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Ariana Franco

Peta Lindsay

US History

29 September 2017

Slavery in America began when the first African slaves were brought to the North

American colony of Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619, to aid in the production of crops as tobacco.

While the enslavement of Africans took place in America; slaves showed their humanity using

numerous strategies, such include: using spiritual songs as code, escaping through the

underground railroad, and organizing that led to slave rebellions.

Slaves uses spiritual songs as code to communicate and organize for freedom.

Illiterate slaves had little chance to plan any resistance to their dismal conditions, so singing

became not just an expression for faith but a way to freedom (Spiritual, Doc.1). In these spiritual

song there were also directions, for example: “wade in the water”. “Go down moses” is one of

the many examples of a spiritual song created by slaves. In the song one of the lines says, “let

my people go” some may be planning to escape from their owners. Some spiritual songs even led

directions to follow underground railroads.

Underground railroads were another way slaves showed their humanity. The

Underground Railroad was neither underground nor a railroad; it was a system uses to free

escaped slaves. Its name came from activities that were carried out in secret, using darkness or

disguise, and because railway terms were used by those involved with system to describe how it

worked. Various routes were lines, stopping places were called stations, those who aided along
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the way were conductors and their charges were known as packages. ​Harriet Tubman ​became a

famous "conductor" on the Underground Railroad, leading hundreds of slaves to freedom.

Another way slaves showed their humanities was by organizing amongst themselves.

Believing in signs and hearing divine voices, Nat Turner was convinced by an eclipse of the Sun

that the time to rise up had come, and he enlisted the help of four other slaves in the area. An

insurrection was planned, aborted, and rescheduled for August 21,1831, when he and six other

slaves killed the Travis family, managed to secure arms and horses, and enlisted about 75 other

slaves in a disorganized insurrection that resulted in the murder of 51 white people. Afterwards,

Turner hid nearby successfully for six weeks until his discovery, conviction, and hanging at

Jerusalem, Virginia, along with 16 of his followers.

In conclusion, the most oppressed people in America, during 1619-​1865 were slaves.

They showed their humanist in many way, including ​using spiritual songs as code, escaping

through the underground railroad, and organizing that led to slave rebellions.
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Work Cited:

History.com Staff. “Slavery in America.” ​History.com,​ A&E Television Networks, 2009,

www.history.com/topics/black-history/slavery.

History.com Staff. “Underground Railroad.” History.com, A&E Television Networks,

2009, www.history.com/topics/black-history/underground-railroad.

History.com Staff. “Nat Turner.” ​History.com​, A&E Television Networks, 2009,

www.history.com/topics/black-history/nat-turner.