From: Tom Lynch
Date: 4/12/00
Time: 9:45:45 PM
Remote Name: 207.103.134.227
Slavery in the American South
African Americans were able to cope with slavery because of three things: resistance, religion, and family life. Resistance would manifest itself in three forms. The first was active rebellion. Slaves sometimes took up arms against their masters and attempted to liberate themselves. This tactic was mostly unsuccessful because they were poorly armed and organized. Also it was very dangerous and most African Americans prefered to resist in other ways. The second way that they could resist slavery was to simply run away. Even this was a dangerous and often impossible proposition though. Many were reluctant to leave behind friends and family in order to escape. Others simply could not because of the great distances they would have to traverse in order to make it to safety and even then, slave catchers could return them to bondage. The final and most popular form of resistance was passive resistance. This involved working slowly, stealing, and sabotaging their master's farms or plantations. Religion and family life both allowed African Americans to cope with the intense pressure of living in bondage. Religion gave them a sense of self worth and oftentimes a feeling of moral superiority to their masters. They were able to practice their own form of Christianity in secret and help preserve some of their African culture. The slave family helped to link the community of people together. They came to depend heavily upon one another for support. Long term monogamous unions strengthened these ties to the community. Both religion and family life counteracted the dehumanizing effects of enslavement. Free blacks did not have a much easier time than the ones in bondage. They were seen as outcasts in society and were denied legal and political equality. Segregation was practiced just about everywhere in the U.S. They found it difficult to find good paying jobs. In the South, they were seen as semi-slaves. They were forced to carry papers with them proving their free status. They were blocked from organizing. Still, during this period, many free blacks were outspoken abolitionists. They published pamphlets and newspapers concerning the horrors of slavery. Free blacks were also responsible for conducting the Underground Railroad, a secret route that allowed run away slaves to escape to the North and out of the country.