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Slavery Essay

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Topic: Slavery in America

Slavery used to be an important resource in America, and the first workers were imported to Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619. There the African slaves were used to aid in the tobacco and cotton productions. There were many different opinions on this subject, but slavery was here to stay, at least for the next couple of centuries. Around the 1860s, the bloody Civil war broke out and Abraham Lincoln, as the president, ratified a law which would eventually free the nations four million slaves. Five years later, the North won the Civil war, the slaves were freed and slavery was abolished. Even though black people were free at last, life would not be easy for them.

Slavery had always had its critics in America, so as the slave trade grew, so did the opposition. The slave labor enabled the colonies to become so profitable, that in 1660 England’s King Charles the second established the royal African company to transport humans from Africa to America. When England finally outlawed its slave trade in 1807, America relied on its own internal slave trade. By 1860, millions of slaves were still moved and sold in the colonies, but no new slaves were imported into the US after 1808. In 1820, the Missouri compromise banned slavery in all new western states, this concluded mostly the southern colonies. The country began to divide around the 18th century over the North and South issue.

When Abraham Lincoln was elected for president in 1860, he convinced many southerners that slavery would never be permitted to expand into new territories acquired by the US. He also declared the emancipation declaration during the war, in 1863. Though Lincoln’s antislavery views were well established, the central Union war aim at first was not to abolish slavery but to preserve the United States as a nation. Eventually, the confederate surrendered in 1865 and the Northside won. The 13th Amendment officially abolished slavery, but freed blacks’ status in the post-war South remained problematic.

Opinions were based on your beliefs and how the world around you evolved. In the North, people were against slavery, but in the South, they thought something else. In the South, people were taught to think that slavery was a natural concept. The defenders of slavery meant that they could not end servitude, considering that slave labor was the foundation of their economy. They also meant that freeing the slaves would lead to anarchy and chaos, and that slavery had existed throughout history and was a common state of mankind. The Northside didn’t rely on slave work as much as the Southside did. The Northside did not like slavery and meant that it was heartless. Other groups (religious groups), thought that it was gruesome and inhuman, while others were busy thinking about their beliefs.

The life of an African-American, after the Civil war, was a world transformed. There were no more of the brutal beatings and the sexual assaults, the selling and forcible relocation of family members, the denial of education, legal marriage, homeownership and so on. Congress enforced laws that promoted civil rights and political rights for African-Americans. The three most important laws the Congress passed was the Amendments. There was the thirteenth amendment which ended slavery, the fourteenth amendment which gave African-Americans the rights of American citizenship, and the fifteenth amendment which gave black men the right to vote. Life after the years of slavery would also prove to be difficult. The South established laws known as the black codes, which meant that they had no right to own land, there were own laws for punishments, they had no rights to carry weapons, no rights to vote and it was illegal not to have work. Most of the African-American, though free, lived in severe poverty.

Slavery began in America when the first slaves were brought to Virginia in 1619. The slaves would aid in the production of crops such as tobacco and cotton. Slavery was of central importance to the South side’s economy. The differences between the South and the North would provoke a big debate, that would tear the nation apart in the gruesome Civil war. Slavery ended after the North won the civil war in 1865 after Abraham Lincoln ratified the thirteenth amendment law. There were many opinions, especially in the South. The southerners meant that slavery had always been around and that it was natural. The Northside meant that it was not right, while other religious groups thought it was horrific. After the Civil war, problems would still appear for the freed slaves. Despite that the beatings, the sexual assaults, and the selling were long gone, life would not be easy for the African-Americans. The South made new laws, known as the black code. It indicated that «negroes» were not allowed to do certain things such as own land, or even carry weapons. Although it was a new law and a new era, it would not change peoples hearts.

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Engaging Students with History: The Power of Slave Narratives

Middle school students connect with history by writing stories from a slave’s perspective.

Editor's Note: Be sure to check out the checklist, worksheets, and rubric for this project at the end of this article.

In an Oakland, California, classroom papered with learning goals and student work, history teacher Lacy Lefkowitz relinquishes her podium to eighth graders presenting their latest project. After a little nudging from peers, a student named Jessica starts reading, quickly, in the voice of a character she created, a woman who was born in Africa, kidnapped by fellow Africans, and sold into slavery in North America. Jessica's classmates, fidgety at first, become silent as she reads (in historical dialect):

"One day Massa complained he needed more money so he sold my husband and kids then he laughed in my face. I got so mad I spit in his face... I's aint neva got so beaten so bad. Massa James put lemon juice in all my cuts. I cried out so loud in pain for John, Abdul, momma, my kids. I cried out for me!"

A Lesson in Empathy

These students at Claremont Middle School have just completed their slave narrative project, a unit that's been taught at the school by eighth-grade history and English teachers for three years. Students write from the point of view of slaves -- those who were born into slavery in the U.S. or brought on slave ships from Africa. By teaching students about slavery through these narratives, the Claremont teachers engage their students in writing by personalizing the study of slavery.

"The slavery unit requires more historical empathy than any other unit, I think," says project creator and history teacher Matt Smith. "So much of the eighth-grade curriculum revolves around debates about slavery and the onset of the Civil War, and I think it's inappropriate to jump into those discussions without first giving a voice to the people who were injured. Their stories are, to me, really the stories of America."

Lefkowitz finds that students understand history more intimately through this assignment: "Just reading doesn't affect them in the same way. They can read about slaves chained on a slave ship, but when it's their character that they're writing about, they gain historical empathy."

Setting Up the Project

Students do the slave narrative project jointly in both history and English class, and teachers scaffold the assignment . In history class, students choose from two dozen topics to brainstorm , such as the Middle Passage (the longest section of the trans-Atlantic trade triangle), field work, beatings, and biracial children. English teachers take on the bulk of the project from there, helping students complete character sketches and make storyboards to outline their narratives.

After writing multiple versions, students add details and descriptions , and edit each others' first drafts before writing a final narrative. They turn their narratives into attractive books with drawings, which they share with each other. Both the history and English teachers grade the project with a rubric .

Asking Tough Questions

Smith finds that students bring many questions on the topic of slavery: Why are people racist? Why did slave owners choose Africans to enslave? Why does slavery exist? How could it go on in the US for so long? Claremont's student population is predominantly African-American, but Lefkowitz recommends that teachers prepare to address race head-on, no matter their student population.

To complement the slave narratives, Claremont history teachers lead a mini-unit on racism featuring excerpts of writings by Howard Zinn and Winthrop Jordan to move conversations "beyond a second-grade understanding of racism," says Smith. Students learn about American slavery in the textbook and by doing dialectical journals with two films, Ships of Slaves and Unchained Memories .

The Lesson's Impact

In English classes, students read slave narratives from the American Antebellum but also more contemporary periods. "That makes a difference," says English teacher Kathryn Williams. "Students realize this is something that could happen to anyone at any time, not just one point in history."

The project certainly makes an impact on students; more turn in slave narratives than any other project during the year, according to Lefkowitz (close to 75 percent of her students this year turned the narratives in on time). It addresses many state standards, and allows for different types of learners to show what they've learned.

Even though the topic made him sad, an eighth grader named Kevin discovered through this project that he was a writer. "I usually have trouble reading and writing. If the teacher tells me to write an essay, usually I write only half a page," he says. But he wrote a four-page slave narrative. He explained, "The project made me want to write."

Fellow student Nia says of doing this assignment, as an African-American, "I took it so, so seriously." Studying and writing about what slaves did to avoid being killed or separated from their families made a big impression. "I learned what it was like to work in the fields, ten hours a day, with no food, even if you were pregnant," she says. "When they were auctioned, their mouths were opened and they were touched like they were not human, like pieces of meat."

Students don't shy away from events as brutal as rape and murder in their narratives. But those are historical realities, and Nia, for one, thinks other teachers should consider doing this project in their classes. "Children should learn what really happened. They should know."

Lisa Morehouse , a former teacher, is now a public-radio journalist and an education consultant in San Francisco.

The Slave Narrative Project downloads are also available here:

Slavery Book Checklist 72KB

Slavery Book Pre-write 110KB

Character Sketch Template 36KB

Description and Detail Worksheet 77KB

Peer Revision and Editing Worksheet 97KB

Slave Narrative Project Rubric 66KB

Background Essay: The Origins of American Slavery

How did enslaved and free blacks resist the injustice of slavery during the colonial era.

• I can articulate how slavery was at odds with the principle of justice.
• I can explain how enslaved men and women resisted the institution of slavery.
• I can create an argument supported by evidence from primary sources.
• I can succinctly summarize the main ideas of historic texts.

Essential Vocabulary

Written by: The Bill of Rights Institute

American Slavery in the Colonies

Throughout the colonial era, many white colonists in British North America gradually imposed a system of unfree and coerced labor upon Africans in all the colonies. Throughout the colonies, enslavement of Africans became a racial, lifelong, and hereditary condition. The institution was bound up with the larger Atlantic System of trade and slavery yet developed a unique and diverse character in British North America.

Europeans forcibly brought Africans to the New World in the international slave trade. From the fifteenth to the nineteenth century, European slave ships carried 12.5 million Africans, mostly to the New World. Because of the crowded ships, diseases, and mistreatment, only 10.7 million enslaved Africans landed at their destinations. Almost 2 million souls perished in what a draft of the Declaration of Independence later called an “ execrable commerce.”

Europeans primarily acquired the enslaved Africans from African slave traders along the western coast of the continent by exchanging guns, alcohol, textiles, and a broad range of goods demanded by the African traders. The enslaved were alone, having been separated from their families and embarked on the harrowing journey called the “ Middle Passage ” in chains. They were frightened and confused by their tragic predicament. Some refused to eat or jumped overboard to commit suicide rather than await their fate.

This diagram depicts the layout of a slave ship. (Unknown author – an Abstract of Evidence delivered before a select committee of the House of Commons in 1790 and 1791, reprinted in Phyllis M. Martin and Patrick O’Meara (eds.) (1995). Africa third edition. Indiana University Press and James Currey.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Passage#/media/File:Slave_ship_diagram.png

Most Africans in the international trade were bound for the European colonial possessions in the Caribbean and South America. The sugar plantations there were places where disease, climate, and work conditions produced a horrifying death rate for enslaved Africans. The sugar crop was so valuable that it was cheaper to work slaves to death and import replacements.  About 5 percent of the human cargo in the slave trade landed in British North America.

The African-American experience in the 13 colonies varied widely and is characterized by great complexity. The climate, geography, agriculture, laws, and culture shaped the diverse nature of enslavement.

Enslaved Africans in the British North American colonies did share many things in common, however. Slavery was a racial, lifetime and hereditary condition. White supremacy was rooted in slavery as its victims were almost exclusively Africans. It was a system of unfree and coerced labor that violated the enslaved person’s natural rights of liberty and consent. While the treatment of slaves might vary depending on region or the disposition of the slaveholder, slavery was at its core a violent and brutal system that stripped away human dignity from the enslaved. In all the colonies, slaves were considered legal property. In other words, slavery was a great injustice.

Differing climates and economies led to very different agricultural systems and patterns of enslavement across the colonies. The North had mostly self-sufficient farms. Few had slaves, and those that did, had one or two enslaved persons. While the North had some important pockets of large landowners who held larger numbers of slaves such as the Hudson Valley, its farms were generally incompatible with large slaveholding. Moreover, the nature of wheat and corn crops generally did not support slaveholding the same way that labor-intensive tobacco and rice did. Cities such as New York and Philadelphia also had the largest Black populations.

On the other hand, the Chesapeake (Maryland and Virginia) and low country of the Carolinas had planters and farmers who raised tobacco, rice, and indigo. Small farms only had one or two slaves (and often none), but the majority of the southern enslaved population lived on plantations. Large plantations frequently held more than 20 enslaved people, and some had hundreds. Virginian Robert “King” Carter held more than 1,000 people in bondage. As a result, in the areas where plantations predominated areas of the South (especially South Carolina), enslaved people outnumbered white colonists and sometimes by large percentages. This led to great fear of slave rebellions and measures by whites, including slave patrols and travel restrictions, to prevent them.

Robert “King” Carter was one of the richest men in all of the American colonies. He owned more than 1,000 slaves on his Virginia plantation. Anonymous. Portrait of Robert “King” Carter. Circa 1720. Painting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Carter_I#/media/File:Robert_Carter_I.JPG

The regional differences of slavery led to variations in work patterns for enslaved people. A few Northern enslaved people worked and lived on farms alongside slaveholders and their families. Many worked in urban areas as workers, domestic servants, and sailors and generally had more freedom of movement than on southern plantations.

Blacks developed their own cultures in North and South. Despite different cultures and languages brought from Africa and regional differences within the colonies, a strong sense of community developed especially in areas where they had greater autonomy. Slave quarters on large plantations and urban communities of free blacks were notable for the development of Black culture through resistance, preservation of traditions, and expression. The free and enslaved Black communities kept in conversation with each other to transmit news and to hide runaways.

Different systems of work developed on Southern plantations. One was a “gang system ” of labor in which planters or their overseers drove groups of enslaved people, closely watched their work, and applied physical coercion to compel them to work faster. They also worked in the homes, laundries, kitchens, and stables on larger plantations.

On the massive rice plantations of the Carolinas, enslaved people were often assigned tasks and allowed to stop working when they reached their goals. The “ task system ” could foster cooperation and provide incentives to complete their work quicker. Plantation slaves completed other tasks including cooking, cleaning, laundry, childcare, and worked as skilled artisans.

The treatment and experience of enslaved people was rooted in a brutal system but could vary widely. Many slaveholders were violent and cruel, liberally applying severe beatings that were at times limited by law or shunned by society. Others were guided by their Christian beliefs or humanitarian impulses and treated their slaves more paternalistically . Domestic work was often easier but under much closer scrutiny than fieldhands who at times enjoyed more autonomy and community with other enslaved people. Slaveholders in New England were more likely to teach slaves to read or encourage religious worship, but enslaved people were commonly restricted from learning to read, especially in the South.

Enslaved people did not passively accept their condition. They found a variety of ways to resist in order to preserve their humanity and autonomy. Some of the common daily forms of resistance included slowing down their pace of work, breaking a tool, or pretending to be sick. Some stole food and drink to supplement their inadequate diets or simply to enjoy it as an act of rebellion. Young male slaves were especially likely to run away for a few days and hide out locally to protest work or mistreatment. Enslaved people secretly learned to read and that allowed them to forge passes to escape to freedom. They sang spirituals out of religious conviction, but also in part to express their hatred of the system and their hope for freedom.

Slaves developed their own culture as a way to bond together in their hardships and show defiance to their owners. This image depicts slaves on a plantation dancing and playing music. Anonymous. The Old Plantation. Circa. 1790. Painting. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_the_United_States#/media/File:Slave_dance_to_banjo,_1780s.jpg

The enslavement of Africans in British colonies in North America developed differently in individual colonies and among regions. But, the common thread running throughout the experience of slavery was injustice. Blacks were denied their humanity and natural rights as they could not keep the fruits of their labor, lived under a brutal system of coercion, and could not live their lives freely. However, a few white colonists questioned the institution before the Revolutionary War.

Comprehension and Analysis Questions

• How did slavery violate an enslaved person’s natural rights?
• How did slavery vary across the 13 British colonies in North America?
• How did Blacks resist their enslavement?

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Ohio State University Press, 2020

Contributor Bio

Caleb j. gayle, more online by caleb j. gayle, how to make a slave and other essays, by jerald walker, reviewed by caleb j. gayle.

Well-meaning people dedicate their lives to naming things, but perhaps one of the hardest things to name—and subsequently describe—is the experience of those who are marginalized by society. Usually, we try to find simple, linear stories, and choose over-generalized narratives instead of the messy, honest truth in attempts to describe the Black experience. But this often runs the risk of monolithically categorizing that experience. When taking on the task of explaining how one is made a slave, a linear, concise book cannot be written. It must be messy, composite, and complex. Written at multitudes, Jerald Walker’s book How to Make a Slave and Other Essays meets the challenge.

In this collection that received a finalist placement for the 2020 National Book Award for Nonfiction, Walker provides greater clarity for what it might mean to be a Black man in America by dismissing the linearity and simplicity that naming Blackness often produces. We cannot be surprised by the clear, yet complex, multitudinous approach Walker takes—in part, the book is dedicated to James Alan McPherson, who encouraged Walker as a student to complicate how he wrote about Black folks and Black folks’ lives. McPherson was Walker’s professor while Walker studied at the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, and Walker remembers an important and challenging moment with McPherson in the essay “Dragon Slayers,” which sheds light on his writing style today.

On the day that his writing was up for critique in workshop, Walker—like many writers in the same position—awaited his peers’ feedback nervously. Instead, that day McPherson chimed in himself. Discussing Walker’s piece with the class without naming Walker as its author, McPherson states of its protagonist: “This person raps about the ghetto [ … ] but he doesn’t live in the ghetto. He lives in a wealthy white suburb with his wife and daughter. His daughter attends a predominantly white, private school.” Stunned, Walker, who truly did grow up in the “ghetto,” listens as McPherson’s critique grows sharper: “What some gangster rappers are doing is using black stereotypes because white people eat that stuff up. But these images are false, they’re dishonest. Some rappers are selling out their race for personal gain [ … ]. That’s what this writer is doing with his work.”

Walker shows us just how irate and righteously indignant he became, only for McPherson to continue and provide him with a lesson that all writers need to hear: “Stereotypes are valuable [ … ] But only if you use them to your advantage. They present your readers with something they’ll recognize, and it pulls them into what appears to be familiar territory, a comfort zone. But once they’re in, you have to move them beyond the stereotype. You have to show them what’s real.” When Walker asks what is real, McPherson replies succinctly, but with a difficult, implicit challenge: “You.”

The task of the memoirist—and the particular challenge for writers like Walker, like me, writers of color—is to offer the reader pathways to an authentic understanding of who we are. This can mean acceding to stereotypes, or radically abandoning them. Rarely does it involve some straight path that is both smooth and clear. No, the task, which Walker accomplishes deftly, is to guide readers through the messy compilation of experiences that shape “you.”

Walker’s voice isn’t gracious, but it is graceful and clear, never sparing the reader from the critical perspective that will help them unpack and deconstruct his experiences. In the essay “Balling,” Walker uses the crossover move, and the stereotype of the supposedly preternatural basketball skills of Black folk, to demonstrate that our lives and experiences are built on the basis of improvisation. In “Unprepared,” Walker takes us on an unexpected drive with a man who repeatedly propositions Walker—even going so far as to expose himself to him, which forces him to interrogate his perspectives on sex and sexuality. In “Feeding Pigeons,” Walker takes his readers to a night of drunkenness that reveals the odd distinctions between platonic and romantic relationships with both men and women. Throughout its pages, the collection asks us to consider how our varied life experiences shape our identities.

With his push to give the reader who he truly is, Walker is able to meet the charge of the collection’s titular essay: to explain “how a man was made a slave” and “how a slave was made a man.” Not by appealing to the stereotypes that his childhood might have given him the opportunity to do, but by giving people the “you” that McPherson asked for. It’s not neat, nor should it be. As he explains sex and sexuality, interpersonal interactions, love and loss, violence, alcoholism or addiction, we see Walker. With this literary feat, the potency of the Black monolith dies another death: a meaningful and required death.

Perhaps the responsibility we all have, Black or not, is to do what McPherson encouraged Walker to do. “Less time needs to be spent on the dragons,” as McPherson told Walker, the mega-problems that seem to typify the Black community as in a persistent struggle. Instead, let us spend “more on our ability to forge swords for battle and the skill with which we’ve used them.” This book is the ultimate testament to the fact that Walker has honed his skills, not by over-focusing on the dragons but instead by adeptly fashioning the tools to fight those dragons. We need to do the same.

Editor’s note: an essay published in How to Make a Slave and Other Essays , “ The Designated Driver ,” originally appeared in Harvard Review 50.

Published on February 9, 2021

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Tuesday, October 02, 2018

Writing about slavery in historical fiction.

The Nailers all returned to work & executing well some heavy orders, as one from D. Higinb.m for 30.000. Xd. Moses, Jam Hubbard Davy & Shephard still out & to remain till you order otherwise—Joe cuting nails—I had given a charge of lenity respecting all: (Burwell absolutely excepted from the whip alltogether) before you wrote: none have incurred it but the small ones for truancy & yet the work proceeds better than since George.

Our Shared Responsibility

Writing slavery in historical fiction, 1. don’t sanitize the truth., 2. but don’t glorify it either., 3. remember to write people who are people..

1. Are there two named characters of color? 2. Do they have dialogue? 3. Are they not romantically involved with one another? 4. Do they have any dialogue that isn’t comforting or supporting a white character? 5. Is one of them visibly not magic ?

Understand What You’re Taking On

3 comments:.

Great post. Thought-provoking. I'm writing about blacks and whites in 1952 (but reflecting back on slavery issues). It's tough to write authentically. Thanks for all your observations.

This is very timely to me as I have a friend who was lip-lashed for writing about slavery in her historical novel, by an editor. I am sending her the link. Thanks for this.

I've been considering a story idea that would require involving slavery. I've not done a historically based novel before and the idea of traversing a story terrain with slavery in the thick of its folds has been a bit daunting. I find your tips very helpful as I work through building this story idea out. Thank you very much. And yes, this is now one of my bookmarks for quick reference.

James W. Loewen (1942-2021)

We mourn the loss of our friend and colleague and remain committed to the work he began.

Essay 2: How to Teach Slavery

Recognizing that inaccurate history often subtly promotes continuing white supremacy, the National Education Association (NEA) commissioned these articles and has posted some of them in slightly different form  at its website . I thank Harry Lawson and others at NEA for the commission, for editorial suggestions, and for other assistance.

To understand our country, Americans have to understand the role slavery has played. Understandably, the topic can make teachers nervous. But teachers who leave it out, cover it hastily, or soften its harshness inadvertently minimize its importance. This makes history white, not right. Most textbooks now show the horror of slavery and its impact on black America. However, they remain largely silent about its impact on white America, North or South. Slavery’s twin legacies to the present are the social and economic inferiority it conferred upon blacks and the cultural racism it impregnated within white minds and inside our culture. Both still haunt our society. Unlike slavery, racism is not over yet. Textbooks have trouble treating honestly any problem that has not already been solved. The key insight students need is: racism arose in part as the rationale for slavery. (It also rationalized the taking of the land from indigenous peoples.) Montesquieu, the French social philosopher who had a deep influence on American democracy, summed up the role of racism ironically: “It is impossible for us to suppose these creatures [slaves] to be men, because, allowing them to be men, a suspicion would follow that we ourselves are not Christian.” Here Montesquieu is presaging Leon Festinger’s idea of cognitive dissonance — that people mold their ideas to rationalize their actions. People are not born racist. Little babies have no idea that people come divided into different races. Indeed, biologically, there is only one race – the human race. History divided us up into races. Slavery had existed long before racism, of course. Europeans enslaved each other, Africans each other, Native Americans each other. Previous slaveries hardly treated enslaved persons justly, but slaves sometimes did get traded back to their home people. Or they might eventually marry someone from the host society, thus escaping bondage. Around 1450, however, Europeans put together cannons, ships that could sail against the wind, and other social and physical inventions and proceeded down the coast of Africa with a newfound military superiority. The racial slavery that resulted offered almost no way out. Moreover, one’s children and their children were also enslaved forever. Such blatant injustice required stronger justification — hence racism. By the 1850s, most whites considered blacks so inferior that slavery was appropriate for them. This view of African Americans was not just Southern and did not just go away in 1865, when slavery was outlawed. The very essence of what we have inherited from slavery is the idea that it is appropriate, even “natural,” for whites to be on top, blacks on the bottom. The struggle over slavery and white supremacy is the dominant single theme in American history. Most antebellum mansions, North and South, were built by slaves or from profits derived from the slave and cotton trades. Black-white relations became the central issue in the Civil War, which killed as many Americans as all our other wars combined. The political and social contest between blacks and white supremacists was the main issue of Reconstruction. The Nadir of race relations (1890-1940) then led to the ongoing struggle for civil rights. It is critical that students today understand all this. Unfortunately, I have yet to read a textbook that connects history to racism. Uninformed notions may rush in to fill the resulting analytic vacuum. White students may conclude that all societies have always been racist, perhaps by nature, so racism is all right. Black students may conclude that all whites have always been racist, perhaps by nature, so to be anti-white is all right. History is the antidote to these fallacies, beginning with an accurate portrayal of the relationship between slavery then and racism now.

Es sential Reading

• Loewen, “Methods for Teaching Slavery to High School Students and College Undergraduates in the United States,” in Bethany Jay and Cynthia Lyerly, eds.,  Understanding and Teaching American Slavery  (Madison: U of WI Press, 2016), 9-30, tells the four key problems enslaved persons faced and also suggests a metaconversation to hold with students to start a discussion of slavery.

All essays in the  Correct(ed)  series: Introducing the Series Essay 2: How to Teach Slavery Essay 3: How to Teach Secession Essay 4: Teaching about the Confederacy and Race Relations Essay 5: Confederate Public History Essay 6: Reconstruction Essay 7: Getting History Right Can Decrease Racism Toward Mexican Americans Essay 8: Problematic Words about Native Americans Essay 9: How and When Did the First People Get Here? Essay 10: The Pantheon of Explorers Essay 11: Columbus Day Essay 12: How Thanksgiving Helps Keep Us Ethnocentric Essay 13: American Indians as Mascots Essay 14: How to Teach the Nadir of Race Relations Essay 15: Teaching the Civil Rights Movement Essay 16: Getting Students Thinking about the Future

Home — Essay Samples — History — Slavery in The World — A Study of Modern Day Slavery

A Study of Modern Day Slavery

• Categories: Slavery in The World

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Words: 1065 |

Published: Mar 14, 2019

Words: 1065 | Pages: 2 | 6 min read

The Preservation of Slavery In a Free World

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Captivity and slave narratives allow insight into the trauma that the victim experiences; however, the victim’s narrative is often influenced and therefore, altered, to conform to the society’s pressures at that time. Focusing [...]

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5 Essays On Human Trafficking You Can Access Freely Online

Every country faces specific human rights issues, but human trafficking is a problem for every place on the planet. Wherever there’s poverty, conflict, a lack of education, or political instability, vulnerable people are at risk. Human trafficking is the world’s fastest-growing criminal industry. Sexual exploitation brings in most of the billions of dollars of profit, but forced labor also generates wealth. The universality of human trafficking doesn’t negate the fact that the issue is multi-faceted and as a multitude of root causes . Certain countries are more dangerous than others and certain people groups are more vulnerable. To learn more about specific human trafficking issues and solutions, here are five essays you can read or download for free:

“Human Trafficking and Exploitation: A Global Health Concern”

By: Cathy Zimmerman and Ligia Kiss

While labor migration can be beneficial to workers and employers, it’s also a hotbed for exploitation. In this essay from PLOS, the authors argue that human trafficking and the exploitation of low-wage workers have significant negative health impacts. Because of the magnitude of human trafficking, health concerns constitute a public health problem. Thanks to certain business models that depend on disposable labor, exploitation is allowed to flourish while protections are weakened. The essay states that trafficking initiatives must focus on stopping exploitation within each stage of labor migration. This essay introduces a special collection from PLOS on human trafficking and health. It’s the first medical journal collection on this topic. It includes pieces on child sex trafficking in the United States and the slavery of sea workers in South East Asia. Cathy Zimmerman and Ligia Kiss, the guest editors and authors of the first essay, are from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

“Introducing The Slave Next Door”

By: Jen Birks and Alison Gardner

Published in a special issue of the Anti-Trafficking Review on public perceptions and responses to human trafficking, this essay focuses on Great Britain. According to the essay, there’s been a shift in what the public thinks about trafficking based on local reporting and anti-slavery campaigns. British communities are starting to realize how prevalent human trafficking is in their own backyards. The essay takes a closer look at the media and campaigns, how they’re representing cases, and what people are doing with the information. While specific to Britain, it’s a good example of how people can perceive trafficking within their borders.

Jen Birks is an Assistant Professor in media at the Department of Cultural, Media, and visual Studies at the University of Nottingham. Alison Gardner is at the School of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Nottingham with a Nottingham Research Fellowship. She is part of the university’s Rights Lab.

“My Family’s Slave”

By: Alex Tizon

One of The Atlantic’s biggest stories of 2017, this essay tells a personal story of modern slavery. At 18-years old, Lola was given to the writer’s mother and when they moved to the United States, Lola came with them. On the outside, Tizon’s family was, in his words, “a poster family.” The truth was much darker. The essay sparked countless reader responses, including those of people who were once slaves themselves. Reading both the criticism and praise of the essay is just as valuable as the essay itself.

Alex Tizon died at age 57 years old before his essay was published. He had a successful career as a writer and reporter, sharing a Pulitzer Prize while a staff member at The Seattle Times. He also published a 2014 memoir Big Little Man: In Search of My Asian Self.

“Vietnam’s Human Trafficking Problem Is Too Big To Ignore”

By: Thoi Nguyen

In November 2019, 39 Vietnamese people were found dead in a truck container. They were identified as victims of a human trafficking ring. In Nguyen’s article, he explores the facts about the severity of human trafficking in Vietnam. For years, anti-slavery groups have warned the UK about a rise in trafficking, but it took a tragedy for people to start paying attention. Nguyen discusses who is vulnerable to trafficking, how trafficking functions, and Vietnam’s response.

Freelance journalist Thoi Nguyen is a member of Chatham House and a member of Amnesty International UK. In addition to human trafficking, he writes about the economy, finance, and foreign affairs. He’s a specialist in South East Asian geopolitics.

“History Repeats Itself: Some New Faces Behind Sex Trafficking Are More Familiar Than You Think”

By: Mary Graw Leary

This essay highlights how human trafficking isn’t only a criminal enterprise, it’s also an economic one. Leary looks specifically at how businesses that benefit (directly or indirectly) from slavery have always fought against efforts to end it. The essay focuses on government efforts to disrupt online sex trafficking and how companies are working to prevent that from happening. Human trafficking is a multi-billion dollar industry, so it makes sense that even legitimate businesses benefit. Knowing what these businesses are is essential to ending trafficking.

Mary Graw Leary is a former federal prosecutor and currently a professor of law at The Catholic University of America. The Chair of the United States Sentencing Commission’s Victim Advocacy Group, she’s an expert in exploitation, missing persons, human trafficking, and technology.

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About the author, emmaline soken-huberty.

Emmaline Soken-Huberty is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon. She started to become interested in human rights while attending college, eventually getting a concentration in human rights and humanitarianism. LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, and climate change are of special concern to her. In her spare time, she can be found reading or enjoying Oregon’s natural beauty with her husband and dog.

The Relevance of Bell Hooks’ “Ain’t i a Woman”: Intersectionality and Feminist Thought

This essay about Bell Hooks’ “Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism” explores the book’s examination of the intersectionality of race, gender, and class. It highlights how hooks traces the devaluation of Black womanhood back to slavery, criticizing both historical and contemporary marginalization. The essay discusses hooks’ critique of the mainstream feminist movement’s exclusion of women of color and the need for a more inclusive and intersectional approach. It also addresses sexism within the Black community and the psychological impact of intersecting oppressions on Black women. Ultimately, the essay underscores the enduring relevance of hooks’ work in shaping contemporary feminist thought and promoting social justice.

How it works

Bell hooks’ seminal work, “Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism,” is a cornerstone in the field of feminist theory, offering profound insights into the complexities of race, gender, and class. First published in 1981, the book remains a crucial text for understanding the intersectional nature of oppression and the unique struggles faced by Black women. Hooks’ work is not merely a critique but a call to action, challenging the feminist movement to broaden its scope and inclusivity.

One of the central themes of “Ain’t I a Woman” is the historical devaluation of Black womanhood.

Hooks meticulously traces the roots of this devaluation to slavery, highlighting how the systemic exploitation of Black women’s bodies laid the foundation for enduring stereotypes and discrimination. She argues that the legacy of slavery has left an indelible mark on the social, economic, and political lives of Black women, perpetuating a cycle of marginalization. This historical context is crucial for understanding the contemporary struggles of Black women and underscores the importance of addressing these deep-seated issues within feminist discourse.

Hooks also critiques the mainstream feminist movement for its often exclusionary practices. She points out that early feminist efforts were predominantly led by white, middle-class women, whose perspectives and priorities did not necessarily align with those of women of color or working-class women. This exclusion resulted in a form of feminism that, while challenging patriarchy, failed to address the interconnected oppressions of racism and economic inequality. By highlighting these shortcomings, hooks urges the feminist movement to embrace a more inclusive and intersectional approach, recognizing that the liberation of all women is inextricably linked to the dismantling of all forms of oppression.

Furthermore, hooks’ discussion of sexism within the Black community is both candid and necessary. She addresses the tension between Black men and women, exacerbated by societal pressures and internalized racism. Hooks argues that the fight against racism should not come at the expense of addressing sexism within the community. Instead, she advocates for a unified struggle against both forms of oppression, emphasizing that true liberation can only be achieved when all members of the community are free from both racial and gender-based discrimination.

“Ain’t I a Woman” also delves into the psychological impact of racism and sexism on Black women. Hooks explores how these intersecting oppressions shape self-perception and identity, often leading to feelings of inferiority and self-doubt. She stresses the importance of self-love and self-affirmation as acts of resistance against a society that consistently devalues Black womanhood. This aspect of her work resonates deeply, offering both a critique of societal norms and a message of empowerment for Black women.

The relevance of hooks’ work extends beyond its historical and social critique. Her call for intersectionality has influenced contemporary feminist thought, shaping the way scholars and activists approach issues of identity and oppression. The concept of intersectionality, which emphasizes the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender, has become a foundational principle in feminist theory and activism. Hooks’ insistence on the importance of addressing these intersections has paved the way for a more nuanced and inclusive feminist movement.

Moreover, hooks’ writing style—accessible yet profound—ensures that her ideas reach a broad audience. She writes with a clarity and passion that make her work both intellectually rigorous and emotionally compelling. This accessibility is crucial for a movement that aims to be inclusive, ensuring that feminist theory is not confined to academia but is instead a living, breathing discourse that resonates with everyday experiences.

In conclusion, Bell Hooks’ “Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism” remains an essential text for anyone interested in feminist theory, social justice, and the intersections of race, gender, and class. Hooks’ incisive analysis and powerful prose challenge readers to confront uncomfortable truths and to work towards a more inclusive and equitable society. Her work is a testament to the enduring relevance of intersectional feminism and a powerful reminder that the fight for liberation is far from over. As we continue to grapple with issues of inequality and oppression, hooks’ insights provide both a roadmap and an inspiration for creating a world where all women can truly be free.

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The Relevance of Bell Hooks' "Ain't I a Woman": Intersectionality and Feminist Thought. (2024, Jun 28). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/the-relevance-of-bell-hooks-aint-i-a-woman-intersectionality-and-feminist-thought/

"The Relevance of Bell Hooks' "Ain't I a Woman": Intersectionality and Feminist Thought." PapersOwl.com , 28 Jun 2024, https://papersowl.com/examples/the-relevance-of-bell-hooks-aint-i-a-woman-intersectionality-and-feminist-thought/

PapersOwl.com. (2024). The Relevance of Bell Hooks' "Ain't I a Woman": Intersectionality and Feminist Thought . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-relevance-of-bell-hooks-aint-i-a-woman-intersectionality-and-feminist-thought/ [Accessed: 3 Jul. 2024]

"The Relevance of Bell Hooks' "Ain't I a Woman": Intersectionality and Feminist Thought." PapersOwl.com, Jun 28, 2024. Accessed July 3, 2024. https://papersowl.com/examples/the-relevance-of-bell-hooks-aint-i-a-woman-intersectionality-and-feminist-thought/

"The Relevance of Bell Hooks' "Ain't I a Woman": Intersectionality and Feminist Thought," PapersOwl.com , 28-Jun-2024. [Online]. Available: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-relevance-of-bell-hooks-aint-i-a-woman-intersectionality-and-feminist-thought/. [Accessed: 3-Jul-2024]

PapersOwl.com. (2024). The Relevance of Bell Hooks' "Ain't I a Woman": Intersectionality and Feminist Thought . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-relevance-of-bell-hooks-aint-i-a-woman-intersectionality-and-feminist-thought/ [Accessed: 3-Jul-2024]

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Slavery Elements in Mississippi Black Code Essay (Critical Writing)

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
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Introduction

Limitation of the freedom of marriage, limitation of the freedom of work, limitation of the freedom of weapon, impact of the black code, works cited.

Racism is one of the ugliest forms of relations between individuals as it presupposes the biased and unfair attitude to representatives of a particular race because of its so-called inferiority. Unfortunately, In the USA, the given pattern had been part of the legal environment for centuries. After the War of Independence and the Civil War, the first signs of abolishment movements emerged. Citizens of the Northern states acquired the new vision of interracial relations characterized by a more tolerant attitude to individuals and equality.

It promoted the slight improvement of minorities’ states. To depress these trends, various regulations throughout the South of the country were created. The Black Codes became one of them. They encompassed all laws needed to save the racialized society and prevent black people from becoming independent. It was performed via numerous regulations limiting all the most critical aspects of an individual’s life. For this reason, evaluating the Mississippi Black Code as an example of a document introducing the legal regulations to infringe people’s rights is critical to understand how limits on marriage, work, and arms helped to enslave people and postpone the rise of abolishment.

The discussed set of rules emerged after the Civil War under the impact of the reconsideration of attitude to African-Americans living in the state. Slavery had the nationwide breadth in the USA at that period of time, but the South was more conservative in its views on this phenomenon. The Mississippi Black Code encompassed the majority of laws regulating all spheres of relations between the African-American population and other people, agencies, employees, and local authorities (“Black Codes”). The Code was created to replace the previous slave regulations existing in Southern states (“Black Codes”).

However, the main goal of the given document was not to improve the state of this population group; on the contrary, this law prevented black people from becoming members of the society of that period of time by introducing multiple limits and discriminative laws. In other words, it was the officially accepted doctrine aimed at the elimination of grounds for the generation of economic wealth and acquiring independence by black people who were considered as a cheap labor force and source of income (Van Daniel 54).

Along with numerous elements of slavery present in this document, there are three that should be analyzed in detail. These are the limitation of the freedom of marriage, the limitation of the freedom of work, and the limitation of the freedom of weapon. All these aspects evidence the biased character of the code and its unfair character.

The freedom to choose a partner is one of the basic rights of any human being. Every person should be able to select an individual whom he/she loves and create a family that will be able to generate wealth and contribute to the development of the community. However, the Mississippi Black Code presupposed a rude interference in this aspect of people’s lives as it stated that “it shall not be lawful for any freedman, free negro, or mulatto to intermarry with any white person; nor for any white person to intermarry with any freedman, free negro, or mulatto” (“(1866) Mississippi Black Codes”).

The given extract proves the discriminative character of the Code and reveals the elements of slavery hidden in it. Slaves were considered inferior to their owners, and it was impossible to imagine a marriage between them. As it becomes clear from the code, the given pattern was preserved. Black people were still taken as not equal, and they were limited in their opportunities to engage in interracial relations as it would be considered a serious crime that should be punished. The given limitation had been topical up to the middle of the 20the century and interracial marriages were not appreciated by society.

The possible reason for the strict control of sexual life and intimate relations was the unwillingness to allow the blending of races. First, it would result in the emergence of a new culture that would include all the unique peculiarities of these nationalities. Second, it would destroy barriers between races and make preservation of segregation and discrimination more complex because of the appearance of people with undetermined status. For this reason, the regulation introduced by the Black Code had remained topical for generations.

Another element of slavery presented in the discussed code is the introduction of strict limits to work, to select an employer, and to quit looking for better wages. For instance, the Code stated:

Every civil officer shall, and every person may arrest and carry back to his or her legal employer any freedman, free negro, or mulatto who shall have quit the service of his or her employer before the expiration of his or her term of service without good cause (“(1866) Mississippi Black Codes”)

It means that all minorities mentioned by the document did not have the right to leave because of poor working conditions, inappropriate payment, or biased attitudes. These laws provided multiple opportunities for white employers to use the depressed population as a cheap working force without any guarantees of sufficient treatment or salary. This approach can be compared to the methods used by slave-owners who were sure that their workers would not find another master.

Apprentices were also prohibited from leaving their masters without their consent (“(1866) Mississippi Black Codes”). Moreover, the Black Code presupposed that any black person who was not employed by a particular date could be considered a vagrant and treated appropriately (“(1866) Mississippi Black Codes”). These restrictions were also critical in preserving racialized and strict hierarchical relations between black and white people.

Having no opportunity to change masters, discriminated minorities were not able to struggle for the increase in wages or better working conditions. The given regulation was critical at the rise of abolition. It significantly reduced the black people’s opportunity to meet and discuss some issues topical for them. In such a way, this restriction became a critical element that postponed the emergence of civil rights movements in the state. These facts also prove the discriminative character of the document and its aim at the elimination of opportunities to generate a stable income.

Finally, the Code introduced the strict prohibition to wearing any arms by depressing categories. It stated that “no freedman, free negro or mulatto … shall keep or carry fire-arms of any kind, or any ammunition, dirk or bowie knife” (“(1866) Mississippi Black Codes”). A person was obliged to pay a significant fine if this law was violated. It is another element of slavery included in the discussed set of regulations. The central motif for the introduction of this law was the attempt to deprive black people of the opportunity to struggle for their rights by confiscating any weapons that could be used against them and guaranteeing the observation of other rules.

Otherwise, having no arms, these people did not have an opportunity to resist. The grounds for the emergence of this pattern can be traced back to the period characterized by the rise of slavery. Being afraid of rebellions and any forms of resistance, planters prohibited their black slaves from using arms and introduced severe punishment for it. It was one of the main forms of control guaranteeing the ability to suppress or eliminate people who tried to fight for their rights. In such a way, the Black Code became a veil used to hide the same patterns and cease the development of abolition movements.

The Black code promoted a significant impact on the state of depressed minorities in areas where it was accepted. Having a discriminative nature, it created the legal basis for the cultivation of biased patterns among the white population of the USA as they acquired an opportunity to impact the most important spheres of black people’s lives and prevent them from integrating with society and generating wealth (White et al. 89). In other words, this group was still considered a cheap working force that could be used for various tasks.

Altogether, Mississippi Black Code is a document that emerged after the Civil War with the primary aim to replace previous slave laws. However, it became a set of rules that tried to suppress the further development of African-American slaves, so-called freedmen. Counter to the abolishment movements that appeared in the North of the country, the Southern states tried to suppress the growing consciousness of black people because of the historical peculiarities of the area. It can be proven by numerous discriminative aspects found in-laws introduced by the Black Code. For instance, it presupposed significant limits on marriage, work, and weapons.

Regulating these three critical elements of people’s lives, the majority was able to preserve old patterns and exploit them in the ways needed for their enrichment. At the same time, minorities mentioned in the Code had no rights to struggle for their freedom as these regulations strongly prohibited their meetings without a significant legal cause. That is why the Mississippi Black Code contributed to the further depression of the black population, racialization of communities, and created the legal basis for their discrimination regarding the new approach to slavery in the USA.

“ Black Codes .” History . Web.

“ (1866) Mississippi Black Codes .” BlackPast . Web.

White, Deborah, et al. Freedom on My Mind, Volume 1: A History of African Americans with Documents . Bedford Books, 2012.

Van Daniel, Roderick. Unjustifiably Oppressed: Black Codes of Mississippi. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2018.

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IvyPanda. (2021, May 12). Slavery Elements in Mississippi Black Code. https://ivypanda.com/essays/slavery-elements-in-mississippi-black-code/

"Slavery Elements in Mississippi Black Code." IvyPanda , 12 May 2021, ivypanda.com/essays/slavery-elements-in-mississippi-black-code/.

IvyPanda . (2021) 'Slavery Elements in Mississippi Black Code'. 12 May.

IvyPanda . 2021. "Slavery Elements in Mississippi Black Code." May 12, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/slavery-elements-in-mississippi-black-code/.

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Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Slavery Elements in Mississippi Black Code." May 12, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/slavery-elements-in-mississippi-black-code/.

Thesis Statement (History)

I'm struggling to come up with a thesis statement surrounding slavery, that also connects to the unit question 'What is worth fighting for?'. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Christopher F.

4 Answers By Expert Tutors

Lisa F. answered • 01/01/23

Dedicated writing tutor for English and multiple subjects (PhD)

Hi, Holly, coming up with thesis statements are usually a major step in getting your paper started. Try thinking about the thesis you need to write as the way you would respond to your instructor's prompt or question. In any material you read about slavery, what did you see that was worth fighting for? You could also think about the different groups involved in slavery, both those for it and those opposed to it. What did these different groups feel was worth fighting for? Which group's actions do you feel strongly about? If you create a thesis you feel strongly about, it will help your motivation on the assignment. If you 'd like help on the assignment, I'd be happy to help you. Just message me.

Stephanie B. answered • 01/01/23

English Major Who Loves Literature

Thesis statements can be overwhelming, but try and think of it more as an answer to a question. What might someone ask when it comes to slavery and what is worth fighting for? What might the slaves have been fighting for?

Think of major people or events and what they were fighting for. For example, when Harriet Tubman led slaves to freedom at the risk of her own life. What was she fighting for?

Once you decide that, you can create a thesis statement with supporting points that you will detail further in your paper.

I am happy to work further with you on this—feel free to message me.

Jacob D. answered • 12/31/22

Your personal reading/writing tutor

This question is vague, it would help to understand the context of your research. I would start with something like "The cost of the Civil War and why America needed to pay it."

Cost can be evaluated in many different facets. Do you mean monetary cost? Bloodshed? Dividing the union?

Barbara T. answered • 12/31/22

Experienced Writing Professor / College Prep Coach

You don't say what kind of slavery, who is being enslaved, what gender, class, race, what country you're studying or what time period. But I would assume that stopping slavery in any century or country is definitely worth fighting for.

A thesis can also be called an argument. You're putting together a set of ideas and trying to convince someone (a reader) to see your ideas and understand them. Try to think about what matters to you - what to you is worth fighting for. If having freedoms, not hurting people, not treating them terribly, not physically abusing them, or selling them off to the highest bidder is worth fighting for, then you know what you would want to say about enslaving people or slavery, in general.

Think about what you've learned concerning slavery and what matters to you. Then you need to come up with the WHY of this - why is it important to fight against slavery? Or why was it important in the past to fight against slavery. Or what is the purpose of fighting for the rights of people? Or fighting for people's freedoms? Or their ability to live their lives as they see fit instead of being told how to live their lives under a master? The WHY is your thesis or argument that you will use to discuss further ideas in the body of your paper.

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