Book Description
Taking into account the major recent studies, this volume presents an updated analysis of the life of the black slave--his African heritage, culture, family, acculturation, behavior, religion, and personality.
Customer Reviews:
A Classic Contribution.......2005-09-08
In this revised and expanded edition, scholar John Blassingame describes not only what facts his researched uncovered, but also how he uncovered those facts. In particular, Blassingame's research emphasizes slave narratives and slave letters.
He explains that both of these types of documentation allow the researcher to enter the inner world of the enslaved person through his or her eyes, rather than simply accepting the plantation owners' views about slave life. His discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of historical resources along with his explanation of how to use internal and external evidence to assess the credibility of such sources offers a fine lesson in historiography.
In his choice of subject areas, Blassingame cuts a wide swath that overviews every core aspect of enslaved life. He begins with an intriguing examination of acculturation by comparing how enslaved Europeans in African, enslaved Africans in South America, and enslaved Africans in North America acculturated. He also explores the important but often neglected issue of the Africanization of the South--how southern Whites acculturated to African American culture.
Having laid this foundation, two moving chapters ensue. Blassingame documents slave family life with all its harrowing, horrible obstacles. Yet he also demonstrates the resilience and love of enslaved African American families. Next Blassingame addresses the many obstacles to rebellion and escape, putting to rest the notion that the lack of runaways in any way suggested acceptance of enslavement.
His final three chapters explore roles, realities, and personality types. At times his use of now-outdated sociological and psychological theory clouds the issues for modern readers. However, once sifted through and sorted out, these chapters continue to offer fresh information, if not always fresh insights.
Overall no researcher can afford to ignore Blassingame's contribution. Though many have critiqued some of his conclusions, all seem to quote him repeatedly.
Reviewer: Robert W. Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of "Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction." He has also authored "Soul Physicians" and "Spiritual Friends."
Great Book for Reseach on Slavery.......2005-07-03
This book has helped me in my independent study of slavery and family research. It gives a very good insight from the slaves perspective. Other books I have read, the insight comes from the owners prospective. A companion book to this one is "Tewlve Years a Slave" by Solomon Northup.
A realistic portrayal of plantation life.......2005-04-02
Blassingame succeeds in sheding light on the real-life culture of the black slave in the Antebellum South: his African heritage, culture, family, acculturation, behavior, religion, and personality. Rather than concentrating solely on the planter - the traditional way of approaching the subject - Blassingame attempts to clarify and distill the essence of slave life through the filter of three eyewitness accounts. Two of them, the planter and the slave, give an insider's view of the plantation while the third witness, the traveler, views the relation between slave and master from the perspective of an outsider. Blassingame then utilizes the raw material of these personal observations to construct a detailed account of the day-to-day life of a slave - providing the reader with an insightful glimpse into the Negro's African heritage, the development of an Americanized culture, the formation of families, acculturation and behavior patterns when not under white supervision, religious preferences and beliefs, and personality traits.
The author makes the assertion that there were several types of slave personalities. Sambo - the submissive half-man, half-child - is the most well-known but was mostly a stereotypical manifestation of planter class racism and insecurity. Yet this caricature is the clearest portrait the southern planter has drawn of the slave, according to Blassingame. Sambo was actually but one of many variations, and was not even the most dominant slave personality. "Such stereotypes," asserts Blassingame, "are so intimately related to the planters' projections, desires, and biases that they tell us little about slave behavior and even less about the slaves' inner life, his thoughts, actions, self-concepts, or personality."
Blassingame also asserts that, because masters were unable or unwilling to impose round-the-clock supervision, their system of control was open at certain points. These systemic "blind spots" presented opportunities for the development autonomous Negro behavior as the slave's quarters, religion, and family helped to foster self-sufficiency. Rather than identifying with and totally submitting to the master, the slaves tenaciously held on to many remnants of African culture while simultaneously gaining a sense of worth among fellow residents of the quarters. This resulting underworld society flourished in defiance of the burdens imposed by enslavement.
In writing this treatise, the author attempted to tap into the feelings and attitudes of the entire plantation community. Since the thoughts and observations of slaves were seldom recorded (the teaching of reading and writing to slaves was illegal), Blassingale tends to lean heavily on observations by whites.
Additionally, the book devotes a lengthy section attempting to determine the basis of the stereotypically feeble-minded, anxiously subservient "Sambo" image. To this end, Blassingame relies on data from Nazi concentration camps to test the hypothesis that, in a system as tightly closed as either the plantation or the concentration camp, the slave's (or prisoner's) position of absolute dependency virtually compels him to view the facility's authority-figure as somehow "good" despite the evil emanating from the master/commandant (because, so goes the theory, the master also supplies everything of value).
There are also some enlightening discussions regarding the nature of slave marriage, family, religion, rebellion, and miscegenation. For example, the slave father was virtually without authority. Unable to protect his wife and children from discipline and abuse at the hands of the master, Negro fathers' resourcefulness in compensating for their institutionally-imposed weakness evokes simultaneous waves of sympathy at their plight and admiration for pluck.
Blassingame has done an excellent job presenting and applying his research. His "holistic" approach to the subject effectively endows the reader with a keen sense of how masters and slaves interacted and provides a comprehensive picture of plantation life that effectively reveals the complexity of the institution - as contrasted with the distorted picture often emerging from those who rely solely on planter records.
He successfully incorporates the primary accounts of plantation owners, slaves, and visitors in the Antebellum South to powerfully illustrate in straightforward manner what plantation life really felt like. He also makes effective use of social science disciplines like anthropology and psychology (especially when examining techniques the plantation owners utilized to maintain control and how the slaves resisted theses efforts). Furthermore, Blassingame resists the temptation to moralize about the living conditions and oftentimes barbarous exploitation of the slaves. Instead, he allows the reader to make up his own mind about the alien word of the antebellum Southern plantation and its "peculiar institution."
A Good Treatment of an Unwieldy Topic.......2003-01-31
Blassingame wrote this book in the face of the insurmountable problem that a community can only be fully understood through tapping the thoughts and feelings of its members. Since slaves thoughts and feelings were so seldom recorded, the book tends to be based mostly on observations by whites. Nevertheless, even in observations of how slaves behaved, there is much that is not well understood. As a result, Blassingame devotes a lengthy section of the book trying to determine the degree of basis in fact of the stereotypical image of slave as demure and subservient. Ultimately Blassingame uses the example of Nazi-operated concentrated camps in World War II to reason through analogy to try to arrive at some kind of definitive conclusion.
This portion is not the bulk of the text, but there are several other points of discussion in the book that seem equally inconclusive in this same way. Nevertheless, there are also some very enlightening discussions such as the structure of marriage and the family, religion, slave rebellions, and miscegenation.
I found Blassingame's writing style very easy to read, and the material compelling. Despite my belly-aching on the inconclusiveness of many of the points in the Slave Community, I felt that this was a shortcoming imposed by the subject of the book, and not Blassingame's fault per se, and I still think it deserves four stars.
Excellent for Leisure Reading and as a Reference Guide.......2003-01-10
I read this book for my history of American slavery class and I really enjoyed it. It is one of the books I did not sell back to the college when the semester ended. Blassingame focuses on the slave culture and uses such sources as folk songs, fugitive wanted posters, slave interviews and correspondence, diaries, and memoirs (from slaves and slave holders) to bring insight on life on the plantation. The author offers an extensive, well-organized bibliography which, alone, makes this book valuable.
The chapters cover the topics of enslavement and acculturation, the Americanization of the slave and the Africanization of the South, slave culture, family, rebels and runaways, stereotypes and institutional roles (i.e. the "Sambo" role), plantation realities, and slave personality types. This work also includes appendixes on such subjects as African words, numerals, and sentences used by former slaves, and a comparative examination of total institutions. The book is well-written and also offers numerous illustrations.
Book Description
Born and raised in Greenville, Mississippi, within the shelter of old traditions, aristocratic in the best sense, William Alexander Percy in his lifetime (1885-1942) was brought face to face with the convulsions of a changing world. Lanterns on the Levee is his memorial to the South of his youth and young manhood. In describing life in the Mississippi Delta, Percy bridges the interval between the semifeudal South of the 1800s and the anxious South of the early 1940s. The rare qualities of this classic memoir lie not in what Will Percy did in his life—although his life was exciting and varied—but rather in the intimate, honest, and soul-probing record of how he brought himself to contemplate unflinchingly a new and unstable era. The 1973 introduction by Walker Percy—Will's nephew and adopted son—recalls the strong character and easy grace of "the most extraordinary man I have ever known." AUTHOR BIO: William Alexander Percy was the author of four books of poetry, and he practiced law in Greenville until his death, one year after the publication of his autobiography. Awarded the Croix de Guerre with gold star for his service in World War I, he also was one of the leaders in the succesful 1922 fight against the Ku Klux Klan in Greenville and headed the local Red Cross unit during the disastrous Mississippi River flooding of 1927.
Customer Reviews:
Over hyped.......2007-06-30
I've heard great things about this book, but it simply doesn't live up to the reviews. It isn't vivid, isn't absorbing, isn't all that interesting. It is a decent piece of period biography, and if you're interested in the Percy family or the region or time period, it might be worthwhile. Otherwise, give this one a pass.
Not Impressed.......2006-02-06
This is my first book about planters and plantation life. It was my expectation that the author would give more specific information about plantation finances and management. This subject is hardly touched upon. He does briefly give his opinions about slavery, but there is nothing unique about it. Basically, this is a nice, slow look back at a bygone time, but it left me wondering how the heck did these people come about, and maintain or eventually lose their wealth.
Elusive find: an autobiography of literary quality.......2005-10-09
Percy's approach to life can be summed up by a quote from the book: "It is a very nice world-that is, if you remember that while morals are all-important between the Lord and His creatures, what counts between one creature and another is good manners." Percy's book is a rare member of that most elusive category of books - the autobiography of true literary quality. Percy's touch is honest without being journalistic; poetic without appearing over-embroidered; and in his own eccentric person he provides the subject matter which is required to make such a work interesting. He steps out of the late 19th/early 20th century Mississippi delta as a character that could not have existed anywhere else. Affected, genteel, kind, elitist, romantic and with a view of race more in keeping with British Imperial "white man's burden" line of thought than anything American in origin - Percy the character remains fascinating even as the modern reader disagrees with his positions. A clearly and well told tale of an extinct breed (the gentrified southern aristocrat), a lost land (the Mississippi delta of the turn of the 20th century), and a buried epoch (the pre desegregation era). An excellent book - well worth reading not only to better understand a particular aspect of American history but for the pleasure of reading a well written book, regardless of the subject matter.
Perceptions of a Southern Artistocrat.......2004-01-23
It is true that this book attempts to explain the South, in both its physical and social aspects, from the point of view of the "landed gentry." However, a more accurate description of "Lanterns on the Levee" is that of an autobiography of William A. Percy, in which he reflects upon his life and the interesting times in which he lived. I found this book very inciteful into the mind of a southerner, and believe that Mr. Percy did a fine job of bringing his broad experiences with different cultures and social climates into this book, and using these to produce a cogent analysis of his homeland. Though not completely objective (and often bigoted by today's standards), I think that Mr. Percy did his best to "tell it as he saw it," and often admits his biases as a precursor to his analysis. The book is very poetic and philosophical in places, and includes both the subjective and emotional sentiments that one must understand in order to come to terms with "a southerner's love for the south." Additionally, I feel that Mr. Percy (especially in his last few chapters) provides the reader with thought-provoking and highly articulate observations about life, time, and human-nature. I think this book is excellent, and believe it to be a "must read" for anybody with an open-minded interest in the Missisippi Delta region, or the South in general.
A Lost Voice Of A Lost Cause.......2002-12-14
This is one of those books that is almost impossible to objectively review. The writing is elegant and evocative of an era in the South that died almost in tandem with Mr. Percy and yet I find some parts of it so arrogant and condescending that I feel myself grinding my teeth. You see, I am descended from those Mississippi hill people Percy so despised and, even after all this time, I can almost see the languid gaze and soft, drawling voice. My people came to the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta after the Flood of '27 and we build and earned what we got without the benefit of the massive slave labor that built Mr. Percy's fortune.
But this is a book review and I'll put aside old feelings to say that this is a literary gem that brings to life a way of life on which so many stereotypes of the South are built. And Will Percy is amazingly honest in his descriptions of his society. However, a society this simple and yet this complex takes more than just one book to grasp.
Thus, I also recommend "Rising Tide" by John Barry and "The Most Southern Place on Earth: The Mississippi Delta and the Roots of Regional Identity" by James Cobb to balance your view of this time and place in history.
Bottom line: This is a wonderful, beautifully written story that is refreshingly candid with none of the defensiveness and politically correct breast beating of many of the works of southern writers of recent years.
Book Description
Kidnapped into slavery in 1841, Northup spent 12 years in captivity. This autobiographical memoir represents an exceptionally detailed and accurate description of slave life and plantation society. "A moving, vital testament to one of slavery's 'many thousand gone' who retained his humanity in the bowels of degradation..." — Saturday Review. 7 illustrations. Index.
Customer Reviews:
An Incredibly Revealing Narrative.......2007-03-26
This book presents its readers with a first-hand account of not only the cruelties of United States slavery itself, but more importantly it touches upon the ways in which other areas of social life were negatively influenced by the institution. Solomon Northup was a black man who was born a free black man in New York in 1808. In 1841, Northup was kidnapped in Boston and take to the south to be sold as a slave. He spent the next 12 years as a slave, and this book was written after he was rescued in 1853.
Many people have associated this book with "Uncle Tom's Cabin" ever since the former was published. While the story line is not exactly the same, there are a lot of similarities. Most notably, both books have evil Northerners and benevolent Southerners, a feature that I think is too often overlooked. This adds credibility to Northup's account, insofar as he does not simply condemn all Southerners. Other themes, such as the break-up of slave families, the harsh treatment of slaves (especially female slaves who had the misfortune of handsomeness), and camaraderie between slaves also reflect those written about in "Uncle Tom's Cabin".
In the past the credibility of Northup's work had been in question, especially since a newspaper worker helped him write his account. However, in light of the vast number of particular details the Northup provides and the extent to which those details match up with other records, historians generally view this work as an authentic and truthful account of a free man sold into slavery. This is an incredible read, and the fact that it is a real account makes it even more fascinating. This book should be required reading for high school or college American history classes that cover the Civil War era.
Awesome book!.......2007-01-25
A compelling and wrenchingly honest first-hand account of slavery, many
times breaking my heart and making me think of the children of Africa
today. A new book, "The Last Witness From a Dirt Road" which takes
place in 1946, was given to me after commenting about Solomon Northup's
narrative, and it could almost be a sequel to Twelve Years a Slave,
written a 100 years later by the son of an overseer on a plantation
along the banks of Bayou Bouef in the same location in Louisiana. Old
social and economic orders seemed little changed from 1841 to 1946,
tragic, heart rendering but both books are riveting and honest, are
timely and universal.
A three hundred year nightmare........2007-01-24
Until I read Solomon Northup's riveting first hand account of his life as a slave, I had only imagined the degredation and cruelty with absolute and total submission by those who had no choices, no chances for liberty. Early in my own life in the 1930s, as a young boy and son of a sugar plantation overseer along the banks of Bayou Bouef in Louisiana, the exact same location as Solomon's narrative, I recognized the lingering stains of an enslaved society, in my friends...the field hands who lived in the Quarters. As a white kid, I had chances and choices, however choices based on the social and economic order that existed in my life and where I lived, which in reality, cast their net over my life, too. I've written my own narrative...my book "The Last Witness From a Dirt Road" which after reading Twelve Years a Slave, I see that my narrative could almost stand as a sequel to Solomon's book, but written a hundred and fifty years later. My heart is still broken for all the souls whose lives were so badly tormented and taken by a vile system devised and placed on humankind. The lesson: We must be diligent and precise in our approach to anyone whose ideology in religion and politics, teaches or wishes, to take away or diminish the freedom of man. I'm grateful for the courage and power of Solomon Northup.
Hope Born Out of Despair.......2007-01-21
Solomon Northup's slave narrative follows in the line of scores of other enlightening first-hand accounts of African American enslavement. What makes Northrup's account so unique is the fact that he was free when kidnapped and enslaved.
His harrowing description of his kidnapping in Washington, D. C., and of his fellow kidnappees, will melt the hardest heart. Yet, his interactions with other abducted African Americans also portrays the beauty and power of shared sorrow.
Another fascinating distinction found in "Twelve Years a Slave" is Northrup's almost uncanny ability to fairly depict his slave owners. In some cases, he ruthlessly exposes the one-dimensional ruthlessness of cruel masters. Yet, in one case, with his owner Pastor Ford (yes, Pastor), he calls Ford one of the most godly, caring, Christians he has ever known. He describes the biblical preaching and personal ministry that Ford provided to him. It is difficult for us today to see how the hypocrisy of a slave-owning Pastor could occur. But for Northrup, an intelligent, educated, articulate man, who could be blistering in his verbal attack on slavers, Ford was not a one-dimensional man. He was flawed, yet could still display admirable attributes.
"Twelve Years a Slave" is perhaps the most important first-hand account of enslavement ever written. The end of the story, which I will not ruin, must be read. Of course, with riveting writing like this, only the rare reader would dare stop before the end of the journey.
Reviwer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction, Soul Physicians, and Spiritual Friends.
What a story!.......2003-09-03
This story of a free black man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery is amazing. I know nothing of how it was written and sometimes questioned whether it was genuine or not because sometimes the writing was so eloquent, but after reading it I realized the author had some help from the editor, David Wilson. I hope Solomon Northrup is looking down from somewhere and knows what a treasure his book has become.
Book Description
In this handsome book, you will meet the Hendersons, who live on a Southern plantation with their children in 1853. You'll also meet Daddy Major, Rosena, Scipio, and Cicero, slaves who work in the Big House and in the cotton fields. Full-color photographs of interiors, clothing, and objects, plus artwork and oral history, document a typical day on a plantation. You will see the stately bedrooms and dining room of the plantation house, as well as the simple slave quarters and cabins. Inside the Big House, morning chores are done and the children readied for school (or play); in the kitchen house, food is cooked and bread is baked; and in the sugar house, cane is crushed. Readers will learn about mealtimes, leisure hours, doctors and disease, and bedtimes. They'll also learn about attitudes toward slavery, slave meetings in the woods, and much more in this unique visit to a restored Southern plantation in New Iberia, Louisiana.
Customer Reviews:
The daily life of all members of a southern slaveholding plantation.......2007-03-23
Slavery as it existed in the American south before the Civil War ended it was indeed a "peculiar institution." While there were some southerners who understood that it would end soon, most slaveholding whites considered it the natural order of things. Some of that was simple social inertia, as it is always difficult to change deep-rooted structures. However, a large part of it was economic, slaves were valuable commodities, worth thousands of dollars each.
This book describes the typical day on a slaveholding plantation, starting from the first light of dawn. The descriptions are based on the seasons and the days of the week. For example, when the early morning is described, the differences in the actions of the field slaves, stable slaves, house slaves and owners are described. How their actions differ during the days of the week is also mentioned. As the day progresses, we are taken through their lives and routines. From the descriptions, one can see how the slaveholding whites would want that routine to continue and how the thought of all blacks being free terrified them. For deep down, they understood that theirs was a lifestyle that could not continue for much longer.
One of the key points, and one that would have eventually doomed slavery, is that finished goods such as metal tools and household utensils were no longer made on the plantations. They were made elsewhere, almost always in Northern or European factories. The Southern economy was based almost totally on agriculture and slave labor, something that would have doomed the South eventually. In fact some historians have argued that had the war not broken out when it did, slavery would probably not have survived another ten years.
This "day" in the life of all the members of a slaveholding plantation shows us how they lived and if you read closely, you can see the seeds of how slavery would have ended. If it had not ended in a brutal war, it would have ended via class struggle within a short time.
Daily Life in a Southern PLantation 1853.......2006-03-09
This book was very informative and interesting. Great for kids in school.
Beautifully Done!.......2002-10-24
Picked up this book at Frogmore Plantation in Louisiana (A living history and modern cotton plantation--check out frogmoreplantation. com!) for some young friends. It's a fascinating peek into plantation life in the 1850's. Highly recommended for children and adults alike.
Excellent, interesting and accurate!.......2000-04-21
This book really makes history interesting. We recognized many of the photos from a former plantation in our home town. I'd recommend it to both adults and children - it's well written (and researched) and has good photos.
Book Description
Documenting the difficult class relations between women slaveholders and slave women, this study shows how class and race as well as gender shaped women's experiences and determined their identities. Drawing upon massive research in diaries, letters, memoirs, and oral histories, the author argues that the lives of antebellum southern women, enslaved and free, differed fundamentally from those of northern women and that it is not possible to understand antebellum southern women by applying models derived from New England sources.
Customer Reviews:
Within the Plantation Household: Black and White Women on the Old South (Gender and American Culture).......2007-03-10
Everything arrived in perfect order
Scholarly and Enlightening.......2006-01-04
Elizabeth Fox-Genovese has produced a very scholarly and enlightening examination of women of the old South. In vivid detailed with painstaking research, she presents the daily lives of women, black and white, within the plantation household. Though written from an academic perspective, the author has succeeded in presenting her research in an entertaining and even captivating narrative style. For those looking for the behind the scenes lifestyle of unknown women of the South, this is the one book of choice.
Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of "Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction." He has also authored "Soul Physicians," "Spiritual Friends," and the forthcoming "Sacred Friendships: Listening to the Voices of Women Soul Care-Givers and Spiritual Directors."
An interesting and very good attempt.......1999-05-19
This is an impressive and large-scale achievement. I would have appreciated more acknowledgment of the role that white male eurocentric paradigms played (and continue to play) in the south and oppresion of Women of Color. Overall, a good starting place.
Book Description
Living with the dual burdens of racism and sexism, slave women in the plantation South assumed roles within the family and community that contrasted sharply with traditional female roles in the larger American society. This new edition of Ar'n't I a Woman? reviews and updates the scholarship on slave women and the slave family, exploring new ways of understanding the intersection of race and gender and comparing the myths that stereotyped female slaves with the realities of their lives. Above all, this groundbreaking study shows us how black women experienced freedom in the Reconstruction South-their heroic struggle to gain their rights, hold their families together, resist economic and sexual oppression, and maintain their sense of womanhood against all odds.
Customer Reviews:
Female Slaves.......2007-02-03
Deborah Gray White writes tellingly about the double evils faced by the Black woman of the old South: racism and sexism. Truly, they faced a lack of personhood at every turn.
The author weaves together quotes from enslaved Black women to tell her story. As other reviewers have noted, there does tend to be something of a feel of a feminist slant to the writing. I certainly would not argue against her basic premise of White male abuse of Black female slaves. However, having researched the White female slave owners, I would contend that women of the South were as guilty as the men of evil and condoning evil.
Reading firsthand accounts of these Black "sisters of the spirit" is the only way to truly gain a feel for what they endured and the larger cultural evils. Three examples include: "Behind the Scenes," "The House of Bondage," and "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl."
Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction, Spiritual Friends, and Soul Physicians.
Ar'n't I A Woman?.......2006-10-16
In the book Ar'n't I a Woman?, by Deborah Gray White, the reader is challenged by the author to set previous notions regarding American slave women aside to understand the truth, which has long been elusive to the majority of Americans. Over the course of the work, White shocks and appalls the reader in an attempt to inform her readers about the horrors and injustices that slave women were forced to deal with on a regular basis. In doing so, the author makes her point abundantly clear and leaves little question as to the authenticity of her research and work.
White begins her work quite firmly. She discusses two of the great myths of female slavery: Jezebel and Mammy. The author promptly exposes the lie that slave women were promiscuous, dirty women with an unquenchable lust for white men. She asserts, "The choice put before many slave women was between miscegenation and the worst experiences that slavery had to offer. Not surprisingly, many chose the former" (34). As a result, the act of the slave woman giving in to the sexual advances of her white owner branded her as unchaste, a Jezebel. The second stereotype discussed is that of mammy, the nurturing black woman who cares for the white children. Both of these stereotypes are important to note, not only because of their historical significance and their supreme effect on Caucasian beliefs, but also because White ties these ideas through the rest of her work.
After successfully debunking the myths regarding female slaves in America in the first chapter, White goes into great depth regarding the actual lives and hardships that slave women faced daily. For example, White paints a portrait of the female slave that depicts her as just as hard working, if not moreso, than her male counterparts. However, though her work in the fields was important, her true value was placed in keeping the male slaves sexually satisfied and reproducing new generations of slaves. As a result, most female slaves had families, though more disconnected than those of the American whites. The main reason for slave marriages, according to the author, was "to add to the comfort, happiness, and health of those entering upon it" (99). Indeed, even the supposedly sacred act of marriage was not off limits to Caucasian exploitation. As a result, the female slave trade did not highlight the hard-working nature of the slave, but rather her physical attractiveness, for the benefit of both the male slave and the slave owner. While all slaves were considered products, female slaves in particular were, quite literally, viewed as little more than sexual objects. This stigma did not immediately escape the black woman at emancipation either. White states, "From emancipation through more than two-thirds of the twentieth century, no Southern white male was convicted of raping or attempting to rape a black woman. Yet the crime was widespread" (188). Due to these injustices, the American people are too often subjected to an inaccurate portrait of the female slave and her female descendants, and therefore miss out on a truly inspiring individual.
In her work, Deborah Gray White tears apart the common misconceptions of female slaves and depicts a person that is loving, family-oriented, and hard-working. However, the book, though relatively brief in length can be a tedious read at times. Though White validates her assertions with just a few sources and anecdotes, she relentlessly re-asserts with numerous additional examples which come across as both unnecessary and excessive. As a result, Ar'n't I a Woman at times seems distractingly repetitive for the majority of its pages. In addition, the book could also present itself as an overtly feminist text, which has the potential to turn off many of today's readers of both genders. Though White places some of the blame for conditions and roles of slave women on Caucasian females, she undoubtedly places the majority of the blame on white men. However, it perhaps would have been more accurate and beneficial for her to blame Southern, and American, society as a whole, as Caucasian men were just a product of a long-standing tradition. Despite these obstacles, however, White cannot be discredited for her tireless pursuit to uncover the truth and discredit the myths that have haunted African-American women for centuries. Indeed, if she has accomplished anything, it is the true emancipation of America's most discriminated class.
My Review.......2003-10-09
I have not yet read this book. It looks exciting and I hope I enjoy it. I am reading this book for a report in JROTC.
GREAT READING FOR BLACK WOMEN.......2002-08-18
In reading this book for an assignment for a history class, I took to heart what the women went thru during the slavery days. You got the feeling of being there with them and feeling their pain. Ms. White has done an excellent job in bring out what really went on with women during slavery.
Not quite Honest story of slave women.......2002-02-04
I believe that this book is factually incorrect. White makes a strong statement that slave children were dying of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SID). She is unable to admit the possibility, desire and need of slave mothers to commit infanticide. For a high schooler or entry level college student, this book could give the wrong messages. While some of her facts are well taken, the ones that she concentrates on the most may very well be false. There is other material in this book that I think is just outright wrong considering that I have done substantial research on slavery. A reader can learn more about chattel slavery by studying slavery outside the US: slavery in Latin America and Brazil particularly. Historians outside the US have not turned slavery into a happy patchwork quilt.
Book Description
This pioneering study of the much-mythologized Southern belle offers the first serious look at the lives of white women and their harsh and restricted place in the slave society before the Civil War. Drawing on the diaries, letters, and memoirs of hundreds of planter wives and daughters, Clinton sets before us in vivid detail the daily life of the plantation mistress and her ambiguous intermediary position in the hierarchy between slave and master.
"The Plantation Mistress challenges and reinterprets a host of issues related to the Old South. The result is a book that forces us to rethink some of our basic assumptions about two peculiar institutions -- the slave plantation and the nineteenth-century family. It approaches a familiar subject from a new angle, and as a result, permanently alters our understanding of the Old South and women's place in it.
Customer Reviews:
Good Despite the Feminist Harping.......2006-10-19
Plantation Mistriss paints a dim portrait of the lives of the allegedly pampered southern flowers of womanhood who were the (behind the scenes) engineers of southern aristocracy. Since many of them assumed the mantle of responsibility at ages as young as fourteen and commonly at around sixteen to eighteen this book is particularly fascinating. It is also chock full of detail on everything from the Plantation Mistriss's ability to supervise a hog killing to the knitting of socks. Her day was never done. Then the poor dears had to deal with the complicated sexual politics of the day. They were doomed to withhold themselves sexually in order to maintain the notions that sex was a chore for a lady thus robbing them of any standing to demand fidelity from their husbands. All these women could do was seeth while their husbands snuck off to the slave quarters. Being a sexual pedestal had its price.
Factually, this book is a gold mine of information and detail. It does have a typical feminist undercurrent of victimization but that is a minor flaw. Academics are just compelled to wow the reader with their ability to extrapolate deep meaning out of simple facts. However, the non-existence of books which utilize the availability of direct sources leaves us to rely on academics who pour over archives rather than thinking to ask. It's too bad no one thought to commit to paper the first hand accounts of former membes of the pre-war south who lived well until the 1940s and even into the 50s. Rather we have only academic analysis of reems of archive material.
This book is very entertaining and informative despite its feminist agenda.
Dull, boring........2006-08-03
This book is so dry I couldn't even finish it. The subject is fascinating but the material is presented in a way that is just plain boring.
An honest description of the role of plantation mistresses.......2005-12-31
I think the negative reviewers who discredit the book for being biased are, in fact, displaying their own prejudices. I have searched through the available literature on this subject, which is incredibly sparse, and this is the first book I have found that even attempted to portray these women's lives with any detail or realism. The author researched this topic as thoroughly as possible and obviously strives to present a balanced view. I cannot understand the complaint that the author jumps from one time period to another, as I found the book very easy to follow. I suspect that many readers are buying this book expecting a romantic fantasy of plantation life. If you really want to know what life was like for a plantation misress - read this book.
Disappointed.......2005-10-24
First, let me state that I have read hundreds of books and have never written a bad review. This book is an exception.
I purchased this book hoping to read facts regarding women on plantations. I was disppointed as this book is based mainly on the writer's view versus historical facts. The book covers the period of 1780-1835. However, the author on multiple occasions refers to the Civil War period. Too much "bouncing" around throughout the years.
Yes, she does quote portions of historical letters but I felt these were used most likely out of context in order to support the writer's point of view without actual facts cited.
The writer's negativity toward other books written on plantation mistresses and their authors, which she refers to frequently in the book, are deplorable. Why mention them at all. It only makes one want to read the books that she things so little of.
Harsh...yes perhaps this review is harsh. Bottom line, I read the book and would not recommend it as good factual reading.
Political Commentary Not History.......2004-12-16
It is true that the authoress quotes much from some primary sources, however the book is basically an expression of her political/social opinions and is not a history. Her liberal biases, ardent feminism, lack of respect for Christian values, and her very limited understand of Southern culture and history, are overwhelmingly expressed. If you are an historian who was taught to evaluate primary sources without your personal biases, and if you are interested in a true history that reflects these values, you'll be sadly disappointed with this book.
Book Description
The year is 1859, and it's Christmastime on a Virginia Plantation. The slaves are cleaning and setting up the Big House--where their masters live--for the festivities. The Big House is filled with warmth, colorful decorations, and yummy food...but there is talk of war and a sense that times may be changing. In the quarters--where the slaves live--conditions are poor, dirty, and cold, but the slaves are filled with hope for better times ahead, and they sing songs of freedom.Moving deftly between two worlds, this beautifully illustrated book is a historical tale as well as a holiday treat.
Customer Reviews:
Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters.......2007-05-14
My five star rating comes with a single caveat: I don't believe this book, or any discussion of slavery, is appropriate for fourth graders, as has been suggested. This is a really well-done book, but despite the fact that it is a picture book, I feel it is better suited to grades 6-8, perhaps the occasional mature 5th grader. The topic is a painful one, especially if you are talking to large numbers of African-American children whose far-back families may well have lived in the quarters (kids like my history students). The thing I love about this book is that it doesn't try to present the slaves as essentially happy and festive, which is how they were depicted when I was growing up in the '60s. Instead, it is understood that they endure their position only because it is strategically the wrong moment to rise up and resist; you don't get the feeling these folks would really mind seeing the owners drop dead in their Christmas feast, but it isn't possible to make that happen right now, so they make the best of a bad situation, but only for the moment. The cluelessness of the white owners is beautifully rendered. That said, if you are shopping for a Christmas book to read with your young child at Christmas time to get that glowing, good-all-over feeling, this isn't the book you are looking for. Save this one for a serious discussion of slavery and the American Civil War.
ONE OF THE BEST IF HAVE READ ON THE SUBJECT.......2006-10-01
This is quite a fascinating book. Like another reviewer here, when I received this work I groaned inwardly, particularly when I noted the cover. I should have listened to the old saying "never judge a book by it's cover." This hold very true with this work. The book is the story of and a comparison of Christmas in the old south and how the folks in the "Big House" celebrated in contrast with the folks in the slave quarters. I found this work to bee extremely historically accurate. Social issues are meet head on with little or no surgar coating. The art work in this book is worth many more times the price of the book. It is truely well done. The only critical thing I might have to say here is that everything was depicted as rather clean and neat, a little too perfect. This includes the white owners living quarters and dress along with those of the slave. Things just were not that nice in those days. Other than that, I felt this was a very, very good work. I did enjoy the various recipes, discriptions of customs and songs. All in all, recommend this one highly.
Despite your fears, this book is pure gold.......2003-12-22
This book describes the customs, recipes, poems, and songs used to celebrate Christmas in the big plantation houses and in the slave quarters just before the Civil War. I was filled with great trepidation after seeing the cover of this book. It was a relief to me to find that, fortunately, the text was respectful and historically accurate. But observe, as I did, this cover. We know, after reading the book, that this picture symbolizes the rare moment when the slaves were invited into the "Big House", or home of the white slave owners, to view the Christmas trimming. Yet it cuts too closely to the ancient inaccurate image of plantation owners and their "happy" slaves (ala Gone With the Wind) for the casual person browsing this cover. The back cover does little to alleviate this fear, showing a scene of black children skipping merrily with a white child. Inside, however, the authors deal deftly with the subject. Making it very very clear that certain positive traits exhibited by the slave owners during Christmas towards their slaves were the exception and not the rule, the book gives carefully annotated scenes from the lives of white plantation owners and slaves. The pictures accompanying the text are, most times, beautifully presented. There is a shot of a bonfire that is one of the most impressive drawings I've ever seen of fire. Unfortunately, some of the models for these pictures undoubtedly suffered from hair circa 1994, since it is obviously permed to perfection in a couple scenes. Please note that the authors have a keen sense of irony that plays well. After hearing the slaves sing a song that is code for someone escaping to freedom, the plantation owner's daughter writes in her diary that the day has ended with, "the sweet sound of a happy, contented slave singing a carol". This point is not elaborated on, and is exquisite in its simplicity. The endnotes found in the back of the book, annotated per page, are excellently done. This book is a valuable part of any collection, and would read best to children a little older. Kids who read this book on their own may not catch all the references and points that the book brings up. This would pair well with Mildred Taylor's "The Well", as a before and after to the Civil War.
Beautifully illustrated and passionate........1998-12-08
This beautifully illustrated Christmas story explains the origins of many African-American Christmas traditions.
Book Description
Life on a Plantation compares the lives and customs of plantation owners who lived in grand style in the "big house" next door to the slaves who lived in slave quarters and worked in the cotton, rice, and tobacco fields in the civil war era.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Book! .......2005-11-25
This book is intended to help an older elementary student understand the life on a Southern Plantation approximately around the 1850's. It does focus on the plantation owners but mostly on the running of the plantation through slavery. It does a very good job at teaching a student about that topic. I will use this also to teach my older ESOL students learning American History.
Disappointing..........2003-07-22
I am very glad that I checked this book out from my local library before buying it. Afer recieving Bobbi Kalman's "The Victorian Home", and since I am very interested in the antebellum period and antebellum life, I was looking forward to this book.
If you are interested in the plantation owners lives, then I do not recommend this book to you. It has maybe 1 or 2 pages about plantation owners and their families. It does include a basic overview of plantation life for slaves, but I found it to be uninteresting. Also, most, if not all of the photos in the book are not actual photos from the 1800s.
If you are looking for a book about the plantation mistress' life, then I recommend "The Plantation Mistress: Woman's World in the Old South" by Catherine Clinton. So far, I have not discovered a very good book regarding the lives of plantation families, so unfortunatly I have no recommendations for you. I haven't really read any books specifically on slavery, but I would recommend "Within the Plantation Household: Black and White Women of the Old South" by Elizabeth Fox-Genovese. If you like Babbie Kalman books, "The Victorian Home" is a GREAT book that includes the basics and details about old victorian homes.
An Excellent Nonfiction Book with Details about Plantations!.......2002-12-22
I am a writer of historical fiction, and I absolutely rely on Bobbie Kalman's wonderful nonfiction books. This one even shows the layout of a plantation with neatly drawn illustrations of the Quarters and the various houses or work areas where all goods were made. B. Kalman's books are excellent for individuals as well as teachers to use with their classrooms. I recommend the Dear America and My Name is America series as well as the books by K.J. McWilliams (The Diary of a Slave Girl, Ruby Jo, The Journal of Leroy Jones, a Fugitive Slave, and The Journal of Darien Duff, an Emancipated Slave.)
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- Tonight On The Titanic (Magic Tree House 17, paper)
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- Under a Cruel Star: A Life in Prague 1941-1968
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- Washington, D.C. (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
- White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s
- Wilderness Empire: A Narrative (Eckert, Allan W. Winning of America Series.)
- Wilderness Empire: A Narrative (Eckert, Allan W. Winning of America Series.)
- Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century
Books Index
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Antebellum
| 19th Century
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Roll, Jordan, Roll: The World the Slaves Made
Ar'N't I A Woman?: Female Slaves in the Plantation South
Peculiar Institution: Slavery in the Ante-Bellum South
The Plantation Mistress
Within the Plantation Household: Black and White Women of the Old South (Gender and American Culture)
