This paper discusses the importance of studying enslaved women as a means of understanding the history of colonialism, slavery and slave societies in America. It shows that most historians have not been tackling the enslaved woman explicitly by giving some of the roles played by these women. Further, this paper adds on some scholars who have in the recent years tried to cover on women and slavery.
Slavery is one of the social disorders that deprived the slaves a fundamental human right. Most historians have depicted slavery to have involved men thereby alienating to indicate women in slavery. The male biased history fails to capture the women’s contribution and involvement in slavery since concentrates on activities where more men were drawn in.
Many historians are in agreement of the proportion of women to being a third of every batch of slaves brought to America. The high number of men was attributed to their demand for heavy labor. The women though lesser in number, their slavery roles were significant. The enslaved women also carded wool, spinned and fluxed wool in order to produce textile and cloth. They also performed household duties such as cooking, washing, making soap and candles.
The young women would accompany the master’s siblings, feed them and take care of them. Tiring work was done by women aged 16 to 50 years. Lighter work was done by younger women aged between 11 and 16, the sick, expectant and new mothers. Older women supervised the rest on behalf of the masters (Clare, 46)
Women were also significant in forming family units. Women were encouraged to have children in order to curb the dwindling slave population and provide more children who in turn could be sold or rented out; this made them more like ‘baby machines.’ They were charged with the responsibility of taking care of their families who were also slaves. Women involved themselves in trade by selling their hand made craft and food. They would meet in market places where they exchanged information and ideas, since in the marketplace rules of the enslaved people were not strictly adhered to. The women felt more relaxed and it became a good ground where slavery revolts were organized (Camp, 58)
Women had a better opportunity to read and write since those who performed household jobs resided in their master’s houses where they were taught to read the Bible and take notes left by visitors. These women in turn taught their men this new art they had learnt. They also taught their children about their culture and history thereby, passing information from one generation to the other (Clare, 114)
Women were also more prone to physical abuse through sexual harassment and rape. Women were raped by their masters and ship crew because they were considered as their property and could do anything with them. Some of the female slave owners rented out these enslaved women as prostitutes, children born from these women were sold immediately after lactation.
Women also played a role in resistance against slavery, starting with inactive revolt against their masters. They would intentionally do substandard tasks and cause accidents that would infringe some soreness on their masters. One woman, Ashanti Nanny Maroon led a rebellion against slavery in Jamaica. She was instrumental in organizing maroon war by giving advice on the best time to attack and administering charms to the warriors. Harriet Jacobs succeeded a runway from her master with the help of maroons; she was instrumental in organizing her community runway from Maryland (Karla, 63).
The field of enslaved women is rich scholarly bearing in mind that historians have in most instances dealt on male slavery. A few scholars like Camp have tried to bring out the gender aspect in its contribution to resistance in the southern plantations. Camp shows how women were more controlled than men and their daily resistance to slavery. In her book ‘Out of the House of Bondage’ she shows the changing role of the enslaved black women and how they gained power.
Works Cited
Camp M. H. Enslaved Women and Everyday Resistance in the Plantation South. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. 2004
Clare, M. Women against Slavery. New York: Routledge. 1995
Glymph, T. Out of the House of Bondage New Yolk: Cambridge University Press. 2009
Karla, G. The Mother of Us All: A History of Queen Nanny, Leader of the Winward Jamaica Maroons, Lawrenceville: Africa World Press. 1998