When we think of slavery, we imagine wealthy white plantation owners and a submissive black man doing his best to please the white family who owns him. This portrayal is caused by television or simply through the eyes of a southern slave owner. They paint a beautiful picture of the white family, including wife and children, being served tea, neatly folded laundry, or a nice dinner prepared from scratch by their slave. The house is well taken care of, the slave has their own cozy and cozy quarters on the land and their lives are full of hard work but harmony exists. However, if you dig deeper into the true history of slaves in America, the stories will not always be so peaceful. Slaves were not always purchased by someone with compassion. Many cases show that these poor slaves were treated with rather inhumane practices. Those slaves were given no choice but to try to find a way out of their squalid and dangerous lives. It was that desperate drive for survival that led to the revolts against the white man. Although the goal was a hard struggle and a fierce attempt at freedom, it resulted in fear, anger, and harsh laws for African slaves. As with every war, protest, or turmoil in American history, there will be bias and embellishment regarding the facts. Reading accounts of slave revolts in America, you are clearly and immediately reminded that a certain skepticism must be used in interpreting any story. Suspicion of deceit was common even among wealthy white men of status. As written in the Charleston Courier, the arrest and trial of a slave named Billy proved that authorities needed to be questioned. The letter was delivered to the newspaper anonymously. It was a cruel story of injustice. Without any proof, and real or... partly paper proof, Western states offered freedom if a slave was able to reach the borders without being detected. The ability to have a compassionate owner also allowed the slave to have a better life. Not all slave owners treated their slaves as subhuman. Their role in the master's house was more that of a servant than a slave. Through slave revolts, whites were forced to understand that slaves would never be satisfied with life as it was. Because of the numerous rebellions that broke out in the South, they could not legally free their black servants, but they could treat them better over time. The white homeowners did not want their families and homes to take part in an insurrection. Although many lives of white men, women, and children were lost, slaves showed power and resistance to being mistreated and disrespected. Although freedom was years away, they were taking the necessary steps to prove that they were indeed human.