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Website design By BotEap.comSlavery refers to the condition in which individuals are owned by others who control where they live and what they work at. Simply being a slave is being owned by another person known as your master. A slave is a human being classified as property and forced to work for nothing. Slavery has existed throughout history in many places and many times. The ancient Greeks, Romans, Incas, and Aztecs had slaves.
Website design By BotEap.comSlavery in the United States of America began during the colonial period in 1619 when 19 African blacks were brought to the North American colony, Jamestown, Virginia by Dutch merchants as day laborers to work primarily in the production of tobacco and later cotton crops. Slavery was practiced in the American colonies during the 17th and 18th centuries and prevailed for almost 250 years.
Website design By BotEap.comAccording to historians David Brion Davis and Eugene Genovese, the treatment of slaves in America was harsh and inhumane on and off the job. The slaves suffered physical abuse and what is striking is that the government allowed it. Although the treatment of slaves varied according to time and place; but overall it was brutal and degrading. Most of the masters viewed their slaves as objects like their lands, something that “wears off, does not get better.”
Website design By BotEap.comThe slaves were assigned in the plantation area to live in rooms. In some plantations, the owners provided housing for the slaves, while in others the slaves had to build their own houses. They lived crammed into rough huts. One recalled: “We stayed in log huts, and on the bare ground the wooden floors were an unknown luxury. In a single room they dumped us like cattle, ten or a dozen people, men, women and children … no we had box springs, no furniture of any kind and our beds were a collection of straw and old rags “.
Website design By BotEap.comSlaves wore clothes made of rough material and often did not fit well. Furthermore, slaves were punished with whipping, handcuffs, beatings, mutilations and imprisonment. Punishment was often meted out in response to disobedience, but teachers sometimes abused or falsely punished them to assert their dominance. The mistreatment did not end here; it also included rape, sexual abuse of women, beatings of pregnant women, and such cruelty were more prominent in southern states than northern states.
Website design By BotEap.comTeaching slaves to read was discouraged. However, in the 18th century, the abolitionist movement began in the north and the country began to divide on the issue between the north and the south. In 1820, the “Missouri Compromise” outlawed slavery in all new western territories, which the southern states saw as a threat to the institution of slavery itself. In 1857, the Supreme Court decision known as the “Dred Scott Decision” said that blacks were not citizens and had no right to citizenship; therefore, the slaves who escaped to the free states were not free but remained the property of their owner and had to be returned to them. The election of Abraham Lincoln, a member of the anti-slavery Republican party, to the presidency in 1860 convinced many Southerners that slavery would never be allowed to expand and should therefore be abolished. Some southern states reacted against him and this led to the Civil War. During the war, Abraham Lincoln issued his famous “Emancipation Proclamation” freeing slaves in all areas of the country that were in rebellion at the time. Ultimately, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution officially freed American slaves.
Website design By BotEap.comAfrican American literature is literature written by, about, and sometimes specifically for African Americans. The fashion began during the 18th and 19th centuries with writers such as the poet Philis Wheatley and the orator Frederick Douglass, which reached its peak early with the Harlem Renaissance and continues today with authors such as Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou among America’s best writers. United. African-American literature tends to focus on topics of interest to black people, such as the role of African-Americans within broader American society, and topics such as African-American culture, racism, religion, slavery, freedom, and equality. The focus began with the earliest African-American writing, such as the slave narrative, a type of literary work that is made up of written accounts of enslaved Africans. The Slave Narrative contains a detailed account of the aforementioned conditions of the slaves.
Website design By BotEap.comThe first prominent African American author, the poet Philis Wheatley, published his book “Poems on Various Subjects” in 1773, three years before American independence. Born in Senegal, Africa, Wheatley was captured and sold as a slave at the age of 7. Brought to the United States, it was owned by a Boston merchant. Although he did not initially speak English, by the time he was 16 he had mastered the language. His poetry was praised by many of the leading figures of the American Revolution.
Despite this, many whites found it hard to believe that a black woman could be smart enough to write poetry. As a result, Wheatley had to defend himself in court by proving that he actually wrote his poetry. Website design By BotEap.comTo present the true reality of slavery, various former slaves such as Harriet Jacobs and Frederick Douglass wrote slave narratives. After the end of slavery, various African authors continued to write non-fiction works on the conditions of African Americans in the country. Among the prominent witnesses is WEB Du Bois. Another prominent author of this period is Booker Taliaferro Washington (1856-1915), who in many ways represented views opposed to Du Bois. He was one of the last generation of black African leaders born into slavery and became the leading voice for former slaves and their descendants. He is known for his “Atlanta Pledge” speech. He called for the advancement of blacks through education and entrepreneurship, rather than directly attempting to challenge the segregation and disenfranchisement of black voters in the “Jim Crow” south. Website design By BotEap.comIn contrast to Du Bois, who took a more confrontational stance to end racial conflicts in the United States, Washington believed that blacks should first stand up and show that they are equal to whites before calling for an end to racism. His autobiography “The Story of My Life and Work” was published in 1900 for a predominantly African-American audience. Meanwhile, during the years 1900-1901, Washington began publishing “Up From Slavery,” a serialized account of his life, in the popular “Outlook” magazine. “Up From Slavery” traces his journey from slave to educator. The book begins with the hardships of Washington’s childhood, beginning with his life as a slave on a Virginia plantation, where the lack of a last name and a story that would give identity to his existence was painful and difficult to understand. He mentions the fidelity and loyalty of the slaves to the master, but emphasizes the brutality of the institution: lack of refinement in life, bad food, bad clothing and ignorance were the lot of the slaves. The fight for literacy is the central theme of the immediate chapters. In the final chapter of “Up From Slavery,” Washington describes his career as a public speaker and civil rights activist. He was an educator and founder of the Tuskgee Institute, a university for blacks in Alabama. Among his other published works are “The Fortune of American Negro” (1899), “Tuskgee and its People” (1905) and “My Larger Educ” (1911). Website design By BotEap.comLorraine Vivian Hansberry was the first black woman to write a Broadway play. His best known work, “A Raisin in the Sun”, highlights the lives of black Americans living under racial segregation in Chicago. Hansberry’s family fought segregation, challenged a restrictive pact, and ultimately sparked the Supreme Court case Hansberry v. Read. Website design By BotEap.comIn New York City, Hansberry works at the pan-Africanist newspaper Freedom, where he dealt with intellectuals like Du Bois. Much of his work during this time focused on the African struggle for liberation and its impact on the world. Hansberry has been identified as a lesbian and sexual freedom is an important theme in several of her works. Website design By BotEap.comHis play “A Raisin in the Sun” was translated into 35 languages and performed around the world. “A Raisin in the Sun” is riddled with conflicts: generational conflicts, gender conflicts, ideological conflicts and, perhaps most importantly, dream conflicts that are at the center of the work. The dream is one of the characteristic themes of the work. Each character in the play has a very specific dream. Walter dreams of success, Mom dreams of a suitable home for her family to thrive, Beneatha dreams of becoming a doctor. These dreams stimulate and frustrate the characters, as each day that passes does not come up with a plan to achieve these dreams. Website design By BotEap.comAfrican Americans, who suffered greatly physically and mentally, produced fantastic literary works that gained honor not only in the United States but also around the world. His works mainly reflect his suffering and struggle to achieve an identity in white society. They rendered an immense service to English literature and continue to do the same.
Despite this, many whites found it hard to believe that a black woman could be smart enough to write poetry. As a result, Wheatley had to defend himself in court by proving that he actually wrote his poetry. Website design By BotEap.comTo present the true reality of slavery, various former slaves such as Harriet Jacobs and Frederick Douglass wrote slave narratives. After the end of slavery, various African authors continued to write non-fiction works on the conditions of African Americans in the country. Among the prominent witnesses is WEB Du Bois. Another prominent author of this period is Booker Taliaferro Washington (1856-1915), who in many ways represented views opposed to Du Bois. He was one of the last generation of black African leaders born into slavery and became the leading voice for former slaves and their descendants. He is known for his “Atlanta Pledge” speech. He called for the advancement of blacks through education and entrepreneurship, rather than directly attempting to challenge the segregation and disenfranchisement of black voters in the “Jim Crow” south. Website design By BotEap.comIn contrast to Du Bois, who took a more confrontational stance to end racial conflicts in the United States, Washington believed that blacks should first stand up and show that they are equal to whites before calling for an end to racism. His autobiography “The Story of My Life and Work” was published in 1900 for a predominantly African-American audience. Meanwhile, during the years 1900-1901, Washington began publishing “Up From Slavery,” a serialized account of his life, in the popular “Outlook” magazine. “Up From Slavery” traces his journey from slave to educator. The book begins with the hardships of Washington’s childhood, beginning with his life as a slave on a Virginia plantation, where the lack of a last name and a story that would give identity to his existence was painful and difficult to understand. He mentions the fidelity and loyalty of the slaves to the master, but emphasizes the brutality of the institution: lack of refinement in life, bad food, bad clothing and ignorance were the lot of the slaves. The fight for literacy is the central theme of the immediate chapters. In the final chapter of “Up From Slavery,” Washington describes his career as a public speaker and civil rights activist. He was an educator and founder of the Tuskgee Institute, a university for blacks in Alabama. Among his other published works are “The Fortune of American Negro” (1899), “Tuskgee and its People” (1905) and “My Larger Educ” (1911). Website design By BotEap.comLorraine Vivian Hansberry was the first black woman to write a Broadway play. His best known work, “A Raisin in the Sun”, highlights the lives of black Americans living under racial segregation in Chicago. Hansberry’s family fought segregation, challenged a restrictive pact, and ultimately sparked the Supreme Court case Hansberry v. Read. Website design By BotEap.comIn New York City, Hansberry works at the pan-Africanist newspaper Freedom, where he dealt with intellectuals like Du Bois. Much of his work during this time focused on the African struggle for liberation and its impact on the world. Hansberry has been identified as a lesbian and sexual freedom is an important theme in several of her works. Website design By BotEap.comHis play “A Raisin in the Sun” was translated into 35 languages and performed around the world. “A Raisin in the Sun” is riddled with conflicts: generational conflicts, gender conflicts, ideological conflicts and, perhaps most importantly, dream conflicts that are at the center of the work. The dream is one of the characteristic themes of the work. Each character in the play has a very specific dream. Walter dreams of success, Mom dreams of a suitable home for her family to thrive, Beneatha dreams of becoming a doctor. These dreams stimulate and frustrate the characters, as each day that passes does not come up with a plan to achieve these dreams. Website design By BotEap.comAfrican Americans, who suffered greatly physically and mentally, produced fantastic literary works that gained honor not only in the United States but also around the world. His works mainly reflect his suffering and struggle to achieve an identity in white society. They rendered an immense service to English literature and continue to do the same.
