Final answer:
A slave's collar was a physical restraint and a tool of oppression, often made of iron and placed around the neck to prevent escape and enforce obedience. It symbolized the cruel control wielded by slaveholders over enslaved people.
Step-by-step explanation:
A slave's collar was a cruel instrument of restraint used on enslaved individuals. It often consisted of an iron band that was placed around the neck of an enslaved person. Slaveholders used physical restraints such as collars, shackles, and masks to inflict pain, enforce obedience, and prevent escape. In certain cases, collars could be equipped with spikes or bells to either cause discomfort or alert slaveholders if an enslaved person tried to escape. The imposition of a slave's collar represented the dehumanizing and brutal control that slave owners had over the bodies and lives of enslaved people.
It is documented that enslaved individuals who tried to run away might be forced to wear a collar with their owner's name on it as a form of punishment and public shaming, reaffirming the enslaved person's status as property. Some of these collars are preserved and displayed at museums as stark reminders of the atrocities of slavery. The significance of the slave's collar is deeply connected to the history of oppression and the struggle for freedom and human rights in the United States and elsewhere.