Replies

Please do not jump on me, I am not defending slavery. I will say it is a hateful practice right off the bat, but it was not the bull whips and plantation jails of the imagination, even though those things existed and were used. One of the best works of fiction that I have ever read that I think got it right is "Uncle Tom's Cabin" Everyone has formed an opinion about this book but few have read it. I suggest looking it over. Considering I am a pro-South Freeper I hope that endorsement will carry some weight considering the reputation that book has received for starting that late unpleasantness.

One fact to consider is this. Large areas of the South had absentee owners and high slave population. As an example South Carolina's low country, some counties had 3000 slaves to every white freeman. Diaries and letters from the era record the concern overseers had with upsetting the slave population. This concern was real since slaves were allowed to carry rifles. They had to because they needed them to hunt for meat and in areas where Indian attacks were still to be expected. I tell you I found this shocking when I read it.

Scholars reviewing the records believe the slave system in that area was largely self regulating. The rice crop took 11-12 months to bring to harvest. For most of that time tending to the crop took very little daily labor. Large numbers of slaves were needed only at harvest time when long back breaking days were required. For the next 10 months the workday started at sunup and was over shortly after noon. Most of the day to day management was done by one of the older and trusted slaves. As a result of the short workday slave owners provided very, very little in the way of provisions (shockingly little including clothing). The slaves were free to raise their own crops and livestock. The Charleston markets were dominated by a slave economy. White fishermen complained but could do little to undercut the slave driven markets. By the way slaves kept their profits, the little that it was.

Here in Virginia it was very different. The workday was much longer and much harder work. On the other hand provisions were much better. The slaves were better trained in such trades as blacksmithing, carpentry, joinery, etc. Free blacks were more common than in the low country but more likely to be very very poor. Free black in SC were often quite well off but very rare.

For the record there are 3 books I recommend that deal in part with slavery and all support what I state above.

Slave Counterpoint - deals with the development of slavery from the beginning up to the American Revolution. The areas of Virginia and South Carolina are highlighted as the centers of this peculiar institution. A very heavy read but well documented. I can not remember the authors name.

Plantation Mistress - the subject is white women from 1830-1850 and was meant to complement a book on the role of New England women. The role of slavery is a major part of the book and does not contradict Slave Counterpoint other than the differences in periods discussed. I can not remember the authors name, but it was a woman. This is the lightest reading of the 3 I mention here.

Black Confederates and Afro-Americans in Civil War Virginia. By Jordan. A (black) professor at the University of Virginia who caught holy H-E-double toothpick for writing this book. It deals with life for all aspects of black life during the four years of the Civil War. He hits it all, slaves on the plantation, slaves in the cities, free blacks, slave owning blacks, slaves who ran away to fight for the North, slaves who ran away to get away, everything. What he really wanted to explore and he tried to explain is why on earth would slave fight for the South. Many even received a pension for their services from the various states after the war, even slaves who stayed to fight when their coward of a master deserted. The was a fascinating book with many stories that are hard to reason or explain. It really shows the complexity that was slavery. It is a bit of a heavy read for most but not as heavy as Slave counterpoint.

mark and bump for a well informed post

Don't let the My-Weekly-Reader sounding title fool you. The author spends quite a lot of ink examining Farmer,General,and finially President, Washington, his slaves, and the institution of slavery at the close of the 18th century.

This book can be found and download for free on blackmask.com, or by clicking here George Washington: Farmer

it was not the bull whips and plantation jails of the imagination, even though those things existed and were used

It's traditional to insert padding between mutually exclusive assertions. That way, you maintain at least a thin pretense of respect for the reader's intelligence.

Cherokee Chief Joseph Vann owned 200 slaves before his
land was taken by the State of Georgia and he was sent to
Oklahoma Territory on the "Trail of Tears."

The Chief Vann House