This article by Larry Rivers A Troublesome Property: Master-Slave Relations in Florida, 1821-1865 was a very open and honesty thread to read. My reaction to this article was pleasing it opened my eyes to how Florida was divided into sections according to counties and slavery occurrences. The article clearly talks about how the troublesome property with the master slaves in Florida had its ups and downs when it came to the slaves in rebellion. It explains how the slave masters treated their families and their laborers. The article briefly talked about religious aspects on how the slave masters treated those slaves harshly who practiced religion. As stated in the article Zephaniah Kingsley, one of Florida’s most flamboyant slave holders was very skeptical about allowing any form of religious worship on his plantation in Duval County (30) modern day Jacksonville, Florida. On the same page another planter by the name of Judge Wilkerson of Madison …show more content…
To the point, the masters was clueless to what was happening in the plantation as supposed to religious gatherings. The slaves would use church as way to plan their escape route. Only thing was that some slaves got caught in the act and had to pay the consequences. The consequences resulted in abuse or even homicides. The slaves lived in discomfort for their slavery years under the maters but they had ways to underestimate the master. Larry also made emphasis in reference to religion throughout article. He goes in depth with how the slaves continued with rebellion towards their masters because they couldn’t marry away from the plantation, they couldn’t be with their families, very ill will, the employers slept with slaves and slave masters. The slave masters who had a good relationship with their masters had special privilege i.e., ample meals, descent living, no punishment meaning they got treated
1.) The life of slaves in the 1700 could be easy, or hard, depending on their “master.” Some slaves worked on farms and performed extremely hard feats of work, but others would do house work for their master that was not as hard but more time consuming. Now these slaves were like servants, but they are considered property, unlike a servant that is a free person. Since slaves were considered property their master could do anything they to them, like branding them just for not doing as told.
Slavery: Effective on Slaves and Slaveholders In Frederick Douglass’s autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Douglass recounts his life in slavery to reveal to his readers the horrors of the American slave system. To effectively inform his readers of the corrupt system, he publicizes the slaveholders’ hypocritical practice of Christianity. Although he himself is a Christian, Douglass’s narrative is a scathing commentary on the ironic role of Christian religion in the Southern slaveholding culture. Throughout his book, the author expresses and exemplifies his perspective on religion by illustrating the falseness and hypocrisy of the Southern people. To start off, Frederick Douglass suggests that the Southern people’s religion is false and insincere.
All slaves there were treated badly. They were beaten if their work didn’t satisfy the master. Although the master Legree believed in Christianity, he had the bad understanding of it. In the novel, some plantation master use specific doctrine to regulate the slaves and make slavery legal and comply with Christianity. Legree was one of them.
Auld’s misinterpretation of the passage emphasizes slave owners use of religion to reinforce their power over their slaves. Christianity rationalized the concept of buying and selling human beings, and that God approved this too. In addition, Douglass used religion as a way to fuel his abolition movement. Under Master Hugh’s, Douglass began to learn how to read and write. Once
Instead he began to propagate the belief that sharing religion with the slaves would “lay them under stronger obligations to perform the greatest diligence and fidelity”. Though a number of protestant religions moved throughout at the time the Baptist church eventually took ahold of the south to become the most practiced religion. Frey discusses briefly the African culture that made some influence on the lifestyle of the African slaves. Most of the African cultural practices were bogged down or destroyed by the slave owners and American society.
The author also made it known that many plantation owners were accepting positions to claim that "to the Negroes, slavery seemed natural; knowing no other life, they accepted it without giving the matter much thought” (429). Which seems odd because blacks were transported to America and sold to the highest bidder. Their lifestyle prior did not resemble what they had endured in America. When arriving to America they had the impression they were here to help the white man not be inferior to
Evangelical preachers, in keeping with their social doctrine that targeted the disadvantaged in society, attempted to convert slaves and Native Americans. Prior to the Awakening no one had made a serious effort at their conversion for fear that Christianity was “a step towards freedom” (357). Slaves attended evangelical sermons en masse, wary of the Anglican ministers who supported their masters. Evangelical Christianity offered moments of release and equality from the perpetual suffering of a slave’s life. This did not mean, however, that the evangelists actively opposed slavery.
Also, in the same chapter, Douglass’ expresses his feelings for Mr.Freeland stating, “I will give Mr.Freeland the credit for being the best master I ever had” (Douglass 49). Douglass’ states that Mr.Freeland was not religious but he was the best master he ever had. It is ironic that non-religious slaveholders treat their slaves better than religious slaveholders. Therefore, Douglass notes the irony of religious and non-religious slaveholders: religious slaveholders being more cruel than non-religious slaveholders. Douglass perceives how slaves are treated worse than animals.
The slaves that snuck away to hold religious services were severely punished or sent away to another plantation. Owners felt that by allowing their slaves to practice or be converted to Christianity would make the slaves think they were better than. The owners that refused to force or even allow their slaves to convert also believed that there possibly were legal complications in allowing slaves to be Christians. Based on laws by the British owners thought if the slaves were baptized, then they would have to be freed. This prompts laws being passed in 1706 changed to reflect that just because slaves were baptized they had to be freed.
Throughout his narrative, Douglass’s descriptions of the white slaveholders expose the Christian hypocrisy found in the American slave system. Douglass first does so by exposing how the lesson taught by Christians to help those in need is contradicted by the experiences Douglass has especially with hunger. Douglass reflects on these experiences when he states that for the “first time during a space of more than seven years” feeling the effects of the “painful gnawing’s of hunger…” (54). This event shows the Christians’ lessons of selflessness and kindness is hypocritical as they treat their fellow humans as subhuman. The Christians at the time rely on scripture to make a case for slavery in America.
During the time when Douglass wrote this book, there were several myths which were used to justify slavery. The slaveholder during his time justified this inhuman practice using different arguments. The first argument they used was the religion. From the narrative, Douglass says that slaveholders called themselves Christians which was the dominant religion by then.
Religion and its relationship to slavery is a contradictive subject, whether it was forced upon slaves or was a form of hope and freedom is still commonly debated about to this day. However, these individuals were devoted Christians in the abolitionist movement who all
Slaves were warned to obey their masters, “As to the Lord and not to men.” However, their masters were also held to this same standard. Masters were expected to treat their slaves well and even to treat them as brothers, as God is the master of all people, including
Douglass has shown how religious slaveholders are the worst especially when entertainment comes into play. The first being from one of his slaveholders Master Thomas, he whipped a young woman while reading a quote from the scripture to explain his reason for whipping her. The next example was with his other Master Mr.Covey, he would go to church and preach the word but come back beating slaves and going against the almighty God. The last example that is shown is again shown with Mr.Covey, he was guilty of compelling his woman slave to commit the sin of adultery. All of the examples illustrate that religious slaveholders are worst than non-religious slaveholders.
Frederick Douglass’s narrative provides a first hand experience into the imbalance of power between a slave and a slaveholder and the negative effects it has on them both. Douglass proves that slavery destroys not only the slave, but the slaveholder as well by saying that this “poison of irresponsible power” has a dehumanizing effect on the slaveholder’s morals and beliefs (Douglass 40). This intense amount of power breaks the kindest heart and changes the slaveholder into a heartless demon (Douglass 40). Yet these are not the only ways that Douglass proves what ill effect slavery has on the slaveholder. Douglass also uses deep characterization, emotional appeal, and religion to present the negative effects of slavery.