By William Réculard

Slavery: A better understanding

Throughout history, individuals have always wanted power, but in order to seize it, they must first know how to. Some obtained it through talking (Martin Luther King Jr.), while others through strengh, building huge armies and destroying their enemies. In the American south slavery, things were different, indeed, landowners enslaved other human being, claiming their inferiority based on skin colour and different culture.

To better understand the Africain American cult, it would be interesting to discuss what the slavery in the south was about, but precisly how it made the African American Culture evolve.

Slavery has always existe; although it was for different reasons, not basd on race or ehnicit, itstill consisted of stealing away smebody’s freedom. In the Amerian Soth, it ws a racially bsed slavery

In the mid to late 17th century, a rpid increase in the number of African Slaves, caused a majority of southerners to creae a slave “system” in order to controle the slaves. Causing positive results to the southerners, it evolved rapidly. Some of the slaves have been slaves in colnies since 1919, although some had an ambiguous status.

By 1660’s, southern colonies creating “slave” and “shared” codes defined slaves as “chattel”, or a piece of property. Slavery was set for life (unless emancipatd) and child who’s mother was a slave was one as well. Emancipatin depended on time periods and colonies since they might not have enough slaves if done to much. To protect temeselvs, it was made illegal to teach to read and write to a slave, first of all because they were cosidered inferior intellectually since their country is not civilized, but most of ll because if a slave knew how to read, he might be able to read the declaration of independence, thus getting ideas, power and the act. Slaves were given no legal rights, althouh it was illegal to kill a slave.

In Consequence, Planter Aristocracy emerged because of the way people lived and considered themeselvs, some considered themeselvs superrior, specially to collored men. A Southern way of life thus emerged, having as characteristics a minority of large plantation owners (“planters elite”) who were verry powerfull and controlled economy and politics. They had an opulent lyfestyle (mansion, luxury goods), were educated, had done military training, and ejoyed all sort of leisure. They belived in “Southern gentility” and their wealth and lifestyle was based on Slave-labor. As for the truth, only a few owned slaves and even less were true ”planters.” The Southern culture was then headed by this planter elite.

In order to understand slavery, it is neccessary to first understand the worldview of slave and slave owners. First of all, most southerners viewed slavery as the basis of all great civilizations, such ase ancient greece and Rome, and Africains as racially inferior and suited to labor. They thought of themeselvs as “paternal” (“my negroes”, “my people”.) The Southern male was a patriarchal figure of whome the child and his mother owed absolute respect. The slave would be living in the sama cabin since the slave and his owner worked on the field. Nevertheless, most suscribed to the same cultural values.

According to the slave system, slaves were stupid, childlike (which is silly since it’s actually positive), lazy, prone to lying and stealing, promiscuous/animal like, dependent on whites and capable of violence and wickedness (like every person on earth, although some refuse to do it). At the same time, they believed they had to “shape” the slave, make him obediant and willing to work, had to “break” in a new slave, according to them, beating and breaking the slave would make him submissive and dependent. The slaves were taught that they were inferior and dependent on whites, one of the process was infantilization “boy”, “uncle”, “girl”, “auntie”. This process was to make inferior, skip adulthood since it’s independence, and create a child to mother/father relationship. This was considered as psychological conflict because the slaves were always told they were bad, childlike..., and since they had no way of proving the opposite, it destroyed them. Nevertheless, the slave owners backed up the process of enculturation with rewards and punishments because just beating was not productive, they bargained with slaves.

The physical treatment varied from slaveowner to slaveowner, with the two extremes existing. The slaveowners did not want to destroy valuable property, in long terms, they wouldn’t want to kill the slaves since it’s not economically good. The paternall factor is preasent to, you dont want to kill your people. Two types of slaves existed, house slaves and field slaves, the field slaves lived in a small cabin, having a minimal diet, clothing, and medical care. They worked long hours, and the punishments included whipping, cropping, taking away priviledges, micegentation (verry comon although illegal), and sale of familly members.

Nonetheless, the slaves had to view this as a cultural system, no matter how horrible. Many whites were very close to their slaves, “Mamies” grew up with them. A system of give and take was established to push the dynamics of power.

To understand the slave’s worldview you must analyse not only how they survived, but how they lived: The African Americans resisted to proscribed role and creation of Dynamic Culture. They resisted by playing sick, slowing down work, breaking tools, stealing, escaping not minding slave patrols, and rebellions. Slave rebalions did not improve slaveowner-slave relations.The slaves loved Language games, joke, private jokes, battles of wit with whites to gain things but also to feel alive and improve life conditions.