Monday, February 14, 2011
Slavery and Public History
The Tough Stuff of American Memory...by James Oliver Horton and Lois E. Horton. Incredible book about a difficult subject. I really enjoyed reading the different essays concerning Slavery in the United States and how it has been avoided and portrayed. There are still controversies surrounding how it is told and who will suffer because of it. I think if anything I took away a greater understanding of the struggles historical homes and buildings have when trying to portray an accurate depiction of history. It is sad that in an age where it seems we have come so far...we still can't have an honest and open discussion about slavery and its existence here in America.
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I found an extract recently from the diaries of a plantation owner, William Byrd. Its not that he was brutal with his slaves that surprised me, it’s the matter of fact way he commented on it,
“I rose at 5 o'clock this morning and read a chapter in Hebrew and 200 verses in Homer's Odyssey. I ate milk for breakfast. I said my prayers. Jenny and Eugene [two house slaves] were whipped. I danced my dance [physical exercises]……My wife was indisposed again but not to much purpose. In the afternoon I beat Jenny [a house slave] for throwing water on the couch”.
Sexually assaulting women of the lower orders was no big deal to Byrd either;
“I rose at 6 o'clock and said my prayers and ate milk for breakfast. Then I proceeded to Williamsburg, where I found all well. I went to the capitol where I sent for the wench to clean my room and when she came I kissed her and felt her, for which God forgive me”.
Life on a Plantation - The Diary of a Slave Master
Part of my reading assignment included this link...http://cenantua.wordpress.com/2009/02/03/a-white-man-remembers-slavery-in-the-shenandoah-valley/
I am always amazed by the cruelty that humans can inflict on each other.
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