Economic and Sexual Oppression of Female Slaves
The article "Female Slave Resistance: The Economics of Sex" by Darlene C. Hine, focuses mainly on showing that slavery was equally as harsh for females as it was for males. In the article, Hine shows that female slaves, unlike male slaves, faced two forms of oppression. She explains and gives examples of the three main forms of slave resistance used by the females. While all slaves faced economic exploitation, women were also forced to deal with the hardships of sexual oppression. Sexual oppression was exemplified through females being required to take care of their masters' children, many times instead of their own. In addition, the better-looking slave women were sold for much higher prices and often forced into having sexual affairs with their white masters. Many of the more attractive slaves were sold for prices that exceeded the amount an owner would be willing to pay for a strong, well-built field worker. In 1857, in the Memphis Eagle and Enquirer, a female slave was said to be "so surpassingly beautiful" that a bid of $5000
The third and least common way women resisted slavery was through infanticide. On the rare occasions when this form was utilized, it was with the intentions of sparing their children the hardships of being born into slavery. In one case explained by Raymond and Alice Bauer in their article "Day to Day Resistance to Slavery," two parents decided to kill their children in order to "send the souls of their children to heaven rather than have them descend to the hell of slavery." The parents both committed suicide after killing their children. On the other hand, many women were attached to their children and decided to leave their fate up to God. The slaves were also able to manipulate their owners by threatening to kill their children. In one situation, a slave named Fannie was sold, but her child was going to be forced to stay on the current plantation. She threatened to kill the child before she left it behind, and she eventually was able to take it with her. Another way females showed resistance towards slavery was through abor
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 704
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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