Jason Atkinson: 627-14-8861, Section 42

Josh Schenk: 463-87-7569, Section 34

African American Voices: The Life Cycle of Slavery, is an extremely detailed

book about the trials and tribulations of many slaves. Slavery can be dated back as early

as the fourteenth century. Slavery in ancient times was much like slavery in the New

World. The biggest difference between old and new slavery, was that slavery in ancient times was not based on racial distinction. The Atlantic Slave Trade, trading between European slave traders and the Americas over the Atlantic Ocean, began taking place in 1502. Almost two million slaves died on this journey from Europe to the Americas. Disease and death came one with another on the seven-week journey. This book portrays many different stories about the lives of slaves and informs society about the many evils and injustices of slaves traders and slave owners.

The slaves were treated as if they were animals ready to be sent out to perform hard and enduring labor. "....each of the others, which have passed as good, is marked on the breast

Different instruments of torture were used to punish the slaves. One very odd instrument described was that of a machine used for the packing and pressing of cotton. Iron bars were clasped to his feet weighing twenty pounds each, and he was stretched in this machine. "At this time he hung me up for a quarter of an hour . . . . I stayed with him for several months, and did my work very well. . . ." (Roper, 137). After this, he escaped again, and was caught. " . . . The first thing he did was to pour some tar upon my head, then rubbed it all over my face, . . . and set it on fire" (Roper, 137). He then was punished again for running away, and his master cut off his fingernails and had his toes crushed.

Another revolt that took place was that of Nat Turner's. He stated to a lawyer that he " . . . had a vision - and [he] saw white spirits and black spirits engaged in battle . . . ." (147). He led what should be called a killing spree on many slave owners. He went to the houses, killing all. He killed anywhere from fifty to sixty people, and then took cover in the woods. Eventually he was captured and sent to jail.

In one instance, Peter Randolph illustrates that with all of their problems the slaves would forget them and remember that one day they would be in Heaven with their peers and family. They would say, "Thank God, I shall not live here always!" (Randolph, 126). They would walk away singing in praise and blessing one another. Many slaves, who could read, also desired to read the Bible on their free time.

Frederick Douglass, a former slave and established writer, stated that "a mere look, word, or motion, -a mistake, accident, or want of power, -are all matters for which a slave may be whipped at any time" (133). In one instance, Josh Brown describes how his master tried to prevent him from running. This was a common punishment among slave owners. The master affixed bells and horns on his head to ensure that he would be heard in the act of running away. Another similar type of punishment was to tie the slave down so he could not run.

Frederick Douglass describes his "flight" as "a new world burst upon my agitated vision" (156). He escaped by means of the trains and ferries with the free papers of another. He had the aid of friends and he made it successfully to the North. "My discontent grew upon me, and I was on the lookout for means of escape" (Douglass, 157). He went to New York and wrote his master to tell of the means of which he escaped.

, with a red-hot iron, imprinting the mark of the French, English, or Dutch companies"(Barbot,33). Slaves were callously branded as if they were the cattle of someone else fixing to be sent off to work and then sent to the slaughter house when the slave owners were through with them.

Some common words found in the essay are:
English Dutch, Moses Deliverer, Josh Brown, Civil War, Cycle Slavery, Frederick Douglass, Thank God, Nat Turner's, Bold Defiance, AwayTo Retired, slave owners, , civil war, african american voices, life cycle slavery, slavery ancient times, voices life, cycle slavery, life cycle, owners slaves, american voices, african american, voices life cycle, american voices life, name moses,
Approximate Word count = 2296
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)