History: Slavery and African Americans Essay

Submitted By Margotlsalas
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Pages: 5
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Throughout history, slavery has occurred through various parts of the world such as India, China, North Korea, and Africa. These countries have rules or laws that made it possible to enslave innocent people. Slavery life cycles through generations, to a seemly never ending cycle. This slavery cycle was commonly known in the United States during the 1600’s. Slavery within the African race began in American in the early 1600’s. For years Africans were enslaved and treated as an object; they didn’t have any human rights. Very little documents being evidence of this cruel act is found in today. During my visit to the Brooklyn Historical Society, I came across unbelievable primary documents and articles. Various documents of the same value, which surprisingly, have been saved, to be seen today are bills of sale or receipts of slave trading. Slave masters would either trade or sell Africans, which were called “Negros”. According to a slave bill written in November 16, 1811, Master Tunis Denyse sold a woman with children to Elias Hubbard for one hundred and thirty one dollars and twenty-five cents. In this legal document first names, age, and gender were written. These slave bills were signed with witnesses present for proof of trade. These bills of the trade describe Africans as objects or items that are sold when they are valuable or worth something. Slaves were traded like animals and their value of humanism was gone or never present. A main priority slave masters were seeking for years was to make their slave uneducated and ignorant. Slaves weren’t allowed to learn how to read and write, and if they were caught doing it, they were punished. To an extreme, slave owners took the right of knowing the date of birth from slaves. Personal information of slaves was not allowed to be known as well. Based on a narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, learning to write was an obstacle he had to accomplish with the help of poor Irish children. “ I used also to carry bread with me, enough of which was always in the house, and to which I was always welcome; for I was much better off in this regard than many of the poor white children in our neighborhood” Douglass was a wise man who outsmarted educated kids to gain knowledge on his own. Not many slaves had the opportunity to be exposed to other children who attended school and would teach them how to read and write. Slaves are kept under a higher authority that gives them no hope to escape their nightmare. Many slaves turn to living environments but cruelty follows them everywhere. “ At that moment, thousands of New York’s Irish and German workers were in the middle of a week of antidraft and antiwar rioting during which they murdered dozens of black people and chased hundreds of others from Manhattan as their homes and institutions were destroyed” Based on Wilder’s book, his description of the attack was simple but meaningful. This attack occured during the early 1860’s, slavery in the United States was close to being abolished but many others still saw them as an object to destroy without mercy. African Americans were thought to be inferior within the human race. According to an article published in the revolutionary incidents in Queens’ county, an African American was abused and insulted by a white man and justice was given to the African American. Micah Williams, a wealthy white man, obstructed a truck driver’s way named Quamino, an African American. Williams approached Quamino and kicked him two times. Quamino complained to the conductor of the wagons and horses who then complained his dissatisfaction to the commanding officer. Williams was arrested the following day and was sent to trail. As his arrival to trail was getting close, he feared the punishment and found friends who helped him get the charges dropped. The court established the punishment to be and apology to the commanding officer and Quamino. Justice was served for Quamino, a brave man who broke the
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