rseers, hoping to receive favors in return. Legally there was no such thing as the rape of a slave woman by a white man (Clinton, pg.13). Sexual abuse among young slave girls, especially those, who had worked within the big house, was a crime of which many slaves complained. Records of the Freedman's Bureau indicate that white men were slow to break the habit if abusing black women. "Slave breeding was not uncommon on the plantation. Slaves hated when masters' attempt to control mating by matching up couples. Some masters rented or borrowed men for stud service, subjecting their female slaves to forced breeding or rape. The male slaves that were used were sometimes referred to as "travelin' niggers," "stockmen," or "breedin' niggers." These were not the only ways masters attempted to control reproduction of slaves. Slave women were expected to reproduce as frequently as possible. If they fail to give birth they might be sold. Barren women were shunned by the community and punished by their owners. All of these factors impaired slave sexuality and crippled the stability of the traditional family (Clinton, pg. 14). Evidence from both blacks and whites indicates that forced interracial sex was more common than slave breeding was. Blacks were reluctant to discuss such matters, especially with racial and sexual factors inhibiting responses. Former slave, Harry McMillan, said that although most were church members, girls were more likely to succumb to sexual temptation than were boys. McMillan also said, "I remember masters who kept one girl steady, others who maintained sometimes two on different places, regardless of whether they were married or unencumbered by white wives. ...If they could get it on their own place it was easier, but they would go wherever they could get it. It demonstrates that, as a rule, white males in slave society were at no liberty to exploit slave women, despite family or Christian obligations to the contrary (Clinton pg.14)." White men and enslaved women did form long-term liaisons, which may not have been founded on mutual feelings but often grew into relationships that demonstrated fidelity and devotion. Records show that not all black female-white male liaisons were maintained or even initiated by brute force. Owner-slave liaisons not only caused havoc within the black family; they created violence and resentment among members of white families as well. Lacking the power to prevent sexual activities between male owners and slaves, white women on plantations struggle to discourage sons, brothers, and conceal marital infidelities. The jealousy and hatred many white women harbored for the slave women to whom their husbands were attached were a legend within the Old South (Clinton, pg. 19). White women uniformly scorned black women's physical appearance. Complaining about the "unattractiveness" of black women was an unconscious defense mechanism against the "attraction" many white men acted upon within southern society. Travelers, observers, court records, and slave narratives all testify to the hostility many white women felt toward black concubines. They felt as if they were at the mercy of white men (Clinton pg. 19). Some of the plantation matrons would beg their husbands' fathers for assistance, and others might look to their own parents for comfort, but generally women were expected to turn a blind eye. If a man abused his privilege by flaunting an affair, a wife might demand that the slave be sold. If her husband refused, she could petition for divorce, citing infidelity as legal grounds for dissolution (Clinton pg. 23). These sexual liaisons caused major conflict between the black wo

Some common words found in the essay are:
James Curry, Patricia Morton, Allen Weinstein, Harry McMillan, October White, Freedman's Bureau, Nancy Diminutives, South Clinton, Madison Jefferson, Manakin Sometimes, black women, white women, slave women, women white, women white women, former slave, clinton pg, black women white, white children, families owned slaves, methodist preachers, owned slaves, black slave, slave women white, white women black,
Approximate Word count = 2452
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)