Slavery in Colonial America

angeliz2k · Nov 10, 2010

DLAndersen said:
Slaves were often entrusted with the care of the plantation owner's children. Case in point, when Thomas Jefferson went abroad to France as an ambassador after the Rev War, he sent for his youngest daughter, Mary, who was accompanied across the ocean by the slave girl, Sally Hemmings. Sally was only a teenage girl herself at the time but was a last minute substitute for another slave woman who was originally supposed to accompany Mary. Sally is the girl who later becomes Jefferson's mistress and, allegedly, bears him several children. I've not seen a lot of evidence that the "mammy" of the later period existed in the colonial days, but at various times, trusted slave women were indeed put in charge of the children.

Another historic example would be Tituba of Salem, Mass in the late 17th c. She was a Caribbean slave who taught the Paris girls and their friends how to tell fortunes which sparked the notorious Salem Witch Hunts. A peek into these two incidents indicates prior to the 19th c deep south, slave women were sometimes an integral part of the raising of white children.

Exactly! this was a transitional time period, so many viewpoints and lifestyles abounded. Though no matter how characters are portrayed, someone will shake their head and say, "It never happened like that" or roll their eyes and say, "This is all so cliche." You can't win so ultimately do your research and just write the best story you can.

Race and slavery are also such touchy subjects. I'm afraid as I write about it that I'm sure to offend somebody no matter what.

And yes, to what others have said, be sure to keep in mind that there was a major shift in attitudes between the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. However, you might be able to get something out of the antebellum sources listed above. Some of the arguments for/against slavery would have been the same, but maybe employed in different ways by different people.

Speaking of good old Jefferson, he was pretty set against slavery. So were many of the Founding Fathers, even those who owned slaves. They simply assumed that slavery would dwindle and die. Washington freed his slaves in his will, but they weren't to be freed until after Martha's death so that she wouldn't be left with an empty plantation. TJ wanted to free his slaves, too, but if I remember correctly he was so far in debt that he couldn't free his slaves without sending his daughter into poverty.

Kitti · Nov 14, 2010

Hey, just ran across this blog today and thought it might be of help in your research - it's all about revolutionary Williamsburg.

http://revolutionarywilliamsburg.blogspot.com/2010/11/return-to-your-family-indeed-to.html?spref=fb

artemis31386 · Nov 22, 2010

History_gal said:
I mean I know it's not like in Gone with the Wind, but I do feel like people must have had some sort of relation with the slaves, mainly the ones that lived inside of the house. I have heard of the white children playing with the slave children, and slave nurses caring for the owner's children. I mean you LIVED with these people, surely you would have some sort of feelings for them.

Slave were not people. They were no better than cattle in a lot of people's minds. Yes you lived with them and they raised your children, but they were not important members of the family. If a slave stepped out of line, that slave was dealt with, sold, or could be replaced. Also there was a disparity within the structures of the slaves themselves. The lighter skinned ones tended to be in the house, while the darker ones worked the fields.

Again, do your research, but mammies like in the movie Gone with the Wind, did not exist. Slavery was a wretched and brutal existence and there was no such thing as equality.

Ol' Fashioned Girl · Nov 25, 2010

As the direct descendant of one of the Scot Highlanders taken prisoner at the Battle of Worcester in 1651 who was subsequently sold into slavery in the Colonies the following year, I can testify to at least one side of this discussion... Daniel Robins was purchased by a man named Potter for work on his property. Daniel served his eight years servitude to the Crown and ended up marrying Hope Potter, his master's daughter. They had a very large family, were Quakers, and while they weren't wealthy, they became landowners and did quite well for themselves and their many children and grandchildren. Both sides, the Potters and the Robinses, were of very pale European stock, however, so the mixing of their bloodlines via marriage was more acceptable to the folks of that time period. There are several good accounts of the Robins' family as well as his contemporaries to be found by doing a search for 'Scots + slaves' on Google. A book specific to your chosen area and time is 'To Hell or Barbados' by Sean O’Callaghan.

Slavery in Colonial America

angeliz2k

never mind the shorty

Kitti

procrastinatrix

artemis31386

All around miscreant

Ol' Fashioned Girl

Hand? What hand?