Reflections on Slavery: Individuals Born Into and Gew Up Under Slavery

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This essay will summarize and reflect upon 5 individuals who were born into, and grew up in the United States of America under slavery. Lucinda Davis, Charity Anderson, Walter Calloway, Fountain Hughes and Richard Toley each have a compelling story to tell about the time when black Americans were not looked at as citizens and were not free to make decisions that were afforded to white Americans. Although their stories are brief and do not reflect all of the daily hardships that were faced by slaves during that time in our Nation’s history, they are, nonetheless, powerful in their message. Fearing above all else a beating that would result from a perceived act of disrespect, the fact that each of these individuals survived is an example of the human spirits desire to survive in the direst of situations and the ability to overcome insurmountable odds.
Charity Anderson was born into slavery in Monroe County, Alabama sometime in the 1830’s. (Rawick) She was the property of Mr. Leslie Johnson and worked as a housemaid, nanny and seamstress. Her story is one of the happier tales as Mrs. Anderson believed she had a good life back then and was not accustomed to violence in that household. The children were permitted to be in the main house and seemed to be almost considered family. It is odd to get a sense that Mrs. Anderson felt that life was better back then during a time where people worked hard and were more respectful to one another. He experience indicates a life far from the typical image of slavery.
In contrast to Charity Anderson’s life as a slave, Lucinda Davis describes her days as a farm slave of a Creek Indian master. Although she also describes her story as one of relative safety, she does illustrate the, “drunk d...

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...od almighty’s at the head of it.” (Rawick)
My understanding of the life of a slave in this country will never be realistic as the world of a slave was full of hardship and misery that is unimaginable to someone who has not had that horrific experience. I can only hope and pray for the souls of former slaves like Mrs. Davis and Mr. Hughes that they were treated better than they could have been and that their lives were more complete with freedom. I cannot imagine the minute by minute fear that must have been commonplace for these people. In retrospect, slavery does still exist in this would and by understanding the life changing effects on the lives of those in captivity, maybe more can be done to eradicate slavery worldwide.

Work Cited
Rawick, George P. "American Slave Narratives." American Slave Narratives. Greenwood Press, 06 Mar. 1998. Web. 05 Jan. 2014.

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