Isabella Nugent
Professor McKinney
Slavery in the US -205
Reaction Paper 2
October 16, 2014
Religion
is not a simple subject. An individual’s spiritual beliefs can be as much a
part of one’s identity as the color of skin. For the vast majority of humans,
their personal religious beliefs are the same as the woman’s arms they were
placed in at birth. One’s religious beliefs therefore can be held as dearly as
one’s own family. Understanding religion is also very emotional, because it is
not based on fact like a geometry problem, but on faith and tradition. Even
within the same religion, there are many factions, levels of belief, and
accepted rituals. Typically, one’s religion is simply the religion of their
community, and to deny that faith is like leaving the community. When Africans
were torn from their homeland and families, their new masters attempted to
destroy their religious beliefs as well. All humans, especially those who
suffer greatly, often look to religion for comfort. The African-American slaves
managed both to cling to their sense of culture and identity, while taking
comfort in the Christian religion of their captors. This merging of faith and
cultures from both Africa and America provided the slaves with a newfound sense
of religion and community among themselves that allowed them to retain a sense
of their own humanity.
The
majority of Africans brought to the New World were from areas of Africa with
strong spiritual connections to their ancestors. This sacred emotional
connection to family provided a major sense of identity for the descendents
with their ancestors. Sterling Stuckey explains, “an integral part of religion
and culture was movement in a ring during ceremonies honoring the ancestors”[1].
The most important use of the ring ceremony would be performed at funerals,
where villagers would dance and sing in the circle, feeling intimately
connected to family that had passed away. This ceremonial dance in a circle
made the living feel they were a part of a much greater community that only grew
larger, not smaller with the death of a family member. Each instrument and song
represents a special, unique meaning that held great importance spiritually.
Arriving in the New World, as traumatized and brutalized new slaves, Africans
needed this sense of spiritual strength more than ever. The white masters
however viewed the African religious rituals as corrupt, and forced their own
Christian rituals upon their slaves. This forcing of Christian rituals was
certainly not because the whites were concerned with saving their slaves’
souls, but just another method to break them down and steal their humanity.
They may have even been afraid of the strength the Africans would gain from
practicing their religious rituals. Of course, controlling a man physically is
much easier than breaking a man’s spirit. “Africans engaged in religious
ceremonies in their quarters and in the woods unobserved by whites…millions of
slaves did the ring shout, unobserved, with no concern for white approval”[2].
Despite the severe risks associated with secretly defying their masters, the
slaves tried to maintain their culture and their beliefs, while outwardly
appearing to accept the white man’s rules. In the face of their constant
struggle of dehumanization, the slaves were able to create a sense of their own
culture and beliefs, and most importantly, a strong inner-community within the
confines of their captivity.
To the average white man in the
1800’s, religion and all of its daily rituals and customs were viewed as an
extremely important part of a family’s role in their community. Simply put,
white families were expected to pray, read the Bible, and to be actively
involved in their community’s house of worship. Many slaves were brought to
church with their masters as a requirement, and as York states in one of his
poems, “the only book we ‘lowed to know is the bible”[3].
As a result, many slaves began to adapt to Christianity and believe in Jesus on
their own, finding comfort in the acceptable religion of their masters. It was
a way for them to seek answers and find consolation in their otherwise chaotic
and stressful lives. Mechal Sobel explains that in certain cases:
Blacks and whites in one
congregation had to be at peace with one another, or ‘in fellowship.’
Disagreements had to be aired, and forgiveness extended, by all parties… Blacks
appear in these church records as individuals, and their interaction with
whites can be documents…black opinions were being heard and counted in many
matters, not only in defense of charges made against them[4].
Needless to say, this sense of equality was extremely
unusual during this time period, as slaves were more often treated as objects
rather than humans. Even if for only an hour a week on Sundays, it was
remarkable that a number of slaves were treated as somewhat equal within the
walls of a church. Of course, even though it might have been allowed for a
slave to voice their opinions in church, it is highly unlikely that a slave
actually ever would, for fear of harsh consequences at the hands of a master
following the church service.
As whites and
blacks continued to share churches, Sobel explains that many slave owners'
opinions of slavery evolved, causing them to finally understand the malevolence
of owning slaves. People began to openly preach about their newfound opposition
towards slavery, leading “many other Baptists … to recognize the
unrighteousness of slavery” causing a domino effect in many communities.
Although it wasn’t enough to end slavery all together, the power of this religious
movement had lasting effects. Even though Major Problems in African-
American History, Buffalo Dance: The Journey of York, and Slavery’s
Constitution discussed a variety of topics, the impact of religion and the
blending of cultures has had a lasting impact on the history of slaves in
America, and helped create a pathway for their future as citizens in the
society of America.
[1] Sterling
Stuckey, “How Africans Preserved their Culture: Culture as Spirit” in Major
Problems in African American History, 128-140,ed. Thomas C. Holt and Elsa
Barkley Brown Vol 1. (Boston, MA: Houghton Miffin, 2000), 128.
[2] Sterling
Stuckey, “How Africans Preserved their Culture: Culture as Spirit” in Major
Problems in African American History, 128-140,ed. Thomas C. Holt and Elsa
Barkley Brown Vol 1. (Boston, MA: Houghton Miffin, 2000)138
[3] Frank
X Walker, Buffalo Dance: The Journey of York (Lexington, Kentucky: The
University Press of Kentucky, 2004), 6.
[4]Mechal Sobel,
“How White and Black Cultures Merged: Culture as Social Relations” in Major Problems in African American History,
128-140, ed. Thomas C. Holt and Elsa
Barkley Brown Vol 1. (Boston, MA: Houghton Miffin 2000) 147.
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