Slavery in the Americas represents one of the most brutal and hateful periods in history. To say it was only a massive holocaust would be a drastic and discourteous understatement. The reason is because physical enslavement was only part of the terrible treatment endured by several hundred-million African slaves over the course of 400 years. They were mentally tortured under the recommendations of Willie Lynch and many cold hearted European slavers. That mental torture contributed to the state of the modern Black American community. There have been many obvious accomplishments in music, theater, sports and business since Lincoln turned the tables on the southern states. Mental enslavement is what presently has some Black people using terms like, “good hair” (straight; not kinky) and taking pride in having “high yellow” skin along with other so-called White physical features. Let’s look at a day in the 17th century when a few hundred African slaves were set up on an auction block. This essay will paint a picture of a slave auction in such a way that it achieves two objectives. It will illustrate how slaves were sold. Secondly, it will explain how slaves were valued and treated during this time.
Slave auctions were publicized either days or weeks in advanced and brought many local and out-of-town slavers for an exciting occasion. The slaves may or may not be grouped together with their family members. They may be brought from a plantation where they worked together for many years or from different plantations and different owners. They were stripped to scantily clad attire so that the buyers could see their musculature. The slaves were slapped to show their firmness in the legs and arms. Women were forced to show their ample breasts or even send up their young to center stage and share how agile and capable they will be as little workers. Their cheeks were spread to show their dental health. They could be asked to jump, squat, run, speak or even sing and dance to show that they can pick cotton as well as entertain.
Use your promo and get a custom paper on
"The 17th Century: Treatment of Slaves".
While this was a lucrative and promising string of days for Whites, it was a humiliating and devastating experience for the slaves. The pricing figures were called out randomly and feverishly as bidders drove the prices up higher and higher. A merciful slaver might keep a whole family together and purchase them at once. On the other hand, the chances of a woman never seeing her husband and children again were even more likely. The slaves were priced higher than the nicest cattle in many instances. Yet they were treated as if they were lower than four-legged beasts. In order to keep them fearful and submissive, the owners felt it was necessary to whip them for the most trivial of offenses. Women were often exploited as sexual toys for their owners. They were raped and sometimes impregnated simply for the pleasure of the slavers. They might have been forced to breed in the same systematic ways that farm animals were bred.
In conclusion, slaves were sold in public or private auctions. It was publicized on giant posters around town and in local newspapers. Slaves were viewed as property with a heavy price tag if they were healthy. If they were weak, elderly or severely injured, they carried a smaller price tag. The bounty on the head of a runaway slave was often extravagant as well. Beatings, torture, mental anguish, hopelessness and despair were felt by the slaves. To cope with this, the slaves created songs, dances and found a way to make lemons out of lemonade. Pigs feet, chitterlings and all the filthiest parts of the pig were made into a delicacy and is still enjoyed today. Indeed, Black people still enjoy their slave-day lemons whether or not they realize it. From the scorching burn of texturizing hair creams to the harsh way that some Black people treat one another, the lingering spirit of Willie Lynch dictates that (mental) slavery still lives on.
- Lynch, Willie. “Willie Lynch letter: The Making of a Slave.”Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. N.p.. Web. 3 Jun 2014. http://www.iupui.edu/
