How Did Slavery Dehumanized African Americans

Jennifer Earley
AAS 33A; Section 04
Soo Choi
24 November 2015
Southern Establishment of Slavery and How African Americans Coped
The white larger society in the South dehumanized African Americans for the purpose of monetary gain. As a way to stay sane and escape from the forced labor, African Americans created and formed their own collective identity through combination of various practices.
White slaveowners tried to justify their attempts at keeping slaves and using them as indentured servants for their fields. First, they looked to the law to back them up on their claims. The Constitution protected private property, which (to them) included slaves (Jones et al. 217). By this standard, slaves were no longer considered people of their own

free will; they were things rather than humans. Not only were they kept as property, but they were also imported, bought, and sold as goods-- both legally and then later illegally. Manifest destiny was used to justify slavery. White people believed that it was their God-given right to put their economic interests above the interests of the “inferior” people, for example slaves (Jones et al. 309).
The southern farmers needed more slaves to work for them.

but the demand for slaves was not limited to the farms that only grew and produced cotton. sugar, indigo, and other plant-based products were also part of the southern economy. the only thing separating cotton from the others, is that cotton is what the economy was based on; it was essentially used as currency. The increase in demand for slaves and slavery as a whole was the result of the increasing popularity in the cotton gin. this created an economy centered on cotton. Southern farmers tried to smuggle more African Americans in well after the Abolition Act of 1808 was put into effect (Jones et al. 259). This resulted in the number of slaves increasing in the South. Southerners also wanted their slaves to have more children, much like cattle (Jones et al. 260). If the slaves had more children, then there would be less of a need to go through the trouble of importing slaves from

overseas.
Luckily, the slaves also valued family, since is was a sense of support, which kept them motivated. But the sense of family was not only limited to blood relations. Many slave families took in unmarried slaves into their family as one of their own, despite the fact that they were of no blood relation to them (Jones et al. 260). They knew that a family as a support system would keep them sane and grounded as they were forced to work for their owners on the farm.
Despite the grievances that came from being overworked, African American slaves used work as a way to keep busy and sane. Slave work assignments were dependent on the size and crop of the plantation. Slaves worked twenty-four hours and seven days a week-- including the time that was allotted for themselves. they worked for their owners, for themselves, and sold goods for their own personal gain on top of all of that. (Jones et al. 261). They had to in order to keep their families going. Without the extra personal work, then they would have no purpose
Traditions were created during the time that African Americans were enslaved. By creating traditions, slaves were resisting to the dullness and that pain that came along with slavery. These traditions separated slaves from their slaveholders, which was something that the slaveholders could not easily take away. Slave men and women were allowed to sing and dance at the “congo square” every sunday afternoon, thanks to the New Orleans City Council in 1817. These events drew in slaves of different backgrounds from all around (Jones et al. 261). Self-expression was nurtured and encouraged during these types of gatherings. These types of events also helped create some of the genres of music that are often heard today. The slaves even developed their own language, called Gullah, in which they used in order to speak to one another (Jones et al. 261). It was unique to their slaveholders, so the slaveholders could not understand what their slaves were conversing about. Essentially, they also created their own religions through the mixing of West African religions and Christianity(Jones et al. 261). This was also very unique to their slaveholders.
Not only did African Americans resist slavery through passive means of self expression, but they also rebelled against it actively. Careless work was an act of rebellion against the slaveholders. such examples include breaking tools, burning food, etc. (Jones et al. 262).
Stealing from their masters was definitely an act of rebellion that slaves had practiced.

the greatest of all the rebellious acts was in fact running away from their slaveholders (Jones et al.262).Of course, white slaveholders were blind to the true colors of the slaves feeling towards them. when the slaves interacted with their owners, they acted completely different compared to when they were alone or with other fellow slaves. this was known as the “defiance ritual” (Jones et al. 262). The slaveholders would eventually catch on to what their slaves were actually doing. As a form a discipline and ownership, slaveholders practiced the art of branding their slaves, as well as beating and punishing those who disobeyed orders (Jones et al.

261).

Works Cited
Jones, Jacqueline A.; Wood, Peter H.; Borstelmann, Thomas; May, Elaine Tyler; Ruiz, Vicki L. (2013-07-18). Created Equal: A History of the United States, Volume 1(2-downloads) (4th Edition). Pearson HE, Inc.. Kindle Edition.