Discuss slavery from the perspective of women
The issues of womanhood and slavery in antebellum America have been presented by several narratives. The southern slave narratives present many complexities of antebellum American life. It created a peculiar view of female identity that has since influenced generation of black and white women and the delineated their life experience. Both black and white women felt devalued. Racist and sexist socialization relegated women, instead their roles were limited to child bearing.
What was the role of women in the system of American slavery?
Harriet Jacobs narratives of her experience as a slave offer a different view of complexities of the role women played in antebellum American. Having been born as a slave in North Carolina , Harriet escaped to live in New York .she wrote a narrative of her enslavement but using the pseudonym of Linda Brent .she explains her struggles with sexual assault from her master .
In her narrative ,Harriet revealed that there were secrets of slavery that were concealed , for example , her master fathered eleven slaves ,however, their mother could not dare e speak or tell the father of their children except whisper among themselves . Harriet narrates the different feelings on both sides of slaves and owners which she describes as inborn kindly feeling . in her narrative , she reveals that many slaver were descendants of those who had served in the same family for example ,the nurse who nursed the children was the daughter of my nurse and her grandmother nursed the mother of the slave owner .according to Harriet ,her grandmother was the most important person she mentions . Her grandmother was a faithful servant .
She also describes the agony of her grandmother who she described as a woman who was devoted to her master. Her grandmother tried all means to take her own children. her grandmother tried to buy her ,however she was told that “ Linda does not belong to me : she is my daughter’ property and I have no legal rights to sell her” . in her statement the slave owner was too scrupulous .she also narrate how much she wanted to be sold ,even the persecutor asked her and she replied stating that she would rather be sold to anybody than to lead such a miserable life . In such occasions ,her master would reproach with feelings of ingratitude. She recalls her master saying the “Did I not take you into the house, and make you the companion of my own children?”
He would say. “Have I ever treated you like a negro? I have never allowed you to be punished, not even to please your mistress. And this is the recompense I get, you ungrateful girl!”
her master was compassionate and could treat her different especially when she wept eh would say “Poor child! Don’t cry! don’t cry! I will make peace for you with your mistress.
According Harriet ,southern women often got married to men whom they knew had fathered many slaves ,but they were not bothered by this . these women regarded these children as property .they gladly sold them to slave traders if they wanted to get them out of their sight .As described by Harriet, women role was to take care of her family, therefore the white women had no say in what their husband with the slaves .even though the master sexually assaulted her , he showed kindness to her . According to Harriet concealment was norm as white women could not question their husband behavior.
Similarly, Mary Polk Branch memoirs of the southern woman reveal the brutal oppression and affection showing contradiction in the antebellum slave system. Mary Branch reflects upon her life as an enslaver. She often mentions Aunt Beck, a woman whom she highly regarded .Aunt Beck was her husband’s nurse and cook. She was not married, she did not have children of her own instead she considered Branch and his brothers as her own children . according to Mary , workers like Aunt Beck were called aunt out of respect this was considered good manners to address old women .Aunt Beck played a important role in the family ,apart from being Branch husband cook an s nurse ,she was privilege because Branch ‘s mother trusted her and had left the children under her care in her death bed. Mary describes Aunt Back as a an affectionate person and very devoted to the family .A Mary ,Aunt Beck devotion is unquestionable because during war ,she stayed with the family and saved her masters’ life ,she also kept the lonely mistress company .thus branch praises her stating that “In time of danger, how faithful these slaves were!. Even though Branch claimed to a good relationship with Aunt Beck , she was not given freedom , and was not made part of the family .Mary’s narrative reveals how southern justified their ownership of slaves which she reveals a different perspective of enslaving women .