Slavery was taught in school along with many other topics within the United States history class. It was taught that slaves were captured people from Africa and was put in boats to be a part of the transatlantic trade that would be dropped off out various countries including North America. The curriculum does not say that the trade and slavery itself was a traumatic experience in history. It does not talk about how the people were forcibly taken away from their homes and their families which created trauma for every person that was taken. It ignores the fact that every person had gone through an experience that scarred their mental state, and their experiences are clumped together.

Slavery is a traumatic history which Cathy Caruth speaks upon in depth in her articles, “Unclaimed Experience: Trauma and the Possibility of History” and “Violence and Time: Traumatic Survivals”, as well as Heather Andrea Williams speaks about the emotions of an enslaved and freed person in her book, “Help Me To Find My People: The African American Search for Family in Slavery”. Together through the in-depth research of trauma from Caruth and Williams by showing the emotions through the traumatic experience of slavery has caused towards African Americans in her book. Elizabeth is used as an example to show how slavery was a traumatic event that many African Americans went through during enslavement and how Christianity was used to save them.

Elizabeth, who was enslaved in Maryland, was also separated from her parents and siblings. Elizabeth had become stricken with sadness and loneliness as a result of the separation. Elizabeth was also in the state of deep depression for six months before she came to acquire some sense of relief. Caruth had spoken about how language is limited for trauma as words are not enough to satisfy because the body also reacts to trauma in her article, “ Unclaimed experience: Trauma and the Possibility of History”. In Elizabeth’s case, her body reacted in losing her appetite and becoming so weak she could hardly work. Elizabeth is also as seen as the product of departure. “The trauma of the accident, its very unconsciousness, is borne by the act of departure”, stated by Caruth. As Elizabeth tried to according to Caruth, “bring experience to light”, by later on finding and reconnecting with Christianity to soothe her departure from her family. Elizabeth had been set free like Freud which was talked about in Caruth’s article “Unclaimed Experience: Trauma and the Possibility of History”, in which he speaks about finding his freedom. “It forced me to leave my home, but it also freed me…” stated in Caruth article. As Elizabeth’s family was forced to leave, she also found freedom in finding Christianity and believing that she would be free in heaven as she and her family would reconnect in heaven and find happiness.

Slavery is seen as an intergeneration of passing on trauma. It was seen through many enslaved people with their own traumatic experiences and freed people alike. As the Elizabeth story is an example of slavery being a piece of traumatic history and African Americans still being affected by that trauma even today. Most African Americans turn to Christianity to find relief in pain and trauma. Caruth in depth understands of trauma from Freud and Williams examples of the emotions and getting a glimpse of what trauma was like for the enslaved will open the eyes of others and not to discount the people the experiences of the enslaved. The intimate connection between the trauma of slavery and religion continues to survive and is passed down from generation to generation.