It is presently politically fashionable to depict slavery as a
cruel, punishing existence. This possible historical inaccuracy was begun
in the 1700's by abolitionist politicians who were against the ownership
of human beings on a purely philosophical level. Some of these abolitionists
objected to European indentured servitude more than to slavery, but focussed
on the slavery concept to increase public awareness of the plight of white
indentured servants who were worked longer hours than slaves, because their
length of servitude was shorter, between 7-21 years, making their worth
to their owner far less. Many of these abolitionists were fearful that slavery
and indentured servitude as an economic means to survival was the antithesis
of the democratic trend they espoused. Their reasoning, in many cases, lead
them to believe that slavery lessened the likelihood that their ideas concerning
individual freedom for European indentured servants would be enhanced if
it were only extended to Africans as well.
Many of the Founding Fathers argued against slavery during the Constitutional
Convention in Philadelphia. James Madison's documentary notes on the convention
illustrate the depth and passion of the argument. A compromise was reached
which disallowed further importation of slaves after 1820 and accounted
each slave as 3/5ths of a person in terms of the census to determine the
number of Representatives to the House of Representatives to be elected
for each state.
In the Currier & Ives picture above, the typical American Ideal
of slavery is depicted. Here, the plantation is viewed as a sanitary, happy,
and humane place where the slaves and slave owners are seen together, indicating
a trust and democratic idealism existing between slave and owners, a relationship
not unlike those between workers and managers today, one which is totally
conducive to productive work, self-esteem, and the likelihood that each
slave would be treated humanely and respectfully.
Notice how the artist has painted the slaves in relaxed positions.
They are barely bent over in the fields, a convention by the artist to indicate
that the labor itself was not difficult. The bales of cotton in the foreground
indicate that the labor was benefitting all people, even the slaves, since
their mostly white garments are themselves the final product of their own
labor.
Were the slaves mistreated? Sometimes, but most probably no more
than were other workers including whites. Europeans sometimes were given
the hardest jobs, because slaves were "owned for a lifetime" unless
their slavery was manumitted, or withdrawn by legal contract by the owner,
for loyalty of service. Because a slave represented a lifetime of labor
and hired persons represented only a few months of work, or in the matter
of white indentured servitude about 21 years of labor to pay for their expensive
and dangerous trip on tossing and often old, dangerous wooden ships from
England to America, the whites were often worked much harder and at more
dangerous tasks such as mining.
Were slaves whipped? Everyone in America during the years of 1500-1900
were whipped for crimes, bad behavior, military desertion, vandalism, or
other social dysfunctional behavior. African Americans today do not understand
that whipping was the preferred method of punishment, in most part, because
the colonies were not wealthy enough to incarcerate criminals. The whip
and the stock were prime methods for all wayward colonists, and whipping
was therefore an equal opportunity measure not really associated with slavery
as it is today.
Many of our conceptual ideas of slavery are perhaps more negative
than is necessary and may represent a political focus at differing moments
of American History including the present moment and as such is a concept
helpful to modern liberals and leftist social engineers who wish to perpetuate
"the myth of demonization of slaveowners" in the same way that
some of them tend to also demonize all authority figures including modern
corporate executives who also employ people on a regular basis.
See What Ex-Slaves Said About
Slavery--Click Here!
Interviews with ex-slaves were written down and published. Instead
of claiming they were treated badly, most of the ex-slaves longed for the
days when their "marsters" were with them. They said their "marsters"
were their best friends. In fact, they longed for those days again.
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