Slavery And Its Effects On Society - 1361 Words

Slaves felt inferior to their masters and completely subordinate as human beings. They did not like their circumstance of being another human’s property and understood that in order to survive, they had to accommodate what they could not change. The â€Å"Peculiar Institution† was named to lessen the harsh definition of slavery, which was delusional vision on the part of antebellum Southern capitalist. Masters valued slaves for the labor they produced and the amount of capital each one could generate, not necessarily as human’s with minds, souls, or emotions; any slave that did not hold up his or her value could easily be replaced or disposed of. Some slaves honored their masters and mistresses, however most were not happy about their lives†¦show more content†¦Constantly, they were subjected to a capitalist market economy that depended on their labor for goods and wealth. To continue on enduring the daily demands of their owners, slaves told stories to each other that inspired hope, such as â€Å"The Tar Baby Tale†, depicting victory for the underdog and defeat for villain. In the story, the weaker rabbit was able to outsmart the stronger fox and escaped without being eaten. Stories and songs molded and shaped the hearts and ambitions of the slaves. Other stories were similar, to inspire joy and hope. Also, praying and worshipping to God was a way to escape their reality and release frustration. â€Å"Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel†, was a song composed from the Bible by slaves, inspiring hope of triumph such as Daniel experienced from God, having escaped from the lion’s den without being eaten. They believed God would deliver them from a life of enslavement. The evidence entitled, â€Å"Prayers†, is an example of how close-minded and delusional whites were to slaves; the short story mainly emphasizes how generations of slaves would teach their children how to respond to their masters. When the m aster asked the children if they prayed, the children were told to say no; even though they did pray but felt that concealing their beliefs were for their best interest. Slaves did marry, however their marriages could be broken by their masters and were not legally performed. However the act of marriage was also another