The breakdown of the black community, in order to maintain slavery, began with the breakdown of the black family. Men and women were not legally allowed to get married because you couldn't have that kind of love. It might get in the way of the economics of slavery. Your children could be taken from you and literally sold down the river.

Summary

This quote highlights how the institution of slavery systematically dismantled the black community by targeting the black family structure. It underscores the fact that enslaved men and women were intentionally prevented from legally marrying, as the slaveholders believed that allowing love and marriage would disrupt the economic system of slavery. Moreover, the quote emphasizes how enslaved parents lived in constant fear of having their children forcefully separated from them and sold into slavery elsewhere. Thus, the quote serves as a succinct explanation of how the breakdown of the black family was a deliberate strategy used to perpetuate and profit from the institution of slavery.

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