No Longer Yours:
Aspects of Slavery and Freedom Seeking in North Carolina

Fire-Resistance and Confrontation

Enslaved people were their own people. They had their own culture, assumptions, perspectives, values, and instincts. As slavery often required the enslaved people to shield and protect their true feelings, opinions, and trues in various circumstances. However, in many instances, there was an ongoing conflict between the dominant culture and the enslaved culture. This chapter peaks into the tension between enslaved people and the slaveholder and their society. As with fire, these tensions were often unmanageable and 
unpredictable.

Through the actions taken by enslaved people, due to their passion, hope, or resistance, we get a glimpse into how enslaved people acted on their ideas of justice, vengeance, and freedom. Fire is situated in this chapter by focusing on acts of resistance and confrontation committed by enslaved people. Not all actions had a clear indication of intent.

Oftentimes acts of resistance and confrontation went hand in hand. Sometimes acts of confrontation become acts of resistance and vice versa. There is a difference between acts of resistance and acts of confrontation. The former implies some acceptance of status but disagreement concerning certain terms or treatment. The latter removes status or hierarchy and means a contest between equals, even though the power difference between the parties may be significant. 


 

This page has paths:

This page references: