Freedom, Enslavement and Resistance

Frederick Douglass - 'The Escape'

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper - Narrative

William Wells Brown - 'The Slave Auction'

Frederick Douglass - Narrative

The economic benefits of slavery for both enslavers and enslaved people.

The harmonious relationships between enslavers and enslaved people.

Family separation and the dehumanization of enslaved people.

The legal protections afforded to enslaved people under the law.

By highlighting the economic benefits of slavery for enslaved people.

By exposing the brutality and inhumanity of the slave system.

By arguing that enslavers were genuinely concerned for the well-being of enslaved people.

By advocating for gradual emancipation with compensation to enslavers.

It demonstrates that enslaved people were treated as human beings with inherent rights.

It shows that slavery was primarily a social institution with minimal economic impact.

It provides tangible evidence of the commodification of human beings and the economic foundation of slavery.

It suggests that slave auctions were rare and exceptional events.

They were primarily business transactions with minimal emotional impact.

They were sites of extreme violence and dehumanization.

They were opportunities for enslaved people to negotiate their freedom.

They were regulated by laws that protected the rights of enslaved people.

Scientific reports, legal documents, and business contracts

Narratives, poetry, and plays

Cookbooks, gardening guides, and fashion magazines

Travelogues, biographies of enslavers, and religious sermons

It led to a decrease in the overall enslaved population.

It resulted in the end of the domestic slave trade.

It increased reliance on domestic reproduction and the domestic slave trade.

It caused a shift in the economy away from cotton production.

The cotton boom decreased the demand for enslaved labor due to technological advancements.

The cotton boom had no impact on the demand for enslaved labor.

The cotton boom increased the demand for enslaved labor, leading to the expansion of the domestic slave trade.

The cotton boom led to the abolition of slavery in the Lower South.

To educate enslaved people about the laws of the United States.

To break their spirits and deter resistance.

To prepare them for skilled labor in the cotton industry.

To provide medical treatment and improve their health.

It strengthened community bonds through shared experiences of resilience.

It led to increased trust between enslaved people and enslavers.

It caused deep psychological trauma and undermined community structures.

It had no significant long-term impact on the psychological well-being of enslaved people.