Articles Analysis Essay on Slave Motherhood

Slavery was a devastating experience to the black motherhood. The lives of the black women were characterized by different forms of mistreatment as they coped with slavery. This involved performing of grueling labor, subjection to mental and psychological humiliation and separation from their families. Women health, especially during pregnancy and delivery epitomized the struggles that were associated with black motherhood during the era of slavery. Text such as Aint I a Woman speech, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and Birthing a Slave by Sojourner Truth, Harriet Jacobs and Jenkins Schwartz respectively explore the harsh experience of slavery shaped black motherhood. It can, therefore, be contended that the enslaved black women underwent through significant hardships as they battled with slaveholders claims on their wombs and their children.

Marie Jenkins Schwartzs Birthing a Slave

Marie Jenkins text Birthing a Slave highlights the tactics that the slaveholders applied after the United States abolished the importation of the slaves in 1808. In this account, Jenkins emphasizes that the deprivation and brutality of slavery eclipsed the importance of motherhood through birthing. After ending the practice of importing slaves, the slavery in the Antebellum South was only perpetuated through infants born in bondage (Schwartz, 2006). Such scenario indicates that slaveholders perceived black motherhood as a mechanism of sustaining and continuing the practice of slavery in the society. The slave owners and the physicians combine their efforts in caring for enslaved pregnant women. This is an indication that slaveholders had a vested interest in the black womens childbearing. From this text, Schwartz (2006) acknowledges that the abolishing of the slave trade had compelled slave masters to re-strategize their operations. For instance, the southern planters are obliged to maximize the capacity for bearing among the slave women.

Motherhood is also portrayed as a way of improving ones financial and professional status. According to Schwartz (2006), Southern doctors collaborated with slaveholders to treat reproductive illnesses of the women in slavery. The physicians liaised with the slave owners in implementing various approaches to treating and caring for enslaved women, with the intention of increasing the number of infants born amongst the slaves. This leads to the implementation of the competing strategies between the physicians and the slave owners on how to maintain the health of the enslaved mothers (Schwartz, 2006). However, black women opposed the health care provided by slaveholders and the southern doctors by utilizing their traditional medicines and power of the families or a community in the provision of health care when it comes to women reproduction.

Harriet Jacobss Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

The text, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs also highlights how motherhood is shaped by motherhood. The narrative depicts enslaved women to be powerless when it comes to protecting their children. For example, mothers watch helplessly as their young ones are sold or harshly treated by slave owners. This indicates that enslaved mothers and their children are often separated regardless of belonging to the same slaveholder (Jacobs, 2009). The bond of mother-child relationship is weak. In her narrative, Jacobs laments that the implementation of the strict labor laws and plantations regulations hindered the strengthening their relationships. Jacobs account implies that predetermined violence associated with slavery impacted negatively on the conventional meanings attached to the terms mother and womanhood.'

According to Harriet Jacobs, the slaveholders control the lives of the slaves thus damaging the traditional concept of motherhood. Typically, motherhood requires that a woman wishes her children to live longer. However, in this text, women would rather see their children die than being taken by new slave owners (Jacobs, p17). The hapless state of mothers in Jacobs narrative implies that the only way children can be saved from slavery is through Gods intervention. Slave women also do not have control over their bodies and dignity. For instance, Linda Brent is forced to lie about her sexuality to avert Dr. Flint from raping her. She becomes pregnant to bar him from abusing her sexually. This demonstrates that enslaved women in the society used their fertility as a means of protection against various forms of mistreatment.

Sojourner Truths Aint I a Woman speech

Motherhood in the Aint I a Woman speech by Sojourner Truth portrays motherhood as a strong and influential institution which can change the entire world. Sojourner is addressing gender inequalities when it comes to admission of human rights. Sojourners speech is implying that slavery has denied women opportunities of being empowered socially, politically and financially. Women are restricted on what they eat and where they work (Truth, 1851, p1). Black women are depicted to be fertile: however, this does not benefit them since their children are taken into slavery. For example, Sojourner gives birth to thirteen children, but all of them are sold into bondage, which is too painful to bear. Sojourner is an epitome of strength and power as depicted in her speech. She thinks she can work, eat and lead just like it is the case with slaveholders.

Conclusion

Aint I a Woman speech, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and Birthing a Slave texts have highlighted different experienced that the enslaved black women underwent. The narratives contend that slavery shaped the societys perception of motherhood and fertility during the era of servitude for African Americans.

References

Jacobs, H. A. (2009). Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. New York : Cosimo, Inc.

Schwartz, M. J. (2006). Birthing a Slave: Motherhood and Medicine in the Antebellum South. Harvard University Press.

Sojourner Truth, Aint I a Woman? Womens Convention, Akron, Ohio, 28-29 May 1851.