Critical Commentary

The scholarly article I chose to read and analyze was “Prematurely Knowing of Evil Things: The Sexual Abuse of African American Girls and Young Women in Slavery and Freedom” from the book, The Journal of African American History Volume 99. Wilma King, the author of this essay, states that she this essay challenges preconceived notions about rape in the slave community, and “documents incidences of sexual abuse and exploitation, primarily against African American girls and teenagers, from the era of slavery to the late 20^th century to highlight diverse responses to aggression by the survivors of rape, their families, and the local communities.” (King, 173). Throughout the article, King gives many different examples of cases in the United State’s Judicial system. Some cases sides with the victim, and sometimes they didn’t. King went in depth to these cases and explained how other laws of the time, the age of the girl, the status (colored or white) of the girl, and the status (colored or white) of the perpetrator would define the final outcome of the case.

King’s article was very eye-opening, and raised important questions about women in slavery, and how they were sexually abused. King also raised very important questions about how the relationship of the slave owner and his wife, the slave and his wife, and slaves to other slaves, changed because of the slave owner’s decisions. One thing that King pointed out, which I think is very important, is that not only women and girls were the victims of sexual abuse in slavery. Many times, men were forced to force themselves upon a woman, for the soul purpose of breeding. “Maverick persisted in his demands until the man forced himself on her…” (King, 180). It was interesting to read about the different cases and how the smallest factor could completely change the outcome of the case. It was also horrifying to read what some of these women had to go through. As King mentioned though, these are only some of the stories that are on record. We’ll never know just how many women and girls were sexually exploited, and helpless to it, because the law didn’t even see them as human.