Most Americans have no idea that slave breeding was once a booming business in the U.S. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Black bodies were the equivalent of today’s starter home and were one of the surest ways to build generational wealth. In 1808, the year the U.S. banned the international slave trade, the number of enslaved Africans was less than a million. By 1860, it had quadrupled — which some scientists believe pushed the limits of human reproduction.

Forced breeding of enslaved Black people was practiced widely in the South. Certain states, like Virginia, were famous for the almost industrial quality of their production. The federal government, by so aggressively protecting, nurturing and encouraging the institution of slavery, also protected the related breeding industry. By categorizing the enslaved as less than human and explicitly supporting the international slave trade, the government encouraged enslavers to build up their “stocks” while the getting was good. By classifying the enslaved as property, the government subjected them to nationwide bondage. And by pledging to come to the physical aid of the enslavers if their “property” ran away, or in the event of a violent insurrection, the U.S. government placed its military muscle at the “owner’s” disposal.

A breeding slave, often born into slavery, would have been selected purely based on physical attributes thought to be beneficial for producing strong offspring. From a disturbingly young age, girls were made aware of their future role as breeders, causing emotional distress.

Enslaved women chosen for breeding were forcibly paired with enslaved men selected by their owners. They had no say in these forced relationships and were often expected to begin bearing children as soon as they reached puberty. Their value was directly tied to their fertility and their ability to produce strong, healthy children who could eventually be put to work or sold.

These women experienced repeated pregnancies under appalling conditions. The emotional pain of being separated from their children, who were frequently sold or traded away, added an immense psychological burden.

Pata Seca, aka Roque José Florêncio, was an enslaved man in Brazil who was forced to have sex with hundreds of enslaved woman whether they wanted to or not. He was one of many slaves, known as a stud breeding slave, that were prized for their ability to produce strong, healthy children. Instead of working out in the fields, he was forced to impregnate as many enslaved women as possible with or without consent. You see, slaveholders were incentivized to force slaves to have babies because each child meant another slave that could work or be sold for profit. The despicable practice had many levels to it from slaveholders renting a stud like Pata Seca for a night to come and impregnate the female slaves, to all out breeding farms where a handful of men would be forced to impregnate a large group of exploited women continuously. The goal of these breeding farms was to produce as many children as possible to be sold as if they were cattle. Although Pata Seca was enslaved in Brazil, the practice of forced or coerced reproduction was widespread in the United States. In fact, Virginia's main export wasn’t a crop, it was slaves. These men and women were subjected to relentless violations, abuse, and torture as they saw their children be sold away never to be seen again.

#facts #history #crazy #juneteenth