| My thoughts on the subject of slavery was a constant bone of contention between my father and me. |
Mi opinión sobre el tema de la esclavitud era constantemente la manzana de la discordia entre mi padre y yo. |
| As I became a man, the divide between us on this subject grew exponentially. |
Cuando me convertí en un hombre, la separación entre ambos sobre este asunto aumentó exponencialmente. |
| Although one quarter of white men (of which I was now one) owned slaves, I could not stomach the inherent lack of freedom of the human beings around me. |
Aunque un cuarto de los hombres blancos —a los cuales yo pertenecía— tenía esclavos, no podía soportar la inherente falta de libertad de los seres humanos que me rodeaban. |
| Big Joe, Jonah, Felicity and Auntie Mama had been a part of our farm for as far back as I could remember, working for my family in domestic and farming capacities. |
Big Joe, Jonah, Felicity y tía Mama habían sido parte de nuestra granja desde mi primer recuerdo y habían trabajado para mi familia en las tareas domésticas y agrícolas. |
| They were always kind to me, and the fact that they could hold conversations, tell me stories, bear and raise children of their own seemed to indicate first, that they were capable of being free and second, that they should be as free as I was. |
Siempre eran amables conmigo, y el hecho de que pudieran mantener conversaciones, contarme historias y criar a sus propios hijos parecía indicar, primero, que estaban cualificados para ser libres y, segundo, que deberían ser tan libres como yo. |
| When I voiced these opinions to my father, he was not understanding. |
—Escucho tus opiniones, Robert. |
| “I hear your points, Robert, however animals can do all that you mention as well. Animals chatter amongst one another, we just don’t understand their language. And animals bear and raise children too.” |
Los animales parlotean entre ellos; simplemente no entendemos su idioma. |
| “Yet animals are free.” |
—No obstante, los animales son libres. |
| “Some are. The animals on our farm are not free. We provide food and shelter, and in return the animals work or provide food for us.” |
Los de nuestra granja no son libres. |
| “Father, animals and slaves are not the same thing.” |
—Padre, los animales y los esclavos no son lo mismo. |
| “In most respects they are, which is why we treat our slaves as well as our animals. We provide food and shelter for our slaves, and we require work in return.” |
—En muchos aspectos lo son, y es por eso por lo que tratamos a nuestros esclavos tan bien como a nuestros animales. |
| “Again Father, animals and slaves are not the same thing. Some owners are teaching their slaves to read. We can’t teach our cows to read!” |
—De nuevo, padre, los animales y los esclavos no son lo mismo. |
| “How can you know that? Have you ever tried?” |
¡No podemos hacer eso con las vacas! |
| My father was a reasonable man for the most part, but definitely a product of his upbringing and generation. |
¿Lo has intentado alguna vez? |
| He genuinely believed that slaves were less than human. |
Sinceramente creía que los esclavos eran menos que humanos. |
| In his consideration white people were human and slaves were a mix of human and animal. |
En su opinión, las personas blancas eran humanos y los esclavos eran una mezcla de humanos y animales. |
| I was never going to influence him to see the barbarity of slavery through my eyes, and he was never going to convince me that slaves were not human. |
Nunca iba a influenciarle para que viera la barbarie de la esclavitud a través de mis ojos, y él nunca iba a convencerme de que los esclavos no eran humanos. |
| And when I turned 16, I knew it was time for me to strike out on my own. |
Y cuando cumplí los dieciséis años, supe que era el momento de iniciar mi propio camino. |
| I was determined to see the world, and leave Kentucky, slavery and farm life behind. |
Estaba decidido a ver el mundo y dejar atrás Kentucky, la esclavitud y la vida agrícola. |
