The writings were written in the
south and described how slavery was the main attraction in the south. Slavery
was the use of labor for the south, and how they made their capital. Slaves were
lesser than the white people in the south, animals were treated better than the
slaves. Slavery made white people feel superior. White people seen slaves as utensils
for plantations. They categorized slaves with mules, land, and farming tools which
is saddening to hear. Slavery was an inhumane decision to join a connection between
two people, which in this case was between the white and African American people.
Slavery was an enormous influence in American life, it took over America and was
a big reason for the Civil War. Southern society had much in common with other societies
and systems due to racism and slavery. The south commended paternalism, which limits
a person’s or groups liberty or autonomy. Paternalism promotes their own good. In
the south this paternalism society was used to limit women and slaves because white
males were superior. Slavery existed without racial subordination and predated racism.
When there is racial subordination there is racism, and the south had lots of racial
Letter to My Relatives
Upon arriving in the south, I witnessed very rural sightings.
It was not urbanized like the North. The plantations were dominated by white
landowners, and had slaves. The slaves were treated like wild animals, and were
scared to say anything about it. They worked for very small wages, and their
living conditions were even worse. The small children even had to go to work to
help, some would even “train” by pulling out weeds. The landowners were only
concerned with one thing, and that was how efficient their crops would do. They
would have the overseers check that their plantations would do exceptionally
well, even to control their slaves. The landowners were selfish and only cared
about themselves, they saw the slaves as nothing but cheap labor. They felt
inferior to the slaves, because of their skin color. The slaveowners were
dependent on slaves to do all their manual labor, and they created many codes
to restrict them and make them feel lower. The slaves were forbidden to read
and write, so they could not revolt against the slaveowners. Also, many slaves
told me that the women slaves were raped by the slaveowners. Many slaves that
tried to revolt or start an upbringing would usually be brutally punished. The
slave owners had no mercy with the beatings and punishments towards the slaves.
The slaves were also in a pecking order, the slaves that worked in the house
were treated better than the slaves that worked in the plantations outside.
This aided the slaveowners, because it would not let the slaves organize and
revolt. The south is a saddening sight to see, human beings taking over other
human beings because of the color of their skin. The way the slaveowners talk about
their slaves was disgusting, hearing them say the degraded names and the slaves
answering to them. It was not a good sight to see or visit.