Slaves

Slavery is the situation in which an individual is under the control of another, losing the ability to dispose freely of himself. The phenomenon of slavery goes back to someancient civilizations. Historically it has been shown that their existence derives from the practice to exploit the labor of captives in war, unlike most ancient practice ofsacrifice. Slavery is an economic activity while the slave is the ideology that sustains it. A clear example of slavery are Frederick Douglas and Juan Francisco Manzano both victims ofAmerican Slavery and Caribbean Slavery respectively.

Frederick Douglass was born as a slave in February, 1818 in Talbot, Maryland. He was separated from his mother when Hejust was a little child and his father identity was unknown, but Douglass came to believe that his father was his master. On the other hand Juan Francisco Manzano best known asManzano was born in La Habana, Cuba in 1797 as Douglass; Manzano was born as a slave. Born to free parents, his mother was a favorite slave of the Marquise and his father was ToribioCastro a slave house.

Even both were born as slaves, Manzano had a privileged life. His first ten years old were at spend at the feet of his mistress where his developed hisskills as a tailor and an artist. When Manzano was ten years old his first mistress and master died and was until that moment that he became aware of his status as a slave. Thathappened when he went to live to the home of the sadistic Marquise Ameno. Whereas Douglass noticed of his status since he was very small. At the age of six, his grandmother tookhim to the plantation of his master and let him there. As slaves Douglass and Manzano suffered much. They were punished for anything that does not seem right to their masters.