Destiny Vega
March 2020
Professor Rumore
English 302
Newspapers and Artwork
Slavery is taught in every country of our world. It was a system that was in place that allowed people to own, buy and sell other individuals. A slave did not have any say in how they were treated and where they would end up. More often than not, they were considered less than human. In America, we learn a lot about slavery because it is part of our history. Our past was known for buying and selling enslaved people for their personal use. In Oroonoko by Aphra Behn we learn about a slave who was the last royal descendant of an African country called Coramantien. This country participated in the trans-Atlantic slave trade that sold prisoners of war to western ships. “Those who want slaves makes a bargain with a master or a captain of a ship, and contract to pay him so much apiece, a matter of twenty pound a head for for as many as he agrees for, and to pay for them when they shall be delivered on such a plantation” (12). The buying and selling of slaves was normalized and was done as an everyday interaction.
Newspapers were objects that were used during this time to advertise and promote the buying and selling of enslaved people. There was Act in America that stated that the purchase of slaves needed to be advertised in the newspapers. For instance, in Tennessee, the act stated that “… whose duty it shall be to sell any lands or negroes, under, or by virtue of any execution, order, judgment or decree of a court …to advertise and publish such sale or sales, at least three different times, in some newspaper printed and published in the county…” (93). Slaves were treated as objects instead of human beings. They were not considered people and believed that the trading of slaves was an advantage for the country. This was a system that was put in place to be used against people of color. They were treated like objects and were sold or paraded around like cars and food. This Act truly shows what it was like during this time period.
Art is another object that is used to represent the slave trade. Although slavery went on to a time when photography came about, art was used as a way to depict slavery. Some enslaved people did not know how to read or write so they used art as form of expression. Art is still used today to depict the conditions that slaves had to endure. There are many pieces of art that show us what is was really like during the time of the slave trade. For instance, there is a painting that shows slaves below the deck of a ship “… with its plan of symmetrically distributed slaves all lying on their backs, segregated by sex, was part of Thomas Clarkson’s campaign against the slave trade…” (25). This is important because it allows us to get a visual representation of what is being described. The paintings show us what actually happened and is a lot of power like words do. This relates to The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano because in chapter two, we get his account of being forced on to a slave ship and we read about the horrible conditions. Slavery is a part of our history and newspapers and artwork expose us and educate us on what happened.
Slavery is something that should not be forgotten and will never be forgotten. It has impacted our country in many different ways and it unfortunately part of our history. Having news articles and artwork from this era truly allows us to fully grasp the horror of it all. Sometimes we need visual representations to show us how enslaved people were treated. Having different artifacts and objects lets us understand the past. Sometimes it can be good to see artworks and real newspapers because it doesn’t allow us to easily dismiss what was a part of our history. Slavery will continue to always be taught and it is great that we have objects to provide us with visual representation.
“An Act requiring the sale of Lands or Slaves to be advertised in a newspaper.” Tennessee – 31st General Assembly, 1st Session, p. 93-95. HeinOnline, https://heinonline-org.lehman.ezproxy.cuny.edu/HOL/P?h=hein.slavery/ssactstn0186&i=1.
Bury, Stephen. “REPRESENTING SLAVERY: ART, ARTEFACTS AND ARCHIVES IN THE COLLECTIONS OF THE NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM BY DOUGLAS HAMILTON & ROBERT J BLYTH (EDS.” Art Book, vol. 15, no. 3, 2008, pp. 24–26.
