The Confined Voices of Female Slaves

Slave narratives provide a first-hand experience on slave lives and reveal the truth about slavery. Through the writing of narratives, slaves hoped to expose the cruel and inhumane aspects of slavery and their struggles, sorrows, and triumphs. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, slave narratives were important means of opening a dialogue between blacks and whites about slavery and freedom. Some slave narratives were crafted to enlighten white readers about the realities of slavery as an institution and the humanity of black people. Today, slave narratives are one of the few reliable sources for the study of slave lives.

Many female slave narratives indicated that gender was an important factor in determining the fate of a slave even though slave owners often did not differentiate between genders in the assigning of tasks. Thus, women often ended up working along side men. Most male slaves performed chores such as trapping and hunting animals or working in the fields. Their jobs mainly consisted of some type of physical labor which required strength and endurance. However, a woman's place in society, throughout the travesty of slavery, was somewhat different. Women often performed domestic duties, attempted to keep the slave family healthy and unified, and tended to their masters' demands and whims. Above all jobs, women slaves also represented an authority figure within their families and communities. In times of melancholy they were relied upon for guidance and comfort through agony, and in times of ecstasy they came together with the slave community to share in the happiness.

Slave families had a tendency to be unstable, due to the nature of the institution of slavery. Masters could sell members of a family away if they desired, or could separate the family on the plantation, making them work in different areas. Slaves had no control over their own fate, and therefore spent each day in fear of the day to come. Their fear of the unknown became a crucial reason why women attempted to unify the slave community. Despite this instability, the family became a central part of a slave's life and women played a significant role in its development.

Domestic work was an opportunity for female slaves to enrich themselves by taking up skills that could benefit their families. Women did domestic work to keep themselves, their family, and much of the slave society healthy by providing additional clothing, food or other life-giving materials. These responsibilities were in some ways a joy to female slaves, since they "offered a degree of personal fulfillment." One slave woman, Mary Colquitt, remarked that she and her grandmother and mother had often stayed up late sewing clothes for the children, saying, "Dey done it because day wanted to. Dey wuz workin' for deyselves dem." Female slaves took a lot of pride in their work, not only to please their masters, but also for their own personal satifaction.

One of the most important roles a woman played during the age of slavery was that of bearing children. One way a young female slave could make it possible for herself to stay with her family was by getting pregnant at an early age. Masters often refrained from selling women that demonstrated fertility. Annie L. Burton described in her narrative the role of a woman: "If A slave man and woman wished to marry, a party would be arranged some Saturday night among the slaves. The marriage ceremony consisted of the pair jumping over a stick. If no children were born within a year or so, the wife was sold." (Burton, p.5) This allowed for some women to gain control over keeping their families together as a unit, but at the same time doomed her offspring to slavery. A slave's sexuality and fertility were sometimes the difference between life and death.

A slave woman's authority was also necessary for the spiritual uplifting of the slave community. Wives were often able to provoke otherwise submissive husbands into acts of rebellion against the master. In addition, mothers often educated their children by teaching them household chores while telling them of the evils of slavery. This enlightenment allowed for slave children to see that slavery was wrong and that the black race could aspire to greater things in society. The mothers tried to motivate their children in hopes of one day being free to roam the plantation without an overseer or a master. A role of the elder slave women was often in the field of medicine. These women often learned herbal medicine, and were viewed as the "doctors" within the communities. The authoritative figure of the woman provided for the curing of spiritual and physical ailments. They did everything within the limited power which they had to provide for their children in a beneficial way.

Some slave mothers felt that slavery was the worst fate to give to a child. They often felt that death was a better sentence than a life of slavery. Runaways occurred often, and some were successful in their runaway efforts while others were caught. For example, Margaret Garner along with her husband and children escaped with a group of slaves in the winter of 1856, when the Ohio River was frozen over. They made it to the other side of the river and found freedom, but shortly their pursuers caught up with them. The Fugitive Slave Act stated that "since slaves were property, and ownership of property extended across state lines, owners were within their rights to cross state lines to retrieve their runaway slaves." When it became apparent to Margaret that they would not remain free, she attempted to kill her children and herself. She slit the throat of her youngest daughter, but was restrained before she could complete the task.

Rewards were offered for runaway female slave.

Another aspect of slavery where women received abuse was forced sexual relationship between masters and their female slaves. Sexual relationships between masters and their female slaves were extremely common on the plantations. These forced sexual relationships often began with cruel beatings before the slave would submit to savage rapes. There were incidents where the refusal of sex with the masters would result in brutal whippings. Out of fear or pain or death, female slaves had no other alternative but to obey their masters. At the same time, female slaves who provided the masters with sexual activity might receive special treatment and privileges. However, if a female slave became pregnant by her master, she was in the difficult situation of not being allowed to reveal the paternity of the child. These kinds of relationships between masters and slaves could have strange consequences. Some female slaves had so much influence over their masters that they became preferred over his wife. This resulted in the mistress blaming and resenting the female slave for marital problems with the master, and the potential for more beatings and whippings as a result.

Religion, specifically Christianity, had a tremendous impact on both the white and black communities within the grasp of slavery. The true meaning of a "Christian" was a constant source of discussion between free and enslaved men and women. The slaveholders often used quotes from the Bible to justify slavery as the word of God. They urged the few literate slaves to read passages containing such quotes. It is well-documented that most slaves looked to religion as an outlet for their grief in bondage, and not one writing sanctifies the use of the Bible as justification. Instead, it is repeated many times that the true meaning of Christianity is not emphasized in the few passages manipulated by slaveholders to legitimize their holding fellow human beings in slavery. Many slave writings consist of the anticipation of meeting their savior, Jesus Christ, in Glory (Heaven). Because of the horrors known to slaves on Earth, the prospect of life after death in Heaven was an inviting one. Not to say that this strong belief ceased the tortures known to the enslaved, but that strong beliefs in religion, specifically Christianity, eased just a bit of the unending mortal pain known to slaves.

Literate slaves were rare because of laws against teaching slaves to read and write. As a result, literacy was a treasured gift and a blessing to slaves. The ability to read gave the slave a tremendous advantage, allowing the slave to learn about anything. Being able to read was also beneficial to slaves when planning an escape, as documented in the cases of Harriet Jacobs and Frederick Douglass. Literacy also was a symbol of all of the privileges to which slaves were denied. Many slaves initially decided to attempt to learn to read so they could personally decipher the word of God in the Bible. Again, religion played a significant role in the lives of slaves in that its strong community presence offered a chance to live right and achieve the final reward of salvation. Religion also promoted the even stronger determination of a slave to learn to read.

Black communities today emphasize "old school" values of family and tradition with large extended families and "soul food" recipes that were sprung from the roots of slavery and passed on as heritage. Ideas of the importance of education and strong religious beliefs are staples of a community whose ancestors were legally deprived of such precious privileges. That families are raised with the mentality that the community raises the child also precedes the Civil War. Each of these demonstrate how slavery greatly influenced the generations to follow. The role played by slave women is one that is present in the lives of many modern day families-- the foods eaten by families today as catfish, ox tail, pigs feet, and chitlins were once the leftover animal parts the slave owners no longer had a use for and gave to the slaves for nourishment. Without choice, those ingenious women created an eating tradition that once was used out of necessity for sustenance. Little did they realize that future generations would utilize that creative knowledge and treasure it as their heritage and part of the history of their people.

Bibliographical Sources

1. http://weber.u.washington.edu/~sunstar/ws200/dimitrio.htm

2. http://ftp.oit.unc.edu/docsouth/neh/specialneh.html