Slavery and its historical significance

Slavery is perhaps the cruelest form of treatment that one human being can inflict upon another.

Despite horrible conditions, slaves exhibited great strength and hope for their own race. Because of their hardships, slaves recognized the power of human dignity and the power of hop. While most slaves resented their masters for their cruel treatment, they did not let this rob them self-respect or their hope for freedom. Through songs, poetry, and literature, slaves expressed their angst, sorrow, and hope.

Botkin's records several slave stories that reveal how slaves dealt with their cruel masters. In the account, "Hog-Killing Time," one slave remembers how the starving slaves would trick their master into thinking some of the hogs were infected with "malitis" in order to have enough meat for themselves. The malitis was caused by striking a hog between the eyes with a mallet and was the only way the slaves could have enough food to eat. Another account mentions how the slaves were not allowed to learn to read or write because then they would become smarter than their owners if they did learn anything. That particular account is entitles "Forbidden Knowledge" because any type of knowledge the slaves could acquire would raise their awareness of how slavery was wrong. They slave owners even had a so-called preacher tell them that the Bible would say that slaves should "obey your masters and mistress, 'cause you git from them here in this world am all you ever going to git, 'cause you just like the hogs and the other animals -- when you dies you ain't no more, after you been throwed in that hole" (190). What stands out from these accounts is the sheer sense of survival the slaves had despite what their master did to them or said to them.

While the slaves might have believed this for a little while, this did not stop the slaves from learning words under the cover of darkness of night. This story is interesting because it illustrates that the slaves understood their harsh treatment, but felt trapped. This tale also echoes a similarity to Douglass' narrative about the how the slaves were kept uneducated on purpose. In the account, "Burning in Hell," one slave tells of how his master Solomon would threaten to whip slaves if he discovered they were praying. Despite this threat, the slave says, "But some the old niggers tell us we got to pray to God that He don't think no different of the blacks and the whites" (190). These accounts illustrate the inner strength the slaves had as well as their belief that something was wrong about how they were treated even though their situations seemed bleak and hopeless. They also reveal how little the slaves cared about their masters.

Gilbert Osofsky also recounts slave stories that reveal the anguish of slavery. For example, in "A Grave for Old Master," two slaves were digging a grave for their master. The hole was "six or seven feet" (191) into the earth. When questioned about why they dug it so deep, one of the slaves replied he wanted to "get the old man as near home as possible" (191). Then, the slaves covered the grave with the largest stone they could find to "fasten him down as strong as possible" (191). In one poem, slaves mention how they bake the bread but they only get to eat the crust and how they prepare the meat only to get the skin. Additionally, one poem expresses hopelessness with these lines:

He delivered Daniel from the lion's den,

Jonah from de belly ob de whale,

And de Hebrew children from the fiery furnace,

And why not every man? (192)

This poem illustrates how the slaves understood the unfairness of their circumstances. The significance of song reveals how the slaves truly felt about their circumstances, but were paralyzed to do anything about it. In a sense, poems and songs were therapeutic for them because they allowed the slaves to express themselves.

Frederick Douglass' narrative also speaks of the slaves' strong sense of survival. He tells of how the slaves would "wild songs, revealing at once the highest joy and the deepest sadness" while on their way to receive their monthly allowance. Douglass says the songs "told a tale of woe which was then altogether beyond my feeble comprehension... they breathes the prayer and complaint of souls boiling over with bitterest anguish" (Douglass qtd. In Boyer 194). These songs were as Douglass describes, a "testimony against slavery" (194). Douglass also informs us that these songs do not represent happiness but rather a sorrow that is relieved as an "aching heart is relieved by its tears" (194). This statement indicates the depth of the oppression caused by slavery.

Douglass' story is fascinating because it demonstrates the greatest of human dignity and strength. Douglass resisted slavery and taught himself to read. His knowledge caused him to regret his position as a slave, which lead to his eventual escape. He learned the word abolition and that continued to feed his desire to be free.