Ar’n’t I a Woman: Female Slaves in the Plantation South

Using the book Ar’n’t I A Woman: Female Slaves in the Plantation South you will need to write an essay of at least 750 words answering ALL of the following questions using specific evidence from the book to support your answers fully.
Please note: You will not be able to complete this assignment without reading Ar’n’t I A Woman: Female Slaves in the Plantation South. Papers submitted without using evidence from the book will earn a grade of 0 as reading this book is an integral part of the assignment.
1) How does White characterize the differences between Black women and men, and Black and white women? Why does she believe that Black women occupied a unique place in antebellum America? Do you agree with her assessment that they were the most vulnerable group in America at this time? Why or why not?
2) Discuss the stereotype of the Jezebel and her key characteristics. How did this stereotype develop? How did this stereotype influence the perception about Black women by both white men and women? How did the very nature of enslavement seemingly lend credence to this stereotype
3) Discuss the stereotype of the Mammy and the key characteristics that she was thought to possess. How does this stereotype differ from the Jezebel? Why despite their differences does White think that the two cannot be fully understood without looking at both characters? Why was the breaking of this stereotype particularly harmful for whites in the aftermath of the Civil War and abolition and what does this show us about the larger nature of slavery?
4) How was the system of slavery different for men and women beginning with their kidnapping and being brought to the Americas to their day-to-day life here. What were some of the unique challenges that enslaved women faced that men did not? Why does White posit that enslaved women ran away much less frequently than enslaved men? What did they use in place of running away to show their displeasure with their enslavers, and was this effective?
5) Why does White believe that menses marked a turning point in a enslaved female’s life? What changed one she started menstruating? Why were the mothers of enslaved women particularly worried about their daughters once they reached this age? In which ways does White show that pregnancy was viewed as “beneficial” for enslaved women?
6) Discuss the role of women within a slave marriage. What did these marriages typically look like? How was the dissolution of marriage harder in some ways for enslaved men than women? Why does White believe that marriages did not bring the traditional “benefits” to enslaved women? How was divorce looked at within the enslaved community?
7) How did the Civil War impact the experiences of enslaved women, and how did this change further still after emancipation? How did they find the response of the white community to them attaining their freedom? How did this inspire the new stereotype of Sapphire and what were some of her key characteristics? What aspects of freedom does White believe were most important to freed women? How did they use the Reconstruction era to carve out a new definition of womanhood different from the sphere in which white women lived?
In order to receive full credit, you must fulfill the following criteria.
• This essay must be at least 750 words (or very close to.) For every 50 words that you are missing, there will be a penalty of 10-points taken off of your grade
• It is YOUR responsibility to give me a word count. Failure to give a word count is a 10-point penalty off of your final essay grade.
• Falsifying your word count will earn the paper an automatic grade of a 0
• Essays need to be typed in 12-point font and double-spaced. I will not accept handwritten papers. Failure to double-space the paper will result in a 10-point deduction