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What Does It Mean To Be Slaves

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This account revealed that being enslaved brought feeling of frustration and pain. There was no relief, no outlet, and no light at the end of the tunnel. From birth a slave is introduced to sin and sorrow, living day to day with the nation that the only reason they live is because their master allows them to. The masters will, is law for slaves and violating this law is a capital offense.

At the beginning of this account, Ms. Jacob described how in her early years, she was so grateful to be treated with some type of leniency. This really blew my mind, that someone had to be grateful just to be treated like a person. Slaves were not viewed as people by whites or the law. Their innocence was stripped along with any other sense of individuality. Things were so bad that some felt they rather starve like the Irish of the time, than live like the best treated slaves. …show more content…

A black woman did not only have to look out for her master’s anger but also be aware of his lust. This was such a problem that many black women felt that growing up beautiful was a curse. The traits that would make any white woman a trophy and proud, attracted the wrong kind of attention for black women. They would just be a walking target waiting to be victimized. The law provided no protection because they belonged to their master. Masters that raped their slaves did not fear arrest, but feared the public knowing that they would sleep with a negro. Fathering children with their female slaves was a daily practice and even though their children were half white they were doomed to share the same fate as their mothers. Two kids with the same father, but their futures predetermined by the color of their skin. Slavery was just unfair and wrong but what can you do when your opinion does not

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