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Clothing The Black Body In Slavery: What They Wore And How It Was Made, Wanett I. Clyde

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

After suffering the traumas of capture, enslavement and the ship's journey from their homeland, newly arrived Black people, along with struggling to understand and cope with their reduced circumstances, were often pulled in multiple directions with regard to their appearance. Stripped of garments that represented their native culture and forbidden to practice their personal grooming habits, slaves were now reliant on their owners for care. Once a slave was purchased, it was in the best interest of the master and mistress to protect their investment by providing them with the essentials. Chief among those necessities were clothing.

This thesis will …