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Abstract

This dissertation is a study of the experiences of enslaved women and how they were subjected to daily sexual harassment and the maternal anxieties of losing a child through sale or death. Although the institution of slavery was cruel to both men and women, the constant fear of rape set enslaved women’s experience apart from men and led to much emotional trauma for them. The feeling of not having bodily autonomy or the inability to give consent as slaves were considered property, left enslaved women helpless. Many enslaved women were used as ‘breeders’ purely for financial gain for the slaveholder which animalised and dehumanised them. Which is why this dissertation aims to give these women who suffered from such brutalities a voice and share their stories to expose slavery for all its horrors.
By assessing the female slave narratives of Harriet Jacobs and Louisa Picquet, it will give a first-hand account of the reality of slavery for enslaved women. Where these two women are unique however is they were able to resist this daily sexual harassment against their enslavers for some time. Additionally, male slave narratives will be examined to provide an alternative perspective, to give an against the gain view to the exploitation of enslaved women.

Course: History - BA (Hons) - C1087

Date Deposited: 2024-09-20

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis14448.html