GeronimoCarrilloSandoval

January29,2015
PowerandImagination
MacCormack/Shao

"AMercy"Essay
Justlikewhatwetalkedaboutinclassaboutthehistoryofblackandwhite
slavery,theblackraceweren'ttheonlyonestobeconsideredslavesbackthen.Infact,
whiteswerealsoslaves,men,womenandevenchildren.WhiteIrishslaveswereused
moresincetheywerecheaperthanafricanslaves.Inthe1600s,theirishwerethemain
slavessoldtoAntiguaandMontserratand70%ofthetotalpopulationofMontserrat
wereIrishslavesatthetimeAfricanslaveshadtobetransportedfromalonger
distance,whiteIrishslaveswerecheapandmostoftenprisoners,kidnappedorforcibly
removed.WhiteIrishslaverydidn'tenduntilBritaindecidedtoendslaveryin1839and
stoppedtransportingslaves
Slaverywasn'tracist,itwasclassist.Whitesandsomeblacks,wouldenslave
whoevertheycouldget,regardlessofrace.Whitesweresoldontheauctionblock,in
chains.Theyhadtheirteethcheckedandtheirmusclesprobed,theywereeven
strippednakedforeveryonetosee.Whitefamiliesweresplit,childrenweresoldand
separatedfromtheirparentsandwivesweresoldandseparatedfromtheirhusbands.
Knowingthis,thesehorrificdeedsdidnotjusthappentoAfricans,thishappenedto
whitestosatisfytheneedforlaborontheplantationsandinthefactories.Itdidn'tmatter

ifyouwereblackorwhite,awomanoraman,youngorold,ifyouwerepooranddidn't
havemuchtoyournamethenslaverywasthepositiontobefilled.Beforetheslavers
traveledtoAfricatobuyblackslaves,theysoldtheirownwhiteworkingclassfromthe
streetsintoslavery.Slaverywaseconomic.
Theblackscameintosocietyinwhichalargepartofthewhitepopulationwas
unfree,buteveniftheycameatadifferenttimethey'relackoffreedomwasn'tunusual.
Thedesireforcheaplaborcausedthemerchantsandlandownerstoenslavenotonly
theblacksbuttheirownwhitekindaswell.Sinceblacksweremuchmoreexpensive
thanwhites,whitesweremistreatedmoreoftenthanblacks.Theharderworkandheavy
manuallaborwastobesatisfiedbythewhiteslaves.Thewhiteslaveswereslavesfor
life,longbeforeblackswere,slaverywasevenhereditary.Whitechildrenborntowhite
slaveswereenslavedtoo.
Justasweknowtheblackswerepunishedwhenevertheydidn'tlisten,thewhites
werepunishedinthehardestwayswhenevertheyrebelledordisobeyedanorder.
Slaveownerswouldhangtheirhumanpropertybytheirhandsandsettheirhandsor
feetonfiretopunishthem.Somewereevenburiedaliveandhadtheirheadsplacedon
pikestowarnothersnottodisobey.IfaplanterwhippedorbrandedorbeatanIrish
slavetodeath,itwasneveracrime.Itwasonlyamonetarysetbacktothemandwas
cheaperthankillingamoreexpensiveAfrican.
Todaywecanseeblacksinchains,blacksbeingwhipped,andblacksbeing
oppressed.Butwecan'tseewhiteswhowerebeatenandkilledinwhiteslavery.Ithink
individualsnowhaveempathyfortheblacksknowingthatslaverywasn'tallaboutrace.

ManypeopletodaywillavoidcallingtheIrishslaveswhattheytrulywere,whichare
slaves.Theywillcallthemindenturedservantsinstead.ButinmostcasesIrishslaves
werenothingmorethanhumancattlebackthen.Ifeellikethewhiteswouldbe
consideredthe"outsider"becausewedidn'tconsiderthembeingslavesbackthen.
BlackslaverywasefficientlyestablishedincolonialAmericabecauseblackslaveswere
governed,organizedandcontrolledbythestructuresandorganizationthatwerefirst
usedtoenslaveandcontrolwhites.Blackslaveswerelatecomersfittedintoasystem
alreadydeveloped.
ToniMorrisoninthisbookexplorestheconceptsoffreedomandslaveryinevery
manandwoman,notjustwithinthecontextoftheAfricanAmericanexperience.
Meaningthatslaverywasn'tallbasedonracebutratherbasedonwhatclassyoustood
in,anddidn'tmatterwhatgendertheywereeither.Likeinthebook,Florenswhois
black,LinawhoisNativeAmerican,areexamplesofthembeingdifferentraces.She
examinesthepowerofliteracyinaworldinwhichliteracyisbynomeansaright,
connectingittofreedom.Florensissenttofindablacksmithwhohassomeknowledge
ofherbalmedicinesinwhichsheneededtoknowhowtogetaround.
IncolonialAmericawhiteslavescouldbebarteredforprofit,soldtothehighest
bidderfortheunpaiddebtsoftheirmasters.InthebookFlorenswasgivenawayasa
slavebyherownmother,MinhaMae,toVaarkasapaymentbecauseD'Ortegacouldn't
paythedebtbutalsobecauseshewantedabetterlifeforher.Florenswassenttolive
ontheVaarkfarmwithotherslavesandservants,andforher,lifewasbettercompared
tolifeontheotherplantation.Ithinkthediversityofthefarmdidn'tmakeanyofthem

feeloutsidersonlythefarmownersbecausetheywerewhite.Slaves,indentured
servantsandawifeshippedexhibitsvaryingdegreesoffreedomanddominioninthe
book.Idon'tthinkitwaslikethatbackthenthough,whenslaveswereseendifferently.

Bibliography
Morrison,Toni.
AMercy
.NewYork:Knopf,2008.Print.
"TheIrishSlaveTradeTheForgotten."
GlobalResearch
.N.p.,n.d.Web.05Feb.
2015.
"TheForgottenSlaves:WhitesinServitudeinEarlyAmericaandIndustrial
Britain."
HistoryofWhiteSlavery
.N.p.,n.d.Web.05Feb.2015.