Losing Human Dignity

 

 After focusing on gender roles, my class soon switched over to slavery and the impact it had during the 19th century. As we learned about slavery, we reviewed and analyzed many documents as well as films and videos. These documents and movies allowed us to deeper our understanding of the boom of slavery during the 19th century. In this unit, we explored many essential questions, and branched off of the questions in order to answer the big overall question....How did slavery become economically entrenched in American Society by the early 19th century? As a result of the American and French Revolutions, thousands of black slaves escaped slavery by running away or revolting. However, even though people thought this would end slavery for good, they were wrong. Instead, the 19th century was a time when slavery became entrenched, and the lives of many people changed. Slavery rapidly expanded all around the world in places such as Brazil, Cuba, and the United States.

Cotton was an insignificant crop in the United States prior to 1800. By 1860, however, cotton production dominated large portions of the American South and by the 19th century slavery and cotton was booming. Shown in the maps and graphs below, it is evident that slavery had a direct relationship with the production of cotton. In 1792, a time when slavery was not booming, Eli Whitney created the Cotton Gin. This machine was the gateway into slavery and producing more and more cotton at a rapid speed. Between 1792, when Whitney invented the cotton gin, and 1794, the price of slaves doubled.  A reading known as "Cotton is King: Slavery is Entrenched in American Society" describes that, " By 1825, field hands, who had brought $500 apiece in 1794, were worth $1,500. As the price of slaves grew, so, too, did their numbers. During the first decade of the nineteenth century, the number of slaves in the United States rose by 33 percent; during the following decade, the slave population grew another 29 percent." Judging by these statistics, it is clear that the cotton gin had a large impact on not only cotton, but slaves as well.

 

 



This two maps show a direct relation between cotton and slavery. By 1830, slavery was rapidly increasing because of the Cotton Gin


Shown in this photo, it is clear that during 1790 Cotton was a sparse crop. Compared to later years, cotton was insignificant.



 



Throughout the Antebellum period, there were many advocates who spoke out against slavery, despite once being a slave. Frederick Douglas, a well-known intelligent intellectual, voiced his personal thoughts on slavery. Born into slavery, Douglas led a tough life. However, he was able to take his experiences and use them to his advantage. Through his many speeches and newspapers, Douglas declared his thoughts on how slavery is dehumanizing. In During Douglas' life, he defied one of the most dehumanizing laws, the fact that slaves could not read or write. A large portion of his life after the civil war was focused on voicing human rights and restoring human dignity for slaves. Included in one of his speeches, Douglas explores the idea that America is made up of hypocrites and frauds that celebrate their own achievements to cover up the fact that they do horrible things. The celebrate their own freedom, while ignoring the fact that they take away others. Through slavery, human dignity is destroyed and freedom is taken away. Slaves are bought like items at a store, which is a good indicator of how poorly slaves are treated and viewed.  When people are slaves because of their skin color, all respect is lost. When skin color is a prominent factor, then all people tend to look at those people differently. Empathy is lost and slaves are destroyed mentally and physically. Also, by not being able to read or write, slaves feel less and less like human beings.

 

Recently, we watched "Prince Among Slaves" and through this film It is evident just how badly slaved were treated. The main character, Abdul Rahman, is shown throughout his journey through slavery and the trouble he faces. It is clear that this film shows that slavery based on race tends to ignore many valuable human characteristics. Human characteristics such as respect of the human body/body limits  and basic human emotion and feeling was ignored. In "Prince Among Slaves", Rahman was bought into slavery after living a life of royalty and nobility. From sitting on a throne to working the fields, Rahman is a perfect example of how slavery is life altering and strips a person of all that they have earned and worked for. Slave owners forced slaves to work in the hot sun for long hours as shown in the film. Additionally, when Rahman arrived the Mr. Foster's, the slave owner, he was stripped of  his long hair. This long hair was a symbol of nobility, something which he now did not have. Mr. Foster totally ignored Rahman's emotional connection with his hair. He was thrown into slavery. Slaves are torn apart emotionally and feelings are totally disregarded. The antebellum period was a where slavery boomed and many advocates discussed slavery and the everyday lives of slaves.

Citations:
Maps: http://mappinghistory.uoregon.edu/english/US/US18-00.html
Frederick Douglas Excerpt: Frederick Douglas, "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro", a speech delivered in Rochester, New York, July 5, 1852