Slavery was a tragedy. It was a tragedy because it was based on the fear of human beings. Fear decided much of the way that masters and slaves behaved. Because of fear, fear of the very existence of the masters, slave rebellion was so cruel. Because of fear, fear of the collapse of paternalism, the masters feared slave rebellions and punished rebels so severely. But paradoxically, because of fear masters acted in a more paternalistic way in running their plantations. This was the irony of the tragic history of slavery.
Ⅰ. Introduction
Ⅱ. Historians and Fear
Ⅲ. Slavery and Fear
Ⅳ. Conclusion