Slavery

• Slavery in the USA, which was abolished in 1865, led to the death and suffering of many, who either died on the boats to America or led a life of suffering.
• In Gilead, the children of Ham, (Black People) are deported away from Gilead, showing how insignificant and racially inferior they are seen to be, reflecting the slavers’ perspective that it was acceptable to treat them as animals.
• Many slaves attempted to escape the conditions they lived under in North USA, but failure meant flogging or death
• Atwood describes an underground female road, that Moira used with the help of Quakers for her attempted escape, which failed.
• an underground railroad was created with Quakers help slaves escape to sympathisers in Canada