Chapter 16: Diving Further into American Slavery

As a struggling country, America’s south discovered slavery as a way to gain financial stability. Except, slavery grew into much more than a need for money. It became a social thing and also a controversial topic among politicians, especially with the emergence of abolitionism. Even after slavery, it became a great learning opportunity to ensure that it never happens again.
A vast majority of slaves were tormented and abused by their owners and/or overseers. The rights of a slaver were limited for they had hardly any legal protection except for some from murder or cruel and unusual punishment. Although, cruel and unusual punishment would not have been considered the same way that it is considered modernly, this still gave the slaves a beginning of legal protection. A punishment they would have to endure would be the whip. Men, women, and children alike were under careful eye of overseers who were poised and ready to punish anyone, whip in hand. If slaves wanted to change this, there were hardly any options for them because they did not have any political power or voting rights. They could not even testify in court so any abuse claims were useless. Most slave owners did not treat their slaves kindly.
On a family level, slave life would be emotionally difficult. Firstly, marriages would never be legally recognized. This did not stop slaves from having holy matrimony. They simply were not recognized by the state. Plus, a wedding vow would sometimes say “Until death or distances do you part,” because families would often be split up. This was done to keep slaves from bonding together and causing up risings. It was just another way the slave owners held power over their slaves. Even though this was true, most children were still rais...

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...nst slavery and became a well recognized abolitionist. One idea tossed around by many abolitionists was the North seceding from the South. Radical abolitionism made a strong push for the ending of slavery and abolitionists often had to stand against much torment, but they held strong and did the right thing.
Slavery shaped the lives of both black and whites alike in ways such as social reforms, marriages, and economic stimulation. Radical abolitionism was a way many people fought back against slavery. The southerners, though, had reasons to believe slavery to be good. There were also repercussions, such as the Civil War, that shines slavery positively. Slavery was a complicated problem that we have grown past.

Works Cited

Bailey, Thomas Andrew, David M. Kennedy, and Lizabeth Cohen. "Chapter 16." The American Pageant. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998. N. pag. Print.