Tyrese Black
How Black Men were
Traumatized During Slavery
The way African American men were treated during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was traumatizing and horrific. African American men were constantly belittled, abused, and used all because of the color of their skin. African American men were enslaved, in forced to work. Enslaved people were not seen as human beings but as property to be brought, sold, and exploited. When you set and think of black men, don’t just see the 25 to 50-year-old being traumatized. Also, see the young boys who were sold and traded back and forth amongst white men.
African American families were mistreated during slavery. Black women were constantly raped by slave owners, in front of their families. Children were even conceived during these rapes against the female's will. This left a lot of African women giving birth and taking care of a child she never wanted. Families were sometimes separated due to being sold by slaveowners. Parents were separated from children who worked on different plantation forms and were owned by different slave masters. Some families were never reunited or didn’t get the chance to reunite because of death.
Although black men were worked the hardest on forms, they were emasculated during enslavement. Slave owners worked hard to emasculate black men by making them wear dresses or work tirelessly in fields without pants. In addition to women, men were also raped and sodomized. According to Face2Face Africa, “The rape of enslaved men was an open secret for several years during the slave trade days” (Johnson,2018). White males constantly asserted dominance over black males trying to make them feel less than men. African American men were also introduced to breeding forms during enslavement. They would take the best-looking and healthiest black men and make them have sex for hours with females and get them pregnant. According to Face2face Africa, “The white slave masters did not care if those women were the mothers, sisters, daughters or relatives of the men” (Johnson, 2018). Many of these men died of sexual exhaustion. Leaving a lot of young boys growing up with little to no information on who their fathers are.
African American men were not allowed to read or write while enslaved. Slave owners feared that black literacy would prove a threat to the slave system. This caused slaves to rely on their masters to do these things for them, just another way to disable the African race. African American men also were not able to provide or protect their families amongst their masters. If the man of the house even tried to protect his family, he would’ve more than likely been killed right in front of them.
African American men were treated terribly during slavery and are still being affected and mistreated today. This type of abuse can cause black men to develop mental health issues like depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and panic disorder. Tones of African American men have passed down the abuse and trauma they faced back then to their children. They pass this down by physically and verbally abusing their children, and some of them think it's ok and normal to do so. Black men were always looked down upon, and the sad thing is, nothing has changed. We are still being treated like we don’t matter, unless we become famous or a high-paid professional, we simply don’t get respected.
Reference Page
Johnson, E. O. (2018, October 11). 5 horrifying ways enslaved African men were sexually exploited and abused by their white masters - Page 3 of 6. Face2Face Africa. Retrieved December 1, 2021, from https://face2faceafrica.com/article/5-horrifying-ways-enslaved-african-men-were-sexually-exploited-and-abused-by-their-white-masters/3
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