Fehr Christina Fehr History 1700/ English 2010 10 March 2014 The Horrors of Humanity Prior to the Civil

War Though many would like to forget, America was once a home for several million African slaves. Surely, many of the slaves shipped to America would hardly consider it a home, but rather a cruel new world full of mistreatment and tireless work. Between 1525 and 1866, in the entire history of the slave trade to the New World, according to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database, 12.5 million Africans were shipped to the New World. 10.7 million survived the dreaded Middle Passage, disembarking in North America, the Caribbean and South America. (Gates) Slaves were shipped here in horrible conditions just to be faced with the horrors of being considered property. Full of uncertainty, the slaves were at the mercy of their masters. Their masters were completely in control, the slaves had no say about their lives. Even though colored men and women were all considered slaves, their genders proved to be a factor in regards to how their masters would treat them. Black women had more to worry about than black men, because Statutory Rape laws were not applied to Native Americans or Blacks. Which means that they fell victim without the offender being punished. Surely, a place without proper protection could only mean social injustices would arise. The life of a slave was a harsh battle. Their masters could sell, punish, or torture them, because they were seen as property. Granted, not every slave owner was a merciless brute, the fear was always nagging in the back of the slaves minds. Slaves could be sold

Fehr away from their families, friends, and their accustomed way of life. A male slave would be responsible for much of the physical labor duties if he lived on a plantation. The women were responsible for many physical tasks as well, but they also had to worry about any children they might have. Slaves didnt have access to birth control, and their was very little education. The masters didnt want their slaves educated, they didnt want the slaves to have any power. Marriage for slaves wasnt allowed, again, they were considered property. However, slave owners would encourage their slaves to procreate because it was a simple way of acquiring new slaves for their plantation. Slave families could easily be ripped apart by the master, as slaves were always being traded, and sold. Slave owners would threaten to sell a slave as punishment if they did not behave. Some slave owners would even go so far as to sexually abuse and or rape their female slaves. The women did not have a choice if their master decided to go after them, they had no one to turn to, no protection. In many cases the females would end up pregnant. The wives of the slave owners would often times be very upset about their husbands infidelity, but they didnt have much say because females were deemed the lesser sex. In many cases, one could argue that the women were no more than property like the slaves. The wives werent typically subjected to the labor or harsh treatment that the slaves were. The wives would often times take out their hatred of their husbands transgressions on their slaves. If a slave became pregnant by the master, that child was a symbol for all to behold. Pregnancy wasnt supported by law, but no one really enforced the law. Pregnancy became the evidence of the illegal liaison. A mulatto baby the indicator of the race of the father -

Fehr White male. (Browne-Marshall). The Slave/White babies were deemed slaves because they had colored blood like their mothers, so the fathers would literally be enslaving their children if they didnt sell them first. The wives of the slave owners would mistreat the slaves that their husbands would procreate with. "Powerless against a lustful husband and blind to the harsh realities of chattel slavery, the enraged wife often vented her jealous rage upon the one person whom she could control, the black woman." (Browne-Marshall) The slave owners wife would feel betrayed and hurt, and take their anger out on everyone else. Of course, not every slave owner was so cruel. Some slaves lived very good lives next to their owners, but usually those numbers were much fewer than that of those who experienced the cruelty. The slave owners all had a variety of different ideas on how to run their lives, and depending on that, the slaves had a vast variety of experiences. There are records of many slaves who lived almost alongside their masters, who enjoyed many of the benefits of a non-slave life. Those slaves were hard to find, and their numbers were few. Society was very against slaves becoming educated, but their are records of slaves learning to read and write. Many stories I read said that the slave masters children were often the educators, the slaves would trade cute little stories, or handmade crafts. However, if the children were found out to be teaching the slaves, the slaves being taught would usually suffer the consequences. Punishment would get very harsh, whether it be whipping, or relocation. The slaves were at the mercy of their master. Another example of the different varieties of life include the fact that some men lived

Fehr with black women and children openly, but others kept it under the nose of their communities. Those families were not quite as common, but their lives, both the white and black, were made difficult by the neighbors. Whites and Blacks were not supposed to mingle, society did not view them as equals. The blacks were under the whites, and the thought of cohabitation was way too much for many to handle. There was a clear line between black and white, and anyone overstepping that boundary would be considered and condemned by peers. In many cases, houses were burnt down, social status was lost, and the families were attacked. As people started to stand up against slavery, there was much unrest, society doesnt handle rapid change very well even today. Whites were still very unwilling to cohabitate with the blacks. Jobs were hired out much cheaper because of the flood of workers into the economy. There were signs that told the blacks where they could and couldnt go. Signs saying whites only, blacks not allowed, they all lined the streets reminding those who were colored that they were not equal. Granted, they werent slaves, but they were still lesser than the whites. Voting rights were not immediately granted, and when they finally were, it was next to impossible to be allowed to vote. Tests, and unfair requirements were put in place to ensure the black vote would not be counted or heard. If the blacks so much as tried to vote, often times they had to be weary about their houses and family. There are many records of their houses, family, and livelihood being attacked. Racism is still ever present in our daily lives. Though, now we dont have physical signs telling us where we may and may not go, it is in the eyes of many people. It makes me sad when I hear someone talk in a derogatory tone toward another human being for something they cannot

Fehr control. For instance, I grew up in a school where white was the minority. Some of my best friends had color to their skin, never once had I thought about their difference and mine. When I moved to the East side of town white was the majority. In my sixth grade class of twenty students we had two people of color, and one just barely moved from Kenya. This young lad didnt speak a single word of English, and many of the children compared him to an ape. I could not understand what was going on around me, and what I did frightened me. When I went home and asked my mother she explained what racism was, and I knew that I had just learned a dark societal truth. Though, I know my exposure to racism was on a small scale, it made me understand the importance of history. Racism was happening around me for my entire life, I just never had a definition for what it was. We cannot erase the past, we may only learn from it. America has a dark history, and many would like to omit the dark parts. Slavery was a defining time in our history. Neighbors against neighbors, friends against friends. Racism is still ever present, but we as a society are developing and making our world more accepting. The way slaves were treated was variable, but we cannot forget that there is always more than one story for every event. People are always being treated poorly, and those who are causing the oppression dont always realize to what extent they are oppressing others. Or even, they dont think about the repercussions for anyone but themselves. Our nation is young, and ever growing.

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Christina Fehr History 1700/ English 2010 10 March 2014 Works Cited Browne-Marshall, Gloria J. "The Realities of Enslaved Female Africans in America." The Realities of Enslaved Female Africans in America. N.p., 25 Apr. 2012. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. Edwards, David. "Ohio Landlord Claims White Only Pool Sign Is historical The Raw Story. The Raw Story, 16 Dec. 2011. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. Gates, Henry L., Jr. "How Many Slaves Landed in the US?" The Root. N.p., 6 Jan. 2014. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. Illingworth, James. "Slavery and the Origins of the Civil War." Issue #92. Internationalist Social Review, n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2014. North, Sienna. "A Christian Fantasy Blog: Of Faerie & Faith: Slavery & Human Trafficking."A Christian Fantasy Blog: Of Faerie & Faith: Slavery & Human Trafficking. N.p., 30 Mar.

Fehr 2013. Web. 14 Feb. 2014. "Early Chicago: Slavery in Illinois." Slavery in Illinois. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.