Differences of Slavery: Oklahoma Writers’ Project vs. The Textbook

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Discussion
Conclusion

Introduction

For more than 200 years, African American people experienced oppression and restrictions that affected their independence and life quality. Today, many sources discuss the characteristics of slavery, its causes, and the outcomes and describe the conditions under which the Civil War began. In addition to illustrative narratives, modern readers can access primary sources where people share their memories. This paper will offer a comparison of the textbook and accounts information to promote a better understanding of slavery. Despite certain similarities like inconstant opportunities, sacrifices, and dependence on circumstances, the differences between the reading and the textbook cannot be neglected in terms of their emotional coverage, childhood experience, and clothing details.

Discussion

The similarities between the sources are based on the fact that American history consists of similar and definite attempts to change living conditions, establish new economic relationships, and stabilize political powers. It is impossible to ignore slavery as a significant period in American life, its impact, and its lessons. Thus, some authors identify the same opportunities for slaves, their inevitable sacrifices, and the inability to deal with circumstances imposed by white society.

In the accounts and the textbook, different opportunities for slaves are given through the prism of sacrifices and unfair attitudes. Although enslaved lives were based on the principles of paternalism, some African Americans achieved economic prosperity (Corbett et al. 303). Similar combinations of negative and positive experiences are given in the stories of real slaves. For example, Lou Smith mentioned, “Mother and I wasn’t happy” when they were alone at Miss Jo’s house (Oklahoma Writers’ Project 301). With time, “my mother took over the charge of the house… and we were all purty happy after that” (Oklahoma Writers’ Project 302). In both sources, the authors explain that African Americans were enslaved by White Americans, who restricted their freedoms and created bad living conditions. The lives of slaves were not easy because of “endured daily traumas as human property” (Corbett et al. 322). Many slaveowners neglected the basic needs of Black people, which caused early deaths and suffering. The sources also prove that many Black families were separated as Whites did not find it necessary to consider their ties and feelings for their own financial and labor gains.

Comparing the offered sources, certain differences were revealed, focusing on human emotions, attention to children’s experiences, and even access to clothes. Even the most professional writers are not always able to depict the level of fear in characters. Modern people can hardly imagine a day from the slave’s life, their emotions, and controversies. For example, there was an enslaved boy who “was scared to go home, and he stayed out in de words for several days” because he lost the horse of his master when he fell asleep (Oklahoma Writers’ Project 302). Slaves experienced serious harm and fear of making mistakes, increased obligations, and uncertainty about their future. In the textbook, Corbett et al. point out that slaves “feared the risk” and did not want to expose “themselves or their families” to white anger (307). Still, such facts are not enough to cover the damage and injustice that Black individuals survived. Thus, the emotional coverage of the accounts is stronger and more vivid than in the textbook to describe the impact of slavery on human life.

Another interesting observation is the conditions under which children lived. Eighty-three-year-old Lou Smith from Oklahoma presented her story to prove the difference. She was a little girl in a large family, and her job was “nussing de younguns… from daylight to dark” (Oklahoma Writers’ Project 300). Another narrator, 87-year-old Beaugard Tenneyson, tells the story of his brother, who took care of the horse and joined the rebels with his master, where he died (Oklahoma Writers’ Project 311). Black children completed different work depending on their owners’ needs, abilities, and the necessity to support their families. In the textbook, attention is paid to children who “could be sold and sent away at any time,” and their parents did everything possible to reveal “the best way to survive under slavery” (Corbett et al. 304). In books, not much distinction between adult and child labor is usually given because slavery did not recognize age or gender differences. Personal experiences and memories present a better description of how unfair and miserable treatment toward children was in 19th-century America.

Finally, many slaves underlined the importance of clothing in their enslaved lives. Those individuals who were considered “free slaves” enjoyed the opportunities their owners offered, including “plenty of food and good clothes… jeans suits in winter…shoes for all” (Oklahoma Writers’ Project 314). However, most slaves had little or no clothes, and children “just wore one garment, a sort of slip without any sleeves” (Oklahoma Writers’ Project 301). Some owners did not find it necessary to provide their slaves with clothes, while others were too greedy to spend their money. As a result, enslaved people got sick, had skin injuries and diseases, and died fast from sepsis and poor hygiene. In the textbook, clothing manufacturing was discussed as an outcome of the cotton industry’s progress, when slaves could have “inexpensive clothing, called ‘slops’” (Corbett et al. 302). Books do not have much evidence to prove the nudity of slaves, especially children, while personal accounts are enough to share unfeigned emotions and suffering.

Conclusion

All these differences and similarities between the textbook and the accounts strengthen an understanding of American history and the slavery period in particular. Sometimes, it is hard to believe that people could experience such injustice in developing relationships. However, sacrifices, opportunities, and dependences are well-explained in both sources. At the same time, emotions, children’s experiences, and clothing are better understood through reading personal stories that slaves were eager to share with their descendants.

Click Here To Order Now!

Differences of Slavery: Oklahoma Writers’ Project vs. The Textbook

Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?

We have qualified writers to help you.

We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.

You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)