Resistance and Cooperation

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According to Distinguished University Professor and American Historian, Ira Berlin the United States “condoned slavery without the ‘peculiar institution,’ which was long central to the economic, political and cultural life of the nation.” Berlin goes on to state that current racial issues remains a “pervasive problem” within American life, as portrayed in the media, television, film, museums and monuments that are historic representation of American Slavery. One of Ira Berlin’s most notable works, Generations of Captivity: A History of African-American Slaves critically analyzes five chronologically overlapping sets of “generations.”

The Charter Generation (early 17th century to early 18th century), Plantation Generation (late 17th to early 19th century), Migration Generation (1810-1861) and Freedom Generation (1861). Since “A single shot is insufficient to depict slavery”, using Ira Berlin’s “generations” model will best convey how slaves used various forms resistance and cooperation to repel, control and shape the harsh realities of slave life in the American South. (CN-Web1) The use of resistance and cooperation by slaves could be divided into two distinct categories: “Forms of resistance that rejected the institution of slavery (i.e. rebellions, running away) or forms within the institution (i.e. everyday life forms).” (CN-web)

Ways slaves rejected the institution within was through cultural aspects such as religion, slowing work in the fields, faking illness, breaking tools, sabotaging production among others. In cooperation with the runway slaves free blacks and “sympathetic whites” challenged the institution of slavery through providing “safe houses”. (CN-web) Most notable, the Underground Railroad, a chain of safe h...

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...merican Civil War, tensions strengthen between black slaves in the south and pro-slavery advocates. Another rebellion was in the works by a black slave from Southampton County, Va named Nat Turner. It is considered to be the “most remarkable incident of Black resistance to slavery in the antebellum South.” (hiddenhistoryofslaveresis) Nat Turner Rebellion was inspired by Turner’s personal account of envisioning a Black man hand “reaching over the sun” during a solar eclipse on February 12, 1831. (CN-Hidden) He had several similar accounts of this throughout the rest of the year and the rebellion was planned for August 21st. In the end, the rebellion last for two days and over 50 whites were killed. (guide3)

Lastly, the Freedom Generation took place after the American Civil War ended at which slaves had the “task of redefining freedom for themselves.” (9/14)

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