Twelve Years A Slave
"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. " - Thirteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. It was supposed it to be the end of the America's slave era, but it is far from over. The documentary “13th” directed by Ava DuVernay, argues that the constitution continues to be abused to this day.
After the first slaves were brought in by the British more and more Africans were sought out. They became like a commodity for those that could afford to purchase them. Regardless, of their sex in the eyes of the law they were viewed and treated as property. Unfortunately, all black men, women and children equally shared devastating experiences during their time as a slave. On one side they were all separated form both their families and their homeland.
All have a story to tell just as Jacobs and Douglass did. Unlike other children, black children were born into slavery even when they were unaware of it happening; it was something that was inevitably bound to happen. Jacobs and Douglass’s story has slightly differed and at he same time show common situations to how they have experienced their childhood, but before introducing their story let’s think to that point in time and describe how it was for all colored children in that time. On account of the Children & Youth in History article, “Like adults, children were participants among the slave trade that had a variety of sources”. Although in time children did not have much value as older slaves did they were certain to enter slavery one point in their life.
Modern Day Slavery We will never quite understand what it was like to experience slavery. While there are many different types of slavery that exist today, such as forced labor, sex trafficking, and domestic servitude, to name a few, we are lucky to have never experienced or witnessed, the type of slavery that great American abolitionist Frederick Douglass endured. In the book Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, we as readers encounter an in-depth description of the beatings that Frederick had a testimony for. We genuinely do not realize how much privilege we hold in the 21st century. Douglass saw horrifying, blood drawing, and angry beatings of his loved ones, was unaware of how old he was, was not granted an education, and so much
Being traded, fed only twice a day a mere few rations, constantly beaten and degraded, working for hours and hours without so much as a 2 minute break. Like animals slaves were being treated as such. Slaves were not considered humans and worthy of being treated as such but as property. Solomon Northup sheds light on the horrible injustices of slavery in Twelve Years a Slave. Going into this text I wanted to look deeper into not just how slaves are treated, but the whole slave culture and how other factors play a role in slavery like religion, values, morals, and relationships.
Many slave owners treated African Americans like animals. As an example, they starved their slaves while they gave all the food to their visitors. It is cruel how they didn’t save even a bread for each of their slaves. Not to mention, African Americans had to sleep on a sheet instead of a bed and that is all they had to sleep. The clothing they had was also very little and poor.
Whether or not a slave narrative is able to persuade its readers of the inhumanities of slavery, the complexities within slave narratives and the discussions they create should not be overlooked. There is power within the act of writing one’s personal journeys and hardships throughout life, and that power gives former enslaved people the opportunity to express their own thoughts while making changes for future generations. Solomon Northup’s 12 Years A Slave gives a heart-wrenching depiction of what slavery was like in America. If the cruel images of the realities of slavery do not affect readers emotionally, then there is at least hope that the logical arguments raised throughout the novel can persuade those who are unwilling to see slavery
Throughout American history, many sources display the era of slavery, but little of them exhibit slavery as well as a book called, “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.” This book represents an accurate first-hand account of slavery that allows historians to analyze the era of slavery today. According to this narrative, there were many dehumanizing aspects of slavery, which include physical torture and forcing inhumane lifestyle onto slaves. Many of these scenarios of torture were demonstrated in expansive, horrific detail throughout the narrative. Although slaves were immensely dehumanized, this historical piece humanizes Frederick Douglass along with African Americans as this narrative is a marvelous piece of literary art with many
American slavery existed in 18th and 19th centuries. Slavery was practiced throughout the American colonies slaves were put to work for the wealthy, tortured and sold to people. In reality treatment of slaves ranged from mild and paternalistic to cruel and sadistic. Which brings us to a young man name Solomon Northup whom was born a freeman for more than 30 years he would enjoy his freedom and blessings of life. However he is kidnapped and forced to become a slave.
Slavery in America was considered to be one of the most devastating acts in history. African American people were torn from their homelands and sold at auction to the highest bidder. Men, women, and children were forced into slavery or born into it, experiencing harsh conditions such as abuse, neglect, and even death. This experience though did not always happen, some slaves were treated fairly and were never punished by their owner’s. Events such like this were recalled by two former slaves by the names of Aunt Harriet Smith and Charlie Smith.
The Atlantic Slave Trade has long been understood as an inhumane exchange of resources and humans, a practice that that perpetuated misery for commercial gain. This narrative is no doubt true, and there are no justifiable arguments to portray it as anything otherwise. However, as we look at this system from the top down, we tend to forget the thoughts and experiences of those directly involved in it. By overlooking the individual perspectives of the many Africans forced into slavery, we are completely missing an integral aspect of the system as a whole.
African slaves were treated as if they were dirt and replaceable. “Tortures, murder, and every other imaginable barbarity and inequity are practiced upon any poor slave with impunity” (Equiano). This really shows how the slaves were treated during this time. Equiano writes about the many injustices placed upon the slaves but the biggest on is barbarism. These slaves weren’t treated like real humans but were treated as if they were something beneath their owners.
Whoop em.” African American slaves were abused and treated inhumanely. They were whipped, branded, and forced to live under the rule of their masters who only kept them alive so they could profit from them. Owners would sometimes kill their slaves for the simplest reasons or to set an example for the other slaves they owned. Slaves were constantly forced into labor for their owners, who would profit off of their work.
In the United States, we are taught the many accounts of slavery but we never hear the perspective of a slave telling his tale. We always hear second accounts of slavery, but they never experienced the beatings and slashes a slave experienced. Fredrick Douglass was a slave and fought for his freedom until the very end. The narrative after you start reading, you won’t be able to put the book down, nor go to sleep since the book offers so much. This book is an excellent source of learning about slavery since you learn on a first account basis.
By using this reference, it illustrated the severity of the alienation of blacks in the Southern United States. In 1619, a Dutch ship “introduced the first captured Africans to America, planting the seeds of a slavery system that evolved into a nightmare of abuse and cruelty that would ultimately divide the nation”. The Africans were not treated humanely, but were treated as workers with no rights. Originally, they were to work for poor white families for seven years and receive land and freedom in return. As the colonies prospered, the colonists did not want to give up their workers and in 1641, slavery was legalized.
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