TORTURE: ASIAN AND GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES | JUNE-AUG 2013
VOLUME 02 NUMBER 02 & 03
Mulattos, people of mixed European and African heritage, also fetched a higher price than those of pure African ancestry. Slave women often found themselves the objects of their master’s lust and would produce mulatto children. This, in the minds of some slave owners, justified the sexual abuse of their slaves. There were no legal ramifications for sexual abuse against slaves and very little punishment, if any, for those who abused a black woman.
Promiscuity of black women was blamed for this sexual abuse, as men described these women as lustful and animalistic. Because black women were not legally able to make a complaint against white men, they had no recourse for sexual violence. Many black women were branded with the term ‘jezebel’ to indicate their openness to sexual advances. The offenders were never held responsible for their abuses of power against female slaves.
Female slaves were offered to guests of their masters as entertainment, which furthered the spread of venereal disease and made many women barren.
Many light-skinned Africans were coerced into prostitution or became concubines for their masters. This was exacerbated by the influx of Union soldiers into the Southern states. ‘Fancy girls’ were women of minority descent used in brothels.
It was not uncommon for a white man to have great numbers of children with his African slaves, and then employ them as slaves in his command. This happened both in and out of wedlock; and a blind eye was turned on the behavior of these owners. Although gossip of such abuse occurred on the plantations, it was rarely spoken of aloud at the consequence of beatings. These mixed children were often treated the same as slaves by their own parent. Forced marriages occurred frequently on plantations. Marriages were often arranged by the slave owners. Knowledge of contraception was nearly nonexistent, giving married slaves little options for family planning, and even those with knowledge had limited money and access to contraception. Through control of family planning and reproduction, slave owners effectively denied their slaves the right to found a family under their own terms, and also limited their autonomy and potential and willingness to escape slavery.19
19 Harris, Allyssa L. Factors That Influence Contraceptive Decision-making in African American Women: An Intergenerational Perspective. N.p.: ProQuest, 2008. 22-24. Web. 6 June 2013.
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Official statistics claim that the American Civil War was a low-rape war, however this is more likely to be due to lack of documentation than reality. There were no federal laws defining rape, so the crime was defined by most state laws as ‘unwanted heterosexual genital contact’, leaving much room for interpretation. In pursuing legal action against rapists, women had to prove that they 1) had not consented to the act 2) had physically resisted as much as possible, and 3) were of virtuous character. While the national law forbade blacks to make complaints against whites, military courts allowed for this. Thus, the complainants were of both European and African heritage and ranged in age from 5 to 82 years old. Most of these women were working class. The legal age of consent during the US at this period was 10 years of age.20 Escaping Torture Because torture in America had a face and location, escape could be made by fleeing the 20 Frank, Lisa Tendrich. Women in the American Civil War. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2008. Print.