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Dual Credit U.S History 1301

Professor: Mrs. Garrett

September 25, 2024

The Struggle for Humanity and Freedom in the Face of Inequality

[INTRO]​ What determined someone to be unequal to or incapable of comprehending the

concepts of life? Who made the rule that based on your skin color defined your role in society?

To be born in a world and looked down upon right in the beginning, due to your color, is

unethical. Thrown into shackles engraved into their skin, in order to establish a sense of control

and power. The brutality of slavery, through the dehumanization and inhumane punishments,

must be learned and understood as a moral atrocity that has shaped our present, urging society to

confront its “land of the free” and continue to strive for equality and justice.

[1]​ Slavery in America was a deeply entrenched institution that shaped our current economic,

social, and political fabric of the USA. The reliance for slaves went beyond the use of hard labor,

but pure pleasure in control and punishment. Whether it was the superiority the white people

gained from being in control of one's life and decisions, the cruelty inflicted on colored people

goes unjustified. Through the days and nights, society grappled with the question of how to

manage enslaved individuals. Would the ones in power be willing to let go the control they had

over people deemed as undignified or to continue brushing the issue aside. For many years to

come the issue had “no way out of the circulatory arguments of slavery” (Joanne Melish 13).

​ Many parts of the US, especially the South, found the usage of slaves most beneficial for

the hard laborers out in the field and a source of income for trading. The justification for these

acts were in the “Letter from a Slave Owner” published in the Virginia Gazette in 1760, focusing

around the “profitable outcome of slave labor for cash crops and tobacco” (Virginia Gazette,
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1760). There was no self decision making whether or not the enslaved wanted to work or be sent

off, they were born with no rights. Stripped away from families, mothers parting ways with their

children, only following where their leashes tugged. The slaves were forced to America through

the Atlantic Slave Trade where many slaves endured horrific conditions that consisted of:

-​ Scarce food

-​ Forced to be shoved into boats with quite literally, no space at all, that either suffocated

them to death or crushed their organs/bones to death (if the starvation didn’t kill them off

yet)

-​ No restroom

-​ No clothes

How could you survive in those living conditions? The evidence gathered through these

harsh times, revealed the brutality and sheer scale of this trade such as those in the “Slave Ship

Brookes” diagram, illustrating the “overcrowded conditions aboard” (Rediker, 2007).

[2]​ With little to no rights in the life of an enslaved, the importance of education and writing

was crucial. Literacy has shown itself to be a powerful tool to be in one's hand. The more

knowledge you had, the more power one had; or as Fredrick Douglass stated, “Knowledge is the

pathway from slavery to freedom” (Douglass, 1845). His accomplishments throughout his

enslaved times as an abolitionist, showed the power of how education allowed many individuals

(most importantly the enslaved) to one-up their status quo. Or to put it simply, to earn

civilization. The ability to write was like a piece of diamond in a pit of coal, those who could

find it were lucky. Slaves found writing very significant in order to advocate and communicate

through their groups. For example, Olaudah Equiano, a narrator, wrote her “experiences of being

captured and sold into slavery”, which later helped “raise awareness among Northern sections
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about the brutal realities of the slave trade” (Equiano, 1789). Even today, we know more about

the history of slavery due to the novels and writings we can find and learn about those harsh

times.

Overall education and literacy captured a sense of community and embracement among

enslaved people. From secret gatherings, creating ways to communicate, and forming bonds of

tough love to endure through the heartaches, they went through it all. Harriet Jacobs, who wrote

an autobiography, educating women from sharing her story, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl,

that was founded “to be a strength and a source of hope for many women” (Jacobs 1861).

Through this, many started to resist oppression and pursue freedom. Education wasn’t just

something someone could learn at the time, it was an asset to survive. From what we have

gathered in today's time, enslaved people not only risked their lives to learn the realities of the

current times but also laid the groundwork for future generations in their fight for equality.

[3]​ In America, slaves were subjected to disgusting, harsh, insane medical experiments that

underscored their complete lack of autonomy and human rights. The villain behind the hero

mask was none other than: Dr. J. Marion Sims, who was also known for his modern gynecology.

As his name hints to us (Doctor), he “performed multiple painful surgical experiments on

enslaved women” (Sims, 1857). These conductions went on “without any anesthesia, as at that

time, the belief was that Black individuals had a higher pain tolerance” (Sims, 1857). This

highlighted the case that dehumanization of enslaved people went on just because of one's belief

and power. No consent and no dignity.

​ What about white women? Was he only a “doctor” (if you’d even call him that) for

enslaved black women. No, he was racist. Dr. J Sims stated that he could not get a white woman

to submit to the operation” (Sims, 1857). This revealed that not only the moral depravity
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involved in his practices but also the pervasive racism that allowed such injustices to occur. If

white women said no, he listened, so he went with a group who couldn’t say anything. As if this

wasn’t brutal enough, more punishments were enforced on enslaved people such as whippings

and physical beatens and other formS of violence. Documented, Narrative of the Life of

Frederick Douglass, Douglass mentioned the brutal realities of slavery stating, “The

blood-stained gate of the plantation is a monument of the power of the overseer” (Douglass,

1845). This wasn’t just a way to punish them for…this was a way to maintain order and

eliminate any sense of defiance.

[4]​ As the creation of states began to rise, there was tension between which states would

continue slavery and which whio wouldn’t. Political compromises, such as the Missouri

Compromise and 1820 and the Compromise of 1850, was a bandaid on the matter; However, this

only later increased conflict rather than fixing it. The Dred Scott Decision of 1857, ruled that

“African Americans are from now on considered non-citizens and that Congress has no authority

to regulate slavery” (Rosen, 2011). This divided American society big time! As the Abolishinist

were on the rise, clashes broke out between them and the Pro-slavery advocates. Freedom felt

like space, far to reach but not impossible.

As the press towards human rights for the enslaved continued, several took the

opportunity to pursue emancipation through petitions and laws. Many argued for their freedom,

using legal evidence that (in the ones in power consider) sometimes showed the rights they could

have. While the fight was a cat and mouse chase, some came out victorious, such as: Elizabeth

Freeman, who years of servitude, “became the first enslaved woman to win her freedom”

(Freeman, 1781). This is just one prime example of how the strength and perseverance
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throughout the years allowed them to achieve what they had. With these continuous efforts,

slaves fought for their freedom and eventually earned freedom.

[5]​ Despite the hardships and the immense obstacles, enslaved individuals endured the pain

to be where the USA is today. It is in our deepest gratitude that we appreciate our historical

evidence and use that to our strength to not repeat the past. Ultimately, the combined efforts of

those seeking freedom through advocations, resistances, education, and even legal methods –

created a powerful message that would touch the hearts of many to keep fighting. While slavery

no longer exists, at least in the USA, discrimination grows stronger by the years. Historical

moments are meant to highlight our ups and downs in order to make a brighter future for our

world, so it is in our interest to do what needs to be done to enforce the better behaviors of

society.
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Work Cited

●​ Douglass, F. (1845). Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave.

●​ Equiano, O. (1789). The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or

●​ Freeman, E. (1781). The Case of Elizabeth Freeman. Massachusetts Supreme Judicial

●​ Rediker, M. (2007). The Slave Ship: A Human History. New York: Viking Press.

●​ Rosen, R. (2011). The Dred Scott Case: Its Significance in American Law and Politics.
New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

●​ Sims, J. M. (1857). The Story of My Life. New York: D. Appleton & Company.

●​ Jacobs, H. (1861). Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Boston: Published for the Author.

●​ Virginia Gazette. (1760). “Letter from a Slave Owner.”