55 pages • 1 hour read
Julius LesterTo Be a Slave
Nonfiction | Biography | Middle Grade | Published in 1968A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 4-5Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 4 Summary: “Resistance to Slavery—1”
There are two ways to enslave a person: through brute force and through the more subtle methods of brainwashing. Slave owners in America used both methods. Besides leveraging physical abuse and fear, slave owners also tried to convince slaves that they were inferior, and that slavery was in their own “best interests.” Slaves’ personal identities and even their names were erased, replaced by an identity and name tied to the slave owner.
Religion was used as a weapon of brainwashing. Preachers approved by slave owners taught slaves that they were created to be slaves and that God wanted them to work hard and respect their masters. Ironically, Christianity, originally used as a weapon against slaves, was transformed by them. Religion became a “means of resisting the dehumanizing effects of slavery” (55). Enslaved people began to look down on the religion of their masters, shaping their own ideas about heaven and expressing themselves in biblical language.
Black slaves were constantly dehumanized using language. The n-word is a prime example, but the slaves took this word and made it their own (57). The belief in Black inferiority and white superiority was entrenched in American society and articulated by men like Thomas Jefferson.
Slaves born in Africa were far less likely to accept these racist beliefs than slaves born in America. Cooperative and submissive slaves became known as “Uncle Toms”—they were often house slaves, and some even betrayed fellow slaves in order to win their masters’ favor. The character of “Uncle Tom” in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel was based on the autobiography of Josiah Henson, a slave who “totally accepted the slave owner’s point of view” for most of his life (66). Trusted with the task of transporting slaves, Henson even resisted the opportunity for himself and the others to go free, a choice he later regretted.
Separated from the white slave owner, however, the “field slave took advantage of his alleged inferiority” (66). Field slaves became adept at sabotaging the plantation without being caught, believing that it was right to steal from the slave owner since all he owned was earned at the slaves’ expense.
Despite their exhaustion after a day’s work, slaves would routinely sneak away at night to gather for religious services and parties. White men, called “paddyrollers,” would patrol the area to intercept these gatherings. The largest parties were held at Christmas.
Music was another important tool of resistance. Enslaved people carried on the improvisational and communicative qualities of African music, making music out of ordinary objects and singing about “every aspect of their lives” (78). Despite the persistent attempts of slave owners to crush their spirits, enslaved people resisted in whatever ways they could.
Chapter 5 Summary: “Resistance to Slavery—2”
Slave owners lived in constant fear of slaves rebelling, and in indeed, “[t]he record of planned slave insurrections is long” (82), but many plans were foiled by “treacherous” house slaves. After any insurrection, slave holders became even more repressive.
At great risk, many slaves escaped and were helped by other slaves on their journey north. Some slaves escaped into the woods, joining with Indigenous people or creating settlements of their own. For some, suicide was an escape preferable to being caught and returned to slavery. Those who could not escape continued to resist slavery from within. Some refused to work, and others retaliated with violence toward their masters.
Although many plans of insurrection did not move beyond the planning phase to action, this was because of the impossibility of success rather than lack of desire to be free. Lester states clearly that slaves “were only held as slaves because they did not have the necessary means to make themselves free” (89). Slaves were fully aware of the injustice committed against them, and many prayed for vengeance.
Chapters 4-5 Analysis
In these chapters, Lester once again balances the historical narrative and corrects misconceptions. The formerly enslaved have often been passively described in history books—enslaved by white people, and also freed by white people. In these chapters, Lester demonstrates how enslaved people desired freedom and fought against the system they were trapped in. The only reason they were kept in slavery was because of the power dynamic and lack of resources. Although some were convinced that they were inferior to whites, a mentality that itself shows the depth of abuse they suffered, the majority of enslaved people did not accept or cooperate with the system.
Music, language, religion, and social gatherings were all used to resist the dehumanizing effects of slavery. Despite all efforts, slave owners could not uproot the humanity of enslaved people. These chapters include former slaves recounting moments of pleasure, but Lester is careful to put these details in the larger context for the reader. In Chapter 4, he points out that slavery was never enjoyable, but enslaved people were able to create moments of joy.
