Black lives in America have been devalued from the moment the first shipment of black slaves arrived in Jamestown in 1619. They were seen as nothing more than an lucrative animal to help aid in the production of various crops, such as tobacco, rice, and cotton. The Europeans were careful in the breaking of the black slaves, as they did not want a repeat of the Native American enslavement. European settlers found it difficult to enslave natives as they had a better understanding of the land and would often escape from the plantation. The African slaves however were stripped of everything they had ever known and were hauled to a new distant world. Before being brought to the Americas by boats, Africans were given medical examinations. The …show more content…
doctor would check the potential slaves like a farmer would examine cattle. Stripped naked and probed at, slaves were inspected for quality. Dr. Alexander Falconbridge a surgeon described his experiences examining slaves, “When the Negroes, whom the black traders have to dispose of, are shown to the European purchasers, they first examine them relative to their age.
They then minutely inspect their persons, and inquire into the state of their health, if they are afflicted with any infirmity, or are deformed, or have bad eyes or teeth; if they are lame, or weak in their joints, or distorted in the back, or of a slender make, or are narrow in the chest; in short, if they have been, or are afflicted in any manner, so as to render them incapable of much labor; if any of the foregoing defects are discovered in them, they are rejected. But if approved of, they are generally taken on board the ship the same evening. The purchaser has liberty to return on the following morning, but not afterwards, such as upon re-examination are found exceptionable” (“African Slave Trade”). This was done to ensure that the slaves were strong and fully capable of the tedious work that lie ahead. Those who failed examination were left behind in their territory. This process played a huge role in breaking up the family dynamic of many African families, as often times young children would be separated from their less desired parents. A young slave was not only easier to mold, but was more profitable to a slave master. A young male slave was deemed valuable because of his strength and longevity, and a young female was viewed valuable as she was needed to continue the cycle of
reproduction. Contrary to popular belief, slavery did not begin in the Americas. Many paint this picture of Europeans storming into Africa and “kidnapping” slaves for economic gain, however this is far from the truth. Historians John Thornton and Linda Heywood of Boston University estimate that 90 percent of those shipped to the New World were enslaved by Africans and then sold to European traders (Gates). Slavery was not only a gain for the European, it benefited Africans as well. As Stated by Gates, “Slavery was a business, highly organized and lucrative for European buyers and African sellers alike.” Slavery existed in African society far before Europeans even discovered the Americas. Slavery was well understood between the Africans and Europeans as a business deal. Did Africans know how severe American slavery would be after this business deal? Women and children were linked together and separated from the males.This allowed for them to become easy targets for sexual abuse by the seamen. Many slaves faced physical punish for being unruly on the boat; devices called slave muzzles would be placed on the head of the slave and inflicted pain whenever the tongue moved (see appendix a). Conditions in the slave quarters were unbearable, offensive smells of bodily waste filled the air and many slaves fell sick due to harsh conditions and unbearable heat. The journey to America was approximately 3 months and ship captains had no time to provide slaves with bathroom breaks or decent meals. Being linked together heightened the transfer of sickness among the captives. Often times if one slave on the link became ill, the entire chain would be thrown overboard. Black lives were disregarded long before reaching the shore of the new world. On arrival to America the African slaves were in poor health, the physical and mental abuse they had sustained while in voyage made them much easier to control. The mental state of the slaves was exploited due to their vulnerability after long voyage. In his letter, Willie Lynch compares blacks to horses: We will use the same basic principle that we use in breaking a horse, combined with some more sustaining factors. What we do with horses is that we break them from one form of life to another; that is, we reduce them from their natural state in nature… Both horses and niggers [are] no good to the economy in their natural state… There is an art in long range economic planning (The final call). This set the tone for blacks sole purpose in this country. Lynch’s comparison of the negro to a horse dehumanized them and created an image of less than human. Blacks were needed only for economic gain and therefore slave masters saw no reason for valuing the life of property. Slave masters viewed the slaves as dangerous and referred to them as savages. In his letter Lynch provides a plan to help slave masters control their slaves: Keep the body, take the mind. In other words break the will to resist. Take the meanest and most restless nigger, strip him of his clothes in front of the remaining male niggers, the female, and the nigger infant, tar and feather him, tie each leg to a different horse faced in opposite directions, set him afire and beat both horses to pull him apart in front of the remaining niggers. The next step is to take a bullwhip and beat the remaining nigger males to the point of death, in front of the female and the infant. Don’t kill him, but put the fear of God in him, for he can be useful for future breeding (“The final call”). Masters began implementing this regime of taking the mind of slaves on plantations. Slaves were forbidden to congregate and risk facing harsh physical punishment if found conversing in fields. After decades, slaves lost their ties to the language of their homeland and picked up their own source of dialect. Lynch explicitly stated in his letters for slave masters to “annihilate the mother tongue.. institute a new language” Laws known as “slave codes” were put in place to restrict the congregation of slaves. Slave owners foresaw the gathering of blacks as an ultimate threat to society as they feared the chance of slave support and uprisings. If slaves were allowed to keep their native tongue, plantations would be vulnerable to organized attacks. Once slave masters warped the slave mind to form a sense of psychology dependency, the mind of the black male, female, and child was captured. Much like Lynch predicted in his letter, through divide and distrust slave owners could “control the slaves for at least 300 years” (The final call). Chains on the mind prove to be harder to break and more constricting than chains around the ankle. Many One thing that prevailed within the slaves during these dark times was faith. Til modern day the black church plays a huge role in the black community. In slavery times, blacks looked to the church as a center of relief. The church looked to proverbs to provide hope and refuge to the black community. Many believed that like the Israelites, they too were God’s chosen people and would one day be freed from the captivity of slavery. As decades went on, the church’s role in the black community had only increased. The church became very influential in social and political movements, becoming a driving force in the civil rights movement. For many black communities the church became home, a place of to turn to when in need of food, shelter, and hope. A major teaching of the church is peace and civil disobedience as a means to approach racial inequality. Although many would argue that peaceful protest induces positive change, it also encourages weakness with the black community. The church has taught quietism as a form of dealing with the mistreatment. The theology of quietism sacrifices self for the idea of protecting social order, which makes the sufferers susceptible to injustice. Quietism teaches to simply turn away from injustice the idea of turning the other cheek. It internalized this phenomenon that the suffering received on Earth will be compensated for in the Kingdom of Heaven (Scriven 123). The church has implemented these values as a mode of survival. However, these teachings have helped in the continuation of oppression within American society. Blacks have been molded to be docile and patient due to centuries of terror and misteachings. Oppressed people often must show compliance, and are expected to smile and be content with the dealings life has given them. When oppressed groups speak on the injustices they face they are labeled “bitter”, “difficult to work with”, and “complainers.” Systematically the oppressed have been forced to live in boxes, confined by barriers to make the oppressor feel safe and secure. Dating back to slave times when masters created slave quarters and forbid communication due to the fear of knowledge. Today stereotypes have taken the place of slave quarters; they are put into place to continue the cycle of oppression, such as the idea of “welfare moms,” “thugs,” “food stamps.” These terms have been etched into our minds to describe a certain type of group. Oppression is generational, and oppressed groups face obstacles that are not coincidental, or faced by their counterparts. Oppressors have power and seek to hold dominance by holding down minority groups. As Malcolm X once said, “ The white man controls his own school, his own bank, his own economy, his own politics, his own everything, his own community; but he also controls yours.When you’re under someone else’s control, you’re segregated. They’ll always give you the lowest or the worst there is to offer.” Dominance is gained through economic status, authoritative positions, and historical events. Oppression has in turn led to the justification of mistreatment. When slavery ended “Police brutality”, is a very common term yet difficult to clearly define. In the last year news stations have reported many events on police brutality, however they’ve left it open to interpretation. By law, police brutality is defined as, “ the use of excessive and or unnecessary force by police when dealing with civilians.” With a definition such as that, one must then decide whether or not something is excessive or necessary. Excessive force is any act that violates a civilian's constitutional right, yet certain situations allow for considerable amounts of force. So the question stands, when is the line of duty crossed and becomes misconduct? In recent cases The supreme court has given leeway to officers in cases concerning brutality. Force must be reasonable and necessary to detain or warrant an arrest as decided by the court in Tennessee v. Garner 1985 (Fuchs). In the case, Edward Garner a 15 year old black boy was shot in the back of the head after burglarizing a home. Edward had stolen ten dollars and a purse and fled the scene unarmed. The cop who shot Garner justified his actions under Tennessee law which stated, “use all the necessary means to effect the arrest (Fuchs).” The Supreme court ruled that in order for an officer to use deadly force , “ there must be probable cause to believe the suspect poses serious physical threat to the officer or others.” Therefore it is considered a violation of the 8th amendment (cruel and unusual punishment) to shoot an unarmed suspect. A widespread sense of victim blaming has taken over American society. Many would argue that police officers are forced to make smart decisions in a split second and sometimes that causes
In Africans In America Terrible Transformation written by PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) writes an article stating the historical background of African Americans that were captured and enslaved from Western Africa from 1450-1750. About 200,000 Africans were transported to Europe Islands in the Atlantic. But after Columbus excursion, Slave traders found a new market for slaves: New World plantations. From this, they were used for the planting crops for the Europeans that were uneducated how farm such as, rice, cotton, tobacco, and sugar in the south. It wasn’t till the American Revolution where they protest against “enslavement” from the British and demands from American “liberty” for some hope of being free from bondage . After reading
The first African slaves were brought to the colony of Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. They were brought over so that they could aid the production of crops. Caucasians believed they were superior then the Africans thus making them slaves. Many believed they could profit from having slaves. Example: instead of paying someone to work the filed or do any hard labor whites used Africans as slaves. The Africans would work for free and the slave owners would save money. Realistically speaking the treatments of slaves varied from a mild mistreatment to a sadist horrific torture.
together for the better of the shared children. The women had a say in how they would help
Native Americans lived on the land that is now called America, but when white settlers started to take over the land, many lives of Native Americans were lost. Today, many people believe that the things that have been done and are being done right now, is an honor or an insult to the Natives. The choices that were made and being made were an insult to the Native Americans that live and used to live on this land, by being insulted by land policies, boardings schools and modern issues, all in which contain mistreatment of the Natives. The power that the settlers and the people who governed them had, overcame the power of the Natives so the settlers took advantage and changed the Natives way of life to the
Since the beginning of slavery in the America, Africans have been deemed inferior to the whites whom exploited the Atlantic slave trade. Africans were exported and shipped in droves to the Americas for the sole purpose of enriching the lives of other races with slave labor. These Africans were sold like livestock and forced into a life of servitude once they became the “property” of others. As the United States expanded westward, the desire to cultivate new land increased the need for more slaves. The treatment of slaves was dependent upon the region because different crops required differing needs for cultivation. Slaves in the Cotton South, concluded traveler Frederick Law Olmsted, worked “much harder and more unremittingly” than those in the tobacco regions.1 Since the birth of America and throughout its expansion, African Americans have been fighting an uphill battle to achieve freedom and some semblance of equality. While African Americans were confronted with their inferior status during the domestic slave trade, when performing their tasks, and even after they were set free, they still made great strides in their quest for equality during the nineteenth century.
When Americans think about slavery, they tend to think about "Africans" being brought to the New World against their will. Which upon their arrival were sold, the same as livestock, as permanent property to the white landowners. They may visualize in their minds a person of color shackled, chained, beaten, and forced to labor under the control of their white master. Their picture is that of chattel slavery; black and white. Americans have come to the assumption that slavery was imposed on people of one color or race. However, the Africans were not the only people force to endure the harsh and unjust enslavement by the white society. The Native Americans, as well as indentured servants were used as slaves in the New World. When slavery began in the New World, the color of a person's skin was of little significance. Slaves were white, red, and black. What mattered most was a labor force.
The Africans slaves were treated just as badly as the Native Americans if not worse. They were forced to work hard gruesome hours in a fields, never feed or kept in good health, they were branded like common farm animals and brutally tortured at any signs of disobedience and resistance. As European crops and materials grew in demand, more African slaves were brought to the New World for work, thus beginning the Atlantic slave trade Europeans justified the Atlantic slave trade, which was the buying and selling of African slaves, in different ways. Three commonly used excuses being one: “ Apologist for the African slave trade long argued that European traders purchased African who had already been enslaved and who otherwise would have been put to death.Thus, apologists claimed the slave trade actually saved lives.” As well as two: “ In the Christian world, the most important rationalization for slavery was the so called ‘Curse of Ham’ According to the doctrine, the Bible figure Noah had cursed his son Ham with blackness and the condition slavery.” The last justification was that Europeans, full of greed and power, needed more people that weren't of European descendent to do all the dirty, hard and dangerous work for them. All of
In Colonial America indentured slavery happen gradually. The colony of Virginia was one place the “terrible transformation” took place. There were Africans and poor whites that came from English working class, black and whites worked side by side in the fields. They were all indentured servants as servants they were fed and housed. After their time was served, they were given “freedom dues,” with that came a piece of land and supplies. Black and whites became free. The English would not enslave non-Christians slaves; they could be set freed by converting to Christianity (PBS Online, nd).
Also known as the Second Great Awakening, the Abolitionist Movement swept through the colonies in the early 1830’s. This was a movement to abolish slavery and to give blacks their freedom as citizens. Many men and women, free and enslaved, fought for this cause and many were imprisoned or even killed for speaking out. If it were not for these brave people, slavery would still exist today. The Abolitionist Movement paved the way in eradicating slavery by pursuing moral and political avenues, providing the foundation for the Underground Railroad, and creating a voice for African Americans.
The Native American Movement in the United States originated from a sense of inferiority and inequality. They were only given citizenship in 1924 but even into the mid 1940s, they were still not treated as full class Americans. In the 1950s, a sense of Indian Nationalism spread among the natives and they began forming groups to promote change for their community. With groups such as AIM, the NCAI and the NIYC heading the movement, they were able to receive a bit of the independence they craved. In 1961, Red Power was coined by the National Indian Youth Council and demonstrations were rampant. The movement notably flourished right after the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, spawning due to a renewed sense of a struggle to let the U.S. follow up on their promises to the native people (Faville). In the summer of 1968, a frustrated group of Native Americans came together for a meeting on discrimination, discussing critical issues surrounding their circumstances. This group, AIM, helped begin the Native American Movement. Through their efforts, Native Americans helped bring an end to Eisenhower’s termination policy in 1958. They also managed to get President Johnson and President Nixon to grant them liberties to receive some of the independence they’s been striving for for decades. The progress made during this era changed the outlook of Native Americans on .
The environment has proven over time that it has the power to cause change in its inhabitants. Native Americans were not an exception to this common occurrence, as they had to adapt to the changes in the environment that surrounded them. The Europeans came to the “new world” and disrupted the original culture of the land. Native Americans were compelled to assimilate their own traditions and culture to one more fitting of their new surroundings. Their religion was a component that changed drastically into a decline that left it without any of the original rituals, beliefs, and traditions. Some of factors that contributed to this shift in religion are disease, the fur trade, the European tourists, the economy, the Christian missionaries, and
The ancestors of the American Indians were the first settlers in North America. It is believed that they immigrated over a land bridge which connected North America to Eurasia about 16 000 years ago. They came in groups and the different groups evolved into different tribes with different cultures and traditions. Scientists estimate that the pre-Columbian population was between 10 and 50 million. After Europeans arrived in 1492, the indigenous were subject of a genocide. On the picture above, you can see where different tribes lived before European colonization.
Cultural competence is a skill essential to acquire for healthcare providers, especially nurses. Cooperating effectively and understanding individuals with different backgrounds and traditions enhances the quality of health care provided by hospitals and other medical facilities. One of the many cultures that nurses and other health care providers encounter is the American Indian or Native American culture. There are hundreds of different American Indian Tribes, but their beliefs and values only differ slightly. The culture itself embodies nature. To American Indians, “The Earth is considered to be a living organism- the body of a higher individual, with a will and desire to be well. The Earth is periodically healthy and less healthy, just as human beings are” (Spector, 2009, p. 208). This is why their way of healing and symbolic items are holistic and from nature.
The need for slaves was important around the early seventeenth century due to the increasing European demand of lucrative crops such as tobacco. Slavery became so profitable within a few short decades that the ethics surrounding slave ownership quickly changed. Furthermore, as rice plantations became more prominent in the eighteenth century, the demand for African slaves continued to increase. As author Judith Carney describes in her book Black Rice: The African Origins of Rice Cultivation in the Americas, rice was not a crop that most Europeans knew how to grow, and therefore slaves often had to tutor planters in growing the crop, bringing added importance and need for African slaves to the area. The slave trade grew so drastically in the seventeenth century that by the turn of the century, many areas had more Africans than whites. Carney further exemplifies this in her book by explaining that in 1670, the first settlers that arrived in South Carolina had about 100 black slaves. By 1708, it was documented that slaves outnumbered the whites.13 This drastic change in population demonstrates the increased need and perceived importance of slavery in America at that time.
The word “slavery” brings back horrific memories of human beings. Bought and sold as property, and dehumanized with the risk and implementation of violence, at times nearly inhumane. The majority of people in the United States assumes and assures that slavery was eliminated during the nineteenth century with the Emancipation Proclamation. Unfortunately, this is far from the truth; rather, slavery and the global slave trade continue to thrive till this day. In fact, it is likely that more individuals are becoming victims of human trafficking across borders against their will compared to the vast number of slaves that we know in earlier times. Slavery is no longer about legal ownership asserted, but instead legal ownership avoided, the thought provoking idea that with old slavery, slaves were maintained, compared to modern day slavery in which slaves are nearly disposable, under the same institutionalized systems in which violence and economic control over the disadvantaged is the common way of life. Modern day slavery is insidious to the public but still detrimental if not more than old American slavery.