The Psychological Effects of Slavery on Modern American Thought and Culture

Because history is a chronological record of significant events (as affecting a nation or institution) often including an explanation of their causes (Merriam Webster, 1997, p. 550), it's arguably the best resolve when justifiably trying to question the nature, deployment or source of anything. The research within this paper examines the psychological effects of slavery on modern American and African American thought and culture, specifically the trauma associated with the act of alienating entire race, and uses history as a guide to trace the psyche of Americans both white and black after slavery spanning to present. Research suggest that an underlying sentiment is present in contemporary moral values of both white and black populations of America, as pertaining to their beliefs of their own group and extending to the views each group holds for the other.

This paper draws from an assortment of readings as well as researched journal articles and books in an attempt to identify the character of American thought and culture, its construct, its origin and its fabric. The research aimed to critique the act of slavery as a term of thought that has left a devastating deposit on modern thought and society. It explores the sub par presentation of beneficial models; as modeling is commonly used to shape human behavior and is usually indicative of the values and characteristics of a society they deem worthy of promoting. Research revealed a mentality existed in the minds of the dominant American culture after the civil war that embodied the notion of a middle ground between slavery and freedom for a permanent black disenfranchised peasantry. The psychological consequences of the institutionalized system of slavery have manifested into a sexual trauma that has been institutionalized, thus being able to further injure African American women through the use of sexual stereotypes. Research also points out that the dominant culture takes a pseudo-victim stance, asking why it is that African Americans insist on living in the past. We see how unconscious thought is passed along traditionally from term to term, the snowball effect it garners as time passes, and the detriment its growth has on the prognosis of American culture.

Ellen Langer hypothesizes that there is a mechanism by which negative stereotypes influence our thinking. It can be understood in terms of the effect called premature cognitive commitments. These are mindsets we accept unconditionally, without considering or being aware of alternate forms the information can take. Langer continues that the unconditional acceptance of information occurs frequently with information that initially seems irrelevant, such as information about old age that we encounter during childhood. Langer argues that a child may hear about a forgetful, cranky, old person and allow this image to become the foundation for everything learned about old people or old age. When this idea is unpacked further, we can see how race can easily be substituted for age, and start to understand how certain racial stereotypes and biased ways of thinking are perpetuated. Certain mindsets are often unwittingly accepted at a time when they may seem irrelevant to our current concerns (Langer, 1997, p. 92). For example, a white child who attended a segregated elementary school in the 1950's may or may not have preconceived notions of black children because he was taught of their inferiority, or the impact on a five year old black child who is told he has to drink from the "colored fountain".

Like stereotypes and mindsets of old age, racial stereotypes are passed along in a very similar, traditional and customary way. Rayford Logan broke new ground with his comprehensive analysis of the images of blacks in newspapers, magazines, popular literature and other cultural forums in 1954(Logan, 1954, p.xiv). Logan's survey offered a devastating account of the resurgence of racism, north as well as south, in the late nineteenth century. Blacks were persistently stereotyped as criminals, savages, or comic figures. They were superstitious, lazy, violent, immoral, the butt of humor, and the source of danger to civilized life; unfounded allegations to say the least as well as an astounding glimpse into the psyche of the dominant culture. To stay with the premise posed by Langer, a child could easily inherit these beliefs or mindsets of black people and use them as a foundation for all beliefs of members of this group. A child who was a product of the early 1950's educational system may have underlying contempt for an African American citizen, as the height of the civil rights movement didn't even peak until 1965. The communal thought involved in this era of American history is a direct effect of slavery, and has a debilitating consequence on the prognosis of American thought and culture. Logan's book is notably written sardonically, that is with a disdain for the ignorance of his cultural counterparts. Logan, who received his PhD from Harvard, was apparently dealing with the psychological effects of a society that has viewed his race as inferior. A sense of betrayal is too great for Logan to surpass, as he contends the twentieth century's major works of intellectual history excluded the "portrayal of the negro" (Logan, 1954, p.xv).

The stereotypes extend to African American women in a more discreet way. "Though it may be true that all women have felt the impact of stereotypes portraying them incompetent and inadequate, the dehumanization of African American women focuses not on gender but on their sexuality"(Gay, 1999, p.8). It is suggested that there are three basic stereotypes that continue to exist in American culture and they are perpetuated in the media. "First there is the "Mammy" figure. This is a passive, churchgoing, overweight woman who is asexual. Then there is "the beast of burden". This woman is strong and resilient and can withstand all forms of abuse. Her image is of a tough, masculine woman, with an attitude to match, who does not need support from others (Gay, 1999, p.8). The third caricature, and perhaps most damaging, is the African American woman who is portrayed as the immoral, sexually impulsive and compulsive whore. "This image was one used to justify slavery of the African woman, and it continues today. The current and continual assault on African American women by brutal sexual stereotypes is the present source of institutionalized sexual trauma. Once institutionalized, sexual abuse became incorporated into American culture and now operates covertly" (Gay, 1999, p.8).

History begins to emerge as a tale; a written account of significantly events over a period of time, a documented record of human thought and behavior as exhibited in every day life. Modern ventures in the cognitive scientific enterprise, as proposed by Howard Gardner in The Minds New Science, have attempted to deemphasize historical and cultural factors, factors which may be important for cognitive functioning but whose inclusion at this point would unnecessarily complicate the effort. Logan's disdain posthumously resurfaces when we witness a contemporary, empirically based effort to answer long standing epistemological questions- particularly those concerned with the nature of knowledge, its components, its sources, its development and its deployment (Gardner, 1987, p. 6.) intentionally trivialize history and culture. This disposition of historical events and cultural factors lures one to wonder if this deliberate decision is an underlying result of slavery, research proved it may very well be.

In the same article written by Patricia Gay, which is entitled Slavery as a Sexual Atrocity, she intercedes that "when African Americans speak directly to their experience of slavery, the dominant culture tends to take a pseudo-victim stance, asking why blacks insist on living in the past "(Gay, 1999, p.8). An outside observer could mistake the approach of the cognitive scientific enterprise as an attempt to perpetuate the secret of slavery in the service of protecting the secret of the offender (Gay, 1999, p.8). We must unpack the secret of slavery to reveal the mental consequences of such an inhuman practice.

Patricia Gay interjects:
African Americans insist on speaking the unspeakable.
The acts of remembering, mourning and slavery truth-telling
have been the foundation of survival. Continuous testimony
and witness-bearing confronts evil and shares the burden of
pain. Most notably, African American culture has used its
spiritual traditions as vehicles for remembering, engagement,
and action. As a result, the culture has recreated some sense
of safety and maintained the connections between individual
and community and between private and public experience.
Unwavering spiritual beliefs and committed truth-telling have
Protected the group's faith in natural and divine order and
prevented a sense of being utterly alone and unprotected.

In response to the institutionalized racist thought, African American psychology became intermingled with a spiritual and religious belief system, which has in turn institutionalized political resistance and the forcing of eventual change. A direct product of slavery is the continuous emergence of social movements that affirm and protect its members, counteracting silence, denial, and alienation while offering the gifts of humanity, faith, love, optimism and courage.

Without help, a rich culture may never be rescued from impending oblivion. Modeling, as proposed by Stevenson and Stigler in The Learning Gap, is commonly used to shape human behavior. They are selected by a society because the culture values the characteristics that they are reputed to display and encourages young children to imitate them, while older children and adults are expected to understand the principles demonstrated in the models behavior. "The accomplishments and behavior of these people were held before children as examples of what they should admire and strive to emulate" (Stevenson and Stigler, 1994, p. 85). For the most part, cultural models have been displaced in the United States today. Only in American minority groups, note Stevenson and Stigler, do we see specific efforts to introduce models for children, otherwise, our modern era is particularly void of any sort of beneficial models. We can interpret 'beneficial' models as containing values that coincide with perhaps equality and harmony. How else can one hope to mend a history of hate? It is in this arena of model selection where America may benefit from their Asian counterparts. They have models that are presented to children at early ages that promote "studying hard and making progress everyday" (Stevenson and Stigler, 1994, p.87). Stevenson and Stigler continue that some of the most popular themes presented to children in Asian culture at an early age are social and personal responsibility laden, as exemplified by devotion to duty, obedience, deference, thrift, frugality, prudence, honesty, neatness and order. Stevenson and Stigler propose that some American models have been exposed and re-examined, such as Thomas Jefferson, whose slave-holding endeavors have been a topic of much heated debate.

Nicholas Magnis analyzed Thomas Jefferson's racist thinking as revealed by his writings and political behavior. Throughout his life, Magnis persists, Jefferson maintained that if freed the former slaves would have to be colonized outside of North America to Africa of the Caribbean Islands. Magnis continues that Jefferson based this imperative on his belief that blacks were inferior to whites in mental and physical endowments. Magnis develops his thesis on Jefferson's racist thinking based primarily on his own writings and his political behavior. Jefferson's conclusion that slaves were inferior in body and mind, Magnis argues resulted from thinking that was extremely emotional and illogical. By dissecting Jefferson's writings and speeches, one can see that Jefferson admits he has no basis for a lot of his hypothesis about the inferiority of the black race, as he would later be forced to admit that all conclusions made about black inferiority were just subjective observations. It is also important to note that Merrill Peterson, a well regarded biographer of Thomas Jefferson, characterized Jefferson's remarks as "thinly disguised folk's beliefs about negroes" (Magnis, 1999, p. 495).

Jefferson, as a traditional American model, had values and behavior indicative of the time in which he lived; it was congruent with that of the thought of the American public at the time. Just as the act of slavery skewed a nation's moral fiber, along with Jefferson's, in the era's immediately following slavery, we can still see a lasting impact on the models that are present today. Today's models are derived still from within the culture, but what we have now is an aberration of intelligent moral fiber, as a result of the act of slavery itself. Although Americans make little effort to present models for American children, modeling happens anyway, of course, and styles or fads are clear examples (Stevenson and Stigler, 1994, p.88). It is suggested that in order to develop supportive models, a conscious effort is required. This is an effort America is positioning itself not to be apart of, all the while losing ground in stabilizing this nation. Bart Simpson, the popular television "underachiever" reveals our dominant cultures national values (Stevenson and Stigler, 1994, p.88). Models such as these suggest that Americans promote completely different values and characteristics than say Asian cultures. New American models emerge as sports figures and entertainers, and reflect the morals and values of a society that has not yet had reconciliation or atonement within itself. These models are still indicative of the values and characteristics of our contemporary society, but the corrosion and perversion of the morals and characteristics of these models is evident.

Psychological effects of slavery on African American and American culture could not be accurately assessed without at least a brief mention of Hip-Hop culture, for it is from culture that models are derived, from models, may characteristics and values be assessed. It originated circa 1975 shortly after the apex of the civil rights movement, based soundly in rhythm and blues music, attempting to capture the attitudes and trends of the time. The integration of Hip-Hop into mainstream America occurred in the mid 1980's, with the introduction of music television (MTV). As MTV served as an outlet for current music, it was just a matter of time before a hip-hop artist or entertainer was mainstream enough to receive national airplay. This is just another case of mixed up priorities, as American youth are presented models from the wrong directions. Not to minimize the significance of music and culture, but it must not go without saying that the characteristics of the models that are admired today are tainted with the residue of slavery, especially in the genre of Hip Hop. Hip Hop reached its most climactic point when Tupac Shakur was murdered in 1996, almost two years after a first shooting that nearly claimed his life while being robbed in New York. Being the first rapper to be murdered for this lifestyle, Shakur became the unlikely martyr for this media dubbed gangster-rap lifestyle and is the top selling hip-hop artist, dead or alive, ever with over $38 million records sold to date. He is a modern cultural model for hip-hop, under circumstances that would appear not so desirable. His final album, completed just a month before his death, eerily depicted Shakur in place of Jesus Christ on a cross on the cover art of the album. An interesting glimpse into the psyche of Shakur, who exhibited some of the same responses to institutionalized racism we examined earlier. Unwavering spiritual belief is present in Shakur, as he obviously accepts his fate, placing himself on a wooden cross, as if he is openly projecting his willingness to die for this lifestyle. Analysis of Shakur's poetry is used here to paint a picture of the evolution of a mind traumatized by slavery, as his life was a sad symbol of the unconscious thought that existed during slavery that of which still hinders African American and American thought today.

Now I'm lost and I'm weary, so many tears
I'm suicidal, so don't stand near me
My every move is a calculated step, to bring me closer
to embrace an early death, now there's nothing left
There was no mercy on the streets, I couldn't rest
I'm barely standing, about to go to pieces, screaming peace
And though my soul was deleted, I couldn't see it
I had my mind full of demons trying to break free
They planted seeds and they hatched, sparking the flame
inside my brain like a match, such a dirty game
No memories, just a misery
Painting a picture of my enemies killing me, in my sleep
Will I survive until the morning, to see the sun
Please Lord forgive me for my sins, cause here I come.

Shakur vividly depicts seeds of evil that were planted in him. These seeds were planted in all of America as soon as the first slave boat reached the shores of the Atlantic. He exhibits many of the psychological facets Patricia Gay considers results of institutionalized racism.

History does not serve the purpose of holding or setting grudges. It's merely a record of thoughts and events as recorded and told over a period of time. It serves as a guide to rectifying mistakes of the past, as to make sure we as a society do not repeat the mistakes made by our ancestors. Hip-hop culture has an undeniable affiliation with the experience of blacks during slavery, which makes matriculation into this culture all the more difficult. When an outsider tries to assimilate, the product is often void of the subliminal response to slavery that is imprinted in the psyche of African Americans.

We can see the extent of the trauma of slavery in stereotypes and in historical and modern cultural models. Research suggested that covert mentalities exist in the dominant American culture in regards to the severity of slavery. After a prolific 39 year career, the head baseball coach at the University of Oklahoma was forced to submit his resignation after he made racist remarks about a player on his ball club. Coach Larry Cochell remarked of his standout player, "Dunigan is a good black kid"(Gardiner, 2005, p.1). Subtle language but nonetheless an indicator of a mental separation of whites and blacks, based on a preconceived concept of inferiority. Research also provided a glimpse of the response African American's have to the institutionalization of racism, a racism that is very deeply implanted into American thought. As a result, African Americans have had a religious awakening, and have had many social movements which aim to counteract silence, denial, and alienation, as this social action has proven to be an offering of the gifts of humanity, faith, love, optimism, and courage (Gay, 1999, p.8).