Slavery Reflection

Before entering this class, I thought that the views and preconceived ideas that I had about slavery were accurate. I thought that the education I had received on slavery when I was in middle and high school was enough for me to say that I understood the effect that slavery had. However, my apathetic nature towards this subject had caused me to remain complacent in all of the issues that have stemmed from chattel slavery and are still ever present in today’s society. A common misconception that I particularly have had is that while slavery was horrible, it was a long time ago and does not affect our society today. Through this class I have discovered that slavery extends so much further than just after the ending of the civil war.
While all …show more content…
Upon reading “Twelve Years a Slave” I immediately became aware that even when black man was considered free in America, he or she was never truly given the same rights as whites nor were they allotted the safety and security of their citizenship. Solomon Northup was a well-educated, respected, family-oriented, free black man in the community yet he was still kidnapped into slavery for twelve years without anyone discovering that he did not belong because of his skin color. This heartbreaking narrative provided so much perspective on the dehumanization of black individuals in America during the course of slavery. This especially rang true in Solomon’s case because so many white individuals and slave holders were very aware that clearly Solomon was not born into slavery, yet it took years before anyone was willing to stand for him and the injustice he was experiencing. Slavery was largely a convenience that while many opposed, many were not willing to stand …show more content…
This was probably one of the most memorable accounts that I was a part of in this class. The relationship between the slave master’s wife and the slave woman of whom sexual attention was focused is a perspective that I had not meditated on. Most of my education about slave women had been more similar to the idea of the mammie, a caretaker in the home who was not subjected to such harsh working environments. While that was the case for some slave women, there were many that were not given those circumstances. It was especially powerful to watch Patsey’s experience with Master Epps in the movie, seeing the overall dynamic of power that Master Epps projected onto Patsey was an eye opening experience. While he not only controlled her in the sense of manual labor, he attempted to control her desires, who she spoke to, where she went, and her well being. This dynamic was absolutely terrifying to me, and I felt my entire perspective on slave women shift from complacency towards