Slavery In The United States

Slavery, by definition, is “the practice or system of owning slaves”. Slavery, in the United States, is discussed in elementary school, read about in high school, and dismissed in adulthood. This is, mainly, due to the fact that slavery is obsolete in the eyes of those born and raised in the United States. This is subsequently understandable, as slavery has been abolished for more than 150 years. The history of the slavery is important to the history of the United States, as it is the truth of what has happened. Slavery was, and is, a cruel and oppressive way of life.
In order to understand how truly oppressive slavery was, one must understand the history of slavery first. Slavery had been in effect since before witten times and continues to
Since they were property, the owners, could treat the slaves in anyway they deemed necessary. Many slaves were beat, tortured, whipped, and starved. Though it would be ill advised to kill one of their own slaves, many slaves did die under their strenuous circumstances.
The rights of slaves varied greatly from those of indentured servants. Slaves were looked at as property, while using indentured servants was more of a business agreement. After an agreed period of time indentured servants were free, while slaves were kept for life, or until traded. The slaves were not allowed to read or write and were kept illiterate in fear of retaliation. There have been accounts of slaves learning to read and write in secret. If found that they were being educated, the slave and educator would surely be killed.
Many of the slaves worked on farms or plantations doing the hard labor. Their jobs were divided up by age, gender, and overall demand. Working in the “big house” meant a slave did the cooking, cleaning, waiting on tables, taking care of children, and other various activities that needed of them. Most of the slaves worked out in the fields plowing, planting, weeding, and bringing in the
They were striped of their rights, diginity, and all other basic human desires. The United States abolished slavery in 1865, but it was a long hard road to recovery. The effects of slavery and racism still have some unresolved issues today. Though the United States has made it extremely far, this cruel practice still continues in countries around the world. Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad, and Sudan are among these countries that still practice slavery. The mistakes of the past must be learned from and used as an example of how not to live. The act of buying and owning slaves is no way of life for any human being and it must be put to a