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Life along the Mississippi River for African Americans enslaved in ... The main crop that lined both banks of the Mississippi river in Louisiana was sugar. ...
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Slide 1:Blindy’s Trip to The Archives
Louisiana
Slide 2:Blindy and Benjy’s Louisiana
Life along the Mississippi River for African Americans enslaved in Louisiana varied based on their locations in urban or rural settings. African Americans enslaved in urban port cities such as New Orleans, were surrounded by European Americans, free blacks, enslaved African Americans from other parts of the country that worked on ships, and enslaved African Americans sent to the city to be sold. In fact, because the number of African Americans in Louisiana was so large between the 1840’s and 1850’s, the fear of European American enslavers that those they enslaved might get lost in the sea of free blacks and escape, was great. It was so great at this time that Louisiana laws fluctuated between requiring that free black sailors and river men coming into the state automatically be jailed to requiring them to register for passes. Other free blacks during this time were also required to register for passes or face the probability of enslavement.[i] Colored American, an anti slavery paper out of New York, regularly published accounts of free blacks that visited Louisiana only to find themselves captured and then enslaved by European Americans.[ii] The Missouri legislature was not operating under unfounded fears since the runaway advertisements that dotted the papers of Ante bellum Louisiana detailed the escapes of numerous enslaved African Americans that ran away from steamboats along the New Orleans levee.
Slide 3:Blindy and Benjy’s Louisiana, Continued
The main crop that lined both banks of the Mississippi river in Louisiana was sugar. In June 1842 in St. James Parish alone, almost two hundred sugar planters “approach (ed) the representatives of the nation, in Congress assembled, earnestly to pray them to come to the relief of an industry involving an outlay of capital of $52,000,000” by asking for an increase of the duties on imported sugar.[iii] Many of these plantation owners, such as Samuel Fagot, The Armant Brothers, G. Dupare, R. Zocoul, C. M. Shepherd, and J.T. Roman and other members of the Roman family, ran these prosperous sugar plantations that supplied the commodity to places around the United States and Great Britain. Plantation life for African Americans consisted of grueling work from sun up to sun down. Sugar plantation work was no exception. Enslaved African Americans on sugar plantations worked in gangs (groups with specific tasks) and labored from planting in the field to processing the cane in the sugar-house. The location of sugar plantations lent enslaved African Americans easy access to the Mississippi, it also lent them easy access to free and enslaved blacks from other areas of the country. This proximity provided the opportunity for those enslaved to learn of rural enslavement in the Deep South and other parts of the United States, and it also enabled them to learn of freedom. [i] Thomas C. Buchanan, Black Life on the Mississippi, 24. [ii] Frederick Douglass, The North Star, August 17, 1855. [iii] Gaytha Carver Thompson, Sugar Planters & Manufactures: 1842. Saint James Parish, Louisiana
Slide 4: Document #: 2A Place in the Archives - Computer Room Title of Document -1858 Plantation Map
Author of Document – Louisiana Historical Society Location of Document http://www.stjamesparish.jwebre.com/new_page_40.htm *********************************************** Document Summary Summary – This map shows location of specific sugar plantations in St. James Parish in Louisiana and their proximity to the Mississippi River. Life skills: Self-image, decision making Other Life Skill Connections: Living in adverse conditions, decision making
Slide 5:1858 St. James Parish Map
Slide 6:Source Questions
1. Question about self-image and feeling. Possible Question: Blindy’s great, great lived on the J.T. Roman Estate. How would being surrounded by plantations filled with other enslaved African Americans affect an enslaved African American’s self image? Do you think it would make them feel hopeful, hopeless, or something else? 2. Students identify and explain other life skills that connect to the story by writing them in below.
Slide 7: Document #: 2C Place in the Archives: Archives Title of Document – Smith, Anie
Author/Source – Afro-Louisiana History and Genealogy 1718 – 1820 Location of Documents – http://www.ibiblio.org/laslave/individ.php?sid=65682 ********************************************** Document Summary Summary – These documents list African Americans purchased by Jaques Roman. They also list such information as purchase price, place of origin of seller and of African American. Life skills: Self-image and feeling Other Life Skill Connections: Living in adverse conditions
Slide 8: Smith, Anie
Smith Gender: male Race: black Birthplace: Maryland Age (when this record was documented): 1.0 Other comments: creole of Maryland, seller from Iberville Parish Selling Information Name of the Seller: Samuel M. Spagine Name of the Buyer: Jacques Roman Grouping: sold or inventoried in a group Selling Currency: D Selling Value: 3050 Selling Value: 3050 Document: Information of the document that these records were retrieved. Document Location: St. James (including Acadians) Document Date: 1811-07-27 Document Number (from the document): 148 Notary Name: Michel Cantrelle Coder (person that encoded this record: Philip McLeod Type of document: Any documents involving maroons, including reports of runaways, interrogation of caputred runaways, and testimony by slaves about runaways: no Language: French Is this document of linguistic interest?: no Is this inventory or sale of an estate of a free person of African descent?: no Skill and Trade Information Personality Family Information Mother's Name: Mother's Age: 19 Mother's Race: Was this slave inventoried with his/her mother?: no Was this slave sold with his/her mother?: yes Birthplace of mother: 21 Importation Information Was this slave being emancipated?: no Slave listed as dead?: no
Slide 9: Source Questions
1. Write a short 1 – 2 sentence description of Smith after filling out the chart for him below. Put each of the details that you learn about him in the circles. Add more circles if necessary: 2. Question about self-image and feeling. Possible Question: How might being sold with his/her mother affect who and whose he is for Smith? 3. Students identify and explain other life skills that connect to the story by writing them in below and then choosing a BABES character to explain one of them.
Slide 10:Document #: 2D Place in the Archives: Newspaper Room Title of Document – Laouisiana Dogs NEGRO DOGS HOW HAPPY THEY ARE!
Author of Document/s– March 11, 1853, FREDERICK DOUGLASS PAPER, Rochester, New York , April 5, 1850, THE NORTH STAR, Rochester, New York Source - Accessible Archives Location of Documents – www.accessible.com *********************************************** Document Summary Summary – These sources are advertisements for dogs that were trained to track and help capture runaways. Life skills: Self-image Other Life Skill Connections: Living in adverse conditions, Decision-making
Slide 11:Louisiana Dogs NEGRO DOGS HOW HAPPY THEY ARE!
ITEM #46038 March 11, 1853 FREDERICK DOUGLASS PAPER Rochester, New York NEGRO DOGS. - The undersigned would respectfully inform the citizens of Ouachita and adjacent parishes, that he has located about 2 1-2 miles east of John White's, on the road leading from Monroe to Bastrop, and that he has a fine pack of dogs for catching negroes. Persons wishing negroes caught will do well to give him a call. He can always be found at his stand when not engaged in hunting, and even then information of his whereabouts can always be had of some one on the premises. TERMS - Five dollars per day and found, when there is no track pointed out. When the track is shown, twenty-five dollars will be charged for catching the negro. M.C. GOFF. MONROE, La., Feb. 17, 1852. ITEM #21628 April 5, 1850 THE NORTH STAR Rochester, New York HOW HAPPY THEY ARE! - The following advertisement, taken from the "Louisiana Floridian," is a fine sample of the chivalry and the beauty of slavery! Glorious fellows are our brethren of the generous South: "NEGRO DOGS. - The undersigned has on hand some of the best Dogs in the State, and he wishes to let the public know that he is prompt and ready to attend any calls that is not over 15 miles. He has been in the habit of charging every one five dollars for catching each negro; he does not intend to reduce his former prices, but will charge more for long trips. He does not advise any person to come after him unless he can take him to a trail that is not more than eight or ten hours old. Any person wanting a negro caught, will either go after him or send a man authorized to make a bargain with him before he starts. Some persons do not like their negroes caught with dogs, on account of having them bit, he assures all such that if they request it, he can have them caught without being bit. Residence two miles west of Clinton at the forks of the Jackson and Port Hudson roads. The money will be required when the work is performed, W. B. ROURK.
Slide 12:Source Questions
1. Are the descriptions of the Negroes and the dogs similar or different? You can also add in some of the characteristics the article makes you think of. Fill in the chart below and then answer this question and explain your answer.
Slide 13:Source Questions
2. Question about self-image and feeling. Possible Question: Blindy’s great, great was one of those “Negro dogs” mentioned in the article. Although she never had to chase any enslaved African Americans before she escaped with Benjy, how do you think she might have felt about herself or other bloodhounds that had to do what the article said? How do you think people’s self image is affected when they are forced to do or be something that they don’t want to do or be? 3. Students identify and explain other life skills that connect to the story by writing them in below.
