The institution of American slavery is widely considered to be one of the most horrific that humanity has ever seen. Slaves were forced by their owners to work long, hard days in the poor conditions of the southern United States. Slaves were often reprimanded through extreme forms of abuse such as whippings and beatings, even if they completed the task that they were commanded to do. Slaves, however, were not the only group of people that slavery had a negative impact on. In Linda Brent 's narrative, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, the author claimed, “slavery is a curse to whites as well as to the blacks” (Brent 56). The institution of slavery had a detrimental effect on the slaveholders themselves. Slavery was a detrimental institution
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This is due to the fact that they were granted more power in society. Many times, a slave would be purchased by a kind and caring man or woman. After they bought the slave, they were in a position of great power over another human and this often caused them to treat the slave cruelly. Frederick Douglass shares a great example of this in his narrative, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, “But, alas! …show more content…
Children were raised to view African-Americans a certain way because of slavery. Slaves were treated like savage animals during the institution of slavery. This allowed people to believe the stereotypes that African-American people were in fact animals and can be called and treated as such. Frederick Douglass brings light to this when he says, “Our food was coarse corn meal boiled. This was called mush. It was put in a large wooden tray or trough, and set down upon the ground. The children were then called, like so many pigs, and like so many pigs they would come and devour the mush” (72). A scene like this gives reason for a slaveholder to believe that African-Americans were in fact animals and considered inferior to whites, prompting racism toward all African-Americans. As one can see, slavery encourages racism in southern whites and therefore is negative for southern whites as
This is due to the fact that they were granted more power in society. Many times, a slave would be purchased by a kind and caring man or woman. After they bought the slave, they were in a position of great power over another human and this often caused them to treat the slave cruelly. Frederick Douglass shares a great example of this in his narrative, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, “But, alas! …show more content…
Children were raised to view African-Americans a certain way because of slavery. Slaves were treated like savage animals during the institution of slavery. This allowed people to believe the stereotypes that African-American people were in fact animals and can be called and treated as such. Frederick Douglass brings light to this when he says, “Our food was coarse corn meal boiled. This was called mush. It was put in a large wooden tray or trough, and set down upon the ground. The children were then called, like so many pigs, and like so many pigs they would come and devour the mush” (72). A scene like this gives reason for a slaveholder to believe that African-Americans were in fact animals and considered inferior to whites, prompting racism toward all African-Americans. As one can see, slavery encourages racism in southern whites and therefore is negative for southern whites as