Slavery has always been looked at on a general perspective not considering the different roles that they play in the society. It is rarely considered that male and female slaves played distinct roles in the society. the book Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave & incidents in the life of A slave girl by Frederick Douglass takes us through the life of a life of a slave girl as compared to that of a slave boy. When the whites were taking hostages as slaves, they were mainly interested in the males because of their masculinity and the fact that they could play a number of functions and roles. There were however female slaves who were also entrusted with specific responsibilities1. Men were mostly involved in heavy activities such as building and construction, they also worked in mines and breaking of stones. Women on the other hand were endowed with the responsibility of taking care of the men by bringing them food and checking on them. They were also endowed with the responsibility of assisting their husbands especially when they were not feeling well. Female slaves were also kept in the houses of rich whites to bring them wealth. Most of such women were talented in artwork and would make mats, which will be used to decorate their homes as well as sold elsewhere.
Male slaves were also used during civil wars, as they were considered strong. They were also preferred for wars considering the fact that they were mostly foreigners. It would not bother many people whether they would die or get hurt. The kind of treatment and attitude that the community held against them made them not to expect much from them. The women were also exposed to great torture especially by their hosts and were expected to work like machines. The fact that they had been bought for a fee made them accept every form of responsibility they was given. In most cases, they would go without sleep because of the workload they had. They were expected to wake up early and ensure food was ready for their masters. If the households had children, they had to ensure they were prepared for school and other days activities2. Immediately after preparing their families in the morning, they had to be involved in other household activities such as washing clothes, cleaning the house and preparing other subsequent responsibilities.
Male slaves were also used to transport merchant goods from one region to the other. In most cases, these long distance traders transported goods from one region to the other. As their masters saddled on donkeys, the slaves were to carry them on their backs until they reached their destinations. When it came to treatment, men and women were mostly subject to similar harassment and torture. Their masters cared less if they were sick and tired, they had to perform their responsibilities, as it was required. They had no access to medical treatment and most of them would in fact die in the process3. They were only given water when they felt so weak or even fainted. They were in fact not considered as normal human beings and were treated as animals. Even after such hard work, they were not given good diet or a place to lay their heads. They were to sleep in a small place despite their numbers and subject to all harsh climatic conditions. They were hence suffered malnutrition, which made them look thin and incapacitated. Slavery was hence a tough experience for both men and women.
References
Douglass, Frederick & O'Meally, Robert. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An
American Slave. New York: Spark Educational Publishing, 2005.
