Combatting Slavery

 Although slavery was used against African Americans, those enslaved somehow managed to create a culture out of their situation. These traditions were made when work was finished and the masters were sleeping. In class we noted how slavemasters never claimed total dominion over their slaves. Despite the control they had over their slaves, the enslaved people were still able to make certain options for themselves. They negotiated with buyers and sometimes requested that they buy other family members or they threatened to run away, leaving the slave traders with no slave. Some also made the decision to end their lives instead of living in the horrors of slavery. Slavemasters did not have total control over the slaves’ lives and because of that, slaves combatted slavery and began the process of creating a culture and community.

            In Pleasures of Resistance, Stephanie Camp writes about how slaves would meet after hours and have parties with music and dancing. Music was used in various ways, sometimes to communicate to others and other times it was used as a way to relax and escape reality. Slaves used this time to develop shared values and customs among others. Their culture was used to combat slavery and reclaim their identity. “Women, more than men, reclaimed their bodies through dressing up; and men, more than women, enjoyed drinking alcohol,” (Camp 558). These sacred times when the slavemasters were not around and the work was done was the only way slaves had the opportunity to be themselves. Communities and families were being created during these times. Religion was a major way of creating close communities. Slaves created their own view of Christianity, one that did not support the enslavement of others.

The presence of communities helped protect, affirm, and acquire human space (Class Notes). The role of family and community was something so fragile and personal to those enslaved; it is essentially all they had during this horrid lifestyle. The power that the enslaved people I had astonishes me because I would think that they would not want to celebrate and party after the work is done. From reading about the horrors they went through, the fact that they had strength and energy for night activities astonishes me. They had so much hope for the future, despite their current circumstances. Slaves humanized themselves in the midst of being dehumanized, claiming their identities and constructing what is now seen as African American culture.