ere barbarians, the presence of large groups of these slaves allowed for a steady formation of a distinctive African-American culture. According to Everett, (2014), white people enjoyed the music, dancing, and stories by slaves even though they failed to recognize the slave culture as a legitimate culture. Most slave owners also encouraged their slaves to marry. According to Cooper, Holt and Scott (2014), they believed that allowing slaves to have families made them docile and thereby less inclined to escape or rebel. However, the stability of most slave families was disrupted constantly through sexual abuse, violence, and separation carried out by masters.
While slaves brought to America arrived with different languages, cultural practices, and religions, they shared common modes of cultural expression and understanding that formed the basis of a common culture (Everett, 2014). In addition, tied together with a common cord of slavery, slaves strove together to develop strategies that would enable them to live satisfactorily. Using their African heritage, slaves developed their own values and way of life.
Although slaves tried to adapt to the harsh conditions that they were subjected by their masters, in some cases the conditions became too harsh prompting slaves to revolt. Some of the notable slave revolts include the one led by Gabriel Prosser in 1800 in regions of Richmond and Denmark Vesey in the year 1822 in Charleston. However, few of the slave revolts achieved any notable success. The slave revolt which terrified white slaveholders the most was the one led by Nat Turner in August 1831 in Virginia. Turner’s group which numbered about 75 blacks killed 60 white people in two days before being overwhelmed by armed resistance from local white people and state militia forces. According to Everett, (2014), the rebellion by Turner made supporters of slavery claim that the rebellion was evidence of black people’s inherent savagery and that slavery was needed to discipline black people. The fear of similar revolutions made many southern states, where slavery was prevalent, to tighten their slave codes that limited slave education, assembly, and movement.