Research Paper on:
The Slave Mothers of Black Americans

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
reported on has been the presence of the women on plantations - the mothers, grandmothers and aunts who were important assets to the slave community, and the glue that held  many of the slave families together. These women tirelessly gave of themselves during their lifetimes, raising their youngsters (and even raising those youngsters who werent theirs), doing their duties by  their owners, and keeping their tears and grief to themselves, while sustaining and encouraging others to survival. Although the slaves lots were  horrible, and although slavery as an institution was dreadful, no matter were they worked, slaves, overall, were not powerless victims (Child, 2001). Slave families and communities - sometimes headed up  by the matriarchs of families - were very important institutions and especially were important for survival (Child, 2001). The slaves created a strong social and cultural life, as well as  a strong bond with one another (Child, 2001). The female slaves had a natural gift and knack of bringing people together into families and enclaves, and taking care of them,  no matter what the circumstances. However, in many cases, slave children were not raised by their biological mothers as indicated by former  slave Louis Hughes in his autobiography, Thirty Years a Slave (Hughes, 2001). In his account, he discusses how he was separated from his own mother and sold when he was  about six years old (Hughes, 2001). The only reason he was sold was because his master had died, and in the settlement, Hughes, as part of the dead mans "property"  was granted to another man, who eventually sold him to a different plantation after indicating that he would be working on a riverboat for a short while (Hughes, 2001). Louis