Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Slavery
As we are currently learning about slavery and knowing that this becomes an issue that Americans have to confront head-on (i.e. Civil War) I have provided you with a link to a website that showcases some of the privations (hardships) of being a slave. Please read the excerpts and provide me with a one paragraph response about what you have read. What is most striking to you? Put yourself in their shoes, how might you have dealt with these hardships?
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the most stricking thing to me is that they got barley any food and today. Alot of people waste food and back then they had such less food. If we were in their shoes i bet not alot of us would survive those conditions. I might have just sang songs just to get threw the day. With the freedom they had that sounds like the only thing theycan do.
ReplyDeleteBrandon jean-Paul
Period5
the most shocking thing that i saw was the slaves worked 15 hours a day and if the demand of pound of cotton a day wasnt met they would get whiped
ReplyDeleteBy Grant Brandau
Per.1
Life as a slave was very very harsh. what i have read, was that slaves got the short end of the stick everytime in their lives as a slave. For example, their food was cornbread most of the time.... i could not handle that. Also, the 15 hours of back breaking labor picking cotton would get on my nerves just a little. what is most striking to me, is that they got barely any clothes during the winter. If you are an African American slave that is used to the weather in Africa than how can they handle being in the frigid weather in the winter of North America/ if i was a slave, i would be swimming back to africa for all i care! From Michael K. Per 8
ReplyDeleteIII. Clothing.
ReplyDeleteWm. Ladd, Esq. of Minot, Maine, recently a slaveholder in Florida. "They were allowed two suits of clothes a year, viz. one pair of trowsers with a shirt...for summer, and for winters, one pair of trowsers, and a jacket of Negro cloth, with a beige shirt and a pair of shoes. Some allowed hats, and some did not; and they were generally, I believe, allowed one blanket in two years. Garments of similar materials were allowed the women."
Mr. Lemuel Sapington, of Lancaster, Pa., a native of Maryland, and formerly a slaveholder. "Their clothing is often made by themselves after night, though sometimes assisted by the old women, who are no longer able to do out-door work; consequently it is harsh and uncomfortable. And I have very frequently seen those who had not attained the age of twelve years go naked."
Well, This made my mouth drop because they didnt have many clothing and they have to make their clothes themselves. That is very cruel! And also 12 year olds have to be seen nude walking out of their home(not really a home). WOW!! That is very shocking! How about if it was FREEZING and they had to be nude outside??? Wouldnt they get hypothermia and die? This stood out to me and i think this is very cruel and HARSH!!! Also its very sad for the men... They only had 2 suits a year... If i were in their position i dont think i would live... like literally i would die. Well thats what i think of this issue.
Melanie Hana :D
15 hours is waaaaaaaaayyyy too long to be doing any one thing, especially hard labor. I would be extremely worried about falling behind and having all that un-picked (word?) cotton piling up. Its insane how much food they were given. How are they expected to do all that work with no cards? jeez, not the brightest slave owners. Why didnt they band together and protest, not violently, but more of a strike and just threaten for it too get violent. If they could scare the owners enough, maybe they would treat them better.
ReplyDeleteWhat I found most striking about these excerpts is that slaves had a very hard life. They didn't get very much food, and they worked alot. They deserved alot more than they got. Also, during cotton picking season, they were worked extremely hard. I don't think it was fair for them to work so many hours a day to pick cotton, especially to those at young ages. They had little clothing, which most they had to make by themselves. And there houses weren't very comfortable, or safe. I would have dealt with these hardships by probably just living with it, because there wasn't much you could do.
ReplyDeleteWhat is most striking to me is that the slaves had to work 15 hours a day. And if the slave holder gave a slave a job to do, and the slave didn't complete it in time, the slave would be severly whipped. Also they didn't really get that much food, I mean they got a lunch break, which was like 10-15 minutes, but they have to work pretty much the whole day, sunrise to sunset. I would probably wouldn't be living right now if lived back then.
ReplyDeleteMitch Burgess
ReplyDeleteWhat is most striking to me is that you only get 2 suits of cloths a year because the cloths would become very dirty and eventially fall apart. If I had to deal woth these hardships my life would probable be very boring working from dawn to dusk I would try to make it fun like the real slaves did and come up with songs as I worked. I probable couldn't eat because i don't like corn bread so I would most likely starve to death but i would probable just eat the corn raw. With two pairs of cloths a year i would charise each pair and save as much of cloth as possible to make my own cloths.
What is most striking to me is that some children had to go naked until the age of twelve. I am not sure that I could have dealt with the privations of slavery. Most of the slaves had little to nothing. I have recently seen a movie, “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas,” and the slaves had one outfit (pajamas), never showered, and were bald. After reading the material from that link, I really don’t know how some slaves survived. Not that many did. The more I learn about slavery, the more I am thankful to be growing up in this time period.
ReplyDeleteAmanda K.
It's really sad to hear all of this. What they went through on a daily basis is worse than what some people go through in a year.Like the part that said that they worked 15 hours a day. Some kids complain about going to school for 7 hours, and these kids didnt even get an education, they just worked.I don't think that i would be able to stand it. I can't even put myself in their shoes because my life is nothing close to theirs. There are people that just throw their food away or are really picky, but these kids would be happy with like 1/4 of what the average kid gets to eat a day.Their lives were filled with so much pain.It's just really sad.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that is most striking to me is that slaves would have to work 15 hours a day and you have to pick cotton a certain amount of pounds, and if you don't pick enough cotton you would be whipped and that amount of cotton would be added to the next day's labor. If I was a slave working in these times I would think of ways that would let time pass faster and at the same time inspire to help me work faster, such as a spiritual. If I was whipped for not picking not enough cotton, I would figure out a way to be able to do the same to the people that were whipping me. If I felt that myself, family members, and friends were taking too much labor, I would plan an escape from the slavery and flee to Canada. Those who would not want to venture out of slavery would stay and serve for a longer period of time. I would take everything I could and leave no trace behind. Then those slaveholders would have no workers to do their tasks for them.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I would just find the perfect time to escape and escape forever and take my family and personal belongings and close friends. Just like Harriet Tubman. DID I DO GOOD?
When I read those excerpts, everything was really harsh and striking to me. But their clothing was most striking to me. I cannot believe that they only had 2 suits of clothes for a year, and 1 blanket for 2 years. I always complain about my clothes, but when I read that excerpt, I could not say anything. If I had to work 15 hour a day, everyday with only 2 suits of clothes and a blanket for years, I might have not dealt with that as well as the slaves did because especially for me, I do not like coldness, so if I had to work 15 hours a day even in winter time, I wouldn't be able to handle it.
ReplyDeleteSunho Kim
jim burrow
ReplyDeleteper.1
i was shocked by how little food they had gotten they had got only a pound of every thing i know i could not stand a pound of food every day.
Blake perry
ReplyDeleteperiod 5
well i think that they had it realy hard. i dont even think i can do half of all that work not to tink about the freezing cold and hot summers that would be on real. I think that those lazy farmers arnt smart cause they probaly could had work harder and made them get more money if they would have fed them right cause basicaly they were liveing on water. for now on when some one says they have it rough i going to say imagin if you were a slave.
It makes me really sad to thinck how the were treated. How if the did not pick enough cotten they would be betten. And how thy onlt goot to pears of close a year. To think they had so much pain in their lives. They worked for 15 hours a day.I do not think i could have done all their work. I'm glad that our country had the courage to do the right thing and get rid of slavery.
ReplyDeleteTaylor Heinrich period 7
The thing that disgusted me the most would have to be the way these people treated the slaves after all the work they provided for them. I mean, when you hire someone to do things like yard work, house cleaning, or babysitting, because your too lazy/can't find the time to do it yourself, do you beat them after they do you this huge favor? NO! You pay them, thank them, and in somecases give them snacks or beverages. You don't whip them and give them practically nothing. I think the reason so many slaves tried running away even though they new the peanalty of it if they got caught, was because they realized they had nothing to lose. I am so thankful of how much we've we've grown as a country when it comes to things like racial issues, i mean don't get me wrong we've got some work to do, but it's definitely better than that disgrace. Things like that make me question how people were so proud of their nation at the time...could everyone have thought of it as a fine thing? Didn't SOMEONE think of it as a discusting and cruel operation? I guess i'll never know... Anyway, reading the answers above, i think i would react a lot differently if i was in their shoes. As much as i'd like to think i'd fight back with sarcastic remarks and go against the grain, i doubt i'd have the courage. Run away? Maybe. But talk back to the person who was whipping me and try to hit them back? Never. I'd like to be that courageous, but even now i can still be a wimp during stupid things like a spider, so i'm 99% sure that back then i wouldve been even more of a coward, especially with things so violent and frightening. But in a way i think all that cotton picking would be good for me since i'd be a hard worker, (I can be preeettyyy lazy)but i'd want to be respected and repayed for my effort, not hurt delibratly. So i guess i'm basically saying, that if those slaves were me back then, I wouldnt try to rebel or anything due to the consequences, but as i said earlier when it comes to running away, i don't think i'd have anything to lose. But i do know that back then i'd ask the same questions i ask now: why??
ReplyDelete"Lewis on january 15 1807 he was transmitting to a secretary of war his rooll of all of the men who accompained him on his exploring mission
ReplyDeletethriugh the whole continet of north america had gave us praise and gratitude and colletced to the members of the corps of dicovery"
My Opinion is that lewis was going to have a great journey on there who expidtion with clark.
and i think that they were lucky having sacegewa on there expidition!!!
-KrISTINA CasTrO !! PeR 1