Slavery - A Cruel Institution :: Slavery Essays

Slavery as a Cruel intromission Cruelty can be defined as an barbarous natural action done to an individual or group of people that causes either somatic or mental harm. Slavery, at its very core, was a cruel and inhumane institution. From the idea behind it to the way that it was enforced, it degraded the lives of human beings and forbade the basal liberties that every man deserves under the Constitution of the United States. Three major areas where inhuman treatment was especially prevalent were in the hard workers working conditions, living conditions, and loss of primaeval freedoms. Working conditions for slaves were about as bad as can perchance be imagined. Slaves worked from dawn till dusk and sometimes even longer. Solomon Northrup describes his grow as a slave on his Louisiana plantation The manpower are required to be in the cotton field as soon as it is get off in the morning and with the exception of ten or fifteen minutes, which is given them at noon to swa llow their allowance account of cold bacon, they are non permitted a moment idle until it is besides dark to see, and when the moon is full, they often times labor till the pump of the night (Northrup 15). The slaves lived in constant fear of punishment while at work, and it was that fear that drove them to obey. Northrup continues to say that, "No matter how fatigued and wear he may bea slave never approaches the gin-house with his ring of cotton but with fear. If it falls short in weightif he has not performed the full task appointed him, he knows he moldiness suffer" (10). He goes on to explain that after weighing, "follow the whippings" (10). This was not the end of the workday for a common slave though. Each slave had his or her own respective chores to do. "One feeds the mules, another the swineanother cuts the wood, and so forth (Northrop 11). Then there were jobs to do in the slaves quarters, jobs that were necessary for their basic needs and surviv al Finally, at a late hour, they reach the quarters, asleep(predicate) and overcome with the long days toil. Then a energize must be kindled in the cabin, the corn ground in the small hand-mill, and supper, and dinner for the next day in the field vigilant (Northrup 12). The slaves got very little sleep because, "an hour before day light the horn is blown," and it was "an offense invariably followed by flogging, to be found at the quarters after daybreak" (Northrup 14).