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Assignment 03

In chapter one of  Jennifer L. Morgan’s Laboring Women: Reproduction and Gender in New World Slavery, Morgan discusses the role gender and the perception of the female body had on justifying slavery and racial views. Morgan examines the ideologies of European settlers particularly their  judgement of the African woman’s body. Prior to exploration Europeans had a predetermined perspective of the New World’s civilization. This lead to the developing ethnocentrism. During the Age of exploration many European seekers found themselves to be superior to Africans. They would describe the black women as masculine, monstrous and beastly (Morgan 2004:28). Her body was paradox it was both productive and vile in the sense that Europeans were not accustomed to witnessing “strong” built women who endured laborious hours. Their built lead the Europeans to believe they were predisposed to physical labor and reproductive labor. Testimonies of black women giving birth and be adept days following contradicted the white woman’s role in child labor as they would take months to recuperate. The black woman’s “hanging” breasts contributed to the validation of racial superiority. The white women did not posses these “hanging” breast which equated the black woman to savagery. Ultimately the black women role in her culture did not parallel the white women. The standards of beauty were those obtained by the white women who possessed soft features and were usually described as gentle and dainty. The black women did not seize these features as they were seen to capable of  working alongside men and then come home to her domestic works. She was not feminine or delicate as described by the European settlers. Women were even compared to livestock in terms of reproducing. Indigenous women were not seen as womanly thus facilitating dehumanization. This ideology lead to the notion of European superiority which in turn justified the slave system.

Discussion question

Why did European slavers purchase more children than women during the eighteenth century? Weren’t women more able than children according to their accounts?