Slavery A Tragic Time - 1663 Words

Alaina Wood Mrs. Ayersman English 101 4 November 2014 Slavery: A Tragic Time In History The start of slavery was in the year 1619 when twenty African Americans were brought to Jamestown, Virginia, and purchased as if they were items (James and Lois Horton, 243). These slaves were sold to British colonists and were the first of these slaves sold specifically in British North America (James and Lois Horton, 243). Virginia Hamilton says, â€Å"The twenty were Africans stolen from their homes by slave traders. They were traded to the Virginia colony in exchange for food and other supplies† (5). African Americans were typically made slaves, or servants, to work for farmers or planters, making no wages for their work (Hamilton, 5). It is obvious†¦show more content†¦And as a result, the slave who could not get up was the â€Å"weaker slave† (Martin, 17). These horrible punishments were called â€Å"games† to the owner and the owner’s wife. For an example, the owner’s wife comments, â€Å"This aft ernoon’s game was a more straightforward one, not very original at all. Two strong boys were required to fight until one couldn’t get up† (Martin, 17). It is very sad to think another human could make other humans do this to each other, let alone think it is a game. The entire inequality period should be considered one of the most regretted times in history. People thought that if someone was not a white male, they were inferior. However, one would hope that the majority of the people back then did not know it was wrong; they just thought it was how life was, or what it was changing into. Although it is basically proven that some of the people could care less about their ways being just or unjust, they unfortunately liked the â€Å"power† they had over the slaves. Not only did slavery affect people hundreds of years ago, its dramatic ways still affect people today as well. Ever since people thought it was â€Å"normal† or an â€Å"okay† thin g to â€Å"own people,† it seems as if some people were not able to understand the concept that we are all humans and no person is lesser of a human being because of their skin tone. Slavery was the beginning of racism, and it is still prominent now in present day. In the