Slavery has already been taught to us as children in Grade, or as some may call it Grammar, school; but as we grow up we are taught many different things about why it really was created and why it took so long for it to be abolished. While reading the books Oroonoko and The History of Mary Prince, both the authors pain a very clear visual of what slavery was used for and how it effected both the white and the black community.
The use of slaves has been implemented countless civilizations, but the Trans-Atlantic slave trade was a different beast. This was not only about free labor but in a way the eradication of a race of people.
The enslavement of the, what we now know as the, African people has had a certain affect on the people of the time and generations to come.
The dominance of one culture over another that took place and set the course for many of the issues that we are dealing with today. In the minds of whites during slavery there was this power that came with their position in the newly created world. While reading the book The History of Mary Prince it was easy to see this in the many different masters that Mary had. The wife of one of her masters named Capetian I, was very cruel to her. This had me think about why this would be useful to anyone; as a slaver owner there has always been this feeling of the slaves would try to over throw you. So then the whites had to go out of their way to make sure that blacks knew their place. This meant that they had to show their dominance over the slaves. Mary recalled a time when her masters wife whipped her because she told her one of the jars had broken and the wife whipped her for relaying the information. One of her first masters beat her almost every day to make sure she knew who was in charge. Once he even made his son watch, after reading this I thought to myself that this is how the idea of slavery kept on through the generations. Acts like this are what teach children that they are more than the slaves and give them privilege.
Slavery was the creation of white privilege and the starting steps for all it will be used for in the creation of new countries. This is what is being passed down to each generation of children and teaching how to keep their control over slaves.
The slaves on the other hand are being taught the opposite. In the book Oroonoko, the main character tells a story of the African slave that was A prince of a nation. This prince was tricked into slavery and in the book you see his transformation from nobleman to slave. He and Mary Prince both in a way loose their humanity towards themselves. In Mary Prince when she refers to either herself or other slaves she compares them to animals or property that is meant to be bought and sold at the drop of a dime. When Oroonoko's rebellion was stopped and he was captured he was butchered like a cow. Shopping his arms and legs off, bleeding him out and decapitating him. Mary Prince tells us the story of her family being split apart and separated at the auction block. This forces the people to start to form extended families to care and nurture for each other. They were mentally and physically abused and bound. They were shackled and treated harshly, many a times the slaves were even humiliated in public while being sold. They were stripped of clothes and showcased for all the men at auctions to see. This treatment has taken such a tole that remnants of it all are felt today. You have people that are bound by the government and who think that where they are is the only place they will go. The minds of blacks was broken, it had to be that was the only way to keep slavery on going.
The enslavement of the, what we now know as the, African people has had a certain affect on the people of the time and generations to come.
The dominance of one culture over another that took place and set the course for many of the issues that we are dealing with today. In the minds of whites during slavery there was this power that came with their position in the newly created world. While reading the book The History of Mary Prince it was easy to see this in the many different masters that Mary had. The wife of one of her masters named Capetian I, was very cruel to her. This had me think about why this would be useful to anyone; as a slaver owner there has always been this feeling of the slaves would try to over throw you. So then the whites had to go out of their way to make sure that blacks knew their place. This meant that they had to show their dominance over the slaves. Mary recalled a time when her masters wife whipped her because she told her one of the jars had broken and the wife whipped her for relaying the information. One of her first masters beat her almost every day to make sure she knew who was in charge. Once he even made his son watch, after reading this I thought to myself that this is how the idea of slavery kept on through the generations. Acts like this are what teach children that they are more than the slaves and give them privilege.
Slavery was the creation of white privilege and the starting steps for all it will be used for in the creation of new countries. This is what is being passed down to each generation of children and teaching how to keep their control over slaves.
The slaves on the other hand are being taught the opposite. In the book Oroonoko, the main character tells a story of the African slave that was A prince of a nation. This prince was tricked into slavery and in the book you see his transformation from nobleman to slave. He and Mary Prince both in a way loose their humanity towards themselves. In Mary Prince when she refers to either herself or other slaves she compares them to animals or property that is meant to be bought and sold at the drop of a dime. When Oroonoko's rebellion was stopped and he was captured he was butchered like a cow. Shopping his arms and legs off, bleeding him out and decapitating him. Mary Prince tells us the story of her family being split apart and separated at the auction block. This forces the people to start to form extended families to care and nurture for each other. They were mentally and physically abused and bound. They were shackled and treated harshly, many a times the slaves were even humiliated in public while being sold. They were stripped of clothes and showcased for all the men at auctions to see. This treatment has taken such a tole that remnants of it all are felt today. You have people that are bound by the government and who think that where they are is the only place they will go. The minds of blacks was broken, it had to be that was the only way to keep slavery on going.
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