This is an essay I wrote for my African American History class. I thought I’d like to post it here for all the world to see.
Of all the cruelties and injustices in the slave system, I think the most brutal was taking their freedom. Rape, violence, and other things happen all the time, but to take away their right to do something about it is heinous. This includes their mental as well as their physical freedom. They were brainwashed so they would only think what their owners wanted them to think. To think only what their owners wanted them to. Not their own thoughts and words. This is the worst to me because we couldn’t even begin to imagine what that was like. To slowly turn into what the man who owned us wanted. To not know where our other relatives are, our friends or others we knew when we were sold. To think we were inferior to a people whom we had never heard of or seen. To think we deserve this fate. Most of us can imagine being beaten, discriminated against, or singled out. But little to none of us can imagine not being physically and mentally free. This is why I think taking their freedom was the most brutal injustice in the slave system.
Sorry about the bad grammar in places, I was kind of tired when I wrote it, but there ya go.
Also, keep in mind that I wrote this when we were still talking about the 1800’s when the slave trade was just made illegal (not slavery), so this IS NOT for the present-time.
You’ve described the mental manipulation inherent to slavery very well. However, if you believe this is not taking place now, then you may be unaware of the mental manipulation that takes place during child abuse, and the slavery that is inherent to child abuse.
It’s taken me 40 years to understand how my mind was manipulated as a child, and to prepare me to recognize myself in your description of slavery, so thank you for writing it when I needed it. I’m relieved to know that you didn’t recognize yourself in it.