Introduction
Slavery was the formidable evil that caused long years of suffering and disaster for many innocent people who were segregated from all walks of life, only with the reason that they were blacks. They were treated as separate entities, denied social, cultural, and moral rights. They could not even think of the prospect of education and leading a good family life. It is the same fate that haunted the slaves of America and Latin American countries like Brazil, Cuba, Argentina, and so on.
Many have protested against this injustice and argued for equality with the whites. Different narratives, including Fredrick Douglass’ deal with the state of the exiled slaves who could neither protest nor accept what was done against them. Analysis of different narratives reveals the reality that though there were blacks distributed in a different part of the world; there are similarities in torture and suffering undertaken by them.
An overview of the slave narratives exposes the fact that the religious life of the slaves was very much influenced by the social conditions that existed during that time. The paper is a comparative study of American slave Narratives to the Caribbean and Latin American slave narratives and an attempt to find out the similarities and the differences regarding the aforesaid subject.
Slave narratives: overlook
Different slave narratives point to the fact that American law did not permit slave marriage and family ties. There had existed the slave markets and the master of slaves had the right to sell or free to sell husbands from wife, sister from brother, or parents from children. The slaveholders had numerous plantations and they brought these slaves to their different plantations. As a result of this, the slave family was split and there was no possibility for a good family tie or relationship.
Some of the senior political leaders in America were reluctant to buy or sell slaves. The economic need of a person or the death of a slave separates husbands from wives or a child from parents. Most of the studies reveal that when this sale occurred, at least 10 to 20 percent of slave marriages were destroyed by sale. As it was a serious issue that would destroy the balance of the family; the slaves opposed such activities through their protest was futile.
The following words hint at the pathetic state of the American slaves when it says, “Sale families were extremely vulnerable to separation As a result of the sale or death of a father or mother over a third of all slave children grew up in households from which one or both parents were absent. About a quarter of all slave children grew up in a single household (nearly always with their mother) and another tenth grew up apart from both parents.”
The separation of the slave children from parents later caused many serious issues and they either followed a submissive nature or turned to violence. One cannot say that in all the cases the marriage bond was broken, but the spouses were forced to work in different plantations owned by different owners. These plantations were also the centers of sexual exploitation and the plantation owners married one or two women other than his wife.
The spouses were allowed to meet together only in the presence of their masters. Analysis of the different narratives reveals that marriages were prohibited among some of the black groups, though there had the custom of marrying the cousins in some groups. The very strict working conditions prevented many slaves from finding out their suitable spouses and it is assumed that most of the slaves who reached adulthood remained unmarried.
Many were separated from their relatives and children were taken to separate cabins away from parents. One of the most horrible threats identified in American slavery was the sexual abuse of the slave owners who either raped or seduced the innocent slave women and begot children. In doing so, the well-known persons, who decorated the higher positions in the society, were not an exception. In the face of the frequent break up of families by sale, the notable trend seen in African American Families was intense desire to keep the family relationship.
Slave narratives comparison
When comparing with the slave family life of America, it is seen that there was not much research attempted on this topic. The comparative histories of slavery in Brazil, Cuba, and the United States by Laird W. Bergad views that “Because of the heavily urban component of slavery in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, whereby slaves had more flexibility and leeway, it is very likely that nuclear and extended families, as well as kinship networks, were a fundamental part of the slave experience in much the same way as in Brazil and the United States.”(The comparative histories of slavery in Brazil, Cuba, and the United States
By Laird W. Bergad, Edition: illustrated, Published by Cambridge University Press, 2007). A comparative study- especially the family life- of the two cultures, American and Cuban, brings out many similarities. Slave-based plantations were common in both the countries and social institutions like family has been established and merged. Bergad finds the influence of the large-scale African slave trade on Cuba during the nineteenth century in much the same way as in Brazil. (Bergad-2007). Like the American counterparts, one can see the difficulty of an adult slave male in finding marriageable female slaves.
It was the sexual imbalance that caused problems for the family formation in Cuba and Brazil. But some other slaves were ready to live together in mutual understandings and marriages between African and Cuban-born slaves. Many of the historical evidence points to the fact that there had existed intermarriage especially in the areas like Havana. Generally, it is assumed that some laws had been implemented in Cuba, regarding the master-slave relationship, marriage, and family life. One of the very notable restrictions was that the masters were not permitted to prevent the formal marriage of the slaves.
It was also mentioned that these slaves should be allowed proper dwelling places. The law restricted the sale of a slave family that the purchaser was obliged to purchase both the slave husband and wife, including their children. The purpose of the implementation of such a law was to keep the family tie. Though there is not much evidence of its practicality, it is presumed that it was to an extent helpful in maintaining and protecting the family veracity in Brazil or the United States.
According to Laird W. Bergad, the great contrast between the slave trade of Cuba, Brazil, and the United States is that Cuba had not much slave trade like the other two countries, even though slaves were transferred to other economic sectors. These slave transactions never departed the slave families permanently and transactions were not expansive to geographical distances, like the one that existed between Brazil and the United States.
Slave family’s reunion
The family reunion of the slaves was possible with various celebrations, and they enjoyed it as the one that fulfills their desires. The slaves were ready to bear any kind of torture for preserving their families. So they tried their best to please their masters and praised them to escape from severe torture. The words of Frederick Douglass make it clear when he says: “they suppress the truth rather than take the consequences of telling it, and in so doing prove themselves a part of the human community.” (Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave, by Frederick Douglass, Published by Kessinger Publishing, 2004). They had been sanctioned permission from their masters to participate actively in the celebrations.
Slaves religious life
Anthropologists have examined a variety of African Americans’ religious beliefs and customs to better realize the slave religion of America. A large number of American slaves are African Negroes who come from various religious and cultural backgrounds. Most of the African American slaves who have worked in plantations were Christians. Moslems and others were also included and they have followed their own religious believes.
In America, there was a mixed church for blacks and whites for Sunday service. Very few numbers of blacks participated here. Their religious experience was very poor and unstructured. They kept extensive religious life, which was hiding from their masters. Negro preachers also talked to them about obeying their masters. They did not speak anything about Jesus. They only repeat the white preacher’s words. Because they feared, the white preaches. Judeo-Christian tradition influenced them to create their religious image.
The attempt to discover the religious practices of American slaves is a difficult job. The masters have no interest to monitor the religious practices of their slaves. A limited number of planters has desired to join slave’s burials. In case Americans slaves death is a way of life for African American slaves and they had an opportunity to join religious practices even the way to the cemetery. Slaves from neighboring planters had allowed participating in the burial ceremony of fellow men.
These burials are included various religious activities such as prayers, singing, and fasting. In the slave era, various materials like glass and mirrors have placed on the grave. Slaves have a rare chance to follow their religious practices. American slaves have worshipped different nature forces as Gods example rain, wind, fire, and fertility.
The white masters often prevented the conversion of their slaves into Christian religion because these slaves are Negros and the white society had considered them as inferior people. The White people were frightened that religion may provide the blacks an equal status with them. Susel Perez gives a clear idea about the attitude of White people towards their Black slaves. The author says; “Others believed that converting slaves into Christians would cause many problems because they could start thinking that they were equal to whites since they were sharing the same beliefs”.
The White revolt in 1831 is considered a major event in American Slave’s religious life. An African American slave named Nat Turner had used his knowledge and insight to organize the religious movements of American slaves. He started the movement with six followers and followed a bloodguilt revolution. The man was executed in 1831. Slaves turned to believe and practices into their religious principles. Emerging of the ‘Invisible Institution’ is another result of the slave rebellion in America. These are the secret place for slave’s secret religious worships.
Christianity spread in almost all-Negro slave communities or all of them were familiar with Christianity before the emancipation. At the initial stage, there was a church that exist in the South for black slaves. Slaves had both institutional and non-institutional religious experiences. Slaves conduct their Sunday worship at their cabins, which were illicit and informed meetings. They were prevented by their masters to attend church. Sometimes masters punished them to flogging for attending this rather secret worship. According to Moses Grandy his brother-in-law named Isaac, who was a slave preacher “was flogged and his back pickled” for preaching at a clandestine service in the woods. His listeners were flogged and “forced to tell who else were there”.
Latin American anwasribbean slaves were opposed by their masters for creating a structured religious image. Cuba, Jamaica, and Mexico were noted in the slave system. Caribbean religious customs are classified into three categories. They are 1) African Derived Religion: – This religion was continent-based. It incorporated the elements of Protestantism. It shows an open approach to the thoughts and symbols of other religions like Hinduism and Western Christianity. Second, one is black Christianity and the third one is post-Christian religion.
A large number of Cuban slaves have worked in sugar plantations. Cuban slaves are mainly Africa American Negros. They have their religious practices and religious knowledge. The majority of the Cubans identify themselves as Catholics or non -religious persons. Based on the principles of the Catholic religion Cubans developed a new religion named Santeria. Cuban slaves were very religious and if analyze the religious history one can see the influence of American religious belief among Cuban slaves. In the beginning, the slaves were forced by their masters but later, they received religious practices. At the end of the 18th century, slaves have, enjoyed religious sermonizes and they have come churches with the permission of their masters.
When analyzing the religious life of American slaves and Latin American slaves, one can notice some major similarities as well as differences. Christianity has influenced the religious life of slaves both in America and Latin American countries like Cuba, Jamaica, and Brazil. Cuban slaves have more religious freedom than African Americans. American slaves were blocked from participating in religious ceremonies and they have conducted rituals in secret places.
In Cuba, slaves participating in masses and Sunday religious ceremonies even; they did not allow to enter the church. American religious tradition influenced the religious belief of Cuban slaves. White people in America were never ready to accept Negro slaves as religious persons. They have declared the possibility of a social problem behind the religious freedom of slaves. Cuban slaves believed in one God. American slaves have got only the preaching is of their White priest and they forced to follow their master’s religious principle. However, Cuban slaves have received religion as a means of unity and self-realization but American slaves have led a submissive life in the White dominating country.
Conclusion
When concluding the paper, it is inferred that there are many similarities and differences in American slave Narratives, the Caribbean, and Latin American slave narratives. But a very close analysis reveals that differences assume a little bit higher level. After attempting the study, it is revealed that the slaves of Latin America, especially in countries like Cuba, Brazil, and so on, enjoyed more freedom than that of the slaves in the United States.
It was visible in their religious and family life. In the United States, slaves were forced to work in the plantations owned by the white people, and most of their rights were denied. There was little possibility for the family tie in the slaves and even the wedded couples were separated from each other. Regarding the slaves of Latin America, there had been implemented laws that protected their rights. Here the slave purchaser had to take the charge of the whole slave family if he engages in the slave trade of the spouses. The slave trade of the United States was notorious for the sexual abuse of the slave women by the owners.
One cannot find the depth of passion in the religious beliefs of the slaves because of their fear of white supremacy. Above all, the white masters were not at all interested in supporting slave beliefs on the prospect that religion may turn the slaves against them. To conclude, one can infer that the life of slaves in Latin America was in a way flexible than that of the United States.
References
Digital History, African American voices. Web.
Antebellum Slavery –Plantation Slave Life, Susel Perez. Web.
Steal Away, Slave Religion, Albert J. Raboteau. Web.