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 peculiarly their own. (Harriet Brent “Accidents 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 obvious that women in slavery received much worse treatment than men. Not to take away the incredible injustices men suffered during slavery in America, but rather to highlight the even greater hardships African American women faced during this time period. This article will consist of a comparison of gender roles, religion (faith), and general treatment of men compared to women during slavery. Specific incidents collected from "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl", "Black Boy" (author Richard Wright), and various websites will form the basis for this document. It is impossible to compare the hardships endured by either sex during slavery with personal experience, so no attempt will be made to do so. The main point will be to compare males and females in every aspect of slavery and how each dealt with their circumstances. The church system at the time of slavery was also very influential in the treatment of slaves and especially female slaves because the white or misty interpretation of the Bible held white males to be superior in all aspects of life. Not even a white woman would be considered equal to a white male, much less an African American woman. An example of misrepresentation of the gospel was evident in a sermon preached by Mr. Pike in “Accidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.” “Listen, ser... in the center of the paper... the factors that influenced the gender roles of each individual slave. The power that these women held with their hope, their faith and above all their love was absolutely incredible and inspiring to anyone who read about their suffering. The injustices that women suffer in both slavery and freedom will forever be placed above any other despicable act in the history of America or any other nation. A final note on this topic is to point out in all of these readings the feeling that women in slavery put more effort into their education than all men did was extremely evident in their writing style, their grammar and their intelligence general in relating to certain topics. This is a final credit to all women and the incredible triumphs they have had and the thousands of apologies owed them by men throughout history.