Throughout The History Of Slavery In The North Atlantic British Colonies And The United States, Slaves Resisted In Many Ways. What Were The Main Forms Of Slave Resistance And What Were Their Effects?
Enslaved African Americans resisted slavery in many forms; some of these were passive while others were more outright and brave. This essay will discuss two of the more common forms of resistance which is running away and slave revolts, as well as the lesser known form of day to day resistance. Regardless of the form of resistance used, slaves were not content living a life of bondage and used all means available to resist no matter the consequence.
“No act of defiance was more commonplace than running away. Even brief departures could provide relief from an oppressive overseer.” (Kelly & Lewis, 2005) Running away was another form of resistance. Most slaves ran away relatively short distances and were not trying to permanently escape from slavery. Instead, they were temporarily withholding their labor as a form of economic bargaining and negotiation. Slavery involved a constant process of negotiation as slaves bargained over the pace of work, the amount of free time they would enjoy, monetary rewards, access to garden plots, and the freedom to practice burials, marriages, and religious ceremonies free from white oversight. (Slave Resistance and Revolts, 2007)
The Underground Railroad was a very famous form of resistance used by slaves to run away and escape to the northern Free states or even Canada. The escape network was "underground" in the sense of underground resistance but was seldom literally subterranean. The network was known as a "railroad" by way of the use of rail terminology in the code. The Underground Railroad consisted of clandestine routes, transportation, meeting points, safe houses and other havens, and assistance maintained by abolitionist sympathizers. (“Underground Railroad”, 2007) The most notable person that contributed to the success of the Underground Railroad was Harriet Tubman. It is estimated that she helped more than three thousand slaves escape to freedom, including her family members. During the period of the...
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