What Impact Did Slavery Have On African American Society

Slavery has been the worst of the worst issues that our history has ever seen or heard of and now a days most people still believe African Americans shouldn’t have rights. Throughout history slavery was a tremendous problem in our society because many people believed it was normal. They were taking advantage of the African Americans and using them to do their house chores, taking care of their children and overall making the slaves do the impossible. They were treated very poorly and they were expected to work in unnecessary heat conditions. Some were expected to work long hours and weren’t getting the property nutrition and sleep to recover from working those long hours. For African Americans they didn’t have any rights, barely saw their own
family, couldn’t have any friends or social time and couldn’t vote.
Throughout history slavery was a huge part of it. Regardless how many times slaves fought for their freedom, slavery was always mentioned in every time period. They were always taking risk and trying to speak out for many of the slaves and get their freedom. They didn’t understand why the whites could have their own freedom, voting rights and be able to live a normal life. We will have an overview of what types of problems in certain times were slaves were defending their rights and trying seek their freedom; In the early 1770s, over 5,000 slaves fought for American independence but which some gained their freedom, many more obtained their liberty by siding with other countries; the British.
In 1777, many of the black communities became leaders and created their own independent churches and schools and they were called the “Free Black Communities”. Sooner or later the Declaration of Independence came about and it changed the meaning of American freedom. “The Declaration’s enduring impact came not from the complaints against George III but from Jefferson’s preamble, especially the second paragraph, which begins, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” (Foner, p.
200). In the 1800s, the Cotton Kingdom was the significant effect of our growth of slavery. Cotton was such a profit for the planters it created such a benefit for them for not only land but in slave labor. After cotton became such a huge profit many states became slave holders. “After Congress prohibited the Atlantic slave trade in 1808- the earliest date allowed by the Constitution – a massive trade in slaves developed within the United States, supply the labor force required by the new Cotton Kingdom” (Foner, p. 335). Many slaves were sold solely on to work on cotton fields so their owners can make the most money having slaves work in the field for them and some were even chained together while traveling to Virginia to Louisiana. During the nineteenth century it was the absolute worse for African Americans especially men, “Despite racial inequalities, many whites of revolutionary generation had thought of African Americans as “citizens of color,” potential members of the body politic” (Foner, p. 372). During this time black males were treated very poorly denying their rights to join the military, no equal rights including voting, testify in court, or
attend schools. They couldn’t understand that all white males could vote and have equal rights even if they have just moved to certain states but blacks who have had ancestors live in this country/state for as long as they can remember didn’t have any votes, rights or anything to their names. For no absolute reason at all, just because they are a different color. During the 1830s of Andrew Jackson Presidency toward Native Americans was having their first newspapers. It gave the Native Americans a chance to create their own journal, called the Freedoms Journal and Philadelphia Mechanic’s Advocate. Also allowing the Native Americans to write for the newspapers and journals gave women a chance to even create their own piece of writing too including, Lydia Maria Child, Catherine Maria Sedgwick, and Catharine Beecher.
Overall, throughout history slavery was a huge problem within our world and it’s very exciting that regardless of how bad they were treated, they still fought back for their rights and they didn’t stop. Slavery was horrible time period for our country but it showed how powerful it is to stand up for yourself and don’t give up until you tried you hardest for what you want and deserve. African Americans are strong individuals and they showed that to everyone and I’m honored to read about slavery in our history today because it’s very moving as a young college student to read about their struggles and how they never gave up.