Multiple Topics to Choose from Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Multiple Topics to Choose from - Essay Example Violence and powerful resistance were not uncommon; however, non-violent sources of opposition to slavery were always more efficient than a physical attack. In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, and Blassingame’s The Slave Community, cultural efforts, education, folk songs, beliefs, and ceremonies exemplify the most efficient instrument of resisting slavery, creating â€Å"self† and developing an â€Å"underground culture†. That slaves continuously oppressed and tried to improve their position in the American society cannot be denied. The instruments they used to withstand the pressure of slavery were numerous and varied. Slaves were not willing to tolerate violence, humiliation, and abuse. They were not willing to accept their inferior position in the society. In her Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Ann Jacobs describes her childhood and adolescence. She witnessed how different slaves fought with slavery – at times, their decisions went beyond the boundaries of reason, e.g., murdering a slave master (Jacobs 182). Jacobs herself rarely engaged in active opposition but chose to tolerate her master’s abuse silently (183). Once she observed â€Å"a woman rush wildly by, pursued by two men. She was a slave the wet nurse of her mistress’s children. For some trifling offence her mistress ordered her to be stripped and whipped. To escape the degradation and torture, she rushed to the river, jumped in and ended her wrongs in death† (Jacobs 184). However, not all slaves had sufficient courage to sacrifice their lives for the sake of avoiding penalties and physical violence. Nor did all slaved had instruments and resources needed to openly fight against the oppression. Culture and songs became the principal way of resisting slavery, which created a collective picture of social oppression in the American society. Folk songs, ceremonies, and beliefs were among the key elements of resisting