Slavery's Trail of Tears

[Crabtownboy]

Retracing Slavery's Trail of Tears
America's forgotten migration – the journeys of a million African-Americans from the tobacco South to the cotton South

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/slavery-trail-of-tears-180956968/?no-ist

From the article copied from an 1834 letter found in the archives of the University of North Carolina;

“We have about ten thousand dollars to pay yet. Should you purchase a good lot for walking I will bring them out by land this summer,” Franklin had written. Ten thousand dollars was a considerable sum in 1834—the equivalent of nearly $300,000 today. “A good lot for walking” was a gang of enslaved men, women and children, possibly numbering in the hundreds, who could tolerate three months afoot in the summer heat.

 

[Revmitchell]

"African slave trade was very profitable for everyone involved with the exception of the slaves themselves. It made money for the slave traders responsible for capturing and loading the slaves in Africa, the shipping companies made money, the slave brokers became rich, and owners of slaves made money in the buying and selling of their own slaves and their offspring. Slavery was a part of the economy of the area from the beginning of the colony until the end of the Civil War.

From the late 1700’s records show that there were free blacks living in South Carolina (Schweninger, 1990, 20). By 1860, there were thousands of “free persons of color” living in the state, and hundreds of them owned black slaves. Why did blacks own slaves? How and when did this practice begin?

In 1619, 20 Africans were brought to Virginia as indentured servants to work in the tobacco-growing colony. At the end of their indenture, officials in Virginia decided to enslave some of these people. Some historians believe that one of these slaves became a slaveholder himself (Abrams, 2001, ix). This began the long history of blacks owning other blacks.

There are many factors that led to black slaveholding. One was the desire of free blacks to purchase their family members out of bondage. Until around 1800, it was legal for white slaveowners to manumit their slaves, for whatever reason they wanted. However, in 1800 in South Carolina, the legislature began putting restrictions on the manumission of slaves. Additionally, there were restrictions that required freed slaves to leave the state (Schweninger, 22). Therefore, free blacks would often purchase their relatives in order to allow them to remain in the state.

Owning slaves offered the opportunity for economic advancement for blacks (Schweninger, 22). By the mid 1700’s, black artisans and shopkeepers owned slaves in the city, while free blacks also held slaves on farms in the country. In the city of Charleston, free blacks nearly monopolized the jobs of barbers, bricklayers, shoemakers, tailors and dressmakers. They prospered in their entrepreneurial jobs and were able to earn the capital needed to purchase slaves. "


http://www.teachingushistory.org/lessons/BlackSlaveOwnersinCharleston.html

 

[Revmitchell]

"An important fourth and final factor in black slaveholding was the economic profitability of using slaves to work in jobs and businesses owned by “free persons of color.” “In a society that vested the ownership of one many in another, slaves represented another form of property held by free blacks.” (Powers, 1994, 39) Early on in the colony of South Carolina, mulattoes were often trained as artisans and were able to earn the money to purchase slaves by working. They were commercial masters who aligned themselves with the white majority in order to preserve the system of slavery. (Koger, 1985, 30) As this practice progressed, the black slaveholders often had the same incentives as whites to own slaves."

 

[Crabtownboy]

Rev. is that your defense of slavery and the mistreatment of millions of people?

It is a good GOP stance, economically profitable.

Read the article online. It is free. A good price.

In 1834, Armfield sat on his horse in front of the procession, armed with a gun and a whip. Other white men, similarly armed, were arrayed behind him. They were guarding 200 men and boys lined up in twos, their wrists handcuffed together, a chain running the length of 100 pairs of hands. Behind the men were the women and girls, another hundred. They were not handcuffed, although they may have been tied with rope. Some carried small children. After the women came the big wagons—six or seven in all. These carried food, plus children too small to walk ten hours a day. Later the same wagons hauled those who had collapsed and could not be roused with a whip.

Then the coffle, like a giant serpent, uncoiled onto Duke Street and marched west, out of town and into a momentous event, a blanked-out saga, an unremembered epic. I think of it as the Slave Trail of Tears.




http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/slavery-trail-of-tears-180956968/#ocBZJliEZVQrwobc.99

There were so-called fancy girls, young women who would work mainly as concubines.


http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/slavery-trail-of-tears-180956968/#ocBZJliEZVQrwobc.99

 

[Revmitchell]

Contradiction of a misleading and false narrative does not imply support. Such assertions are made by people who are either very angry or lacks the intelligence necessary to deal with such issues. It could also be nothing more than a passive aggressive attempt at a personal attack.

 

[Rob_BW]

Interesting article on one particular facet of slavery. The move to "king cotton" was ultimately a devastating move for the South.

When the whole agrarian South versus Industrialized North narrative pops up in conversation, I get plenty of strange look when I explain that the North outproduced the South in wheat, corn, barley, and just about every other foodstuff. Well, except maybe okra.

 

[Scarlett O.]

Rev. is that your defense of slavery and the mistreatment of millions of people?

It is a good GOP stance, economically profitable.

Read the article online. It is free. A good price.

I read Rev's post twice and couldn't see where he was defending slavery. He was broadening the scope of slavery beyond the white Southern man and showing how MANY people profited from it and thereby kept it alive.

It wasn't just the white man in the South that profited from this terrible institution.

 

[Crabtownboy]

Contradiction of a misleading and false narrative does not imply support. Such assertions are made by people who are either very angry or lacks the intelligence necessary to deal with such issues. It could also be nothing more than a passive aggressive attempt at a personal attack.

Are you saying there was no transportation of slaves overland by slave brokers?

What is it that you are trying to justify?

 

[Alcott]

Alright, Boy, let's get down to it.What is your purpose in posting this? ...
All white people ought to hate themselves? All blacks are still entitled to 40 acres and a mule (or $40,000 and a SUV)? There ought to be a lottery and the 10 million losing whites should be shipped to Africa as slaves? Monticello, Montpelier, and Mt. Vernon all should be demolished because slaveholders owned them?13 stars should be taken off the upper right portion of the American flag and placed in their own tiny patch in the lower right? When a direct descendant of a slave lives in the same town as the direct descendants of that slave's master [my case], the descendants ought to hauled into the square every Juneteenth and be given 2 dozen lashes? Conviction for playing or singing Dixie should be life without parole?

 

[Crabtownboy]

Alright, Boy, let's get down to it.What is your purpose in posting this? ...
All white people ought to hate themselves? All blacks are still entitled to 40 acres and a mule (or $40,000 and a SUV)? There ought to be a lottery and the 10 million losing whites should be shipped to Africa as slaves? Monticello, Montpelier, and Mt. Vernon all should be demolished because slaveholders owned them?13 stars should be taken off the upper right portion of the American flag and placed in their own tiny patch in the lower right? When a direct descendant of a slave lives in the same town as the direct descendants of that slave's master [my case], the descendants ought to hauled into the square every Juneteenth and be given 2 dozen lashes? Conviction for playing or singing Dixie should be life without parole?

No Alcott, that would be stupid, just as it is stupid to remain ignorant of our history. That is what many seem to want, either ignore or rewrite our history such that none of our mistakes is ever revealed.

As a wise philsopher said, "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Is that what you want?

Please attempt to reply in a rational manner. Thanks.

 

[Revmitchell]

No Alcott, that would be stupid, just as it is stupid to remain ignorant of our history. That is what many seem to want, either ignore or rewrite our history such that none of our mistakes is ever revealed.

And still others rely on poor portions of history to misrepresent it in order to create a victim and thereby a voting block. Suggesting someone is not rational is a personal attack and uncivil.

 

[Crabtownboy]

And still others rely on poor portions of history to misrepresent it in order to create a victim and thereby a voting block. Suggesting someone is not rational is a personal attack and uncivil.

Not when it is the truth. Live with it. Alcott's reply was not rational at all. No one made any suggestions that he wrote.

Why is it you defend slavery, which is a dark blot on or history, so strongly?

Do you believe we should have slaves in this day and time?

Do you deny that slaves were put in shackles and forced to walk long distances?

Do you deny that young, good looking women were sold as "fancy girls"?

Just what is your stance on slavery?

 

[Revmitchell]

Not when it is the truth. Live with it.

I don't have to live with it.

Alcott's reply was not rational at all. No one made any suggestions that he wrote.

Your posts are not civil. His was. Live with it.

Why is it you defend slavery, which is a dark blot on or history, so strongly?

You understand such accusations are childish right?

Just what is your stance on slavery?

My stance on slavery is it was not as one sided as you would have people to believe and when people like yourself attempt to use things such a slavery as a political tool it belittles the reality of the matter and reduces the gravity of the situation to mere platitudes.

Your seething hatred for southerners is well documented but that is no justification for misrepresenting them. People in the south do not do things your way. Live with it.

 

[Crabtownboy]

My stance on slavery is it was not as one sided as you would have people to believe and when people like yourself attempt to use things such a slavery as a political tool it belittles the reality of the matter and reduces the gravity of the situation to mere platitudes.

Do you believe slavery should still be legal in our country?

Your seething hatred for southerners is well documented but that is no justification for misrepresenting them. People in the south do not do things your way. Live with it.

ROFL, I am a Southerner. All my relatives on my fathers side are Southerners. But we are honest enough to realize there is both good and bad in our Southern history.

Why is it that you refuse to acknowledge any our the darkness in our society or history?

 

[Revmitchell]

Why is it that you refuse to acknowledge any our the darkness in our society or history?

Umm...I made two, count them two posts showing slavery in this country. Your questions are nothing but a childish back door personal attack. You think your slick but everyone sees your sophomoric attempts at public discourse. You have even got Scarlett pointing out your uncivil attempts at personal attacks.

 

[Crabtownboy]

Umm...I made two, count them two posts showing slavery in this country. Your questions are nothing but a childish back door personal attack. You think your slick but everyone sees your sophomoric attempts at public discourse. You have even got Scarlett pointing out your uncivil attempts at personal attacks.

So you refuse to discuss a topic. Instead you simply give your opinion with no backup and then resort to insults. I thought you had taken a stance of not insulting people. You did ask for forgiveness, but you have gone back to your old ways. You said in your post asking for forgiveness that in the future you would be civil. Now instead of discussing nicely you resort to words "childish", "back door personality attacks", "you think you are slick," "sophomoric attempts".

So, again. Do you believe slavery should still be legal in this country?

Why is it you never say anything negative about slavery?

Why is it you never say anything positive about Obama?

 

[Alcott]

So, again. Do you believe slavery should still be legal in this country?

Yes, only where the constitution allows it-- in the punishment for a crime.

Why is it you never say anything positive about Obama?

Well, he's always busy.

 

[Revmitchell]

So you refuse to discuss a topic. Instead you simply give your opinion with no backup and then resort to insults.

Uh I have insulted no one. Not once.

However you have.

 

[robustheologian]

Slavery was a white institution. Were there misguided blacks who cooperated with it? Of course. But whites mainly profited from the white institution of slavery. To say otherwise is to lie and perpetuate a false narrative.