Psychology of Slavery

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how slaveholders commonly believed their slaves were, by nature, lazy, unintelligent, and dishonest. It looks at where these ideas originated and how the actions of the slaves emphasized this notion. The paper looks at the social and cultural existence of the slaves and how this effected them psychologically.

From the Paper:

"As stated earlier, a slave's sole purpose in life was to work for their master. They did not take pride in their work for they did not reap the benefits of a good day's work or the consequences of a bad one. A good day to the typical slave was avoiding the awful sting of an overseer's whip. This forced labor had absolutely no value to the slaves because they received nothing in return for a good days work; in other words, there was no motivation to be hardworking. This lack of motivation is one of the most significant contributing factors to the laziness of slaves. Frederick Douglass, on the other hand, was allowed to work outside of his master's house towards the end of his enslaved life. He became a "calker" and was even able to command the highest wages given only to the most experiences calkers (Douglass, 134). But this taste of freedom had a disconcerting effect on Douglass."

More papers on Psychology of Slavery:

• Analytical Essay # 125233 : "Kindred" and the Impact of Slavery"
• Book Review # 118064 : "American Slavery"
• Comparison Essay # 32662 : "Slavery and the Holocaust."

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