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Click on image to go to Author website. "THE RACE IS NOT TO THE SWIFT." Eccl. 9:11

Thursday 15 February 2018

Slavery Biography And The Life Of Slaves

By Sandra Ward


As anyone whom has ever studied history knows, slavery is a tough topic to tackle. For, it deals with issues which are often graphic with regards to the abuse and imprisonment of people during the 17 and 1800s. As such, when it comes to providing a slavery biography, few had the opportunity to do so.

While there were some well known high profile individuals born into slavery whom have shared many of those stories, few were left behind by the original slaves. For, in many cases, none of those individuals were taught how to read or write. Rather, many spent long hours working on farms and picking cotton in the hot sun without pay.

One of the most well known individuals to work for the freedom of slaves is that of William Lloyd Garrison. According to author Jim Powell, Garrison was one of the greatest publicists and writers during that time. For, while others had attempted to work towards an end to the atrocities taking place, there was no actual Abolitionist movement until after Mr. Garrison was born.

While there have been several films, movies and miniseries related to the slave era, most have overlooked at least some aspect of that time. For example, most never talk about how slavery almost came to an end in the late 1700s. In fact, many Northern states had already started abolishing the slave trade shortly before the cotton gin was born.

The Louisiana purchase in 1803 contributed to the rising population of slaves in the South. For, Louisiana provided fertile ground on which to grow cotton. As a result, workers were needed for the gin and cotton field. As such, plantation owners and farmers began purchasing slaves to work the gins and pick the cotton.

During the time Garrison created the abolitionist movement, there were two dominant views if slaves were to be freed, these included returning freed slaves to Africa, or freeing the slaves without pay. In either case, there were to be no monies paid to those whom had often been abused, beaten, used and had worked long hours on a daily basis. In most cases, these individuals lived in run down shacks at the back of plantation homes, often without air, heat or running water.

As such, not only was it Garrison's idea to eliminate slavery, it was also the method this first Abolitionist provided to create a way to do so. After which, the message eventually led to a number of slaves being set free. While, it was Mr. Garrison whom started the movement, the freeing of the slaves is attributed to the Civil Rights Act of 1875, which led to the Emancipation Proclamation provided by President Abraham Lincoln that same year.

While this is the case, the many articles and other stories published in the abolitionist newspaper "The Liberator, " no doubt had an impact on the success of the movement. For, even the well known author of "Uncle Tom's Cabin, " and others of that time were happy to see an end to slavery. As such, it is more than likely that "The Liberator, " Mr. Garrison and members of congress had more to do with freeing the slaves than did President Abraham Lincoln.




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