The Story of Mary Prince

As a young girl, Mary Prince was sent from Bermuda to be a slave on a plantation in Antigua. From the moment she arrived, she was subjected to horrific abuse at the hands of her master and mistress. For years she endured this treatment, hoping and praying for someone to rescue her from her misery.

Finally, after many failed attempts to escape, Mary was able to obtain her freedom and make her way to England. There she wrote a powerful account of her experiences as a slave, exposing the inhumane treatment that so many people endured on a daily basis. Her story helped to fuel the abolitionist movement and led to significant changes in the way that slavery was viewed by society.

In reflecting on her experiences, Mary stated that she would rather be a slave on a cotton plantation, working herself to death day in and day out, than to live with an unprincipled master and a jealous mistress.

The Importance of Ethics in Slavery

For those who lived during the era of slavery, the concept of ethics may have seemed like a foreign language. It was a time when people were treated as property, subject to the whims and desires of their owners. Many plantation owners were unscrupulous, using their slaves for their own gain without any thought for their well-being.

However, as the story of Mary Prince illustrates, ethics played an important role in the lives of many slaves. While they were powerless to change their circumstances, they could still hold tight to their own principles and values. To live with an unprincipled master was to lose one’s dignity and self-respect. By clinging to a set of ethical guidelines, even in the midst of immense suffering, slaves were able to maintain a sense of self-worth and dignity that could never be taken away.

• Ethics allowed slaves to hold on to their humanity in a dehumanizing system.
• It gave them a sense of autonomy and control over their own lives, even in the face of extreme oppression.
• It allowed them to resist the lies and justifications that their owners used to justify their own actions.

About Harriet Ann Jacobs

Harriet Ann Jacobs was born into slavery in North Carolina in the early 19th century. After enduring many years of abuse at the hands of her master, she was able to escape and make her way to the North. There she wrote a book called “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” in which she detailed the many injustices that she and other slaves had to endure.

Jacobs was a strong advocate for the importance of ethics in slavery. She believed that slaves should hold fast to their principles and never compromise their beliefs, no matter what the cost. By doing so, she felt, they could maintain a sense of dignity and self-respect that could never be taken away.

Real Life Examples

One example of the importance of ethics in slavery can be seen in the story of Nat Turner. Turner was a slave who led a rebellion against his masters in 1831. While his actions were violent and extreme, his motivations were rooted in a sense of ethical outrage at the injustices he and other slaves were forced to endure.

Another example can be seen in the life of Frederick Douglass, who was born into slavery in Maryland. Despite the many hardships he faced, Douglass never wavered in his commitment to the principles of justice and equality. He went on to become a powerful voice for abolition and a celebrated leader in the fight for civil rights.

These and other stories remind us that, even in the midst of terrible circumstances, it is possible to maintain a sense of ethics and integrity. By doing so, we can hold fast to our humanity and resist the forces that seek to dehumanize and degrade us.

Conclusion

1. The ethical principles that slaves held on to were an important part of their psychological survival.
2. These principles gave slaves a sense of self-worth and dignity that could never be taken away.
3. By resisting the lies and justifications of their owners, slaves were able to maintain a sense of autonomy and control over their own lives.

Despite the many challenges they faced, slaves like Mary Prince, Harriet Ann Jacobs, Nat Turner, and Frederick Douglass showed us that it is possible to hold fast to our values even in the midst of terrible adversity. By doing so, they set an example for us all and ensure that their legacy will never be forgotten.