Nick Parinella
History 205
Professor
McKinney
November 13,
2014
The
Slave Market; Wanted by Masters, Dreaded by Slaves
It is pretty well-known that slavery
was more prominent in the south, however, it was still a factor throughout the
whole nation. Since slavery was happening during the expansion of the United
States, slaves were transported and traded all across the country. Being a
slave was already difficult enough, but the slave trade and market made it much
tougher for them. When people are put in difficult situations, the only thing
to do is to make the best out of one’s scenario. Even with the grueling work
and pain slaves were put through, they still had things that made their lives
worth living. The slave trade within the United States took away a lot of the
positive things slaves lived for and therefore, made their lives more
challenging. Slaves would have children and start families, but the slave trade
would take that away from them. Sometimes they would be sold to stricter and
more violent owners. They would then have to do jobs that they had never done
before and get punished for not knowing how to do them. Slaves sometimes
escaped, but through certain laws, owners had the right to get their slaves
back. The slave trade within the United States made life more painful than it
already was for slaves.
Slavery was important in America,
especially in the 1800’s. Slaves had been in the country for hundreds of years
and there were generations of slaves that were continuously born into slavery.
At this time, slaves had adapted somewhat to the their lives since it was all
they had known compared to when the slaves were first brought over from Africa.
When slaves were first brought over, they were taken away from their loved ones
and forced to work for strangers[i].
Over time, they began families and grew up learning the ways to live and act
under their masters. However, the slave market was very active during the
1800’s, and it affected slaves in a very negative way.
Even
though slaves were treated like property, they still had lives of their own.
They got married, began families and had children with each other. Through the
slave trade, many families were broken up. For most people, family is one of
the most important things in life, and “the ultimate and most dreaded form of
interference in slave family life was the forced separation of family members.”[ii]
Many people live their lives for their loved ones and having that taken away
would be a tragedy. Slaves were already forced to perform grueling tasks, but
now they had one of the few things that made them happy taken away. This
separation was one of the most devastating things a slave could experience.[iii]
If this was not difficult enough on the slaves, they still had to endure other
complications with being sold.
Another
reason why slaves dreaded the slave trade was because they could be sold to
more vicious masters. Some slave owners had reputations as breakers, and they
would destroy the spirits of slaves.[iv]
This type of treatment can lead to the mental breakdown of slaves and end any
thoughts of hope they had. It makes life hard to live when one is constantly
threatened and treated as if they are worthless. It can also result in physical
harm to the slave as well. A specific example is when Robert Moore, a slave
owner, bought a slave to tame him after he was splashed by a carriage the slave
was driving. Moore then proceeded to chain and beat him until his limbs hung
limp.[v]
Moore had no use for the slave after that, but he purchased him for the sole
purpose of beating him to exert his power. Slaves had to live in fear of being
sold to breakers because they were bought to help the masters gain a reputation
rather than to provide labor. The physical and mental harm a slave would
receive was detrimental to their well-being. After being owned by a breaker, if
they survive, it could lead to a more negative outlook on life. Another
difficulty with the slave trade was that slaves were forced to perform tasks
for their new master that they had never done before. They would then be beaten
for not knowing how to do them. Just like for any human being, it is difficult
to perform jobs that one has never been taught. It was unfair to the slaves
that they would be punished for not knowing how to do something that they had
never done before. It seems to be common sense that someone is not going to be
able to perform a job without any previous training, but the masters did not care.
The slaves would also be beaten if they were sick or resistant because they
were not “living up to the expectations that had been attached to them in the
slave market.”[vi] It was not the slaves’
choice to be sold, but they were beaten anyway for the slave owners’ decision.
The buyers examined the slaves and knew their conditions before purchasing
them, but still beat them for being sick or unskilled when it was not the
slaves fault. After being sold, slaves had to suffer from beatings by their new
masters for things they had little or no control over.
The thought or action of being sold
made many slaves attempt to escape. They knew that if they were caught that the
consequences would be severe and painful, but they risked it anyway. They were
so distraught with being sold that they would jeopardize their personal health
and safety for a chance to be free. When slaves found out that they were going
to be sold and separated from their family, some ran away because they had
nothing left to lose.[vii]
However, even if a slave escaped successfully, it did not mean that he or she
was free. The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 required that escaped slaves had to be
returned to their owners when captured and all citizens, including those in Free
states, had to cooperate. This law allowed slave owners to capture their
run-away slaves regardless of where they were in the country. It also created more
problems because slave owners did not need much of a description or proof to
claim that someone was their slave. People would falsely claim that a random
black person in the north was their slave when they were actually not. Free
black people would sometimes be sold into slavery through this tactic. In order
for the black person to prove that they were a free person and not a slave,
they would need other people to testify that they were telling the truth. This
was difficult during this time because other black people were usually too
scared to say anything and white people typically did not have close
relationships with blacks. Therefore, it was not often that people testified
for the free blacks that were kidnapped, and people would sell them in the
slave market to make some easy money.
The slave market was very useful for
slave owners, but it was dreaded by slaves. The slave trade within the United
States made life harder than it already was for the slaves. The slave trade
destroyed families and tore parents and children apart. The slaves were
sometimes sold to violent masters who would find any excuse to beat them. Slaves
often ran away because they would rather face the harsh punishments of being
caught than to be sold. The slave market brought more challenges, pain, and
problems into slaves’ lives than they already had before.
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