Exemplification Essay: Mama's Life During Slavery

Mama had been the wife of Colonel John Watts. Daddy was one of his most valued slaves. He was hardworking, honest and strong. When Colonel Watts died, she relied on daddy to help her run the plantation and they fell in love. It was very common in the south for male slaveowners to have children with their female slaves, but our situation was not as common. The year was 1835. Daddy and momma were living in dangerous times. Having children made their situation even more dangerous. They worked very hard to keep their relationship a secret.

It was Sunday, and my brother, father and I were heading to church. Mama said we couldn't come to the meeting with her since we were "colored". Living in Virginia in the 1800s was difficult for us. Slavery was still a big business and segregation was everywhere. We often wished that we could do the things that she did. We knew that God loved us and did not care about our skin color. Why did society have to be so cruel? Why did we have to live a secret life, that did not allow our white mother and colored father to love and live freely without worrying about harm coming to them or to us? We knew we were luckier than a lot of other coloreds though, because we were mulattos. …show more content…
It was nice being in God's house because we felt safe and loved and did not worry about being treated differently because of our skin color.As usual, we listened to a three hour sermon from the minister about how badly our Master treated us. To further convey his point, he read us several verses from the book of Exodus. “We bring you a message from Jehovah, the God of Israel. He says, ‘Let my people go, for they must make a holy pilgrimage out into the wilderness, for a religious feast, to worship me there.’” I listened, but didn't think much of