More books than SparkNotes. Historians criticized the use of slave narratives that were seen as unreliable and biased. When Richmond slave owner John Graves passes away, his slaves are put up for sale. Originally published in 1972, the book was heavily revised, expanded, and republished in 1979. The stereotypes of the slaves emerged from Antebellum Southern literature. 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]. 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 masterslave relationship on southern plantations. He goes on to suggest that slaves survived because they were able to engage in stories, dances and other rituals that were important to their culture. He asserts that the retention of African culture acted as a form of resistance to enslavement: "All things considered, the few Africans enslaved in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century America appear to have survived their traumatic experiences without becoming abjectly docile, infantile, or submissive" and "since an overwhelming percentage of nineteenth-century Southern slaves were native Americans, they never underwent this kind of shock [the Middle Passage] and were in a position to construct psychological defenses against total dependency on their masters. Douglass meets and befriends other slaves on Freelands property, including the intelligent brothers Henry and John Harris. The book explores African Americans' search for freedom in slave rebellions, everyday resistance to slavery, the abolitionist movement, Reconstruction politics, post-emancipation labor struggles, the great migration, military service, civil rights activism, and the black power movement. The Slave Community: Plantation Life in the Antebellum South John W. Blassingame. (one code per order). He chaired African American Studies for most of the 1980's. He is the writer of New Perspectives on Black Studies ( 1971 ) . "[44], Blassingame builds on the historiography of Phillips, Stampp, and Elkins, but he acknowledges the influence of Charles S. Sydnor's Slavery in Mississippi (1933), Orville W. Taylor's Negro Slavery in Arkansas (1958), Eugene D. Genovese's The Political Economy of Slavery (1961), and Ann J. 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. As an isolated figure, he appropriately resembles the protagonist of a traditional comingofage story. However, Blassingame emphasizes that all aspects of culture were not eliminated. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of The Slave Community by John W. Blassingame. At the end of the Easter holidays, all the slaves but Douglass are taken home. "[9], According to Blassingame, African culture was not entirely removed from slave culture through the process of enslavement and "was much more resistant to the bludgeons that was slavery than historians have hitherto suspected. The figure of William Freeland stands in direct contrast to the rest of the slave owners in Douglasss Narrative. Thesis: The Slave Communityattacked Stanley Elkins' idea that Southern slavery was so severe that it destroyed slave culture, producing a race of Sambosdocile, child-like slaves who depended on and doted on their masters. Ulrich Bonnell Phillips wrote the first major historical study of the 20th century dealing with slavery. Auld takes Douglass with him to see a lawyer, but the lawyer informs them that no warrant may be issued without the testimony of a white man. American Historical Review 78 (10): The Slave Community by John W. Blassingame. Jacob has been sold to the pagans as a slave, but he still practices devout Judaism. Blassingame wanted to "solve the myriad dilemmas posed by George Bentley", but he also wanted to answer the questions, challenges, and critiques raised by scholars since the publication of The Slave Community. It might have been performed on stage, but was more likely simply read aloud by several different voices. For Douglass, the difference between the Revolutionaries and slaves is widened by the fact that slaves do not benefit from the citizens rights for which the Revolutionaries fought. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. Douglass explains, however, that this seeming benevolence is part of the larger power structure of slavery. They move to Pilitz together and Jacob finds work as a teacher. She becomes a Jew. Sethe refuses to let her children exist in such a world. Jacob returns to Pilitz 20 years later to find that Sarah's grave now falls within the perimeter of the cemetery, since many more have died in that town. However, though Freeland is a good model for a slave owner, Douglass remains clear that slaveholding in any form is still unjust. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. This outline has been approximately created nailing down the fundamental central issues, and realities, and summed up subtleties to assist developing comprehension you might interpret the book. "[13], Blassingame notes that many of the folk tales told by slaves have been traced by African scholars to Ghana, Senegal, and Mauritania to peoples such as the Ewe, Wolof, Hausa, Temne, Ashanti, and Igbo. At first, Thomas Auld announces his intent to send Douglass to Alabama. "[66] White discusses the Mammy and Jezebel stereotypes often applied to African American women by white Americans. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature sixteen years after the novel was published. For instance, he challenges Robert Fogel and Stanley Engerman's economic and statistical study of slavery in Time on the Cross. Instead, the fugitives' plantations are peopled with the same range of heroes and villains, black and white, which one generally finds in the human race." SparkNotes PLUS Sandy Jenkins initially intends to accompany them, but eventually decides to remain. Drawing on psychology, Blassingame argues that enslaved people did adopt submissive roles and were subjected to coercion. What source or textbook are you using for your questions. Review of The Slave Community. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. Discount, Discount Code The Exploration of Metaphysical Slavery in The Slave. $24.99 You'll be billed after your free trial ends. He argues that slaves had instead been infantilized, or "made" into Sambos, by the brutal treatment received at the hands of slaveowners and overseers. 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). He believes that children recognized submissiveness as a convenient method to avoid punishment and the behavior in the quarters as the true behavioral model. 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. (2017, Mar 16). Voodoo priests and conjurers promised slaves that they could make masters kind, harm enemies, ensure love, and heal sickness. When the Jews return to Josefov, they buy his freedom, and he too returns, just to dream each night of his love for Wanda. Douglass alludes to Henrys famous declaration, Give me liberty or give me death. While Henry faces a choice between political independence and oppression, escaping slaves must choose between two unattractive optionsthe familiar ills of slavery and the unknown dangers of escape. Students looking for free, top-notch essay and term paper samples on various topics. The family was, in short, an important survival mechanism."[24]. 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. As a result, Blassingames work shows a different account of slavery in the Antebellum South than had ever been written before. Although the importance of The Slave Community was recognized by scholars of American slavery, Blassingame's conclusions, methodology, and sources were heavily criticized. Marian DeB. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. He continues, "Given the concern with the 'personal autonomy' and culture of the slave, much of the book is devoted to the African heritage; to slave music, religion, and folklore; and to the discussion of the slave family and other personal relationships." Douglass explains that this strategy helps keep blacks enslaved. Plot Summary. Yet the slaves value their education so highly that they attend Douglass's school despite the threat of punishment. Southern writers felt a need to defend slavery from allegations of abuse and brutality leveled by northern abolitionists, so Sambo became a common portrayal to justify and explain the need for plantation paternalism. The book analyzes three main personality types of black 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. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. 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. Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! Rawick, "Some Notes on a Social Analysis of Slavery", pp. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Subscribe now. These songs gave them a sense of hope and belonging that brought them joy and a commonality between them all. "[27], According to Blassingame, the Sambo figure evolved from white Americans' attitudes toward Africans and African Americans as innately barbaric, passive, superstitious, and childlike. As . Have been using her for a while and please believe when I tell you, she never fail. Mississippi, Georgia, and South Carolina had the greatest annual population loss. Kilson's review in the American Historical Review described Blassingame's aims as "imperfectly realized" because he "lacks a clear analytical perspective". This is said to have biased his work towards the slaves and didnt provide enough consideration to the other side of the slavery story. Renews April 24, 2023 Douglass recalls how daunting the odds were for them. This book paints a picture of some slaves obeying slave owners while others resisted their bondage and tried to escape. Elkins compares the process to the infantilization of Jews in Nazi concentration camps. Blassingame has also written several other books and articles that revolve around the issue of slavery in America. In Baltimore, Hugh Auld apprentices Douglass to a shipbuilder named William Gardner. Instead it was much more resistant to the bludgeons that was slavery than historians have hitherto suspected (Blassingame, 34 35). Published in 1972, the book was heavily revised, expanded, republished. 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