S lavery, the owning of one human being by another, was a policy that created a dark period in the history of the United States. The economic benefits of slave labor, particularly in the southern U.S., conflicted with the ideals of a young democracy and the resulting discord nearly tore the country apart. The tension between the ideology expressed by the words of the Declaration of IndependenceWe hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,and the brutal realities of slave ownership culminated in the Civil War. During the war, brothers were pitted against brothers, and more U.S. soldiers died than in World War I and World War II combined. The legacy left by this conflict created wounds that have, even today, failed to heal.
The history of slavery in the U.S. began as indentured servitude, a mechanism that brought many European immigrants to the New World as well as individuals of African descent. In fact, it is estimated that nearly one-half of early white immigrants came to the American colonies as indentured servants. Indentured servants were required to fulfill a period of servitude as payment for their passage and maintenance. They were not slaves, and their servitude was not lifelong. Once their period of servitude was completed, they were given their freedom along with a piece of land and supplies to use. Because many African slaves were baptized by the Spanish prior to leaving Africa, they were also initially brought to the American colonies as indentured servants since English law exempted Christians from slavery. Thus, many Africans in the so-called charter generation of slaves gained their freedom after finishing the period of servitude.
It wasnt long, however, before court decisions began to legitimize lifelong slavery for people of African descent. By 1641, slavery had been legally authorized under certain conditions, and from that time forward, numerous industries, notably agricultural commodity crops such as tobacco and cotton in the southern parts of North America, became heavily dependent on slave labor.
Following the American Revolution, the newly formed United States included in part of its Constitution several provisions related to slavery, including a provision that counted slaves as three-fifths of a person. This provision had a substantial political impact. It gave the southern states, where there was far higher concentrations of slaves, more political power because it significantly increased their population counts. This gave them stronger representation in the U.S. Congress, and since every U.S. president elected to a second term between George Washington, the first president, and Abraham Lincoln, the 16th, was a slaveholder, the southern states were able to dominate the U.S. Congress and the presidency for nearly 50 years.
The harsh realities of slavery, however, spurred opposition to the concept. Slaves were forced to work up to 15 hours a day six days a week, and those limitations were only imposed after the Stono Rebellion threatened to strengthen opposition to slavery. Families were regularly torn apart as members were sold to different owners. Slaves had no rights, not even the right to life. Women were raped, and men were castrated. They were regularly beaten, frequently mutilated, and often executed in the most inhumane ways. They were decapitated, torn apart by dogs, drawn and quartered, hanged, and their bodies were dismembered and/or left to rot in plain view as a warning to others who might defy their owners. To say that slavery was a living hell does not adequately describe the deplorable conditions faced by slaves. But, not all of the states in the young union approved of slavery.
While it is true that southern states profited from the use of slave labor and their political dominance prevented it from being abolished in the early years of the newly formed democracy, there was growing opposition in the north. In the northern states, abolition movements, buoyed by the ideology expressed in the Declaration of Independence, gained support, and by 1804, every northern state had abolished slavery. Even before this time, resistance took several forms. In 1780, a network of safe houses was established to guide runaway slaves to safe havens in the more liberal north. This network became known as the Underground Railroad, and it is estimated that some 100,000 runaway slaves used it to escape. There were also several heroes who emerged during this dark period. One of these was a man named Frederick Douglass.
Frederick Douglass was born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey in Talbot County, Maryland. He was born a slave on a plantation on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The exact date of his birth is not known, but it is estimated to be sometime around 1818. Douglass would later choose to celebrate his birthday on February 14, and he adopted the surname Douglass after he successfully escaped from slavery in 1838. He made use of a train depot that was along one of the many routes of the Underground Railroad to make his escape. He would later assist other runaway slaves, harboring them in his home until they could safely get to other areas in the north.
Douglass life was one of extraordinary accomplishment. As a slave, he had taught himself to read and write, and he spread that knowledge to other slaves as well. Once free, he became a noted abolitionist and strong believer in equality for all people including blacks, Native Americans, women, and recent immigrants. He wrote several autobiographies describing his experiences as a slave and his life during the Civil War. In addition to all this, he became the first African-American nominated for Vice President of the United States, and he was appointed as United States Marshal for the District of Columbia by President Rutherford B. Hayes. He is considered one of the 100 greatest African-Americans as named by scholar Molefi Kete Asante in 2002, and he has many monuments to his name.
Because of his education and accomplishments, abolitionists would use him to counter the argument by slaveholders that blacks were incapable of independent thought. He most definitely demonstrated the slaveholders contention was incorrect. He was indeed a remarkable man and one of the true heroes during this difficult time in American history. His life serves as a shining example to this day for all oppressed people wherever they are in the world. His words are as relevant today as they were during his life, Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.
