Slave Narratives
(Solomon Northrup)
(Harriet Jacobs)
The relationships between master and slave were tortuous and has always been known to be. What I have learned from these narratives is not only the well-known beating, but all of the physiological damage and how it affects long term, the harsh dehumanization, and the manipulation that slaveowners go through to make their slaves stay with them to their control. Some slaves, such as Solomon Northrup, didn't totally blame slaveowners for cruelty, because they technically cannot help it, it is just in their nature and the environment around them. There is the much bold statement of how whites were meant to be superior in all to blacks, but almost all slaves did not believe it but had to pretend so to not be whipped. If you had a still tongue, then you were wise. One slave did testify a conspiracy against God, how if God made whites slaveowners and black slaves based on color, how did they really know? Why were there variations of the color? If a slave was nearly white, then why not a slaveowner? But all was satisfied when one thing was for certain, that the white slaveowners would be sent to hell by God and that he protected the masters from taking their souls. The masters were proud of their manipulation to the slaves, to call themselves a "honorable man". Whenever they traveled the masters would come back to say that the "free country" is all a lie, that slaves outside of their plantation are worse off. Slaves even freed years later never believed of the free country and dreaded being freed, afraid to just go back to an even worse master. The curse of slavery was also not just on blacks, but to whites as well. The masters and their families turned cruel and sadistic, making their children evil and violent. There was never talk about the children to the masters, it was all about how the crops were doing. Having that long term affect on generation after generation makes the curse for whites worse, while blacks suffered the physical and animalistic damages. Growing up as a domestic servant playing with the masters children, having the sibling bond between each other is all fine and dandy until the white children go to school, come back with the power and turn to as just another low life slave. Schooling was never an option for slaves, so obviously they had no writing or reading skills so they could not keep track of records and the slave owners didn't bother. No slave really knew how old they were. Most slave children were from the masters, believe it or not, masters wouldn't dare show their fatherly connection, but the women would be sexually vandalized and would bare a child from the master. But all the black children, whether half white or not, would be infinitely treated the same. Also being a pretty black woman was the worst gift, it brought jealousy from the masters wives, rape from the masters, and the never ending fear of having their violent attention. Drawing attention was the worst for slaves, if you had the attention you would do everything wrong in the masters eyes. Seeming as slaves always did something, as if not everything, wrong wouldn't you think there would be some kind of line/divide between the wrong and very wrong? All same punishments were to different faults. Also how do you think the slaves took to themselves trying to regain who they were or who they are going to be once freed? Do you think slaves had the chance or knowledge of having a personality? How'd they find their sense of self?
(Henry Bibb)
(William Wells Brown)
(Austin Steward)
(Frederick Douglass)
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