Response to “A Free Person’s Memory of Slavery’s Horror”

One of the scariest and most disturbing things to think about in regards to slavery is how the slaves were treated. The slaves were viewed as property, and could be dealt with however their masters saw fit. There were no laws regulating the treatment of slaves, so the punishment could be as harsh or lenient as possible. This is clearly shown in the memoir of a slave written by Henrietta King. This element is also present in “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, as is evident by how Tom is treated by Mr. Shelby and St. Clare and by Mr. Legree.

This memoir is about a slave, Henrietta King, who reflects on her treatment by her Mistress and how her harsh treatment changed her life. The young slave was constantly tempted by a piece of peppermint, and knew her mistress was waiting to catch her in the act of stealing it. Finally, Henrietta could take no more and quickly ate the candy, only to be caught by her mistress the next day. The woman tried to whip Henrietta, but she was struggling and so the mistress called her daughter down to help. She held the young girl under her rocking chair and pressed down on the Henrietta’s head while the daughter whipped her.

Even though the mistress called in a doctor to examine her, Henrietta’s mouth could not be helped. Her face was permanently disfigured, and she lacked teeth on one side. She could not chew and could only eat soft foods or liquids. When the girl grew into a woman, Henrietta would often have people stare at her and children would run away in fear. She grew used to this though, and learned to live with it. When she heard that her mistress had died years later, she did not shed a single tear for her.

I think that this article clearly illustrates the horrors of slavery and how the treatment of the slaves was left up to the slave owners. “I seed dat peppermint stick layin’ dere, an’ I ain’t dared go near it ‘cause I knew ole Missus jus’ waitin’ for me to take it.”  (Page 473). This quote clearly shows that many slave owners held their slaves only in contempt and had no pity or compassion for them. It reminds me of an opposite approach that would be taken by Mr. Shelby or Mr. St. Clare in “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. These characters were compassionate and caring for their slaves, and would have let the child eat the candy, or even given it to them as a treat.

On the other hand, I feel that the response taken by Henrietta’s mistress would be more closely associated with those of Legree. He often punished his slaves harshly for, regardless of their feelings or what would happen. This situation, in which the punishment was too harsh and the punisher got carried away, reminds me of the portion of the novel where Tom cannot work due to his injuries because Legree beat him so bad. Legree did not give regard to Tom’s feelings or what would happen in the future with him, just like what happened with Henrietta in the story. This quote I feel gets this point across well, “Seem like dat rocker pressin’ on my young bones had crushed ‘em all into soft pulp. De nex’ day I couldn’ open my mouf an’ I feel it an dey warn’t no bone in de lef’ side at all.” (Page 438)

This story shows the horrors of slavery clearly, and helps to drive home the point that there was no regulation of treatment for the slaves, and that the punishment could be as severe as the master wanted. Many slaves, like Tom in the story and Henrietta in this real world example, were often subject to their owner’s violent outbursts and fits of rage at their actions. This is just one of the many evils present in the institution of slavery, and why it has been and should continue to be eradicated.