Female Slaves In Abina Mansah

Abina Mansah was a young Asante girl, who became the illegal property of Quamina Eddoo after being sold by a trader named Yowawhah. Abina struggled to emancipate herself from Quamina’s enslavement after learning that she would be forced into marriage to a man named Tandoe. Abina sought refuge in Cape Coast as it represented freedom for herself and luckily was guided to James Davis, a young interpreter who was sympathetic to Abina’s cause and eventually offered to represent her in court against Quamina Eddoo. After Abina’s case was accepted in court, Abina undergoes a legal battle for her freedom against Quamina Eddoo and his legal representative, James Hutton Brew. After several days in court, William Melton who was the acting judge over the

Two important references can provide evidence of this claim. The first reference offers the reader some insight into the mentality of the slaver owners in the Asante region, through stating that female slaves “deemed less likely to run away or seek their liberation in British courts, [and that] children—especially girls—[were] seen as desirable slaves” (6). This is significant because Abina by herself represents the type of slaves that were preferred by men like Quamina Eddoo as Abina was also a young, vulnerable girl. Coupled with the fact that Quamina owned four more girls who matched Abina’s profile (90), Abina’s story can accurately help the reader depict the lives surrounding young female slaves in the Asante region. A final reference in explaining how Abina’s story represents the lives of female slaves living in the Gold coast is through examining the conversation the between James Hutton Brew and Quamina Eddoo. As the two men discuss strategies for exoneration, James Hutton Brew outlines the faults in British law and in British perception of African culture and how those factors could be used in their favor (32). James Hutton Brew also goes on to say that “there are two basic strategies to beating and accusation of slavery. First convince them that the salve is an apprentice. Or second convince them that the girl was purchased as a wife” (32). This manipulation of British law and understanding allows the reader to conclude that while Abina’s story is distinct, it shares many of the common issues that slave owners and their sympathizers have learned to combat against, and since James Hutton Brew and Quamina Eddoo are implementing those tactics on Abina, it follows that