9781422274194

Slaves had no control over their own relationships. Slaveowners could sexually assault their female slaves without fear of legal repercussions , because slave women had no rights. Slaves could be beaten, starved, and made to live in inhumane conditions if they did not obey their master. Slavery in the United States was usually a permanent condition. Very few slaves had the financial means to purchase their freedom, or were given the opportunity to do so. What’s more, slavery was an inherited condition: all the children of a slave woman were also considered to be slaves. This meant that for most black Americans there was no way out of slavery—unless they could escape. UPRISINGS AND ESCAPES Slaves regularly engaged in all sorts of microaggressions against their owners. Some slaves worked slowly, broke tools on purpose, or pretended to be sick. They might secretly add toxic plants or leaves to food when they were cooking to make their masters ill. These daily forms of resistance were common and often documented in slave narratives. However, coordinated slave uprisings against the white slaveowners were much rarer. Very few slave uprisings succeeded, and the blacks who took part in them were often quickly captured. Those who did were often executed in gruesome ways. They were publicly burned, or their heads were cut off and hung on tall stakes, for example. These punishments were meant to warn other slaves about what would happen if they tried to fight back against the system. Escape attempts were also dangerous, although far more common. If caught, runaway slaves were returned to their owners. They could be expect to be punished harshly, usually by whipping. Repeated escape attempts would result in harsher punishments. A slave might have a foot or other part of his body cut off. Some slaves were punished by being “sold South” to plantations in

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ESCAPE FROM SLAVERY