Endurance and Defiance: Sexual Violence and Resistance Among Enslaved Women in Early 19th-Century America

Use this research proposal and the sources as well as information from this annotated bibliography to compose a paper of no more than 8 pages in length on the topic of
choice pertaining to the course and timeline, please use the Chicago Manual of Style citation method. Add 5 more sources to make it 10 in total, but use the 5 I give you as well with it. Write it at a freshman girl in college level.

Research proposal: This paper will explore both the themes of sexual violence and the resistance strategies of enslaved women in the early 19th century. The study will dive deeper into how enslaved women were put through widespread sexual abuse by their enslavers, overseers, and other men in power, often without legal protection or recognition of their humanity. By using historical records, slave narratives, and academic literature, this paper will inquire how sexual violence was a tool of oppression to have control over both the bodies and reproductive functions of enslaved women, effectively supporting the institution of slavery.

In addition, the research will also focus on the many different resistance strategies women created to put an end to sexual violence and preserve their sense of humanity. Their forms of resistance ranged from physical defiance, such as escaping or fighting back, to more subtle strategies like manipulation of their relationships with enslavers or seeking accordance and support within their enslaved communities. By focusing on these acts of resilience, the study will aim to challenge the exisitng historical portrayl that often modeled enslaved women as passive victims. The paper will draw on the feminist movements of the time to redescribe the conversation of slavery and resistance, highlighting the bravery and power of enslaved women in admist of the extensive and agressive violence they faced.

Annotated bibliography: History.com Editors. (2020, January 7). Slavery in America. History. https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/slavery
This extensive article provides an summary of the history of slavery in America, covering the changes of the institution and its effects on African Americans, including sexual violence against enslaved women. It includes conversations of how enslaved women were treated as objects and sexually taken advantage of by their enslavers and overseers. The article’s information can help provide fundamental background information for this research proposal, giving context for the widespread sexual abuse that enslaved women endured.

National Park Service. (n.d.). Enslaved women and slavery in the U.S. National Parks. U.S. Department of the Interior. https://www.nps.gov/articles/enslaved-women.htm

This website brings attention to the distinctive experiences of enslaved women within the wide system of slavery, with specific attention to the sexual exploitation they faced. The article covers both their experiences of sexual violence and their resistance strategies, including physical escape, subtle defiance, and community building among the enslaved. This content is valuable for the research paper’s focus on both sexual violence as a form of oppression and the many forms of resistance enslaved women utilized to regain agency and humanity.

Blackburn Center. (2018, January 9). The sexual abuse of Black women under slavery: Part II.https://www.blackburncenter.org/post/2018/01/09/the-sexual-abuse-of-black-women-under-slavery-part-ii

This article goes into the particular ways that Black women were sexually exploited during slavery, explaining how sexual violence was not only an act of abuse but also a strategic tool for maintaining control over enslaved women’s bodies and reproductive systems. The Blackburn Center explains how this violence supported the institution of slavery by reinforcing racial and gender hierarchies. This source is critical to the research proposal’s investigation into the connectedness of race, gender, and violence in the oppression of enslaved women.

Digital History. (n.d.). Resistance to slavery. University of Houston. https://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=2&psid=3035

This article overviews the multiple ways in which enslaved individuals, specifically women, resisted the oppressive systems they were appointed to. It describes both obvious and secretive resistance strategies, such as escaping, physical opposition, and finding unity in enslaved communities. The resource adds to the research proposal’s focus on enslaved women’s acts of resistance, presenting evidence of their agency and resilience despite the systems sexual and physical violence they endured.

Douglass, F. (1845). Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave. Project Gutenberg. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/23/23-h/23-h.htm

This original narrative by Frederick Douglass offers first hand evidence on the cruelty of slavery, including the sexual exploitation of enslaved women. Douglass describes the violence and abuse that enslaved women faced, often at the hands of their enslavers. This primary source provides historical context for the research proposal, helping to emphasize the lived realities of enslaved women and the ways in which their experiences were often overlooked or minimized in historical accounts.

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