Both the enslaved and freed black people did everything within their powers to resist slavery. There are various ways through which they did this for instance running away, fighting within the plantations to get their freedom, pretended not to understand what their owners said and even going on go slows. These among many other means of fighting for their freedom were the ways they used in order to attain their freedom.
The reasons behind the fight for freedom were pointing towards the unfair ways in which the black population was subjected to. They were the people who were working on plantations with no pay. Their living conditions were also wanting because they lacked the freedoms that their superior enjoyed at the expense of their comfort. Practically speaking, the slaves were at the mercies of their owners something that they didn’t like and therefore wanted to find their way out of it.
There are those who organized revolts through which they fought their slaveholders. The most prominent of these revolts was the Gabriel Prosser revolt of 1800, The Stono Rebellion of 1739, Denmark Vesey’s revolt of 1822 and also the Nat Turner Rebellion of 1831. Also in 1839, the black slaves started a revolt that was widely known as the Amistad Mutiny on board the Amistad ship, which in fact led to the incarceration of the participants. These among other smaller rebellions were the movements that championed for the rights and freedom of the black population in America at the time.
The history of the American slavery shows that Africans and African Americans resisted it at the slightest chance they got. In as much as it seemed impossible because of their position in society, they were willing to try and try harder. At the end of the day, their efforts bore fruits because today, they are not slaves anymore.
Works Cited
Banks, James A. March Toward Freedom: A History of Black Americans. Belmont: Fearon Publishers. 1970.
Ford, Lacy K. Deliver Us From Evil: The Slavery Question in the Old South. New York: Oxford University Press. 2009.
