From my search in the library, I found an interesting book, that may have mold (though I am not entirely sure) as there are two dark spots on it. Nevertheless, it is a combined two volume book called Documentary History of Reconstruction. Within its contents are numerous copies of documents written during the Reconstruction period about every topic thinkable concerning the subject. After scouring through at least 100 documents in insanely tiny print, I found two short articles of particular interests. Both describe incidents that occurred between slave and master shortly after the war was over and they received news that all blacks were free. The initial assumption about these two stories is that one would read about groups of slaves who fled their masters and traveled to the North. However, this was not the situation for many as most decided to simply stay where they were. This is the case in both short stories I have read.
One is entitled The News of Freedom by the author, Walter Fleming, but was originally written in 1887 by Smedes and titled A Southern Planter. It is a short entry written from a third person perspective about a slave owner and his former slaves. The owner, upon hearing that news that the slaves were now free, went and told them where they were working. Interestingly, he advised them to continue working as they were now for the remainder of the year, and then he would compensate them in December for their labor. From that point, it appeared as nothing new had changed and the blacks continued to work peacefully. The writer emphasizes that none of the blacks ever demanded wages and were content to continue working until their compensation at the end of the year. They were offered fixed wages and told they must discontinue calling them "master," but yet they continued. Thus, the short story ended. There was not much to it, but it shows how in some cases slaves were not treated harshly by their owners and instead liked them. From the sound of this story, that seemed to be the case for the particular plantation owner.
The second story entitled "Free as Birds" was originally titled What and Black under the Old Regime written by Mrs. V.V. Clayton in 1899. This short story was written from the perspective of Mrs. Clayton herself, a plantation owners wife, about her husband freeing their slaves. Her story states that when her husband told their slaves about being free, he offered to provided them with provisions for the balance of year if they wished to leave. However, very few of the slaves took up his offer and instead requested to stay with their master. The wife in particular writes, "The pleasure of knowing they were free seemed to be mingled with sadness." This was not the typical reaction of the slaves as many were overjoyed to be set free. The wife seemed in a way to be proud of her former slaves because they were not so foolish as to leave their homes and suffer as those blacks who were infatuated with the idea of being "free as birds." When the cotton was harvested and sold, Gen. Clayton payed the blacks and although some parted with their money, many had stayed and situated a monthly wage system with him.
Reading these two short stories provided a different perspective of the end of the war that is typically presented. The aftermath of the blacks during Reconstruction is usually represented with them becoming ensnared by their previous owners into tenant farming and sharecropping. This harsh reality of almost slavery to keep blacks working on the plantations is a significant part of what happened to many blacks during Reconstruction. This often overshadows the few instances when blacks were treated kindly by their former masters and instead worked as employer and employee as described by the two stories I read. Although it is important to recognize the significance of tenant farming and sharecropping it completely ignores other relations between former master and slaves that blossomed during Reconstruction. Personally, I find these two stories a refreshing outlook on plantation relationships that are often overlooked.
Fleming, Walter L. Documentary History of Reconstruction - Volumes 1 and 2. New York: Peter Smith, 1950.
The News of Freedom: Volume 1, page 72.
"Free as Birds": Volume 2, page 72-73.
I can't but agree it is a very interesting and unheard side of the reaction to freedom by the slaves. However the good nature of the slave owners should not be overstated, because like the slave like all of us fear the unknown and after spending their whole lives in captivity life off the plantation might seem a bit frightening. I don't mean to poke wholes in your theory just food for thought and the post was very incite-full.
ReplyDeleteI do like the not very popular aspect of the kindness of the masters to their slaves. It shows that not all of the southerners were die hard racist blood thirsty people as sometimes they are made out to be. Very excellent article and refreshing to read about people, in a time when slavery was viewed as okay, treated slaves in the best way and when they were slaves no more brought them back into the fold as employees instead of letting them starve.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like Mrs. Clayton had come to take her freedom for granted considering she saw as foolish the blacks that set out on their own and suffered. Were it not for these people intent on making something out of their newfound freedom, who knows how the progress of racial equality may have been hindered? That said, I don't mean to insult her or the blacks that chose to remain with their masters. It is a refreshing reminder that even in the midst of something as ugly as slavery there are still traces of kindness and mutual respect.
ReplyDeleteMy comment above sounds a little slanted. :S I couldn't find the right words. Hopefully it gets the general idea across.
ReplyDeleteThese stories seem to fall into the genre of "Loyal Slave" literature. That genre, which included many, many publications, reflect the desire on the part of white Southerners to say that they were always kind masters and that slaves were happier in their former condition than as free people. While it was certainly true that some slaves and their owners had positive relationships, the underlying narrative in the genre is nonsense. The skepticism expressed in the earlier comments is on target.
ReplyDelete"Racism," by the way, does not necessarily mean violence and brutality. In Loyal Slave literature, racism takes the form of Christian paternalism -- which , while kind, does not allow the object of that paternalism to be fully realized mature adults.