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Black Slaveowners: Free Black Slave Masters in South Carolina, 1790-1860
written by Larry Koger
Studio : University of South Carolina Press
by University of South Carolina Press
Publisher : University of South Carolina Press
Released : 1995-03
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 1
EAN : 9781570030376
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 5 reviews)
List Price : $18.95
Our Price : $21.07
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Book Description |
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Were black masters different from white? An analysis of all aspects and particularly of the commercialism of black slaveowning debunks the myth that black slaveholding was a benevolent institution based on kinship, and explains the transition of black masters from slavery to paid labor. |
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Black Slaveownership as Oxymoron and Disinformation |
Dred Scott, US Supreme Court (1856) held: A free negro of the African race, whose ancestors were brought to this country and sold as slaves, is not a 'citizen' within the meaning of the Constitution of the United States.
Though I have not read the book, the subject matter seems to me to be completely disingenuous. The inquire may have value if it attempts to demonstrate the universality of human nature both for good and evil but, remember, The Black Codes after the Civil War immediately dissipated all hope of anything even remotely resembling full citizenship status for ANYONE black. According to Dred Scott, even a FREE BLACK was not regarded as a citizen. Thus, the idea is black slaveownership in any serious sense seems ludicrous to me given the law of the land and the political climate in America. Additionally, it is likely that even if free blacks owned slaves, their right to claim ownership would have been impaired altogether after Dred Scott which plainly stated that blacks had "No Rights Which the White Man was Bound to Respect." |
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An eye opener |
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I was a political science major and history minor in college. This book tells more than the all my classwork combined. It is not for the politically correct. It makes me want to go back to college armed with the real truth. |
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Not exactly PC history |
Personally, I found this book fascinating. This is a very uncomfortable subject for African-Americans and sympathetic whites, but it is a story that needs to be told. Admittedly, Larry Koger is heavy on graphs and the census, but it is important to show just who was involved in this business. Whenever an historian deals with subject matter as controversial as this, you need as much documentation as you can to prove your point.
Basically, the book shows slavery in its complexity that is often missing from books in films that are either by the political left OR right wing. We learn of William Ellison, a free black who eventually owned 63 slaves in Sumter County in 1860, whose sons actually tried to join the Confederatre Army! (they were rejected, for VERY obvious reasons)!
There is also the tale of the traitor Peter Desverneys, infamous to us black history fans as the "man" who "spilled the beans" on the Denmark Vesey slave rebellion. We learn that Peter was not only freed for life after this, but bought and sold slaves of his own afterwards!
I could go on and on, but read the book and see for yourself. As A Black South Carolinian, I grew up hearing a number of African-Americans claim that some of their ancestors were actually slave owners (why they would brag about this could form another book about indentification with one's oppressors, but that's another story). In either case, it's a story you are not likely to hear about on a widespread basis, but it is important in understanding the length of the tragedy and delusion caused by the transatlantic slave trade. |
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S. Cole |
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Found it very interesting. It makes me want to watch the silent movie "Birth of a Nation" again,now that I know how the black state representatives came to be. Sometimes the little statistics can be a little repetitious and boring(that is why 4 stars not 5).Book appears to be backed up with facts though. |
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Very mechanically written, but worth a look! |
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This subject is an important one to explore, but there must be a more interesting way to do it. The book is primarily a quantitative study that must have been the author's master's thesis. Names are transcribed from census records, and the difficulties in quantifying black slaveowners is explored. However, the author does nothing to take the reader beyond documented fact. Readers looking for a poignant journey should look elsewhere. |
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