Zimbardo Experiment compared to the Book of Negroes.

Zimbardo Experiment:

       In 1971, psychologist Philip Zimbardo and his colleagues set out to create an experiment that looked at the impact of becoming a prisoner or guard. The researchers set up a fake area that mirrored the look and feel of a real prison, in the basement of Standford University, and then selected 24 undergraduate students to play the role of both prisoners and guards. The group of students that were chosen had no criminal background, lacked psychological issues and had no major medical conditions.
       The "prison" included three 6x9 foot prison cells, each containing 3 cots and held 3 prisoners. (You can imagine how uncomfortable and NON-private this must have been for the prisoners-such a small space.) Across from the cells were rooms for the guards and a warden. A very small space was assigned as the solitary confinement room and another served as the prison yard.

[[This was just an experiment so obviously it did not have to be exactly like a real prison-it's the idea that mattered and the outcome was what was to be recorded.]]

       The 24 students were either assigned the role of a prisoner or a guard. Prisoners remained confined for a 24 hour period and the guards were assigned to work in 3-man teams for 8 hour periods. After each period, guards were able to return to their homes until their next shift. The hidden camera and microphones captured everything that went on during these hours and everything was noted, recorded and studied by Zimbardo and his crew, specifically the behavior of the participants.
       The results showed aggression and abusive tendencies towards the prisoners on the guards' part and the prisoners began to show signs of stress and anxiety, leading to the time period of the experiment to be much shorter than originally planned. The prisoners became passive and depressed, some even crying and becoming acutely anxious, leading them to be released early from the experiment. Zimbardo was even caught up in the act of power, as he was the warden. He did not notice the seriousness and immorality of the situation until a graduate voiced objections concerning the conditions. The results demonstrated that power plays a role in human behavior. The guards were given this power over the prisoners and hence, began to behave atrociously toward them, leaving them to become depressed, as they had no control whatsoever.


Now, to relate this experiment to The Book of Negroes is not a difficult task, unfortunately...

The slaves that are captured are put into a submissive state, where any human rights they once had are demolished. The slave owners/buckra are like the guards. They have 100% authority over these people. It is a horrible thing-ownage over a person. These slaves were once free people. We see their attitude and behavior change from the moment they are captured. Whilst captured, they become sad and they miss their previous life; loved ones, food, comfort, housing, love and tenderness. It is dehumanizing to cage the prisoners like animals and we see dehumanization when the slaves are chained and pulled as if they are not human beings. If they disobey the people in charge they are beaten and humiliated. Who gives these people the right to do this? The prisoners might have gotten themselves into the state of being locked up but their reaction, nonetheless, is the same. They become frustrated with the lack of movement and freedom and enter a state of sadness. The slaves endure the same pain. What they once had is taken from them so suddenly. A quote from the book says, "I stumbled forward, and didn't notice for hours that the yoke was rubbing the skin of my neck raw" (Hill 35). This is Aminata speaking. It shows that the slaves are bound by metal chains by their necks- how animalistic. It clearly was painful and uncomfortable, too. Another quote from Aminata says, "We now had ten or so captors, all with spears, clubs and firesticks" (Hill 38). This shows that the ones who stole the slaves were ready, at any given time, to beat or even kill any slave that showed resistance. It also played as a means of keeping the slaves in their reach, sort of like a boundary. (Meaning that if the slave were to try to run away, they would be killed and hence, they would not dare try.) If it were me being a slave, I'd surely become depressed too if that was my life and if I were a captor, I could see how the power would get to me and consume my actions.