Few people agree with the institution of slavery. I am included in that number. The thing I hate most about slavery is the brutal treatment of the slaves by some of the slavemasters. Therefore, I was excited to read an essay entitled "Slave Resistance" written by John Hope Franklin. In short, the essay talked about the many different types of resistance used by slaves in the South. After reading the essay, I felt an array of emotions with the dominant ones being shock/horror and amazement/wonder. I was very shocked because many times books and movies portray slaves as being submissive and dormant to authority--in this case their slave masters. After reading "Slave Resistance" I realized this was not always the case.
Slaves went to many extremes to escape the harsh life of slavery and resist. Harriet Tubman is a very notable figure in black history with her operation of the Underground Railroad. Through her, many slaves were able to escape, but those that were not able to escape went to sometimes extreme measures in resisting their slave owners. I was both horrified and amazed when I read about the different forms of resistance used. The forms of resistance included self mutilation, destroying different tools, and revolting. Suicide was a form of resistance that I found out was very common. I would not say I was ignorant to the fact that slaves resisted, but I never knew the extent to which they resisted. My eyes were opened because I realized that there was a time when people would rather kill themselves than live another day of their lives. Being that I did not grow up in slavery but as a free individual, I don't think I could have EVER lived under a slave master and be treated in such harsh and brutal ways!!! I believe that I, too, would have killed myself or tried to run away. I say that, yet, in reality, I do not believe I would have had the strength or willpower to physically injure or kill myself. So, in my opinion, slaves were very strong individuals. They each had minds of their own and were not submissive or dormant to authority. John Hope Franklin makes this very clear in his essay entitled "Slave Resistance."
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I entirely agree with what you're saying. It is quite astonishing when you think of the things that slaves had to endure. Like you said, if you were a slave you would not have had the willpower to injure or kill yourself, and I feel the same way as well!
ReplyDeleteBut in the end I'm extatic that slavery ended the time it did, because if it still went on up until this day, the world's population would have been nearly depleted.