The Experiences of Black Men and Women Comparison Essay

This paper is aimed at discussing the experiences of male and female slaves in the nineteenth-century South. This issue can be examined with the help of such sources as Frederick Douglas’ famous memoir Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas and Deborah White’s book Ar’n’t I a Woman? In many cases, the hardships faced by these people were similar to one another, because they could be subjected to the same forms of dehumanization such as severe corporal punishments and harsh labor conditions; moreover, in they could express their discontent in the same way. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that women were more vulnerable because they could also be subjected to sexual abuse; furthermore, they had fewer opportunities to protest against the practices of slaveholders. These are the main details that should be examined more closely.

Overall, it is possible to say that male and female slaves could be engaged in various types of work that could require different level of skills. For instance, Frederick Douglass notes that they were responsible for attending horses¹. Moreover, they were engaged in various kinds of plantation work requiring endurance and strength. In many cases, this labor could destroy the health of a person. This is one of the aspects that can be identified. Finally, according to this author, these people could work as craftsmen or skilled laborers; in particular, one can speak about such activities as shoemaking, blacksmithing, and coopering². These examples indicate that male slaves were not always unskilled workers. Such people were usually of great value to their masters because they needed to spend money on their training.

Professional roles of women were also very diverse. Very often, they could do some jobs that were traditionally associated with women. For instance, in many cases, they were often employed as cooks. However, according to Deborah White, they could also work on rice plantations, and this labor could undermine the health of these women³. Thus, the owners did not pay much attention to gender differences when they exploited the labor of female slaves and forced them to work under extremely harsh conditions. Moreover, they could be engaged in various forms of skilled labor such as clothing manufacturing or nursing⁴. In many cases, a female slave could do various types of job. These examples indicate that the experiences of black women were slightly different.

The protest of male slaves could take both violent and non-violent forms. According to Frederick Douglas, traditional African holidays could be regarded by black people as a silent or disguised protest against slavery⁵. To a great extent, such events enabled them to retain their cultural identity and humanity. Yet, these people often expressed their disagreement in a more explicit way. For example, they chose to escape in order to avoid abuse.

However, it is critical to remember that the attempted escapes could result even in more severe punishments. In many cases, runaway slaves were hunted down and even killed. Moreover, historians speak about violent protest such Nat Turner rebellion that was eventually suppressed by local militia⁶. Nevertheless, this rebellion demonstrated that slaves could eventually fight against their oppressors. Such open protests were usually a direct response to extreme cruelty that was no longer tolerable.

In turn, the protest of black women is also of great interest to historians. In particular, Deborah White mentions that female slaves could take active part in violent rebellions against slaveholders. Moreover, they became involved in such riots voluntarily. Furthermore, they could openly resist corporal punishment, especially whipping⁷. In this way, they tried to retain their dignity. This behavior was not expected by slaveholders who thought that black women would subdue to their will.

Additionally, in many cases, they decided to escape slaveholders. Thus, one should not suppose that black women only passively obeyed their masters without expressing their discontent. However, one should remember that they could not always openly resist oppression because in this way, they might endanger their children. This is one of the details that should not be overlooked.

Additionally, one should pay close attention to the forms of punishment to which these people could be subjected. For instance, according to Frederick Douglas, male slaves could be severely beaten or whipped by their masters who could not be restricted by any external authority⁸. They could not be restricted by any law. As a rule, it did not occur to these people that they could be acting in an atrocious way. In many cases, such behavior was taken for granted.

This is one of the details that attract the attention of historians. Yet, one should bear in mind that the owners did not rely only on corporal punishment. For example, Frederick Douglas speaks about the separation of families or friends, and such practices can also be regarded as abuse⁹. In many cases, they were much more disastrous for a person, even in comparison with different forms of corporal punishment. Overall, the punishment and abuse undergone by male slaves suggest that were treated as animals, rather than human beings.

In turn, one can argue that women were more vulnerable to abuse. It is important to keep in mind that slaveholders could also whip women, and such events were not rare¹⁰. So, they did not think about any gender differences that were applicable to non-slave population. However, there are some important distinctions that should be taken into account. For instance, Debora White discusses the impact of sexual abuse on the experiences of black women¹¹.

They were treated only as the objects of sexual desire, rather than living beings with thoughts and feelings. The most tragic thing is that they could not protect themselves in any way because they did not have any civic or human rights. So, one can say that female slaves were more vulnerable in comparison with men.

On the whole, this discussion suggests that the experiences of black men and women could be marked by the same hardships such as physical abuse and harsh labor conditions. Moreover, they could respond to the oppression of slaveholders in the same way. In particular, their protest could take both violent and non-violent forms. Yet, women were much more vulnerable, and they often became victims of sexual abuse. Furthermore, they could not always resist their masters openly. The main issue is that in both male and female slaves were not treated as human beings with feelings, thoughts, and desires. This is one of the major details that can be singled out.

Bibliography

Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. New York: Elegant Books, 2010.

Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty: An American History. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2011.

White, Deborah G. Ar’n’t I a Woman?: Female Slaves in the Plantation South. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1999.

Footnotes

1. Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (New York Elegant Books, 2010), 14.
2. Douglas, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, 10.
3. Deborah G. White, Ar’n’t I a Woman?: Female Slaves in the Plantation South (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1999), 32.
4. White, Ar’n’t I a Woman?, 29.
5. Douglas, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, 65.
6. Eric, Foner. Give Me Liberty: An American History (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2011), 447.
7. White, Ar’n’t I a Woman?, 78.
8. Douglas, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, 2.
9. Douglas, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, 40.
10. White, Ar’n’t I a Woman?, 78.
11. White, Ar’n’t I a Woman?, 63.