Trouble Don't Last

This novel illustrates how enslavement in the United States was, as the title suggests, “nothing but trouble.” As Samuel remarks, “Trouble follows me like a shadow. To begin with, I was born a slave when other folks is born white. My momma was a slave and her momma a slave before that, so you can see we are nothing but a family of trouble” (1). On a basic level, enslavement required people to work for a lifetime without pay (unless they escaped or were set free), and they were forced to produce profits for others who legally “owned” them. As the property of others, enslaved people had no legal rights of their own and were abused in a variety of ways. Although plantation owners sometimes killed enslaved people outright, they suffered no repercussions and were allowed to do what they wanted with their “property.” Throughout the novel, many enslaved people express their outrage at the many injustices they are forced to endure. In addition to working for no pay, they are not allowed to leave the plantation, they have no having legal rights, they are physically abused, and they are often forcibly separated from their families. These are some of the many hardships associated with enslavement, and the intensity of this list clarifies why many enslaved people historically attempted escape despite the dangers associated with this choice.