African Americans in Slavery “Slavery is terrible for men; but it is much more terrible for women. In addition to the burden common to all, they have wrongs, sufferings and mortifications specific to them. (Harriet Brent “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” page 119). Gender played a key role in slavery and after reading “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl,” it is evident that female slaves received much worse treatment than male slaves. Not to take away the incredible injustices that were inflicted on men during slavery in America, but rather to highlight the even greater hardships that African American women faced during this period. This article will consist of a comparison between gender roles, religion (faith), and the general treatment of men versus women during slavery. Specific incidents collected in "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl", "Black Boy" (author Richard Wright), and various websites will form the basis of this document. It is impossible to compare the hardships suffered by either sex during slavery to personal experience, therefore no attempt will be made to do so. The main point will be to compare men and women in all aspects of slavery and how each handled their situation. The religious system during the era of slavery was also very influential on the treatment of slaves and especially female slaves, as the white interpretation or misrepresentation of the Bible viewed white men as superior in every aspect of life. Even a white woman would not be considered equal to white men, much less an African American woman. An example of misrepresentation of the gospel was evident in a sermon given by Mr. Pike in "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl." “Listen to you, ser... middle of paper ... the factors that played into the gender roles of each slave. The power that these women held with their hope, their faith and most of all their love was absolutely incredible and inspiring to anyone who read about their suffering. The injustices suffered by women, both in slavery and in freedom, will forever be placed atop all other despicable acts in the history of America or any other country. A final note on this topic is to highlight throughout all of these readings the sense that slave women put more effort into their education than any of the men was extremely evident in their writing style, grammar and overall intelligence on certain subjects. It is a final tribute to all women and the incredible triumphs they have achieved and the thousands of apologies owed to them by men throughout history..