Question

How did slaves rebel?  rol Berkin article "African American Women in Colonial Society."

Answer 1

Many resistance cases indicate that slaves who accepted their condition, proved their strength and determination in fighting for their freedom. Rebellion was the most dramatic and violent way slaves could resist their enslavement. Less obvious resistance techniques existed on plantations. For example, slaves could steal their owner, robbing him of his property and income. They could damage equipment, so it was put out of service, requiring either lengthy repairs or expensive replacements. The slaves could stop work , work as slowly as they dared, or pretend sick. All these resistance acts carried the threat of punishment if revealed. Slave woman's children were born as slaves. Therefore, some women would terminate pregnancy rather than bring a child into the world as a slave. The women rebelled against the slavery system and robbed their masters of another slave.  Many enslaved African women had plant medicine expertise and could use their skills against slave owners. Enslaved Africans also fought slavery by keeping alive their African cultures and traditions in words, names, music and beliefs. Slave owners often tried controlling this. They believed that if slaves formed a shared sense of identity through African culture and customs, they would be more likely to revolt against their masters.
Carol Berkin begins her book with a study of women's positions before the American Revolution, and ends it with how women's positions changed for the better after the revolution.