Present.......

Even through all the turmoil and death tolls that our ancestors have encountered, today all the blacks should be thankful for what the blacks of the past went through to get us to where we are now. Even today it really is the same but in a different manner of handling it. Almost all of the blacks today are miseduated, doing nothing or doing drugs and all of us are beneath the white man still. The government still keeps us controlled like property but in a funny way of doing it in the present. The torture still goes on but it doesn't take the form of whipping, slaughtering etc, it takes place as police brutality. The police abuse their authority as the law because they are continuing what they started almost two hundred years ago. Also the government tries to keep us, as black people below everyone else because they don't want us to succeed like we did years back when all odds were against us. The "man" is always finding ways to put as even further down below the economic ladder; But most of the time, not all of the people in the world are against us; but we are still striving to gain what we deserve: straight forward equality, both economically and racially.

The journey & process of a slave......

During the 1600's, anxious white Europeans ventured to a rich and resourceful land: Africa. The Europeans and Portugese people took the Africans kindness for weakness. When the Africans had their guard down, they put a gun to the black mans head and said " your my property now"! The Europeans transported the blacks turned captives on a big ship. Almost 200 blacks were kept below the deck way down at the bottom. They had terrible situations such as unsanitary conditions, feces all over, vomit and the smell of urine.This journey through hell became known as the Middle Passage. The overseer of the ship fed the slaves very, very poorly such as rotten beets for 1 meal a day. As for bathing, they would throw salt water or solutions onto their bodies and wounds. Of about 200 people, only 50 of them made the trip. Most of the slaves died from malnutrition, terrible living conditions or a lack of oxygen. The little people that survived had to go to a slave auction to be picked by tich white men. After being sold the slave would take the ride to the place he/her would call home for the rest of their lives.

What if....

What if......What if in todays world, we were slaves. We would feel the same pain and hardlabor that the slaves went through back then. We would have to work and do what we were told to do from our head masters. There would be no freedom and nowhere to run or hide. People would just have to survive on what they have and make use of what they had in there life. Now if you wasnt willing to work or obey there rules, you would have to take the hard way out........which is dying for something that you didnt want to do. Me being the person that I am, I give much respect to all slaves and anybody who had to suffer and survived the torture they had to go through. I couldn't do none of the drastic things they had to do. I would really have to pay for the consequences but then again, you have to do what you have to do to survive in this world. Im glad slavery stop years ago, but in some countries they still have it going on. In todays world people are free to do what they want legeally. There are a lot of opportunities that people have to choose from instead of being told what to do. They have the right to say what they want and how they feel. In this world, thousands of people live life to the fullest and enjoy what they do.

House slaves vs. field slaves........

House slaves and field slaves are very different in there own ways but at the sametime they are similar because they both are taking taking part in doing handy work for there master. They are differnt because house slaves had to do what they was told inside of there homes that they were working in. Slaves that worked inside of rich homes had to scrub walls, clean floors, wash clothes, cook and make sure everything was in good condition. Being that, that was the only job they had and the only thing they could do, many slaves didnt mind and enjoyed what they did because they were feed food and didnt have nowhere else to go. Being that they didnt have no freedom or say so in what they wanted to do in life. On the other hand; field slaves worked outside picking cotton and other duties they had to do for there master, no matter if the wheather was is was sunny or cold. Field slaves worked night and day and so did the house slaves. There was no time for breaks or time to themselves. It was either work or pay for the consequences there masters had stored for them if they didnt do as they were told.

opinion

On my opinion, I think that any man or woman that does inhumane things to another human being isn't human. Torture devices and practices toward slaves was out of the question grueling. When I think back on the way the blacks were treated, I try to wonder how did they manage to survive years of torture, back breaking labor and a life of unhapiness for their entire life? If so, did any of the slaves ever make it through this life of solitude by being what the slave master wnted, or did they do it by self-determination? It must have taken a whole lot of courage, hope and determination to keep on thinking that salvation would once come to them. I also wonder sometimes what was going on in the mind of the slave owner when he treated these poor innocent people like dogs rather than people. Did any of the slaves try to plot a rebellion while they were on the plantation? I try to think of this because if there was almost one hundred blacks and almost five whites, how come they didn't try to start a rebellion and storm the plate and take what was theirs: freedom.

Consequences.......

Being a slave, paying for the consequences was a horrible thing to do. When you disobeyed the rules of your master violent physical punishment was given to the slaves for even the slightest slip up. Things such as your arms, legs and private parts being cut off or injured. Most slave owners at that time believed it was a good idea to treat blacks as slaves and give gruesome punishments. Some white people even cut off the male reproductive organ and keep it inside a jar for pleasure or as "good china". As sick as that sounds that was the mentality of a slave owner. After a long day of fieldwork, one slave decides to relax; the slave master puts him in the "springhouse", sets him high above the floor in chains and whips him senseless. After the whipping, salt is thrown onto the body and he is sent to his quarters. The highest amount of punishment a slave could recieve, was for trying to escape the harsh reality of life. If a slave was caught running away, there are many ways he could be punished. He could be dragged back to the plantation by a horse; he could have the back of his foot cut off or cut off; or whipped until almost death. Living the life of a slave was total hell.

Living Conditons.....

After working long and hard for there master, African Americans known as slaves had to go to a place where they thought was home. They had went to there cabins that was dirty and very uncomfortable to be at. They had dirty was floors, walls, provided for slaves usually consisted of wooden shacks. They were built to house two families, some had partitions, while others had none. When there were no partitions each family would fit up its own part as it could. Sometimes they got old boards and nailed them up, stuffing the cracks with rags and when they could not get boards they hung up old clothes. In some single rooms they were huddled, like cattle, ten or a dozen people, men, women, and children. There beds were collections of straw and old rags, thrown down in the corners and boxed in with boards with a single blanket as the only covering. When men and women increased the children, they all slept together. As one got married, they part off to another cabin, but the rest would have to remain with their mother and father.

Torture.......

Being tortured as a slave was very difficult because there were many grueling practices that was bestowed on them. Slaves were tortured to maintain fear in them, or just for a slave owners amusement. Practices such as the cutting of limbs, genetules, whippings and many more punishments. You can imagine the suffering that black people had to endure. Often, slaves would try to escape their hardships of slavery; and when that happened, if they were caught they would pay the ultimate price. Not just physical damage was done to Africans, mental and spirtual damage was done as well. African women were raped occastionaly by the slave owner and treated as if dogs, steerage or filth. Slaves were repeatedly called the word "nigger"; this lowered their self-esteem and feelings. If any slave disobeyed orders, consequences could be fatal. After being whipped or any physical harm done, salt would be their treatment or medicine. Having endurance was the one thing that was unavoidable being a slave. Long hours, including torture and scraps was enough energy to last two days. The life of a slave was indeed the most toughest obstacle any man or women had to endure.