Role of Violence in the Slave Society

Solomon whipping Patsey.

In the slave society violence from the owners was a way of disciplining the slaves. It was also a way of showing the slaves who was in charge and how they were to behave. The violence in the slave society was a way to create and instill fear into the slaves. The violence from the slave owners was a way to get the slaves to do what they were supposed to do and how they were supposed to do their tasks. The owners used violence to keep their slaves in line and to show how the work was to be done. Several examples of the violence used on the slaves were whipping, beating and lynching. The more a slave was whipped, the more it feared its master. For instance, while a slave for Epps, Solomon, or Platt, was forced to work in the fields picking cotton. The average amount of cotton that a slave in the field should be able to pick is 200 pounds and when Solomon only picked 140 pounds, he was whipped so he would learn to pick faster and more. Another example from the movie about the violence in the salve society was when Patsey was whipped. Patsey, another slave of Epps, went to get soap for herself from another plantation. When she returned Epps was looking for her and when he found her, he forced Solomon to whip her. Another case of violence was when Solomon was almost hanged. At his first plantation, Solomon disobeyed an overseer, called Tibeats, during construction. Tibeats later came back and attempted to hang Solomon but was stopped by another overseer.

Tibeats attempt to hang Solomon.