The Differences Between Genders in Slavery

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Through time, there has been many documented differences between men and women how men and women feel different, understandings different, and how many women are undoubtedly different. So now I’m focusing on the difference of African-American men and women during their period of enslavement, according mainly to Henry Bibb. Wrestling with some of the feelings and treatments that each individual gender of slave had to face personally or be a party to thus, through my inquiries. My main statement would be. How do particular burdens affect female and male slaves?

Enslave Men
Men during the time of the slavery were faced with many obstacles and treated with a substandard below even your regular household dog. To truly understand this, let this marinate into your mind and understand if “I was flogged up; for where I should have received moral, mental, and religious instruction, I received stripes without number, the object of which was to degrade and keep me in subordination. I can truly say, that I drank deeply of the bitter cup of suffering and woe. I have been drag-ged down to the lowest depths of human degradation and wretchedness, by Slaveholders” (Bibb, pg 13-14). To begin trying to break down the hardship of this treatment is hard to understand and even harder to understand how these enslave males would understand what a man is or how to be a man. Just being whipped wasn’t enough to be completely downgraded “…[S]laveholders…wish to have a little sport … they go among the slaves and give them whiskey, to see them dance, "pat juber," sing and play on the banjo. Then get them to wrestling, fighting, jumping, running foot races, and butting each other like sheep. This is urged on by giving them whiskey; making bets on them; laying...

... middle of paper ...

...ng voids in marriage that sometimes can’t be mended by the heart and love.

Sex in Slavery
Sex for most women slavery is just an act, depending on who the act is done with. If the act of sex is given willingly then of course feelings will be involved love will be shared. However, if the act of sex is taken by force and activity becomes numb and damaging. Now for the men, the ignorance of their enslave women being raped is somewhat blissful for them. If enslave men act as though it didn’t happen and the women also act as though it didn’t happen. The relations they may share together inside their own home are made by love and commitment to each other, but is only made by ignorance to the fact of what really happens.

Works Cited

Bibb, Henry, and Charles J. Heglar. The Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb: An American Slave. Madison: University of Wisconsin, 2001. Print.

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