Describe The Experience Of Slavery

Slavery was a brutalizing part of time in history. It was a very common practice for “white” men and women to have slaves in their possessions, which they considered them part of their property and not human beings. This occurred for ages and in Europe and the U.S. The masters felt they could treat the slaves however they felt to treat them which meant a lot of times it was cruel punishments. These punishments usually were enforced in order to keep the slaves in line and to “break their spirits.” There were many ways this could be performed, but some of the most common ways were physical abuse, starvation, and a denial of education. The masters performed all these kinds of mistreatments to empower the slaves. Physical abuse was one of the
Even Douglass narrates about the abuse on him and others until “warm red blood to drip.” Douglass also writes, “While down in this situation, Mr. Covey took up the hickory slat with which Hughes had been striking off the half-bushel measure, and with it gave me a heavy blow upon the head, making a large wound, and the blood ran freely; and with this again told me to get up.” (Douglass 1212) Both of these authors narrate stories to tell of the experiences of physical abuse placed upon them and their family and friends. Even Angelina Grimke, recounts stories of torture, for instance she writes, “Discountenance all cruelty to them, all corpal chastisement; these may brutalize and break their spirits.” (Grimke 800) She was asking the masters to stop this abuse. Douglass also writes, “I had been at my
This would be done for many reasons. If the masters did this they felt more in control of the slaves, and they felt if you gave slaves an inch they would take much more. Douglass writes, “As to himself, it could do him no good, but great deal of harm.” (Douglass 1196) Douglass’s master believed, like many others, if a slave became educated he would become unhappy and “unmanageable.” Educated slaves were also considered of “no value” to a master. The masters believed the slaves were happiest in “mental darkness,” but Douglass writes, “The more I read the more I was led to abhor and detest my enslavers.” (Douglass 1199) Equiano felt this hungry to learn as well, for instance he writes, “I thought now of nothing but being freed, and working for myself, and thereby getting money to enable me to get a good education.” (Equiano 704) The masters knew once the slaves became educated that they would rebel this grotesque situation and become