Compare And Contrast The Effects Of Slavery And African Slave Resistance

Resistance to slavery was a response from both African and African American slaves. There are similarities and differences in the types of resistance shown by each group. Some would argue that their overall resistance to slavery was similar due to likenesses in physical resistance. Others would argue that their resistance was different because of the varying degrees and methods of responses. African resistance to slavery has more differences than similarities to African American resistance because of the effects of the physical response, the extent of active rebellion, and the differences in intellectual resistance.

African and African American slaves resisted slavery with physical responses. For instance, Mahommah Baquaqua, an African slave,

Physical resistance to slavery from African slaves was directed at themselves as opposed to their owners. Mahommah Baquaqua exemplifies this idea. In his biography, it says that he drank freely and attempted suicide. He recounts, “I took and spent for whiskey, which I drank pretty freely, and went home well drunk … I at last made up my mind to drown myself; I would rather die than live to be a slave.” Each of these actions impaired him physically. Such physical deterioration would not affect the slave owner directly but instead indirectly. By resisting in this way, Baquaqua makes himself useless to his owner thus affecting him

Baquaqua’s active physical resistance is of a lesser magnitude than Douglass’. In his biography, Baquaqua recounts a time when he prevented the ship captain from severely injuring him. He wrote about this encounter saying, He took a large stick for the purpose of striking me, and aiming a blow at my head, I raised my arm to prevent my head being struck, he told me to keep my hand down. I did so, but when the blow was falling I again raised my hand and succeeded in saving my skull from being cracked. The actions of Baquaqua are comparably much less active as a form of resistance compared to Frederick Douglass. Douglass, as aforementioned, fought his captor when violence was used against him. This is a much different response than Baquaqua who merely prevented personal