Sexual Violence Against African-American Women: Beyond Slavery, Beyond the Physical

The Civil War literally changed the “landscape” of America overnight. At least 600,000 men, both Union and Confederate, never returned to their families. Five years of separation forced the North and South to live as “one”. In theory, slaves became freedmen and equal to their white counterparts. Post-bellum America was difficult for everyone, but it was the South who endured the most hardship. Southern Democrats were now at the mercy of Northern Republicans, forced to rebuild their governments with the federal “blueprint” in mind. Former government officials and property-owners found themselves powerless and landless, respectively. The plantation economy of the South fell victim to out-sourcing, overproduction, and the harsh reality that free labor was now obsolete. Speaking of free labor, freedmen were now in control of their own destinies. Many African-Americans were uncertain of what their “destiny” might be, but one thing was certain: they wanted to be truly free. White Southerners refused to let blacks become equals; no set of amendments or laws were going to stop them. This white “goal” set the stage for race relations in the South for the next hundred or so years. Whites had numerous tactics to ensure that white supremacy reigned. Antagonizing at the polls, circumventing laws that protected blacks, and segregating ever aspect of life imaginable were some of the obvious strategies we see in our history textbooks. However, one tactic is often overlooked, despite its significance. The systematic sexual violence against African-American women gave insight to the mentality and hypocrisy of white supremacy, transcending slavery, the Reconstruction, and the Civil Rights movement. Not only did the constant raping of black women by white men transcend centuries, it evolved in meaning. During slavery, black women suffered in silence as their master’s abused them. The Reconstruction marked the beginning in which freedwomen were speaking out, captivating the nation’s