Synopsis

Mother Nature’s Gift to African Women a curse or a blessing?

African women played a key role during and after the slave trade ended. The connections put together between Women and Slavery Volume one: Africa, The Indian Ocean World, and the Medieval North Atlantic (Campbell, Miers & Miller, 2007), Laboring Women: Reproduction and Gender in New World Slavery (Morgan, 2004) and Gender and Slave Emancipation in the Atlantic World (Paton & Scully, 2005), show the roles African women played and contributed during slavery. So, what were the main roles of women during the slave trade that were highlighted within these three sources?

African women played a key role in the role of the family in Africa. Instead of having a patriarchal run household, everything ran through a matriarchal tradition. However, later on this custom was challenged and taken over by patriarchal ruling of the family once the slave trade kicked and is still prevalent in many societies today. African women were also exposed to changes in marriage. Before the slave trade began, women’s parents would choose who would marry their daughters and would give their dowry to their future husband, along with expectations both he and their daughter would have to obtain. Once the slave trade hit hard, African women were sold off to the highest bidder and were sometimes allowed to find another slave to marry if the owner wished it. Other times African women were not allowed to marry at all and would still be expected to do the chores of taking care of children whether they were theirs or their masters. Women went from no choice of who they were marry, to possibly choosing or losing the opportunity to marry at all. This only would complicate the role African women played in the structure of family and domestic life.

African women were expected to work in the domestic sector and fields. Women seemed more versatile or flexible in the types of work that they could endure and were given access to. African men were given typically the heavier workloads in the fields, and little admission to domestic work. Noticeably there were numerous dependencies of African slave women to their owners, yet there was additional from the owner on their African women slaves. It seems African men were given more of an opportunity to not be so caged in compared to women that were so close to their owners quarters and families constant needs and affections.

Unfortunately one of the roles African women were forced into was reproduction, which helped boot populations growth. Sometimes the process ended up being a very violent one through rape or even prostitution depending on their circumstances and owner.  This caused many issues with the idea and stances of what family and relationships with African women’s children were like compared to today’s societies.  It was not so easy for African women to escape their roles because of these complex emotional ties which helped mold in itself a new culture during the slave trade.

Short Essay # 5

            What is the concept of  Freedom? The different definitions of freedom are shaped by individuals and their circumstances they are faced with. Freedom has particular elements that all humankind wishes to take in at some point in their lifetime. In The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Olaudah Equiano’s concept of freedom grows and shifts with every situation he is put in and is constantly evolving. The concept of freedom from Equiano  is complex in its development and shares a relationship between Africans  and Europeans.

            Equiano’s concept of freedom changes from childhood to manhood. As Equiano grew up at home, it was evident that he lived a great life with a Chief for a father. He lived a very sheltered life, where he felt inferior to no one and safe from harm’s way. When Equiano was kidnapped he was put into the reality of the Atlantic slave trade world. As he  was still in the cultural areas as his home it was not a culture shock but it was traumatic to lose the nurturing feeling of his mother. The culture shock set in when Equiano met the sea of slave ships that he was then loaded into. Within the slave ship he became ill and  at that point his freedom he wished for was death, but was kept alive. Once Equiano gets off the slave ship he is put into different environments, some worse than others, he is given the opportunity to travel and to explore. He believes that becoming like an Englishmen he will help gain his freedom,  Equiano indulges in education and Christianity. Equiano finds himself wanting to earn or pay for his freedom from slavery instead of  running away.  He realizes that even when becoming a free African man that was once a slave it is difficult to lose the stigma that is involved and the inequality. There would always be white people who treated  Africans with violent beatings or kidnapped them. “I had thought only slavery dreadful; but the state of a free negro appeared to me now equally so at least, and in some respects even worse, for they live in constant alarm of their liberty, …” (Equiano, p. 117). The chances of succeeding in the life of a free African were not great and  they were dependent on others.  After Equiano realizes becoming a free African man would not truly grant him his freedom, he found it through his faith in Christianity by becoming a missionary he found his purpose, hoping that in the next life in heaven there would be a better life for him, one without bondage or oppression.

            The concept of freedom presented by Equiano gives forth a relationship between African and Europeans. During this time period European missionaries were trying to come forth and spread Christianity to others, especially Africans in the hopes that they would convert to their religion. A religion like Christianity gave an outlet for African slaves in hopes that they one day will have a better lifestyle in the next life, this hopeful freedom kept Africans hearts lively during the Atlantic slave trade but not all were willing to convert. “Ogun survives today in a number of West African countries and New World societies…” (Falola & Roberts, p. 121). Both whites and Africans were equal in that they are of the same humankind, which leads to the same survival instincts and threats by the unknown. Both groups searched for comfort either in religion, particular labels of social status, and trying to find control or power over their way of life. In the end however, black or white everyone dies and hopes to live on with the freedom of religion, hoping that there is a heaven out there. As Equiano shared his time of being an African slave there were shared feelings of his thoughts with others like himself.

            Equiano’s idea of freedom was shared by other Africans living in the eighteenth century Black Atlantic. Another former African slave by the name of Ottobah Cugoano also contributed to the same sorts of freedoms as Equiano, “…It was his own voice, that of an African commenting on the evils of slavery and on the beauty of his native land, that gave his work an impact” (Falola & Roberts, p. 230). During the 1700’s the idea of abolishing slavery was clearly thought about but unfortunately  not able to be put into action until 1865 with the 13^th Amendment. However, the majority of African slaves came from different cultural backgrounds and placed in different situations, some better than others. It was hard to always find unity, even with culture. Yes Africans kept what they knew but it was not always identical to other Africans cultural backgrounds. It does not seem that the majority of African slaves were given quite the same opportunities to be as well rounded as Equiano was. He was constantly on the move in different areas of work and truly tried to better himself, he always took the right path in staying true to himself and worked with what he had and grew to be a very influential individual. Not all African slaves were given this chance or had it in them to be so self-motivated, and that might be because of their own way of life playing out with no control over it all.

            Overall, the concept of freedom presented by Equiano and many other African slaves is multifaceted. The outlook on an individual’s outcome of life does not focus on race or ethnicity but on what they wish to obtain. Equiano would be so content knowing in the 1800’s his fellow race in America was given a chance to find a new freedom, the abolishment of slavery was finally put into place with the 13^th Amendment.