Gender Differences In Slavery In The 18th Century

When first colonized by Europeans, the North American continent was vast, the work was harsh, and there was a shortage of labor. In the early seventeenth century, slavery introduced a solution and new problem for the New World. Brought to North American by a Dutch ship, the White Lion, to the colony of Jamestown, Virginia in 1619, slaves began to aid in the production of profitable crops, such as tobacco. These first captured Africans would reform the slavery system that evolved into a nightmare of abuse and cruelty that would ultimately divide the nation. In 1640, slavery was legalized, and Africans became chattel; personal property that can be owned for life. Throughout the American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries, slavery was practiced
Women slaves, generally didn’t travel in the holds below the deck, but were allowed to walk about the quarterdeck without shackles (History, 2009). This allowed for more opportunities of being easily accessible of the sexual desires of seamen and there were very few attempts to stop the sailors from molesting the women. They were often raped by white men, subject to backbreaking labor, harsh punishments, and sometimes suffered physical abuse by their masters and/or their wives out of jealousy. The women started to be judged and closely examined by purchasers when put up for sale based on their “child-bearing age” (Gender, 2009). African women started to be judged, based on the amount of children they could have without complications. This started to form a sexist understanding of African women; being judged for their child bearing bodies wasn’t an ideal way of being looked upon.
“Slavery is terrible for men; but it is far more terrible for women. Superadded to the burden common to all, they have wrongs, and sufferings, and mortifications peculiarly their own” (Harriet Jacobs, pg.
The slave owners were afraid of the men and therefore were more cautious, because of the typical male stamina. There were many hardships that male slaves had to face during this time, such as being bound in steel and kept below the deck weeks at a time (History, 2009). Unlike women, the men were not judged nor prized based on fertility, but rather their health and ability to perform hard labor.
“I prayed for freedom for twenty years, but received no answer until I prayed with my legs.” (Douglass, 1845) The traditional role of dominance and control for a female, was much different for male Africans. Their control was based on male ownership, and since men could not distribute property or control of certain culturally valued subsistence goods, women were not subject to male dominance. Humiliation was perhaps the most difficult role as a male African slave as it consistently dealt with the decision to defend their loved ones against the beatings, whipping, and raping of their wives. This embarrassment led to some African men avoiding marriage and a family of their own.
“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”(Douglass,