women in slavery
The Treatment of Black Enslaved Women
In the middle of the 19th century, thoughts about slavery differed from males to females, predominantly throughout the white race. The gender of a slave remained the main controversial issue about slavery, due solely on the fact that the treatment of enslaved black women was by far different from enslaved black men. Black women were raped by their white owners and conceived children from the assaults. They also had to undergo unfair treatment by white women, either by the wife, daughters, or friends of the owner, because of jealousy or hatred they had against enslaved black women. These women who were claimed as property were bearing children by their white male owners. Melton Mclaurin, the author of Celia, a Slave, wrote about a young black slave and the triumphs she experienced. Young Celia was a slave who was bought at the age of fourteen by Robert Newsom, a well-established man. After conceiving his children due to multiple rapes by her owner, Celia was convicted of 1st degree murder and put to death because she killed Mr. Newsom. In addition to telling Celia’s story, Mclaurin ties in the issues regarding slaves for men and women. Granted that both black men and women were enslaved by whites, it was the black women’s experience of poorer treatment from their owners and other whites that made slavery controversial.
The transparent level of respect that black women were given was undoubtedly noticeable. The little rights they owned by law weren’t even applied to incidents that occurred. Black women were raped repeatedly by their owners and nothing was done about it. In Celia, a Slave, Mclaurin states, “sexually vulnerable and powerless as victims of rape and domestic violence.”1 In other words, black women weakened by the assaults done by their owner. This is important because it explains the fact that black enslaved women had little control over the events that happened to them. On the other hand, when black women do try
In the middle of the 19th century, thoughts about slavery differed from males to females, predominantly throughout the white race. The gender of a slave remained the main controversial issue about slavery, due solely on the fact that the treatment of enslaved black women was by far different from enslaved black men. Black women were raped by their white owners and conceived children from the assaults. They also had to undergo unfair treatment by white women, either by the wife, daughters, or friends of the owner, because of jealousy or hatred they had against enslaved black women. These women who were claimed as property were bearing children by their white male owners. Melton Mclaurin, the author of Celia, a Slave, wrote about a young black slave and the triumphs she experienced. Young Celia was a slave who was bought at the age of fourteen by Robert Newsom, a well-established man. After conceiving his children due to multiple rapes by her owner, Celia was convicted of 1st degree murder and put to death because she killed Mr. Newsom. In addition to telling Celia’s story, Mclaurin ties in the issues regarding slaves for men and women. Granted that both black men and women were enslaved by whites, it was the black women’s experience of poorer treatment from their owners and other whites that made slavery controversial.
The transparent level of respect that black women were given was undoubtedly noticeable. The little rights they owned by law weren’t even applied to incidents that occurred. Black women were raped repeatedly by their owners and nothing was done about it. In Celia, a Slave, Mclaurin states, “sexually vulnerable and powerless as victims of rape and domestic violence.”1 In other words, black women weakened by the assaults done by their owner. This is important because it explains the fact that black enslaved women had little control over the events that happened to them. On the other hand, when black women do try