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J. Morgan, assignment 3

Racism became evident as England began searching in West Africa for strong and profitable workers to migrate to America and establish new colonies. English writers wrote about their views of African women’s bodies, viewing them as nonsexual animals whose sole purpose was for childbearing and labor. English explorer Richard Jobson wrote about how the African man’s penis and the women’s breast were not sexual organs but more like troubled appendages. As part of their culture the women did not wear clothes. White European’s more or less so called African women animals, describing their breast as low low hanging animal utters. There were also Mexican, Floridian, and Virginian women who were dark skinned and walked nude, however these women had breast that did not hang low and appeared unused and because of this, these women were not seen as savages,for the mere appearance of their breast. African women were seen as savages whether it was because of the shape of their body or their loud behavior, people did not view them as real women,and compared with the beastly behavior of the Garamantes women (Morgan 28,29). The beauty of these women was not allowed to be talked about, instead they were continually depicted as beast who were picked and sold into slavery for labor and reproduction for more labor. These images stuck with the African women all the way through into America where their differences between themselves and the white woman became even more and when racism flourished. White women could not understand how the African women would give birth in front of everyone without the help of a nurse or midwife (Morgan 27). They believed that black women were not cursed because they seemingly experienced pain free child delivery, and it further solidified the racial barrier because they saw them as witches and animals.

Had the Richard Jobson wrote about the beauty of African women instead of making them out to be savages, would people have accepted and been more open to their culture?