Southern Slavery Essay

Most slavery took place in the American South during the seventeen and eighteen hundred’s. Although some slavery did happen in the North as well. The South did not think what they were doing was wrong, and they thought that the African American people needed the help of their masters because they were too unintelligent to care for themselves. This idea came from most slaves not learning how to read or write, because their masters would not allow it. If a slave did know how to read and write, they could not tell anyone because they might be punished harshly for knowing so. Slave owners would not let their slaves attend their own church, rather they would have their own services at home. The slave owners would twist the words of the Bible to

If their masters ever found out about them, they would be punished severely. In the reading by Raboteau, he talks about what the slave services were like. “They used to sing their songs in a whisper and pray in a whisper. That was a prayer-meeting from house to house once or twice – once or twice a week.” (Raboteau, 214) The slaves would often go into the woods after dark to have their meetings. They often went to great measures to try and hide from their masters. They would hang up wet blankets to try and muffle the sound of their whispers, or they would meet near a river, so the sounds of the water would cover up their prayers. One of the odd things the slaves did to conceal the noise was turn a iron pot or a kettle on its side and place it in the door way. Clara Young, a former slave explained the iron pot, “When dark come, de men folks would hang up a wash pot, bottom upwards, in de little brush church house us had, so’s it would catch de noise and de overseer wouldn’t hear us singin’ and shoutin’.” (Raboteau, 216). The pots are thought to be more symbolic than functional. Slaves claimed it showed that God was with them and by putting the iron pot at the doorstep, he was watching out for them and he would protect them from their masters. Slave owners didn’t allow it because they thought their slaves were having secret meetings and praying against