest mistake, they were extremely unhappy and most hated they’re owners.
Some slaves were treated badly and suffered through many hardships, some were whipped and most were deprived of an education. Abolitionists believed it was wrong to enslave a person, majority of Abolitionists lived in the North with only a few in the South. Abolitionists published antislavery newspapers, books, made speeches and entered politics to fight for the abolition of slavery. They also set up underground railroad systems to help runaway slaves escape to Northern states or to Canada. Abolitionists faced bitter and violent opposition in both the North and South.