Sex In Black, White And Mulatto

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slave women were so compelled to give into their owner's demands.
For some slaves the only way they could resist the advances of an
oncoming sexual predator was through resistance. Such an example is Jermain
Loguen's mother. When attacked, "she picked up a stick and dealt her would-
be rapist a blow that sent him staggering. She stood her ground even as he
rebounded with a knife, and finally she knocked him out cold."3 The
punishment for such aggressive actions though often involved a whip, a
slave auction or a bullet to the head. Another reason some enslaved women
would fight this sexual aggression was to protect their reputation among
male slaves. Few men felt comfortable with slave women who appeared to
"prefer sexual attention of white rather than black men."4

"Those slave women who found a direct manner to resist emerged in the lore
and mythology of slave women both as models for black female conduct and as
symbols of resistance that were unique to the black female ...

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by black men, this
abuse is overshadowed by white male exploitation of black women, and it is
often overlooked because it hardly ever turned up in court since there was
no legal injunction against it."9
Some female slaves gave into other's sexual desires. One must look
at why a slave would give in. Was it because they genuinely desired their
master, or was it in fear of the consequences that would result from
resistance? Women could use sex to get favors from white masters, free-
blacks and slaves.10 Female slaves were manumitted more than twice as often
as men.11 When a female slave achieved manumission, it was normally because
freedom had been granted. Male slaves usually had to ...

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