Section
Review

Kenneth Damas
Stacia Godwin
Roger Ivans
Melissa Montano
Mauricio Tellez

As a result of the extreme brutality endured by slaves, resistance was born. Instead of open revolt and defiance, many slaves decided to rebel under their master's authority in an underhanded way.

Early African Americans found ways to escape following their master's orders. They were preoccupied with preserving their unique culture and their families. The most popular form of resistance was to runaway. Since slaves were viewed as property and chattel, running away was a form of damaging valuable property. Other forms of rebellion were burning fields, poison, damaging equipment, stealing food, and working as slow as possible. In extreme cases, slaves used suicide, abortion, and infanticide to protect their family from bondage.

Slaves realized that they were very valuable property and used this knowledge to their advantage. Since the plantation owners needed slaves to work, strikes, sabotage, and slowing down the work were effective forms of resistance. To reduce their value to their owners, slaves faked illnesses, lied, stole food, and worked inefficiently. Slaves also ran away to the free north or Canada. But many were caught and beaten or killed.

In the beginning, slave resistance was handled by the women. They used their value for their breeding ability, and sabotaged their pregnancies by using birth control and abortions to thwart their masters. Women also used poison and arson to resist against slavery. They set fires to fields and left them lit carelessly.

Another form of resistance was the persevering of their own religion. Slaves refused to give up their own culture and assimilate into "white society".

Explanations-
Figure 1 shows a beaten slave and the scars that were left on his back.
Figures 2 shows a reward sign, which was a way that slave owners got their slaves back.
Endured-to hold up under (pain, fatigue, etc.); stand; bear; undergo.
Resistance-the act of resisting, opposing, withstanding, etc. Revolt-any refusal to submit to or accept authority, custom, etc Defiance-the act of defying; open, bold resistance to authority or opposition.
Runaway-a person, animal, etc. that is running away or has run away.
Chattel-a movable item of personal property, as a piece of furniture, an automobile, or a head of livestock.
Bondage-serfdom or slavery.
Thwart-lying or extending across something else.