Final answer:
The structure of the black family was fundamentally disrupted by slavery, preventing the establishment of traditional patriarchal families due to the laws that treated enslaved people as property. This legacy carried on post-slavery, influencing African American families' social and economic conditions.
Step-by-step explanation:
For Spillers, the fate of the black family is bound to the structure established by slavery, which made it impossible to form a patriarchal family structured around the transmission of names, property, and domestic roles. This structure was deeply affected by the way slave laws treated Black men, women, and children as property, undermining the stability of family units and making lawful marriage and inheritance impossible. Slaves were considered property, and any family bonding occurred at the discretion of slave owners, who had the power to dissolve these relationships at any time by selling family members to different owners. After slavery, the perpetuation of discriminatory practices and laws continued to impact African American families, hindering their economic and social stability.