Ar Nt I A Woman Analysis

Female slaves have greatly been underrepresented in American history, while many historians have written of studies on slavery majority of them focus on the experiences of men. In Deborah Gray White’s book Ar’nt I A Woman? Female Slaves in the Plantation South, White wishes to focus a spotlight on the lives and culture of enslaved African- American women and to dismiss the stereotypes and criticisms thrust upon them. According to White, “black slave women shared a double oppression of sex and color” (23).
White begins the book by introducing the two most stereotyped characterizations of the enslaved African- American woman, the promiscuous Jezebel and the loyal servant Mammy. Jezebel was perceived as a lustful sensual black woman used to justify the sexual abuse the female slaves suffered from their white masters.

She however believes that this is only because the lack of information on slave women white states that “Slave women were everywhere, yet nowhere” (22). White goes into the differences between slave women and slave men, they may have played different roles but the women were often seen as equals to the men. White states, “Most slave girls grew up believing that boys and girls were not equal. Had they been white and free, they would have learned the contemporary wisdom of nineteenth century America, that women were the maidservants of men. . . . As it was, because they were black and slave they learned that black women had to be the maidservants of whites, but not necessarily of men.” (118) She also goes into detail of the lives of the women. The most important relationships to the women were the ones they had with their children and female friends rather than their husbands. Women often came together to support each other through their hardships since their husbands were often absent due to the work they had to