Narrative of the Adventures and Escape of Moses Roper, from American Slavery.

Narrative of the Adventures and Escape of Moses Roper, from American Slavery.

An image of a man being hung by his wrists surrounded by four men. One man is carrying a whip and the other is stripping him. Inscription at the bottom reads: MR. GOOCH STRIPPING THE AUTHER TO FLOG HIM, HIS TWO SONS AND SON-IN-LAW PRESENT. THEY AT THIS TIME GIVE HIM FIFTY LASHES EACH.

Until the late 1800s, slave labor was widespread and commonplace in both America. African Americans were forced to work demanding labor jobs during all times of the year with no adequate reward, payment, or compensation. With a lack of proper housing, plumbing, food, and clothes, the life of a slave was often miserable. They rarely, if ever, received breaks and were often subject to cruel and inhumane treatment. Physical punishments ranged from enslaver to enslaver, but the purpose of dehumanization and bodily mutilation carried throughout. Enslavers were abusers and torturers that leached off the land and crops the enslaved people alone maintained and produced. Often seeking better lives, enslaved people would try to escape their enslavers and the atrocious conditions of the plantations. Devastatingly, not all those who escaped were able to reach freedom or the justice they deserved. In this image, we are able to see one of these failed attempts and the repercussions that followed such a desire for freedom.

Moses Roper had run away from his plantation, but was caught and brought back to the enslaver, Mr. Gooch. Upon his return, Moses was forced to endure extensive punishment and intense pain. Flogging is the process where the victim's body gets repeatedly hit with a whip, switch, rod, etc. In Moses' case, not only the enslaver, but his two sons and one son-in-law also partook in mutilating his body. Moses was stripped of his clothes to ensure the whip would cut his bare skin, leaving not even a thin piece of fabric to protect himself. He was bound and hung up so he could not escape or resist no matter how hard he tried. This dreadful occurrence was not as rare as people want you to believe. Cases of flogging, lynching, assault, and other forms of torture had been documented all over the Mississippi Delta in the United States. African Americans faced unjust, inhumane, and abusive treatment from enslavers, their families, and strangers passing by. The frequent beatings and death of enslaved people in America show how important reparations are to the many families who are still impacted today. While slavery is now considered an illegal practice in many parts of the world, abusive and inhuman treatment, stemming for racism, is still highly present in our societies. This is why the continuous injustices committed against these families and communities needs to be properly examined, displayed, and condoned.

Moses Roper

Documenting the American South

Berwick-upon-Tweed: Published for the author and printed at the Warder Office, 1848.

written: 1815
published: 1848

Gina Jeffreys