How Did Slavery Affect African American Families

During the mid-1800s, it was challenging being a slave. Belonging to another human being instead of being free brought numerous hardships African Americans had to endure. It brought about unimaginable pain, frustration, disruption, and stress. In America, slavery was glorified, even though, families were separated and destroyed. Slavery made it tedious to have stability in families because of the effects it had on the African American people. After reading “How Affected African American Families” and “Narrative of Jenny Proctor,” slavery caused African American families to cope with separation, unfair marriage stipulations, horrible living condition, mistreatment and labor, and also the ending of slavery. Living with the perpetual possibility
of being separated from family was stressful and overwhelming. Slaves were sold to other plantation owners for various reasons. It could be to clear debt or because the former owners died or moved away. Slave owners did not care about separating families no matter how much the mother would beg and plead for her children or children crying because their mother is sold. This made it challenging for families to be stable because they could be separated at any moment. Although it was difficult for slaves to cope with the separation, some lived in nuclear families where the father would belong to one plantation and his family would belong to another, but the father would only have the chance to see his family on Wednesday nights and Saturday evenings, only if he provided labor for his family’s slave owner. As slaves, marriage was rare because they were considered as property and not United States citizens.
Although marriage was rare for slaves, in some states it was prohibited, but in others it was not; until 1865 when the law changed and stated that it was legal for slaves to marry. Before marriage was legal for slaves, some slave owners believed that allowing the slaves to be married would benefit them in the long run. They believed that if the slaves would marry, it would limit the chances of slave escaping or rebelling because of their family. Although some owners would allow marriage, it was not always fair. Occasionally, some slave would marry the love of their life, but others would be placed together by the owner. The owners that allowed marriage would let the bride and groom “jump the broom,” which symbolized the couple was married. Owners would oftentimes give them a gift after their wedding. These gestures are currently practiced today for wedding ceremonies in African American culture. Slaves living conditions were not acceptable. On large plantations, they lived in slave cabins or huts. The slave cabins were built on an area of land referred to as the slave quarter. This area of land was given slaves by slave owners, so they would have somewhere to live and associate with each other. Although the slave owners provided this area for them, it was not desirable. The cabins were made out of poles, mud, and moss. Also, the beds were scaffolded and nailed up to the wall.
The beds were hard and uncomfortable, but the slaves had somewhere to lay their heads every night and they were thankful. Throughout slavery, slaves were brought to America to build capital.
They worked sun up to sun down every day without pay. Slave owners were getting free labor to gain more wealth for themselves. Slaves had to balance several jobs. They worked in the fields picking, chopping, and growing cotton, rice, corn, and tobacco. Also, they worked as maids, cooks, and caregivers to the owner’s children. The slave children even had to work by running errands for their owner. The slaves not only had to endure hard labor, but they were mistreated while enduring the hard labor. The owner would have the slaves working in the field at early hours of the morning and they would not finish until late during the night. The slaves were not getting the proper rest that goes along with working rigorous hours. Also, the slaves were not allowed to partake in luxury activities such as fishing and hunting. They were not able to be educated because the owners though that if the slaves learned how to read and write that the slaves would rebel. Lastly, the slaves were often brutally beaten. Most slaves would be beaten because they would try to escape, fight back, or try to learn to read and write. Slaves would be beaten so bad that some would die because their heart and body could not take the pain and the impact from the whip they were beaten
with. On December 6, 1865, slavery was abolished after nearly two hundred and fifty years. Slaves were finally free and able to reunite with family. Although some slaves found most of their relative, many were continually searching high and low for the people they loved. They placed advertisements in newspapers and even received assistance from the Freedmen’s Bureau. The Freedmen Bureau was formed by the government to help the slaves find their long lost relatives. Now African Americans today have the pleasures of being considered as U.S. citizens and free from slavery.