African American Women

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Throughout history, social and political factors have influenced the roles of women in different societies. As a result, the roles of women have varied across time and different places. Women through time have gone through some very shocking and difficult experiences trying to find their place in society. Fighting for respect and equal opportunity for women has always been a controversy in society, especially for African American women during the time of slavery. In this paper, it is argued that the roles of African American women during the time of slavery were extremely harsh and almost unbearable.
African women who were captured in war were less likely than men to be sold as slaves to rival clans or to European slavers. This was because women were important to maintaining African clan societies. The labor of female captives was seen as valuable to clan life. This was because women in African societies were the primary agricultural workers and, as such, their skill in this area was extremely valuable to the sustenance of many African societies. Moreover, women were valued for their fertility. Consequently, their ability to bear children added to the perceived power of a clan culture where the largeness of ones kin group was seen as evidence of the strength of the group. And finally, women were valued in African culture for their socializing function. Because women captives were less likely to flee, and because of their physical vulnerability, they were often easier to acculturate into a new clan group. As such, women were often the teachers of those who were unfamiliar with the ways and customs of the clan. This was a vital and important process in the cultural cohesion of clan life. In many ways, women were more instrumental t...

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Slavery damaged the physical and psychological well being of everyone involved. The role of women during the time of slavery was very important, as explained. Slavery was a traumatizing time and many women went to drastic measures, because of the amount desperation they had. Fighting for respect and equal opportunity for women has always been a controversy in society, especially for African American women during the time of slavery. Understanding the roles and experiences of these women is important and should not be ignored. The roles of African American women during the time of slavery were extremely harsh and almost unbearable. Slavery was a very horrible time in history and though it is still a controversial subject, it is clear that women either died or if they survived, suffered from endless trauma that they had to deal with for the rest of their lives.

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