Slave Resistance & Slavery & Freedom in American History in Tennessee History 251 Final Paper Paula Burton Resistance to slavery was formed due to the extreme brutality which the slaves were forced to endure at the hands of their masters. Early African Americans found ways to escape following their master’s orders. Many slaves would pretend to be ill, do their jobs poorly, refuse to work, destroy equipment, steal food, and set fires to buildings. These revolts were not part of an organized plan, but rather individual acts. The objective was to upset the plantations normal routine in any way possible.
He first stated to pit the different aspects of a black slave against another black slave; old black male vs. young black male, light skin slaves vs. dark skin slaves, female vs. male and vice versa in all the situations stated. He also suggested that the slave master have white servants and overseers, who distrust all Blacks. But after doing so, he still felt as though it was of importance for their slaves to trust and depend on their slave masters. He felt the slaves must love, respect and trust only US gentlemen. This was going to be the slave masters’ successor to control.
With the beatings of run away slaves to the rapping’s of slave women, all this was developed with the mind set to keep slaves weak minded and in line. This is also shown within the document “Let Us Make A Slave”. This gave great detail to how the white society thought about the African American race, they compared African Americans to a horses. Revealing that both were a threat to society and would have to be controlled to the top degree, by being beatens in front of their own, in a effort to keep the mind weak and the body strong. This is shown all within the Sankofa film.
After the release of the prison, his brother Reginald discussed his recent engagement with the Muslim religion. Malcolm began the study of this new religion. During his role of leadership in the Muslim religion, Malcolm Little removed his last name, and replicated with X, since he believe his last name was meaning of slave. His frustration towards the white America community, and the lack of success of African Americans, created the movement to keep all the “Negros” together and harm if necessary. The most important issues during this time was the lack of independence and success within the black community.
They were captured and forced to work under harsh conditions. They were enslaved for life. Africans were sent out to work in fields and various other jobs, just to make the whites wealthier. They were beat when they tried to escape and if they broke any rules/laws. They were treated as nothing and branded as property.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin shined a light onto their cruel, abusive lives. Although this book made people feel sympathetic towards slave, it also made working-class whites aggressive towards slaves because they now felt that African Americans were competition in the working world. Because of this book people thought she fuelled this war. Even President Lincoln said, “Is this the little woman who made this great
The word “nigger” has accompanied many beatings, arsons, killings, and other attacks against African-Americans. The word has been used as a joke by whites to discourage and belittle African-Americans. We’ve taken the word back, and turned it into a positive term of endearment and goodwill. The meaning of the word “nigger” is tied up with history, and suffering
I could regard them in no other light than a band of successful robbers, who had left their homes, and gone to Africa, and stolen us from our homes, and in a strange land reduced us to slavery. I loathed them as being the meanest as well as the most wicked of men (50). This passage marks the point where Frederick realizes the injustices of slavery on himself, as well as all people, colored and white. When Douglass lived with the Aulds he met Sophia Auld, who had begun to teach him to read. This went on for a while until her husband, Hugh Auld, scolded her and warned her of the dangers of teaching a slave.
But they were wrongly kept under a sharp eye at all times of their existence and could not attain it on their own sometimes because they were unskillful in fulfilling the way of going about it and other times because their slave holders and masters were so closed minded that nothing but force upon then was instilled when the idea was brought up. One of the greatest rebellions in slave history was brought upon by Nat Turner who was formerly a slave preacher in Virginia. Turner’s rebellion caused an earthquake of emotions in the south and instead of the intended impact it was meant to have, the exact opposite of what was planned happened. “80 slaves had joined Turner’s band, and some 60 whites had been killed” ( Primary Source Reader 31). Slavery affected Nat Turners mental health so much to a point that it was recorded of him saying he saw black and white angels in the sky fighting.
Dead in the Dark Jorge Racism is an excuse for hatred, ignorance, and insecurity. Racism is a side effect of xenophobia which is the fear of anything strange or foreign. In America racism has been a problem since the slave era. Even though racism still exists today, people should not let it get in the way of their opinions. Racism affected all aspects of the African American life in the United States.