December 5, 2013

LAST BROWN LECTURE PLANTATION SLAVERY, CONT. o John W. Blassingame, The Slave Community Looked at the history of slavery from the view of slaves, referring to slave narratives which turned historical community The Federal Writers Project (Z.N. Hurston headed that in Florida) o Religion Varies, some Black minister(Tallahassee, James PAIGE, 1ST Baptist minister, itinerant) Assemblies in terms of religion usually had a white minister presents, b/c it was illegal for especially after the 1830s ( because of the number of slave insurrections) Clandestine slave servicescalled steal-aways (spiritual by the same name) o Recreation Usually on Sundays Wrestling Music Dancing o Praise meetingSpirituals Choir singing Shouting Praying Generally clandestinely away from the plantation Burial ceremonies were also conducted this way Wood headstones carved Decorated headstones, often with seashells, broken-pottery or glass mosaics Fisk Jubilee singers made Negro spiritual famous That model for a gospel choir spread to all Black schools (and continues today) Black people were barred from participation the religion even as it was imposed on them Liberation Theology Form of Christianity tended to be selected by master and played down any themes of enslavement, liberation, and played up obedience to masters and submission

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Some churches were somewhat integrated in that there was a mixed congregation (but they were usually separated into different sections of the building) Congregationalism/Puritan/Quaker movements had little influence on Blacks o Primary Environment Slave Quarters, religion conducted in the primary environment Everyday Musical Expression: Hambone/ Patting Juba a tradition of percussion through hand clapping and lap slapping. Usually male Folk talks/lore George Chandler Harris Family o Secondary environment o Secular Songs Work songs Folk songs Etc. SLAVERY IN THE CITIES Savannah; Charleston; New Orleans; Baltimore; Mobile; Richmond; Macon GA(Southern port cities) o Most slave owners in the city had few slaves, more slaves in the city than the country because more people had a few personal domestic servants o 3/4 of the families in Charleston SC owned 2 slave sin 1820 o New Orleans the most cosmopolitan city in the South; a national and international Mecca o Carpenters, Blacksmiths, Shoemakers, Tobacco Hands, Masons, Barbers, Brick Layers, Cabinets Makers, Jewelry makers, auditors, (Theyve almost obliterated the white artisan class, white workers were marginalized by free Blacks) by 1790 its difficult for poor whites to compete o Utilizing slaves to do work in tobacco factories, usually young boys 8-11 o Savannah fire dept o N. Orleans bldg railroads o Could be owned by the city to do sanitation o Also owned by the hospital to do clean up, etc. o Anything that can be named, slaves were doing in urban cities o Could be owned by churches

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o Such workers were required to have a badge so that they could be known by their procession, also the owner had to by badge. Purchased by the owner b/c they wanted hire a skilled individual. C Richard Wade, Slavery in the Antebellum ities,1820-1860 Hiring Out o Usually done on off-days for money or provisions; happened occasionally everywhere, but more popular in the North House Servants City Badge Living Out o Because of the largeness of the cities it might not be practical to return to the master every night so some would live at board houses or at the person where o Didnt want slaves to interact w/ poor whites and free Blacks, and it sometimes assisted slaves in getting remuneration for their labor and MAYBE eventually buy your freedom o Larger number of males and interactions with women Board Money o While living out had to pay for board, food, etc. o Living out and hiring out is how we get some limited growth in the free Black population Housing o Better options for urban slaves in the secondary environment b/c usually in the structure where the master lived or nearby Dress o Clothes were better because it showed the masters status and wealth Diet o Better food? Better access to food, eat closer to what the master was eating o Depends also on if one is hiring/living out. Generally that population was on the margins of the city and didnt have the same accessas urban slaves o White city members worried about free blacks teaching hired out blacks to read and write Charleston police force in 1820 had 100 in 1857 had 287 members of the police force, concerned with the growth of the free black populations and set up community control groups to monitor slaves and set up municipal courts and

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urban centers for slaves and dealt out fines and punishment when slaves broke the slave codes and district rules, also monitored for runaways o 3 THINGS TO COMBAT THE ACCUMULATION OF FREE BLACKS IN THE CITY: 1820-1860 Urban slaves fell from 22% to 10% Sold young males back to the plantation districts Made it difficult to impossible to manumit or emancipate slaves Narrowed the differences between free black and slave black through laws o Charleston prohibited Blacks from being employed in skilled jobs o ALSO 2nd wave of German and Irish immigrant 1830s-40s Irish will do work considered to be nigger work Germans tried to accumulate land and become slave owners