African American Slavery in America Portrayed in the Aren´t I a Woman and The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas

The lives of the African slave in America were extremely difficult, and really only had a few things that some would consider a part of a normal life. Many faced hardships such as severe physical, verbal, and sexual abuse. The life of a slave was short and many even wished it to be shorter. White’s Ar’n’t I a Woman and Douglass’ The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass detail the lives of many different slaves and help give perspective to some of the darkest years in American history. The books use two different styles to convey a similar story of despair in which supposedly loving Christians dehumanized and tortured their own human brothers.

Slavery was run by the greed of the large plantation owners of the South. The overwhelming desire to continually gain wealth led slave owners to forger their wholesome Christian values, and take up habits that could only bolster their profits regardless of the harm it brought to slaves. Most of these habits were to break or dehumanize slaves. One common practice was to not allow slaves to know their ages. This was a way to make black children feel inferior to white children; kids can be petty, letting the smallest things become something that constantly afflicts them. Some owners, or their overseers, were extremely cruel. Some would take enjoyment in the total mistreatment of slaves. Douglass’ first Master Captain Anthony and his overseer, Mr. Plummer would never hesitate to use a whip or club on a slave. Douglas even struggles to describe the violence of the whipping of Aunt Hester. An even more gruesome example of violence two chapters later involved a slave who refused to get out of a creek after being whipped. After he refused to listen to the overseer, Mr. Gore, shot ...

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...es as slaves. Her text is much more enlightening when it comes to actual knowledge than Douglass’. Her book does not try so hard to entertain as it does educate. White is also very successful educating her readers on the trials faced by slave women. The seemingly endless number

Both books though are excellent portrayals of the realities of slavery. Beginning with the ease of childhood into the significantly harder teen years of brutal physical labor for males and the pressure of childbirth in females; followed by the ever dreaded adult years which were full of death by exhaustion and disease. Slave life was long and hard, even though it was often quite short. Slavery was an unjust institution justified by a perverted Christianity for the well-being of a few extremely wealthy slave owners of the South. It will forever remain an ugly scar in American history.