History of American Slavery
Rainey 1
Ashley Rainey
History 101
Deanna Beachley
September 08, 2013
Slave Resistance The importance of early American slavery has been recognized for long periods of time, whereas, historians have only recently turned their attention to the lives of slaves, themselves. The most important outcome of this research is the understanding of the African-American response to enslavement. In the essay written by Peter Woods, called, “The Stranger on Slave Recreation” and “Patterns of Slave Resistance,” Wood’s explores one aspect of this response—the obvious ways in which slaves resisted their bondage. The slaves resisted this bondage by engaging in individual acts of carelessness towards their masters, to extreme violence. The Stranger reveals that the slave recreation consisted of 60 people, which is five-sixth of the town. Each slave carried something; ranging from wide varies of alcohol, to meats such as ham, and veil. Entertainment was of the men copying their master’s words, and traits; and women doing the same, of their mistresses. The Stranger was informed that these assemblies have been very common throughout the town, amounting in up to two-hundred people, ranging within miles of the town, for the reason that these meetings are quite frequent; whether they are at the house of the free Negros or the kitchens of such gentlemen. (Woods, pg. 51)
Rainey 2
Under constant testing, patterns of slave resistance began to show rapidly. For instance, those who spoke English, in whatever dialect, verbal insolence became a consistent means of resistance. When cleverly done so, it allowed slaves a way to assert themselves and downgrade their masters without committing an actual crime. In 1737, a debate whether patrols should have the right “to kill any resisting or saucy Slave” and in 1741 the Clerk of the Market proposed that “if any Slave should in Time of Market behave him or herself in any insolent abusive Manner, he or she should be sent to the
Ashley Rainey
History 101
Deanna Beachley
September 08, 2013
Slave Resistance The importance of early American slavery has been recognized for long periods of time, whereas, historians have only recently turned their attention to the lives of slaves, themselves. The most important outcome of this research is the understanding of the African-American response to enslavement. In the essay written by Peter Woods, called, “The Stranger on Slave Recreation” and “Patterns of Slave Resistance,” Wood’s explores one aspect of this response—the obvious ways in which slaves resisted their bondage. The slaves resisted this bondage by engaging in individual acts of carelessness towards their masters, to extreme violence. The Stranger reveals that the slave recreation consisted of 60 people, which is five-sixth of the town. Each slave carried something; ranging from wide varies of alcohol, to meats such as ham, and veil. Entertainment was of the men copying their master’s words, and traits; and women doing the same, of their mistresses. The Stranger was informed that these assemblies have been very common throughout the town, amounting in up to two-hundred people, ranging within miles of the town, for the reason that these meetings are quite frequent; whether they are at the house of the free Negros or the kitchens of such gentlemen. (Woods, pg. 51)
Rainey 2
Under constant testing, patterns of slave resistance began to show rapidly. For instance, those who spoke English, in whatever dialect, verbal insolence became a consistent means of resistance. When cleverly done so, it allowed slaves a way to assert themselves and downgrade their masters without committing an actual crime. In 1737, a debate whether patrols should have the right “to kill any resisting or saucy Slave” and in 1741 the Clerk of the Market proposed that “if any Slave should in Time of Market behave him or herself in any insolent abusive Manner, he or she should be sent to the