The history of African Americans in the United States is a sad, but crucial part of understanding American history as a whole. The institution of slavery in North America set back African Americans in many different ways, creating a social divide between races that is sometimes present in todays society. But in turn, many great efforts have been put forth by African Americans to help win their equality and freedom that they deserve. Finding equality and freedom for African Americans is easier said that done, especially if we still grapple with racial divides in certain parts of our nation. Many great abolitionists and advocates for freedom did miraculous things to help African Americans find freedom in the nineteenth century, but there was
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Grouping together as a slave communities during rebellion against the white masters gave the slaves a better chance of running away to freedom. On a hot August day in Virginia in 1831, a group of about 70 slaves came together, led by an enslaved preacher named Nat Turner. They rebelled against their masters, killing 55 whites. Several days passed before the violence stopped, leading to hundreds of slaves being put to death, even some that were not involved. Here is a quote from Turner when asked about his motives for the rebellion, “You have asked me to give a history of the motives which induced me to undertake the late insurrection. To do so I must go back to the days of my infancy, and even before I was born.” You can see how deep the wounds of slavery really go for an enslaved individual. The atrocities surrounding slavery did not only effect one person, but generations of people. This collective act of resistance was one of the largest the South had seen from slaves at the time, and that came at the expense of African Americans in a time where institutionalized racism was gaining popularity and power. After this rebellion, the Virginia General Assembly passed laws making it illegal for slaves or free blacks to be taught to read or write, and also enacted a law where religious gatherings required the presence of a white minister. After Virginia passed these laws, other Southern states …show more content…
“She caught a shovel and struck two of her children on the had, and then took a knife and cut the throat of the third, and tried them all—that with regard to herself, she cared but little; but she was unwilling to have her children suffer as she had done.” These are the words of a news reporter in the State of Kentucky in 1856 from an article titled: A Slave Mother Murders her Child rather than see it Returned to Slavery. This mid-nineteenth century article detailed the unfortunate story of Margaret Garner, an enslaved African American mother who would have rather taken her own child’s life than see the child enter into a life of endless slavery. In the American South in 1856, the institution of slavery was relied upon by many and also ruined lives of many as well. Being Black in the South made life so hard that it was impossible to find equality, and that is exactly what Garner had realized. Garner’s children were Mulatto, had one white parent and one black parent, and living in a plantation atmosphere these mixed-race children were destined for a life of hardship and despair. This unfortunate event is an example of the true realities of an individual living in an enslaved communities and the measures people will take to protect their families in any way they see fit. In 2016 it seems almost impossible to understand what
Grouping together as a slave communities during rebellion against the white masters gave the slaves a better chance of running away to freedom. On a hot August day in Virginia in 1831, a group of about 70 slaves came together, led by an enslaved preacher named Nat Turner. They rebelled against their masters, killing 55 whites. Several days passed before the violence stopped, leading to hundreds of slaves being put to death, even some that were not involved. Here is a quote from Turner when asked about his motives for the rebellion, “You have asked me to give a history of the motives which induced me to undertake the late insurrection. To do so I must go back to the days of my infancy, and even before I was born.” You can see how deep the wounds of slavery really go for an enslaved individual. The atrocities surrounding slavery did not only effect one person, but generations of people. This collective act of resistance was one of the largest the South had seen from slaves at the time, and that came at the expense of African Americans in a time where institutionalized racism was gaining popularity and power. After this rebellion, the Virginia General Assembly passed laws making it illegal for slaves or free blacks to be taught to read or write, and also enacted a law where religious gatherings required the presence of a white minister. After Virginia passed these laws, other Southern states …show more content…
“She caught a shovel and struck two of her children on the had, and then took a knife and cut the throat of the third, and tried them all—that with regard to herself, she cared but little; but she was unwilling to have her children suffer as she had done.” These are the words of a news reporter in the State of Kentucky in 1856 from an article titled: A Slave Mother Murders her Child rather than see it Returned to Slavery. This mid-nineteenth century article detailed the unfortunate story of Margaret Garner, an enslaved African American mother who would have rather taken her own child’s life than see the child enter into a life of endless slavery. In the American South in 1856, the institution of slavery was relied upon by many and also ruined lives of many as well. Being Black in the South made life so hard that it was impossible to find equality, and that is exactly what Garner had realized. Garner’s children were Mulatto, had one white parent and one black parent, and living in a plantation atmosphere these mixed-race children were destined for a life of hardship and despair. This unfortunate event is an example of the true realities of an individual living in an enslaved communities and the measures people will take to protect their families in any way they see fit. In 2016 it seems almost impossible to understand what