Slavery in the 19th Century Essay

Total Length: 663 words ( 2 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 2

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Regardless, slaves worked hard, often beginning with small tasks as children, and took on large responsibilities within their community. Women were charged with more tasks in addition to the fieldwork they had to do; they were also charged with cooking, cleaning, and child rearing. Slaves adapted to their lives through the development of their own culture. By the early 19th century, most African-Americans were Christians, with some converting to Christianity voluntarily and others being coerced. Though autonomous black churches were banned blacks throughout the South developed their own version of Christianity that was often considered more emotional than its white counterpart and influenced by African customs, traditions, and practices.

The development of the abolition movement arose from the revivalist movement in the North and the desire to create a perfect society in Christ's image and thereby perfect themselves. The abolitionists faced many obstacles including politics and unexpected racism in the North coupled with tolerance in the South. Abolitionists used empathy to gain supporters for their cause and argued that the Constitution had guaranteed equality for men regardless of race. Though abolitionists relied solely on voluntary conversion to their cause and rejected violence, they did inspire others to rise to action, sometimes with deadly results.


The images presented in the woodcuts arouse feelings of disgust and oppression, often leading the viewer to perceive how badly the slaves were being treated. These woodcuts also show the lengths to which slaves were driven, and how on occasion, death was preferable to a life of slavery.

Life for freed slaves was plagued by racial discrimination. Urban blacks often had the most freedom to move about and engage with society, while the majority of freed blacks in the South lived in poverty. Some freed blacks did rise to prominence and became landowners, owning slaves of their own, though these slaves were often family members which were bought in order to ensure….....

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"Slavery In The 19th Century", 28 March 2011, Accessed.4 July. 2025,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/slavery-19th-century-3317