10 22 Masters Slaves in the Antebellum South Antebellum Slavery in the South diversity of oppressive conditions large plantations run by overseers plantations with resident masters masters who worked beside slaves on small farms small of free black masters SC and Louisiana and Indian masters Cherokee Chickasaw Choctaw and Creek nations 1830s pushed off land variety of types of work artisans blacksmiths carpenters domestics drivers miners or factory laborers majority worked as agricultural laborers cotton sugar rice tobacco wheat corn hemp dominant patterns slaves lived in relatively close contact with their masters slaves fromed about 1 3 of population most holdings from about 10 49 slaves most masters resided on their plantations not absentee because slaves lived in such close proximations with their masters they had an intense relationship slaves and slave holders paternalism solomon Northrup quote twelve years a slave 1853 there may be humane masters as there certainly are inhumane ones there may be slaves well clothed well fed and happy as there surely are those half clad half starved and miserable nevertheless the institution that tolerates such wrong and inhumanity is a cruel unjust and barbarous one harriet Jacobs quote incidents in the life of a slave girl 1861 sometimes my persecutor dr flint would ask me harriet Jacobs whether I would like to be sold I told him I would rather be sold to any body that to lead sucha life as I did On such occasions he would assume the air of a very injured individual and reproach me for my ingratitude Did I not take you into the house and make you the companion of my own children he would say Have I ever treated you like a negro I have never allowed you to be punished not even to please your mistress And this is the recompense I get you ungrateful girl paternalism 19th century ideology that provided a convenient justification for slavery slaves were the children dependents and the benevolent master was the father slavery was good for enslaved African Americans in the words of one plantation owner inspire a negro with perfect confidence in you and learn him to look to you for support and he is your slave how do northrup s and jacobs words expose the hypocrisy of paternalism northrup point out if your going to look at paternalism idea than a good father doesn t leave their kids half naked half starving and miserable inconsistency between rhetoric and actual reality slaves were minimally cared for in terms of food shelter just enough to survive and continue to labor bad apples majority good apples small minority still slavery doesn t mater if you have nicer cltohes or a better house still being held in human bondage harriet Jacobs shows limited understanding of support dr flint is clearly operating with an understanding of what support means idea of giving someone support would be taking their desires under consideration calling it support but really blindsighting them almost as if dr flint is saying slavery is his gift to her how dare she say she is ungrateful for taking her into his house idea that there is humane slavery vs unhumane slavery ideology that once African americans are free cant take care of themselves need institution of slavery in order to live a good life contesting idea of happy slave in order of paternalism to work as a logic and show that you are a good master good father your slaves have to be happy evidently did not always produce happiness every step of way through narrative picks apart logic of paternalism Why Paternalism slavery is becoming a very large profit center in south we saw what happened in Haiti Britain in 1833 need to justify others ending slavery even though they aren t necessarily internalizing ideas as being applicable to slaves they have to deal with that rhetoric becomes another branch of patriarchy justify actions feel good instead of awful on what your doing form of propaganda propagandazing against the people in the north saying they are against slavery more of them have this rise of abolitionist critique coming out of the north at same time rights of blacks being produce you hear reports on reasons why you shouldn t flee have to justify to keep slaves the way they are 1 countered the criticisms of northern abolitionists 2 rhetoric of American rev and great awakening 3 appearance of reform get rid of worst parts of slavery few bad apples in order to ensure we are doing this properly in a lightened and proper matter charles c jones quote the religious instruction of the negroes 1842 black slaves were placed under our control not exclusively for our benefit but their also we cannot disregard this obligation thus dively imposed without forfeiting our humanity our gratitude our consistency and our claim to the spirit of Christianity itself ideology of paternalism justified intrusion of the master into intimate lives of the enslaved people slaves had to be monitored closely in order to be sure that they are fulfilling their duties in a happy and efficient manner James Henry Hammond owner of silver buff a SC estate with 147 slaves to cut down on slaves autonomy shifted work from the task to the gang system hired white minsters to preach to slaves banned slaves from trading with or visiting neighbors placed all children younger than eleven under the care of a nurse insisted on naming the babies himself expression of ownership intrusion and servalence wanted slaves families to grow on plantation but he still interfered in every aspect of slave family life ex couples had to get permission to marry off plantation marriages forbidden punished sexual infidelity Paternalism and Violence if slaves didn t obey they were subject to punishment by father master threat of physical punishment was always there paternalism and dependency and submission that was supposed to go along with it became accustomed in the customs and laws of itself customs that popped up in south in terms of reinforcing paternalistic relationship btwn slave and master deference to all whites move out of the way where they are walking actions of how you live day to day adult stage being punished by white children slaves supposed to always have a cheerful demeanor supposed to be happy in their condition if well managed they should love their masters Slave Codes Ex Louisiana slave owes to his master and to his family a respect without bounds and an absolute obedience slaves defined as property like real estate prohibitions for slaves couldn t