Differences And Similarities Between George Johnson And Harriet Smith

Slaves were considered a major part of everyday lives in America during the 1800’s. Slaves were used for labor and personal use by slave masters. Southerners argued that black people, like children, were incompetent of caring for themselves and that slavery was a generous and well needed institution that kept them fed, clothed, and occupied (Civil War Trust 2014). The lifestyles of slaves in the early 1800’s created hardship for some and a regular life for others. The narratives of George Johnson and Aunt Harriet Smith will provide evidence that many African Americans were slaves, in which their experiences explains the similarities and difference each individual encountered. Each slave experience are somewhat similar but they all have their own way to tell how they tend to bare life through slavery. George Johnson was a slave whose grandfather and father was also a slave to the same man known as Jeff Davis, the president of the Southern Confederacy. His father was a blacksmith who had knowledge of how to read and write. George Johnson explain that his life as a slave was normal and …show more content…
They both were born into slavery in which they were able to be around family. George Johnson and Aunt Harriet Smith were both into music in which they both explain their influence in music while being a slave. Even though they may not be the same age they both indicated that they were married. They both experienced living with a master that did not treat the slaves with cruel and unusual punishment. In comparison, they both stated that their master would never whip the slaves but did demand that you mind the master. They both later on in life were freed and able to live their life without the authorization of a master. George Johnson would state that even after he was freed he could contact his master because he know that Jeff Davis would be there and had the resources to