The Importance Of Slavery In Ghana

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The period between the late 16th- 18th century marked the rise and fall of a harsh and oppressive system of forced labor known as slavery. Both men and women were forced into demanding field work, mental torture, and denied basic human rights. Slaves (regardless of sex) were systematically beaten, separated from their families, and were treated as property. Whole communities were broken and destroyed. But, somehow the slave narrative has been limited to the experience of the men. Books, entertainment and the media are flooded with the stories of the men. If someone was to search “slave” into Google, the results would be filled with pictures and drawings of black men. Women were as essential to slavery as their male counterparts. The intersection Marriages amongst slaves was as one would expect unstable. This resulted from lack of socioeconomic power. Slaves were regarded as property. Thus, they could not legally get married. However, there were couples who got married in spite of the government. It was a way of forming some stability in their lives. In order to get married in these slave communities the couple had to “jump the broom”. The couple would hold hands and jump over a broom. It was a way to create new customs. The tradition of “jumping the broom” originated from Ghana. It symbolizes the sweeping away of the past and starting anew. This ceremony gave their unions legitimacy within their Jobs in the “big house” were almost exclusively for women. House slaves were in charge of the sewing, cooking, cleaning, and tending to the masters children. Skilled slaves were often the most respected in the slave community. These cooks often prepare meals not only for the master and his family, but for the other slaves as well. Field work was often times used as a punishment against the house slaves. House slaves often had better living conditions while field slaves worked under the hot sun. Yet and still all endured horrific difficulties. Female slaves were often times molested, raped and beat by their masters. It was common and widely accepted by both the black and white communities. Colonial laws against rape did not apply to the slaves. These rapes would naturally result in the slaves having children by their masters. The control of their reproductive system was essential to the growth of the master’s planation. Forced marriages and now rape were a way to guarantee there would be another generation of

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