Reflections on Unit Two

Slave Resistance

        

        In unit one we learned the early development of Africa to the capturing of African American slaves. African American slaves were forced to fulfill hard tasked labor that wealthy landowners were not willing to do. Slaves were in no way shape or form compensated for their contributed labor. Therefore, slaves came up with ways to rebel against their captures and masters. These rebellions would start off small and turn into out of hand events.

From being captured and brought onto ships, slaves rebelled by jumping off of slave ships to drown or starving themselves to death. When it came to being sold, slaves would fake an illness or change their mannerisms in goals of being a house slave. Slaves would also change their mannerism as a mean to be auctioned off to a "lesser evil' slave master. When owned slaves would analyze the mood of their master to get out of doing work. Some woman would fake being pregnant and men would break farming tools. On the darkest days, a slave would run away or simply walk off the plantation in hopes of a quicker death.

Juneteenth

        On January 1, 1863, United Staes President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. This proclamation declared that the status of all people held as slaves shall be free. More than 3.5 million enslaved African Americans in the designated states of the South statues changed from slavery to freedom. At least, that is what we were supposed to believe. Truth is many slaves had no idea that this proclamation was made in order to allow them freedom.

Landowners prohibited slaves from luxuries containing the ability to read and write or communicate with others. After the proclamation passed slave owners did not report this news to their slaves, leading to over 80,000 slaves who remained enslaved. Although slaves did not know of their freedom, the proclamation created a platform for the future freedom of African American slaves. It was not until June 19, 1865, the news spread across the nation that African American slaves were now free people. I am sure words cannot explain the amount of joy that took place in African America's hearts. This day is now celebrated as a holiday known as 'Juneteenth'.

Unit Two Conclusion

        The fight for the rights of African American's has begun since the first interaction with America. Even when African American's learned about their freedom, the "white man" created Black Laws in order to segregate the black from the whites. Making them lesser than because they are only considered as mules. Bringing us back to the texts learned in unit one about living in a "slave society". Unit Two was about the fight for power before the phrase "fight the power existed". The resistance behavior of slaves to the rebellions is what led us to the civil war. Unit two illustrated thet steps that need to take place in order to build a platform for African Americans to live in this country as free people.