Slavery’s Dehumanizing Effects on American Slaves and...

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, brings to light many of the social injustices that colored men, women, and children all were forced to endure throughout the nineteenth century under Southern slavery laws. Douglasss life-story is presented in a way that creates a compelling argument against the justification of slavery. His argument is reinforced though a variety of anecdotes, many of which detailed strikingly bloody, horrific scenes and inhumane cruelty on the part of the slaveholders. Yet, while Douglas’s narrative describes in vivid detail his experiences of life as a slave, what Douglass intends for his readers to grasp after reading his narrative is something much more profound. Aside from all the†¦show more content†¦Fittingly, they treated the slaves as if their family bonds were completely worthless – something they would never have imagined doing to a white man. This is illustrated through Douglasss relationship with his own mother, Harriet Bailey, whom he was separated from as an infant. As Douglass reminisced, very little communication ever took place between us†¦I was not allowed to be present during her illness, at her death, or burial†¦I received the tidings of her death with much the same emotions I should have probably felt at the death of a stranger (26). This passage depicts how the slaveholders became so convinced of the worthlessness of the slaves that they saw no reason to respect the vital bond between a mother and child. Consequently, the slaves view of family fell askew. Although Douglass appeared to know that his mother was important and desired a relationship with her, her passing clearly did not ever sadden him. He also showed no affection for his brother and sisters, as he lacked the necessary interactions with them needed to form familial bondage. Additionally, slaveholders expressed extreme animosity towards the slave families by raping slave women, impregnating them, and then encouraging their white children to whip their half-black siblings. As a result of the dehumanizing behavior that slavery presents, slaves not only suffered and lost all of their freedoms, but also lost their entire family lives, which the slaveholders deemed necessary toShow MoreRelatedNarrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass1401 Words   |  6 Pagesonly affects slaves is inaccurate; it dehumanizes the slaveholders too. Some of the slaveholders were sympathetic, innocent human beings. They were not automatically corrupt just because they owned a slave. Rather, slavery changed their actions and characters from merciful to vicious. In his autobiographical novel, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Douglass reveals how the act of owning slaves turns many dignified human beings into barbarians. Slavery’s wicked natureRead MoreMaster And Slave, Equal1090 Words   |  5 PagesVanya Vegner Mr. Hebert D-Block English 23 September 2015 Master and slave, equal in their crudeness. â€Å"To subjugate another is to subjugate yourself.† So wrote Elbert Hubbard, distinguished American writer and philosopher, on the topic of slavery, and Frederick Douglass would agree. Slavery is an institution built on the domination and bloody brutalization of human beings, among the tools of which is the dehumanization of its subjects to the mental state of beasts through frequent whipping, demoralizationRead MoreNarrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass1796 Words   |  8 Pages(Intro)The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave is an account of Frederick Douglass’ life of hardship as a slave who suffered due to a cruel institution which during his life was legal, but eventually found his freedom by fleeing to a free state. Frederick Douglass shows the reader what life was like during the antebellum period of the United States and how harshly some treated the enslaved, which not only bonded their bodies but also their minds. Within his nar rative weRead MoreBeloved : A Reconstruction Of Our Past1705 Words   |  7 PagesNovember 20, 2015 Beloved: A reconstruction of our past Beloved by Toni Morrison is a reconstruction of history told by the African American perspective, a perspective that is often shadowed or absent in literature. Her novel presents a cruel demonstration of the horrors endured by slaves and the emotional and psychological effects it created for the African American community. It unmasks the realities of slavery, in which we are presented with the history of each of the characters lives and the memoriesRead MoreEffects of Slavery on American Society2112 Words   |  9 Pages African American slavery has a dramatic impact on slaves and it changed all time periods in American society throughout America’s history. From the 1600’s when slaves first arrived from Africa, through the Civil War, Great Depression, Civil Rights Era and up until today, slavery’s impact has been felt in America. Slavery was brought to America as early as 1619, but we chose to keep it here for over 200 years, longer than any other country who also adopted the ways of slavery. Our economy flourishedRead MoreWhen Referring To Abraham Lincoln During His Presidency,1914 Words   |  8 Pagesand while there he witnessed the New Orleans slave trade first hand. One of his fellow travellers, John Hanks, recounts seeing slaves being maltreated, beaten, chained, and whipped. He states that this, no doubt, had influenced the way that Lincoln had viewed the institution of slavery. Lincoln himself even recounts another encounter with slavery in 1841, when he and his friend Joshua Speed were on a boat trip. He recalls the sight of shackled slaves being â€Å"a continual torment to me†. The early