A Permanent Solution to a Permanent Problem: Suicide among African-American Slaves
Primary Faculty Mentor’s Name
Dr. George Justice
Proposal Track
Student
Session Format
Paper Presentation
Abstract
The hardships endured by African-American slaves during early American history are well-documented. Exposure to the elements, poor nutrition, harsh working conditions, and brutal punishments were typical parts of daily life for millions of individuals. One aspect of slave life that goes glaringly unmentioned in literature about American slavery is suicide. In this paper, I investigate whether slave suicides were, in reality, more common than official documentation has made them appear. There were strong reasons for under-reporting slave suicides in official documents due to the negative reflection that would have on the slave owners. Therefore, my research focuses heavily on first-hand accounts in autobiographical texts and interviews. While this research may require reading between the lines of some accounts to determine the reasons behind individuals’ actions, these sources provide valuable insight into the mindset of African-American slaves during the slave trade. For instance, abortion or infanticide committed by mothers in slavery demonstrate how traumatic the idea of bringing a child up in this extreme situation was. To these mothers, the death of their children was preferable to bringing more children into slavery. Additionally, there are accounts written by third parties who witnessed deaths of other slaves. While the authors cannot speak for the deceased person themselves, and while these accounts are often written down long after the deaths occurred, these authors are in the unique position of knowing the situation personally as well as having the ability to document the events.
Given the infrequency of suicide being directly mentioned in the existing literature on American slavery, I also look at suicide in similar situations, including concentration camps during the Holocaust and modern-day North Korean prison camps. These examples help to demonstrate the mindset of individuals trapped in a horrific situation with little chance for escape, and are useful for researching the situation of African-American suicides because of the easier access we have to information about these circumstances. Additionally, I discuss factors that contribute to or discourage suicide both historically and today, such as restricting access to reliable means of self-death and societal influences.
In conclusion, I argue that slave suicides were simultaneously under-reported and unexpectedly infrequent. By filling in gaps left by existing documentation on African-American slaves with more readily-available information from survivors of similarly horrific situations as well as factors that have contributed to or deterred suicide throughout history, this paper will explore the situations that slaves likely faced. This paper discusses factors that helped slaves to face a daunting future without any reliable prospects for change and yet to still choose life.
Keywords
Suicide, Slavery
Award Consideration
1
Location
Room 2904
Presentation Year
2014
Start Date
11-15-2014 11:05 AM
End Date
11-15-2014 12:05 PM
Publication Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Recommended Citation
Williams, Holly M., "A Permanent Solution to a Permanent Problem: Suicide among African-American Slaves" (2014). Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference (2014-2015). 69.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gurc/2014/2014/69
A Permanent Solution to a Permanent Problem: Suicide among African-American Slaves
Room 2904
The hardships endured by African-American slaves during early American history are well-documented. Exposure to the elements, poor nutrition, harsh working conditions, and brutal punishments were typical parts of daily life for millions of individuals. One aspect of slave life that goes glaringly unmentioned in literature about American slavery is suicide. In this paper, I investigate whether slave suicides were, in reality, more common than official documentation has made them appear. There were strong reasons for under-reporting slave suicides in official documents due to the negative reflection that would have on the slave owners. Therefore, my research focuses heavily on first-hand accounts in autobiographical texts and interviews. While this research may require reading between the lines of some accounts to determine the reasons behind individuals’ actions, these sources provide valuable insight into the mindset of African-American slaves during the slave trade. For instance, abortion or infanticide committed by mothers in slavery demonstrate how traumatic the idea of bringing a child up in this extreme situation was. To these mothers, the death of their children was preferable to bringing more children into slavery. Additionally, there are accounts written by third parties who witnessed deaths of other slaves. While the authors cannot speak for the deceased person themselves, and while these accounts are often written down long after the deaths occurred, these authors are in the unique position of knowing the situation personally as well as having the ability to document the events.
Given the infrequency of suicide being directly mentioned in the existing literature on American slavery, I also look at suicide in similar situations, including concentration camps during the Holocaust and modern-day North Korean prison camps. These examples help to demonstrate the mindset of individuals trapped in a horrific situation with little chance for escape, and are useful for researching the situation of African-American suicides because of the easier access we have to information about these circumstances. Additionally, I discuss factors that contribute to or discourage suicide both historically and today, such as restricting access to reliable means of self-death and societal influences.
In conclusion, I argue that slave suicides were simultaneously under-reported and unexpectedly infrequent. By filling in gaps left by existing documentation on African-American slaves with more readily-available information from survivors of similarly horrific situations as well as factors that have contributed to or deterred suicide throughout history, this paper will explore the situations that slaves likely faced. This paper discusses factors that helped slaves to face a daunting future without any reliable prospects for change and yet to still choose life.
