Slavery DBQ

The very definitions of a slave and a human are very different, as a slave you were treated very badly and were told what to do and often beat when your master did not like something. In the 1800s before the Civil War time the slaves who were in the Southern United States were denied their basic human rights. Slaves had to give up everything, they were treated as property, and had a hard life.

Slaves had to give up everything they had, loved, and cherished to their owners. Owners believed that because they bought them, they can take everything. In document one it says, “ In law, slave has no wife, no children, and no home. He can own own nothing, possess nothing, acquire nothing.” The owners would take their name, family, and other things.

The slaves would be sold in front of a lot people wanting to buy them for hard labor. Document 2 states, “ The Auction advertisement said, Great sale of Land, Negroes, Corn and Other Property.” They were placed in a category of land and corn. This shows that they belong with land crops used to feed farm animals. When we have auctions like at the county fairs you have to show the animal's qualities off for the buyers, they did the same with the slaves. Document nine says, “ Little Randel made to jump and run around across the floor to demonstrate his activities. All the time trade was going on….” They had to run around the floor, mostly naked to show off their qualities for the buyers. They were often bought to work in fields as if the were today's farm equipment. The master would think of the slave as property, so he could use him for the labor that needed done. Document one says, “ A master is a person who claims and exercises the right of property in person to his fellow man.” The slaves were just the same as whites but the master did not see it has that. So he would use him as property even though they were exactly the

The owners would use forms of punishments that today we would never think of using on people. Document three states, “ The wip, the gag, the thumb screw, the knife, the pistol and the Bloodhound.” These were the many things owners would use on the slaves as a form of punishment. Masters would often do what they like to the slaves. Conditions on board ship during the Middle Passage were appalling. The space was so cramped they were forced to crouch or lie down. Document five says, “ I was soon put down under the deck where I meant the most terrible odor.” They would leave slaves to smell for not bathing and if you refuse to eat they would whip you and force you to eat. Slaves would try to jump overboard because they would rather die than be a slave. The wip caused severe pain and you would not just be beaten once but multiple times. Document eight says, “ The slave shown above was unable to work for two months after receiving the beating.” They would beat them so bad because the owners were anger with them and the wip would lash into your