Sexualization Of African Women Essay

“Where there is oppression, there will be resistance.” (Assata Shakur). The oppression of African people and the want for freedom that resulted in resistance was common ground for those who wanted to maintain their culture and sanity. Men, women, and children were dispersed to different corners of the world to cultivate fields and become “playthings” for slave owners and sellers. Though African slaves had common ground, with resistance, the methods to obtaining freedom depended greatly on gender. The sexualization of women and the psychological effects of slavery on both men and women created different developments for emancipation. African women were targeted due to the fetishization and sexualization of darker skin and because of their specific skills pertaining to cultivation. Rice cultivation was one of the many reasons that a multitude of women were placed into certain sections of the United States. Women worked in fields as well as in the homes of slave owners. African women who were put to work in their master’s homes were out in a position, unknown to their …show more content…
According to studies done explaining the male to female ratios during slavery, 1,138 males compared to 142 females were reported to have run away between the years 1736 to 1801 in Virginia. As seen with many rebellions led by men, the Nat Turner Rebellion and the Haitian Rebellion led by Touissant L’ouverture, men believed that violence was one of the only ways to achieve freedom. Although men believed violence was a acceptable way to resist and fight slavery it was not the only tactic. Less violently, men had more means to get way; the access to escape that came from jobs such carriage drivers, seamen, and watermen allowed men to escape enslavement easier. Furthermore, men had less of a familial obligation than women did; women, with their motherly instincts, protected themselves along with their