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Essay On Slavery In African Americans

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Slavery had been an existing factor, on a worldly scale, since before 1400. Before 1400, slavery had existed in the classical times of Europe. It has been, what most would consider a problem, for years, dating all the way to the modern days. Although not as evident today, slavery and segregation amongst diverse ethnic groups has been a consistent secular issue in today’s world. In order for slavery to exist, it was crucial for slaveholders to exercise their power of the captured slaves to use and control their newfound property. How did these slaveholders exert power and control over slaves? Violence was the principal way these slaveholders were able to employ their slaves. Fear was instilled in the slave’s mind through cruelty and inhumane …show more content…

Technology facilitates the installation of violence brought onto the slaves. The slaveholders burned fear into their “employees,” with bizarre contraptions such as the iron muzzle. “I came into the room where he was I was very much affrighted at some things I saw, and the more so as I had seen a black woman slave as I came through the house, who was cooking the dinner, and the poor creature was cruelly loaded with various kinds of iron machines; she had one particularly on her head, which locked her mouth so fast that she could scarcely speak; and could not eat nor drink. I was much astonished and shocked at this contrivance, which I afterwards learned was called the iron muzzle.” Speaking is a right, and slaves had no rights. Slaveholders owned slaves. This usage of psychological violence not only destructed the slaves physically, but also mentally. They couldn’t afford to have a piece of property be granted the right to communicate with them. That would be like having an illiterate trying to communicate, and that just can’t happen- in the eyes of the slaveholder, of course. Slaves weren’t people. They were possessions. They were treated how the slaveholder wanted to treat them, with no contemplating, questioning, or

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