“American Slavery As It Is, Testimony of a Thousand Witnesses”, was written in1839 by the Anti-Slavery Activist Theodore Dwight Weld. This book gathers information from witnesses, active and former slave owners from various plantations in Southern states. Information on how slaves were treated aided in building case for the Abolitionist Movement. The narrative described the conditions experienced by slaves in the United States. Weld argued that prisoners in United States and other countries were fed better than American slaves. The narrative focused on afflictions faced by slaves which covered housing, clothing, diet and working conditions (McBride 38).
Medicine started in the era of slavery when people started struggling with disease. It changed slowly into a social institution becoming competitor of traditional health practices. In the early colonies of North America, every individual termed himself as a doctor. In the mid nineteenth century, doctors made professional medicine to differentiate themselves from the past. Therefore, the history of medicine is traced from the struggle for health during slavery. The plantation owners and doctors coerced much labor from slaves. This forced them to provide sufficient resources to make these slaves stay productive and give birth many children. The preference of illness and mortality in slave people indicated their environmental experiences and living conditions. Slaves were able to maintain their health and stabilize their families despite harsh enslavement. Slaves medicine sets the background of public health and clap social circumstances in the era of Jim crow.
Weld wrote this narrative as a plain case where the reader acted as a juror for the purpose of coming up with an honest verdict. The aim was to show actual situation of the slaves in the United States. They were made slaves and owned by force by being put in fear. The slaveholders painted that their slaves were treated humanely, well fed, well housed, well clothed, well lodged and worked moderately. They also argued that they provided slaves with all things they needed for their comfort. Their assertion was disproved by the testimony of many unbiased witnesses. This put slaveholders through a course of questioning which led to condemnation out of their own mouths (McBride 40).
According to testimonies of witnesses, the slaves were treated inhumane since they were underfed, overworked, wretchedly lodged and clad, they lacked enough sleep, they dragged heavy chains while working on the field, they also wore iron collars round their necks in order to be easily detected when they escaped. They also wore yokes, bells and iron horns. Some had their front teeth broken off or torn out for easy identification when they ran away. They faced torture and brutality. They were stripped naked, their limbs and backs cut with knives, red pepper was rubbed into their torn flesh and spirits of turpentine poured on their wounds to increase the severity of torture. They were searched with blood hounds and shot down like beasts. They were also beaten and whipped till they fainted and sometimes till they die. Their ears were cut off, their bones broken and their flesh marked with red hot irons. They were also burned to death over slow fires. Weld established all these facts from testimony form slaveholders, eye witnesses and slaves themselves (Weld 13).
This book was influential American abolitionist publication. It laid bare the cruelty and violence associated with slavery. Most of evidence was pulled from Southern newspapers and testimony of former slaves and slave owners. During this period, opposition of slavery had become more outspoken. The slaves had been concentrated in more productive agricultural plantations especially the cotton lands of the South. Slave trade which was inhumane business also existed and it was criticized by domestic and foreign travellers, emancipationists, abolitionists and modern authors. The slave dealer advertisements in newspapers documented the evils of the institution of slavery. The narrative encouraged active antislavery movements which advocated various plans of emancipation. The intensive opposition of slavery occurred during decades of 1830-60. Attempts to reduce slave trade led to enactment of anti-importation law which constrained the bringing in of slaves from other states.
Much of the content from Theodore Weld publication was from Kentucky newspapers, slave auction handbills, personal interviews and personal observations. The enactment of fugitive slave law by US Congress in 1950 was based on Kentucky. Mush of setting and many of the characters were drawn from Kentucky. Increased opposition of slavery was associated with prosperity in Kentucky.
Weld’s publication turned into extensive antislavery movement in American history. It is remembered in the abolitionist movement and future antislavery literary works. This means that Weld used persuasion means to argue to the northern audiences concerning evils of slavery and the need to abolish it. The truth is that Weld used judicial motif where he acted as a prosecutor and requested his readers to perform as jurors in judging the legality of slavery in the United States. Weld did this by depending on evidence from testimony of witnesses and newspapers advertisements to prove his arguments. Weld showed that slavery resulted from individuals who were encouraged by absolute arbitrary power. The South supported slavery based on the argument that institution of slavery was positive good and justified necessary evil. Weld rejected these justifications and established that slavery which aimed at establishing absolute power over others. According to Weld, human nature is contrary to slavery and thus it should be ended. Weld also held that abolitionists were justified in condemning slavery. Weld accomplished his role of prosecutor in the case by combining the logic and emotion of his jurors. The jurors acted as members of humanity and perceived slaves in the same level as them and this forced them to pass a just judgment of guilty since slavery is in contradiction of the humanity (Trudeau 16).
Conclusion
Theodore Weld’s publication was the most influential American antislavery tract. It used judicial motive to show the evils associated with slavery. The evidence was drawn from testimony of witnesses, the slaveholders and slaves themselves. The collection of first hand testimonials and personal narratives from both whites and freedmen was used to portray the horrors of American slavery. The work covered the slave diet, clothing, housing, working conditions and torture and brutality.
Work Cited
McBride, David. "“Slavery As It Is:” Medicine and Slaves of the Plantation South." OAH Magazine of History 19.5 (2005): 36-40.
Trudeau, Justin Thomas. "Theodore Dwight Weld's use of the judicial motif in American Slavery As It Is: Testimony of a Thousand Witnesses." (1998).
Weld, Theodore Dwight, ed. American Slavery as it is: Testimony of a Thousand Witnesses. No. 10. American Anti-Slavery Society, 1839.
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