Sexual Abuse In America

When most are questioned on how slaves were mistreated, it is usually along the lines of getting whipped, chained, and lynched. Although this is not necessarily incorrect, the modes of abuse the slaves of America underwent are much deeper than that and are far more complex as some forms of abuse are not seen to the naked eye. Apart from physical violence, slaves were also constantly made to feel worthless about themselves through several actions that made slaves feel like they did not even own their bodies at times. This sense of degradement and physical powerlessness was used by slave owners to keep power over their many slaves as they did not feel deserving of their basic freedoms since they were not “equal humans”, as ridiculous as that
Although this was primarily inflicted on female slave victims, male slaves were sexually abused as well. For example, slave masters used to force slaves who were considered “good breeder”, having the best genes by being strong, tall, healthy, smart, etc, to have intercourse and reproduce for profit in the slave masters advantage. This was embarrassing, degrading and humiliating to both the male and female slaves. Another form of sexual abuse inflicted on female slaves was rape. Far too many young female slaves were, with physical force, harassments and mental abuse, raped by masters and overseers. According to Harriet Jacobs in her narrative account Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, “. . . But I now entered on my fifteenth year — a sad epoch in the life of a slave girl. My master began to whisper foul words in my ear. Young as I was, I could not remain ignorant of their import [meaning]. I tried to treat them with indifference or contempt. . . He tried his utmost to corrupt the pure principles my grandmother had instilled. He peopled my young mind with unclean images, such as only a vile monster could think of. I turned from him with disgust and hatred. But he was my master. I was compelled to live under the same roof with him — where I saw a man forty years my senior daily violating the most sacred commandments of
Constant abuse is degrading and makes the slaves feel a sense of complete worthlessness. Slaveholders would call slaves horrible things like the ‘n-word’ amongst other things to inflict emotional abuse. This creation of dehumanizing can even be called mental slavery. The most personal thing you should have a right to, your mind, is sinisterly taken away from you while in slavery. A freedom to your consciousness and mind are not only rights, but basic necessities in being a functioning human. Slavery has been known to create serious psychological problems and disorders which are caused by being feeling worthless. According to African Holocaust Network, “Mental slavery affects how people see their own reality. This manipulation has always been through mainstream media, religion, and education. So the opinions about reality are sourced—without any suspicion—from the very same people that said Africa was bursting with primitive cannibal savages; a place of no history, a place of no humanity—the dark and savage continent. And via these mass indoctrination devices the very same imperialistic colonial powers are still (without change in strategy) stating that; without Western "help" you have no hope, our ways are the best ways, our goods are the best goods. (AHN 1)” Mental slavery and abuse can be much worse than physical abuse. It