Pourquoi les parents perdent-ils leurs enfants, les frères leurs sœurs ou les maris leurs femmes?

“Why are parents to lose their children, brothers their sisters, or husbands their wives? Surely this is a new refinement in cruelty […]”, said Equiano, wondering about all the cruelties committed by the whites (Equiano, Interesting Narrative, Allison, 69). Slavery began on English mainland colonies in 17th century. Slaves were considered as private property for life, purchased and sold constantly amongst the rich white men. The status of authority of white masters was enforced by violence such as punishment and torture. Life conditions were terrible and inhuman. Slaves did numerous different jobs such as work on the plantation fields, do house chores or be a craftsman. Their living situation depended on the type of work they did which was decided by the master who bought them. Comparably, domestic slaves and urban slaves benefitted from a better living situation compared to slaves on plantations or on slave ships.

Slavery on plantations was amongst the most atrocious types of slavery, as they worked from dawn to dusk in the most deplorable situations. They were poorly fed and their life span was very short. Equiano states that the lifespan of blacks was only about sixteen years (Equiano, Interesting Narrative, Allison, 211), which proves how life conditions were deplorable on plantation. The narrator never worked on a plantation as he became an urban slave; though in 1775, he travelled to the Caribbean Islands and set up a new plantation colony. Even though life conditions were terrible, Equiano tried to ease their lives a little. He was mistreated by the white planters who ignored the fact that he was now a free black man (Equiano, Interesting Narrative, Allison, 175).

Slaves on plantations were treated the poorest. They were forced to work all day fearing torture and punishments. They had two hours of rest daily as Equiano mentions, “[masters] allows them two hours for refreshment at mid-day” (Equiano, Interesting Narrative, Allison, 210), during which they usually spent time to forage some food for themselves or gather something to sell at the market. Their living conditions did not offer enough food or an appropriate shelter in case of bad weather. Many died from diseases they could not cure from.

Slavery on slave ships or transportation boats was atrocious. They suffered from malnutrition and contamination of diseases. Black slaves were treated poorly as they were placed under the deck of the ship, where they couldn’t breathe and suffered from lack of air and water. Many died of diseases on the ship and corpses were thrown in the water, which ended in a loss for the ship owner. Equiano accounts terrible anecdotes such as slaves all changed together under the ship were “copious perspiration” sickened all of them and resulted in their death (Equiano, Interesting Narrative, Allison, 67). The filthy air, lack of clean water and hunger proved the cruelty of the white masters.

Generally slaves ignored the first reason for them being kidnapped away from their families and thought of it as a sort of punishment from the gods (Equiano, Interesting Narrative, Allison, 42). All were desperate and had lost faith as nothing was explained to them. None of the white people’s actions were explainable. Slaves sought freedom in suicide. Some put on hunger strikes in order to put an end to their lives, but were eventually force fed by whites who had no economic interest in having them dead. Others jumped off the ships to drown. Equiano states, “[slaves] preferring death to such a life of misery, somehow made through the nettings and jumped in the sea” (Equiano, Interesting Narrative, Allison, 67). Some were rescued by the whites and tortured afterwards.

Torture was practiced by most white master in order to punish slaves and keep them from committing any incorrect acts. Slaves aboard of the ship were all chained together and forced in small locations. If they tried to escape or commit suicide, they were punished. Torture instruments such as the iron muzzle, handcuffs and iron burns were used (Equiano, Interesting Narrative, Allison, 79). Slaves were boarded on the ships without knowing what their fate was. They questioned their gods and thought of all the sins they had done. Many were in distress as they had lost everything.

Domestic slavery was very popular amongst rich white men. Affluent masters often purchased slaves strictly dedicated to do household work and chores. Domestic performed household work such as cooking, laundry, cleaning and taking care of the children. Equiano states in his narrative he had seen a black woman cooking for the family (Equiano, Interesting Narrative, Allison, 70). Wives of rich white masters did not attend any house chores.

Some woman black slaves got lucky when bought accompanied by their children. Slave children became “companions” to white kids. They spent time, played

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