All Men Are Born Free

All Men Are Born Free Since the beginning of slavery in the 1500’s to the emancipation of the slaves in the 1860’s, violent and nonviolent tactics were used to fight against the tight clutches of their masters. According to Nonviolent Social Movements, violent tactics and strategies rely on polarization and dualistic thinking that require people, like the slaves and the masters, to divide into the good versus bad. They have to assume neat, rigid little categories that are easily answered from the barrel of a gun. Nonviolent tactics on the other hand, allows for complexity that is inherent in the struggles and requires a reasonable acceptance of diversity and appreciation from common ground (Zunes, 1999). In this paper, I will start by looking at the history of slavery, why it came about, and how it led to the slave’s resistance. Then I will look at violent tactics as well as nonviolent tactics to see how the tactics helped the slaves or hurt the slaves. I question if there is a role for violence in social change, if violence should be a last resort, and when violence is necessary. I will also look to see if power concedes anything without a demand. Slavery in American began during the 1500’s when enslaved African Americans were brought to the new world on the Middle Passage. By the 1700’s, approximately 25,000 Africans had been enslaved and transported across the Atlantic Ocean. Slaves were used to satisfy the American need. Sugar plantations were hard to maintain, and the American’s could not do it alone. Sugar planting, harvesting, and processing were tiring, hot, and dangerous work. The plantations required large numbers of workers whose work habits could be coordinated and controlled. However, slaves were needed because there were not enough settlers to satisfy the labor requirements for profitable sugar plantations. The slaves were worked endlessly. Sometimes, they worked 18-hour days, overseen by people with whips. The work was