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America was founded on the idea of freedom, but the institution of slavery contrasts this main american principle by prioritizing one person’s freedom over another’s based solely on skin color. Freedom in this sense could be defined as being able to make decisions for yourself and your country, which is exactly what blacks were prohibited from doing during this time. The life of a southern slave prior to the civil war was essentially dictated by their masters and the U.S. government’s laws which were clearly in favor of whites. Throughout this pre-civil war time period, there were also many attempts to liberate slaves and educate the public on the horrors of the deep south. Over time, the topic of slavery became very controversial in the U.S., eventually leading to the civil war.
One catalyst to the civil war was the differences in economies, opinions, and overall lifestyles in the north and south. The north possessed crowded, industrialized cities that relied on textile factories as a main source of income. There were some small family owned farms, but the land was not nearly as fertile as the south’s. The south’s economy was the complete opposite with almost one hundred percent of it being agriculture based at the time. There was also a huge power imbalance within the southern class system. There were six social classes in the south ranging from the most wealthy gentry class, to enslaved blacks who had nothing at all. Although the gentry class consisting of only about 1,733 families, this class held enough political power that the south could’ve been considered an oligarchy. Having almost a second government back the institution of slavery made it extremely difficult for anyone to oppose their mindset at the time. Despite many misconceptions about the way southern whites lived at the time, many didn’t own slaves. Slaves at the time were a symbol of social status, yet only one-fourth of whites owned slaves or belonged to a slave owning family. The rest either lived on family owned and operated farms, or were “mountain whites,” which were extremely isolated, independent farmers. Free blacks were slightly above enslaved blacks in the southern social class system. Back then, most southerners did not like them, as they were walking examples of what might be achieved by emancipation. Although these blacks were technically free, they were always subject to being pulled back into slavery, due to the extreme bias and conventional lack of respect towards blacks at the time. In essence, the north liked the race, but disliked the individual, while the south disliked the race, but didn’t mind the individual. Overall, slavery existed because southern whites felt they had the right to use slave labor in order to further advance the U.S. economy. Many southerners viewed slavery as a “necessary evil” containing benefits that would eventually outway any negatives. This, in turn, led to the U.S. sanctioned exploitation of millions of slaves over the course of many years.
Slaves were treated miserably before even arriving at a plantation. Generally, there were three stops before a slave would be sold off to a wealthy plantation owner. First, they would be captured by slave traders in Africa and packed on to ships like sardines. Then, these slaves would have to endure months on these crowded, filthy ships only to be sold away from their families when they reached America. Illnesses spread quickly due to how compacted the ships were, causing one third of Africans to never arrive in the new world. In the book, To Be a Slave, a slave states that “others died because they took their own lives rather than live as slaves”(Lester 24). This shows how many africans knew what was coming based on the treatment they experienced on the ship, and saw death as the preferable option over continuing to live the rest of their life as property of someone else. Those who survived the mid-Atlantic passage were then subject to what’s known as the second middle passage. This second middle passage was essentially a series of slave auctions that took place in the deep south where families would be torn apart and sold off to whoever was willing to buy them. Auctions like these caused many slaves to lose their sense of personal identity, and they also displayed how blacks were viewed as less than human in America during this time. To regain their sense of community, many slaves would sing and dance to retain some of their culture. They also found unity in their own personal religions and would sneak off the farms to attend secret church services. Incorporating their african culture into their lives as slaves inherently helped them remain strong after being overworked everyday. Staying strong was extremely important aspect of life for slaves because living conditions were anything but comfortable. Because slaves could not work for money or own property, they were entirely dependent only their masters. Their masters provided them with only the bare necessities needed to keep their “property” alive, in order to maximize profit. Southern slaves would usually live in dirt floor shacks and received old clothing that was handed out about once a year. This clothing was not fit for winter, and children would sometimes go completely unclothed until adolescence, so the master could save money. In addition to this, slaves would typically undergo daily beatings, as well as receive a detailed explanation of why the torture they had just endured was morally correct. This happened so often that some slaves genuinely believed they were born as a lower class of the human race.
This feeling of inferiority only increased when the fugitive slave act of 1850 was passed. This act made it a federal offense to assist in hiding fugitive slaves, as well as stated that any runaway slaves were legally required to be returned to their owners, even if they were in northern territory. Those caught aiding escaped slave were susceptible to six months in prison and a thousand dollar fine. Escaped slaves would face whippings, brandings, jail time, and would usually be returned to slavery or killed. This act angered many northerners and led to an increase in activity in the underground railroad. The underground railroad was a network of people and places who helped fugitive slaves runaway and obtain freedom. This network was extremely secretive and all actions were illegal. People involved in it would use code words like “conductor” and “station” to refer to people and places within the system. Secret messages would also be sewn into quilts to direct slaves during their journey, or to warn them about slave hunters. Choosing to run away using the underground railroad was risky and the entire journey was a notably dangerous choice. Many fugative slaves were caught and faced terrible punishments, but even the slight chance of gaining freedom lured many slaves to this option.
The people who orchestrated the underground railroad were called abolitionists. Abolitionists were a group of people who fought for the immediate emancipation of slaves, and the end of racial discrimination and segregation in America. These people used many methods to spread the truth about the institution of slavery to the general public, and their efforts did end up convincing many people that slavery was inhumane. One well known abolitionist, Harriet Beecher Stowe, spread the truth about slavery through her book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Her book sold over three hundred thousand copies within the first year, which helped many americans rethink their position on slavery. Her novel was later turned into a play, and shows would sell out quickly. Stowe’s book and plays are just one example of how the horrors of slavery were publicized through art. Another abolitionist, Henry Bibb, was a slave himself who gained his freedom following the death of his owner, after many failed previous runaway attempts. Bibb and his wife moved to Canada from New England after the fugitive slave act was passed to avoid being enslaved again. He published the first copy of his newspaper in 1851 called Voice of the Fugitive, which was intended to persuade blacks to move to Canada to ensure a lifetime of freedom. By the time he died, Bibb had purchased almost 2,000 acres of land for runaway blacks who were seeking asylum in Canada.
In conclusion, the way slaves lived in America prior to the civil war not only affected individuals mentally and physically, but also had an affect on the relationships slaves had between each other. During this time, many blacks were just trying to survive while being overworked, underfed, and exhausted 24/7. Many plantation owners viewed the institution of slavery as a “responsible dominion over less fortunate, less evolved people,” and therefore had no sense of what they were putting actual people through. Even today, none of us can truly understand what American slaves went through, no matter how much we read or research about it. The author of To be a Slave states: “and from the slaves point of view, the picture was even more grim” (Lester 63). I find this statement eye opening and completely accurate because what many slaves endured back then is almost incomprehensible to us now. We see their experience as a history lesson, and have almost become accustomed to hearing the word, “slavery,” as opposed to truly understanding the life of a slave. In reality, that word holds so much weight that should never be glossed over. The word “slavery” represents the basic human rights and freedom that were taken away from millions of people on the same soil we call home. The U.S. sanctioned enslavement of millions of people prior to the civil war was nothing short of appalling and barbaric.
Works Cited
- Kennedy, David, and Lizabeth Cohen. The American Pageant A History of the American People. AP Edition, Sixteenth ed., Cengage Learning, 2016.
- Lester, Julius. To be a Slave. New York, Scholastic, 1968.
- Race To Freedom: The Underground Railroad. 1994. Directed by Don McBrearty, Atlantis Films Limited, 2013.
- ‘Harriet Beecher Stowe.’ Encyclopædia Britannica, edited by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 31 Jan. 2019, www.britannica.com/biography/Harriet-Beecher-Stowe. Accessed 19 Feb. 2019.
- Jackson, E. (2007, April 15) Alexander Crummell (1819-1898). Retrieved from https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/crummell-alexander-1819-1898/
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