Some African slaves resisted their captors by engaging in acts of rebellion such as sabotage, running away, and organizing revolts. They also maintained their cultural practices and traditions as a way of maintaining their identity and resisting assimilation. Additionally, some slaves formed communities and support networks to help each other survive and resist their captivity.
Slaves used various forms of non-insurrectionary resistance to resist the dehumanizing conditions of slavery, such as acts of sabotage, feigning illness, and covertly teaching other slaves to read. These tactics allowed slaves to assert some degree of agency and resist their oppressors without resorting to violent uprisings.
Slaves attempted to resist through various ways, including sabotage of equipment, pretending to be sick to avoid work, running away, rebellion, forming covert communities, and practicing cultural traditions. These acts of resistance were often risky and carried severe consequences, but they allowed slaves to assert some sense of agency and autonomy in the face of oppression.
Slaves typically had traditional African names given to them by their parents, but slave owners often Anglicized or changed their names to suit their preferences. Some slaves were given names based on the region they were from in Africa or after famous figures. Many slaves also adopted surnames of their masters, leading to a mix of African and European names.
In some African societies, children of slaves could be sold as property alongside their parents. The practice of selling slaves, including children, was common in many parts of Africa due to factors such as war, debt repayment, or as a means of economic exchange.
It is difficult to make generalizations about all slaves, as experiences varied greatly. While some slaves may have resorted to theft in order to survive or resist their oppression, it is important to recognize that they were often victims of systemic exploitation and abuse, rather than the aggressors.
In some cases, the crews of slave ships took captive people they encountered in Africa, but apparently most were purchased from African slave dealers and governments. The slaves sold within Africa were mostly criminals, war captives, slaves purchased from other parts of Africa, heretics, and debtors. There is a source link below.
Not all African Americans were slaves. Many were free African Americans while others were so light in their skin color so they could pass as a white. Some free African Americans owned slaves themselves.
Before the Civil War, some free African Americans owned slaves and a few also employed white people.
run away, broke equipment for slow, and some poisoned food
Descendants of European planters and African slaves are often referred to as Creoles in some regions such as the Caribbean and Louisiana.
The Former African Slaves invented Blues music as a way to relieve the unhappiness in their lives. People who heard it found it a good therapy for their 'blues' and that's how it got its name.
Some slaves from certain states were considered greater then the average slave. A state could consider their African Americans stronger or smarter and for that reason those slaves were more desirable and valuable.
Other slaves resisted their captors by drowning or starving themselves.
Slaves used various forms of non-insurrectionary resistance to resist the dehumanizing conditions of slavery, such as acts of sabotage, feigning illness, and covertly teaching other slaves to read. These tactics allowed slaves to assert some degree of agency and resist their oppressors without resorting to violent uprisings.
Some African Americans faced the challenges of not working, not having a good job, and some were also slaves.
While treatment of slaves by Europeans was dehumanizing and brutal, African slave owners also mistreated slaves through practices like forced labor and physical abuse. However, some African societies had more complex relationships with slaves, including opportunities for social mobility or integration into households. Overall, the treatment of slaves varied across different African societies and was not uniform.
In most cases, European traders did not capture slaves. West African nation states controlled the regions from which most slaves were abducted; thus Europeans had very limited access to people beyond the coast. As in Europe, African states were sometimes engaged in war, which produced captives, some of whom were kept in a form of indigenous African servitude. After the arrival of Europeans, tribal chieftains began to trade such captives of war, along with other goods. As the American plantation system grew into a highly lucrative enterprise, so did the demand for chattel slaves (human property). Gradually, Europeans became aggressive participants in the abduction of slaves and played a dominant role in organizing slave-raiding parties whose business it was to the capture other Africans in exchange for European goods--weapons, liquor, beads, cloth, etc. European traders then transported victims to the Americas as "merchandise," making a profit on human misery.