They move to Pilitz together and Jacob finds work as a teacher. Wed love to have you back! "[18] Christianity and enslaved black ministers slowly replaced African religious survivals and represented another aspect of slave culture which the slaves used to create their own communities. As slaves, these black people struggled to maintain and hold onto aspects of their culture and/or former life that were the most important to them. He concludes that Blassingame's "analysis is incomplete in its presentation of a different and more complex scene" even though he "effectively shows the difficulties of the concentration-camp image and the Sambo myth". At first, Thomas Auld announces his intent to send Douglass to Alabama. Issel, William. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for The Slave Community: Plantation Life in the Antebellum South - 1972 PB at the best online prices at eBay! Well occasionally send you promo and account related email. creating and saving your own notes as you read. The Slave Community: Plantation Life in the Antebellum South is a book written by American historian John W. Blassingame. to start your free trial of SparkNotes Plus. The book is considered crucial to the study of American slavery and African American history. The second half of Chapter X continues to shift between personal accounts and public arguments against slavery. Although African American academics such as W. E. B. This is a dangerous undertaking, as educating slaves is forbidden; the community violently shuts down a similar school run by a white man. The 1970s, however, witnessed the publication of revisionist studies that departed from the traditional historiography of slavery. The The Slave Community Note includes chapter-by-chapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Douglass himself uses this context in Chapter X when he specifies that escaping slaves act more bravely than Patrick Henry did. When four of Gardners white apprentices attack Douglass, Douglass enjoys neither the right to defend himself nor the right see his attackers punished for their crime. Douglass is grateful that Mr. Freeland is not a hypocritically religious man. Kilson's review in the American Historical Review described Blassingame's aims as "imperfectly realized" because he "lacks a clear analytical perspective". He was also criticized by many for his use of slave accounts and not enough accounts by white slave owners. Douglasss year with Covey ends on Christmas Day, 1833. In a review in the William and Mary Quarterly, George Mullin is especially critical of Blassingame's use of psychology, stating that Blassingame "reduc[es] slave behavior and culture to a question of roles and psychological characteristics". Despite criticisms, The Slave Community is a foundational text in the study of the life and culture of slaves in the Antebellum South. At the end of the Easter holidays, all the slaves but Douglass are taken home. Douglasss analysis of the holiday time falls in this last category. Plantation Life In The Antebellum South Summary. A:True B:False. On the way, Douglass and the others speak together, agreeing to destroy their written passes and admit nothing. In the Journal of American History, Willie Lee Rose writes that Blassingame's use of the fugitive slave narratives is marred by his neglect of the WPA interviews. While Garrison and Phillips make a direct connection between Douglass and the Revolutionaries, Douglass uses a reference to the Revolutionaries to highlight the differences between the plight of slaves and the glamour of the Revolutionaries battle for rights. Douglass recalls how daunting the odds were for them. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. The Question and Answer section for The Slave is a great He paints the Atlantic as an exceptionally violent place. [57] Rawick states that Blassingame's "first major error lies in adopting the very questionable deterministic social psychological role theories associated with Erving Goffman and Harry Stack Sullivan." "[1] American Negro Slavery is infused with racial rhetoric and upholds perceptions about the inferiority of black people common in the southern United States at the time. In a 1976 edition of Roll, Jordan, Roll, Eugene Genovese explains that Blassingame's book "demonstrates that the published accounts of runaway slaves can be illuminating". Blassingame is an important author because he had the courage to write such a book that provides readers with the opposite side of the slavery picture than had ever been presented before. [42], A primary source that Blassingame did not consult in his study was the WPA slave interviews. [39] Blassingame's discussion of the African slave trade, Middle Passage, and African culture is based on Olaudah Equiano's The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African (1794).[40]. Douglass points out that their decision was far more difficult than that of Patrick Henry, whose choice between death and an oppressed lifeGive me liberty or give me deathwas merely rhetorical. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. Additional materials, such as the best quotations, synonyms and word definitions to make your writing easier are also offered here. The Slave essays are academic essays for citation. The escape party consists of Douglass, Henry and John Harris, Henry Bailey, and Charles Roberts. Bringing African's over to America brought a whole new culture to America. He wrote The Slave Community: Plantation Life in the Antebellum South in order to give a voice to the slaves rather than a voice through slave owners. Whether compiled by planters, doctors, clergymen, army officers, or census takers, statistics on slavery mean little until combined with literary material. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss thenovel. They seize and tie Douglass and the rest of the escape party. She notes that The Slave Community, like other historiography produced in the 1960s and 70s, "did not directly address women's history, even though many of the historians were sensitive to women's experience. [59][60], In 1976, the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History met in Chicago and held a session on The Slave Community. Pushing his suspicions even further, Nietzsche speculates that the valuation originally placed on altruism, insofar as it encourages acting for others instead of oneself, is an expression of what he calls "herd morality" - the morality of the many and the weak, the function of which is to preserve the community and, at the same time, to . Blassingame concludes, "Uncritical use of the interviews will lead almost inevitably to a simplistic and distorted view of the plantation as a paternalistic institution where the chief feature of life was mutual love and respect between masters and slaves. According to Blassingame, these personality types were important to white slave owners because obvioulsy they wanted the Sambo type of slave because they could be counted upon to perform their duties without causing problems. The Slave Community by John W Blassingame is a significant revisionist work that places the slave as an individual at the centre of its analysis and argument. In the quarters, he "acted like a man", castigating whites for the mistreatment of himself and his family; in the field working for the master, he appeared obedient and submissive. The third chapter discusses the distinct cultures of the slaves and their self preservation. Douglass spends time at home recovering, and later he becomes an apprentice at Hugh Aulds own shipyard. Blassingame introduced the whole meaning of the slavery that was taking place. "[29], Despite slaveowner paternalism and charges of submissiveness, Blassingame contends, "There is overwhelming evidence, in the primary sources, of the Negro's resistance to his bondage and of his undying love for freedom. In John W. Blassingames own words, This book describes and analyzes the life of the black slave: his African heritage, culture, family, acculturation, behavior, religion, and personality (xi). As an eyewitness, the autobiographer brings the historian into contact with almost all kinds of slaves. The few exceptions include Charles S. Sydnor. As historian George P. Rawick points out, more weight was often given to white sources: the "masters not only ruled the past in fact" but also "rule its written history."[7]. In the new preface, Blassingame asserted that the book had to be revised because of George Bentley, an enslaved, pro-slavery Primitive Baptist minister from Tennessee who pastored a white church in the 1850s. He explains, "The more fear whites had of Nat, the more firmly tried to believe in Sambo in order to escape paranoia. The Slave Community contradicted those historians who had interpreted history to suggest that African-American slaves were docile and submissive "Sambos" who enjoyed the benefits of a paternalistic master-slave relationship on southern plantations. "[20] Blassingame notes that when a slave couple resided on the same plantation, the husband witnessed the whipping and raping of his wife and the sale of his children. "Consequently", argues Blassingame, "a great deal of emphasis has been placed on non-traditional sources in this study in an effort to delineate more clearly the slave's view of bondage and to discover some new insights into the workings of the system. You can help us out by revising, improving and updating From Douglass's fight with Covey to the end of Chapter X. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. Stampp admits that "few ask what the slaves themselves thought of bondage. By continuing, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. Lane's anthology of essays The Debate Over Slavery: Stanley Elkins and His Critics (1971). The fight with Covey causes Douglass to regain his spirit and defiance, as well as his resolve to be free. One day, four white apprentices attack Douglass at the shipyard and nearly destroy his left eye. Word soon spreads, and Douglass surreptitiously begins to hold a Sabbath school in the cabin of a free black. Du Bois criticized Phillips's depiction of slaves,[2] the book was considered the authoritative text on slavery in America until the 1950s. Chapter-by-chapter summaries and multiple sections of expert analysis, The ultimate resource for assignments, engaging lessons, and lively book discussions. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. Subscribe now. He asserts that by concentrating on the slaveowner, historians have presented a distorted view of plantation life that "strips the slave of any meaningful and distinctive culture, family life, religion, or manhood." GradeSaver, 6 August 2022 Web. He decides to return, and he takes her as his wife. for a customized plan. This book not only goes into details about the labor that the slaves partook in on a daily basis that kept America up and running, but also about the cultural aspect of bring slaves into the country. For example, Douglasss first escape attempt involves several people and fails, whereas he presents his successful escape as the act of an individual. Douglass meets and befriends other slaves on Freelands property, including the intelligent brothers Henry and John Harris. Stampp's study lacks the racist interpretation found in American Negro Slavery and approaches the issue from the position that there is no innate difference between blacks and whites. in 1940. We're sorry, SparkNotes Plus isn't available in your country. This process is similar to the behaviors of both Africans enslaved in Latin America and white Europeans enslaved by Arab slavers and slavers in West Africa, who sometimes clung to their native religions but also often adapted to their captors beliefs. Though Douglass remains with Freeland for another year in 1835, by this time he desires his freedom more strongly than ever. By giving slaves a brief span of time each year to release their rebellious spirit, slaveholders keep them manageable for the rest of the year. Their exact location on a scale of one to ten will always remain a matter of opinion. This book paints a picture of some slaves obeying slave owners while others resisted their bondage and tried to escape. See for yourself. Blassingame states there is overwhelming evidence of enslaved peoples undying love of freedom in defiance of their circumstances (192). Douglass is to learn the trade of ship caulking. The Nat type of slaves were rebellious and tried repeatedly to escape from bondage and gave their owners a hard time. He starts to fight back but decides against it, as lynch law dictates that any black man who hits a white man may be killed. As a result, Blassingames work shows a different account of slavery in the Antebellum South than had ever been written before. He mentions it because this shows the reader that slavery is very very complicated and cannot be 100% understood. He remarks, "Nothing demonstrated his powerlessness as much as the slave's inability to prevent the forcible sale of his wife and children."[21]. They know what it feels like to be unable to protect their own children. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. Ulrich Bonnell Phillips wrote the first major historical study of the 20th century dealing with slavery. [52], In the Journal of Political Economy, economic historian Stanley L. Engerman complains that the book is not "written by or for economists" and makes "limited use of economic analysis". He complains that it "parodies the basic complexity of the 'psychology' of the oppressed who simultaneously view themselves in socially negative terms while struggling against the view of themselves and their behavior". Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. Overall his attempt to show this picture was successful because he was able to prove that slaves were worth more than a bullet (Blassingame, 331). Interpersonal behavior revolves around the dominant-submissive axes: "One form of behavior tends to elicit its complement: dominance leads to submission and vice versa. By clicking Check Writers Offers, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. Here Douglass puns on the comfort of living with Freeland as his master and his stronger desire to live on free land. Douglass, resolving to attempt an escape sometime during the year, sets about offering his fellow slaves the chance to join him. Wali, Hina, et al. 24, 25. [46] Historian George P. Rawick noted in 1976, however, that the criticism "should not obscure the fact that [Blassingame's] book was of such merit as to warrant spending our time criticizing it four years after its publication. "The Slave Community: Plantation Life in the Antebellum South" by John W. Blassingame is the first book about slavery written by a historian in the viewpoint of slaves rather than slave owners. Slave traders arrive to taunt them and size them up as though to sell them. "[11], Blassingame asserts that historians have discussed "what could be generally described as slave 'culture,' but give little solid information on life in the quarters. The stereotypes of the slaves emerged from Antebellum Southern literature. The Slave is a novel by Nobel Prize-winning Polish-American author Isaac Bashevis Singer. As . The book is considered crucial to the study of American slavery and African American history. However, enslaved people often played into their masters expectations to protect themselves and each other from punishment, hiding their genuine emotions and frequently reject[ing] the arguments (305) of their own racial inferiority. A cultural and social history, The Slave Community purports to explore the lived experience and cultural activities of enslaved people as well as their relationships with each other and white people in the Southern United States. Blassingame portrays slaves in different ways than previous authors because he uses real life accounts of slavery experiences rather than second hand accounts from white slave owners. He begins to despair. American Historical Review 78 (10): The Slave Community by John W. Blassingame. Plantation Life In The Antebellum South Summary. The Slave Community Notes Ch. Thanks Writer Lyla you are indeed awesome . This is said to have biased his work towards the slaves and didnt provide enough consideration to the other side of the slavery story. Plot Summary. Historians criticized the use of slave narratives that were seen as unreliable and biased. Yet the slaves value their education so highly that they attend Douglass's school despite the threat of punishment. Discount, Discount Code Nevertheless, Blassingame argues that "however frequently the family was broken it was primarily responsible for the slave's ability to survive on the plantation without becoming totally dependent on and submissive to his master. "[51] Orville W. Taylor contends in the Journal of Negro History that Blassingame had a tendency to overgeneralize and make "unsubstantiatable claims to originality and uniqueness". This page was last edited on 2 January 2023, at 02:37. The Slave talks about a Jewish man, called Jacob, who lived in a small village called Josefov in Poland. However, Blassingame emphasizes that all aspects of culture were not eliminated. [26] "The Sambo stereotype was so pervasive in antebellum Southern literature that many historians, without further research, argue that it was an accurate description of the dominant slave personality. "The Slave Community: Plantation Life in the Antebellum South" by John W. Blassingame is the first book about slavery written by a historian in the viewpoint of slaves rather than slave owners. Yet, like many good books, it should have been better. Bentley is a minister with white slave owners Why does blassingame mention george bentley? "[20] He contends: While the form of family life in the quarters differed radically from that among free Negroes and whites, this does not mean it failed to perform many of the traditional functions of the familythe rearing of children being one of the most important of these functions. Request a complete Study Guide for this title! [16], Still, Blassingame concludes that cross-cultural exchanges occurred on southern plantations, arguing that "acculturation in the United States involved the mutual interaction between two cultures, with Europeans and Africans borrowing from each other. While he admits that "slave interviews rival autobiographies in their revelations about the internal dynamics of bondage, the heavy editing of the WPA interviews makes them far more difficult to utilize than black autobiographies. Not affiliated with Harvard College. When she loses her grip, the boy falls into a nearby river and drowns. With Nat perennially in the wings, the creation of Sambo was almost mandatory for the Southerner's emotional security. Furthermore, enslaved people had complex relationships with white people, specifically slave women being white mens mistresses or raising the children of plantation owners. Plot Summary. The family was, in short, an important survival mechanism."[24]. "[43] He elaborates on his criticism of the interviews in a 1975 article in the Journal of Southern History. For a long time, the rouse works, but Sarah must listen to the cruel gossip about her that people say believing she can't hear. The The Slave Community Note includes chapter-by-chapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. What source or textbook are you using for your questions. $24.99 As a result, they had to give up many aspects of their culture because they didnt have the time to practice them because of the time spent working and being watched. Rawick, "Some Notes on a Social Analysis of Slavery", pp. He questions the reality of plantation paternalism described by Phillips: "the reality of ante-bellum paternalism needs to be separated from its fanciful surroundings and critically analyzed. In fact, statistical analyses rely so heavily on inferences that one must carefully examine the data bases to evaluate the conclusions based on them. Blassingame addresses the historiography of slavery published between 1972 and 1978 in the revised edition. This book provides valuable accounts to historians that can be used to get a better idea of what slaves went through and how they were able to survive and rise above their experiences. In addition, the white slave owners feared the Nat type of slaves because they were hard to control and work wasnt completed. There, they live through Benjamin's childhood, until he finds his calling as a lecturer. [56], Historians exhibited varying responses to Blassingame's use of psychological theory. The discussion led to the publication of an anthology edited by Al-Tony Gilmore called Revisiting Blassingame's The Slave Community: The Scholars Respond (1978). Man, called Jacob, who lived in a small village called Josefov in Poland Douglass. They seize and tie Douglass and the rest of the 20th century with! And the others speak together, agreeing to destroy their written passes and admit nothing foundational... 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