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Slaves

Slaves Many slaves' lives were tormented by their owners, but many slaves made it through by believing in their religion and in each other. The tormenting began even before the slaves reached the mainland of America. They were hunted in their homeland of Africa by people who would capture them and sell them to slave owners in America. This left life in Africa difficult for blacks that lived there. They were left wondering if this could be their last moment on their homeland or with their family. After being captured they were shipped to America for a life of slavery which made it difficult to live. They weren't even recognized as people, but as property. Through songs and poems they tell their stories of agony and pain. One slave tells his story of his capture in 1798(Out Of Many 4-3). He was a young boy that was a son of a prince. One day they heard about an army that was going to invade their land. His family then retreated the next morning. They were able to retreat before the army could catch them. The army was actually "slave catchers". The families running only prolonged the inevitable. They were caught the next day. The young boy felt a rope around his neck after hearing someone getting hit in the head with a gun. On his way to the waters he was told to do a number of difficult tasks. Such as carrying large masses on his back for long periods of time. He believes that the hike to the waters totaled over 400 miles. On the way he remembers the army entering homes and raiding other towns and capturing the people that resided in the homes. When reaching America another slave reported that the 'Negroes' were examined by the traders at Slave Fairs. The Fairs would include several thousand soon to be slaves every six weeks. When the 'Negroes were being inspected by the slave traders it was thorough. They would ask about their health, if they have any deformities, weak joints, or have a distorted back. The purchaser can inspect them and return the slave up until the next morning. After that they are unable to return the slave. The 'Negroes were predominately men and boys. On average a trader would take home about 125 'Negroes per fair. There were a number of times where a 'Negro' would be kidnapped by being lured to have a drink and then be sold. They would switch owners a number of times before reaching their final owner. The slaves problems were just beginning when they came off the slave ships. The slaves were treated as property, just like livestock or crops (Out Of Many 11-7). They were used primarily for profit. There were many journals that told slave owners how to profit from and exploit their slaves. The Farmer's Register included articles about how to manage slaves. The slaves cleanliness and diet were two main concerns coming from the owners. One journal noted that an owner should choose one day out of the week to check slaves for cleanliness. These checks would include the owner going to each slaves' home and checking to see if their hair is combed, cleaned and their hands, face, and feet are washed properly. Everything in their homes were checked such as their sheets and clothes are washed, along with their pails, dressers, and tables were cleaned. The other way to keep your slaves well kept and live longer is to maintain a strong diet. Without a strong diet could lead to numerous diseases that could spread throughout the slave population. Most slave owners gave their slave a weekly allowance of food and allowed the slave family to prepare it any which way they pleased. It was very difficult for the slaves to prepare their meal every night because of the rigorous that they went through during the day. Most slaves would eat their meal half cooked or without cooking it at all. One owner decided to cook the food for the slaves. He hired one person to cook for the whole plantation. This allowed the owner to lower the cost of food dramatically. This procedure also made the slaves delighted to see cooked food. This was the way that slaves were supposed to be treated, but not all plantations were conducted in this fashion. The masters of the plantation had many ways of harassing their slaves. They didn't want to hurt them too much because they were their property. One young girl told her story of being harassed by her owner(Out Of Many 11-8). She was about 15 years old when her master began to harass her. She was his property so she really had nothing to do. He would whisper unclean words into her ear and sometimes forced her to do sexual favors for him, in time she became his mistress. This was one way that the master could take advantage of this 'property'. The master knew that it would be difficult for a race to change from barbarism to civilization in a short period of time. This knowledge caused even more trouble for the 'Negroes'. The masters let their slaves know that it would be impossible for the 'Negroes' to live on their own and to obtain land in America. This put a picture in the slave's mind that life outside the plantation was hell and kept thoughts of leaving out of their mind. Some slaves did not believe their master and tried to leave anyway. This gave the idea to other slaves to escape as well. The masters had people who were paid to retrieve slaves that escaped. They were paid ten dollars per slave that is captured and brought back to the plantation. For the slaves that remained on the plantation they reverted to singing and prayer to pass the time of hard labor. The slaves songs were both religious and also telling of their stories of human torture(Out Of Many 11-4). Among the songs that they sang were Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen which combines Jesus with all the low times that they have felt over the years. Deep River speaks directly about the slaves leaving the plantation and going to a better place, either somewhere else in America or even heaven. Go Down, Moses was aimed towards the plantation owners and tells them to let their 'people' go. All songs that were sung by the slaves brought together the lord and them leaving the place that they dubbed as hell. Slavery in the United States was a very controversial subject ever since it began and continuing on until now. Some people say that it was necessary for slavery to happen otherwise crops in the south would not have been able to flourish as much as they did. Others say slavery caused hostility between the whites and the blacks which will never be forgotten. The end of slavery was a crucial time for America to allow blacks and whites to come together as one nation. Bibliography:

Word Count: 1180