Kelly Schaefer-Flake
Reaction Paper #2
10/16/14
History 205- Slavery in the United States
In
preserving American heritage, it is easy to remember the heroic stories of
George Washington, the bravery of the colonists who fought for their freedom,
and the intellectual capacities of our nation’s founders. Yet, to remember only
those parts, only the inspiring moments depicted in high school textbooks, is
to leave out half of the American story. To truly understand American culture,
one has to understand that America was a slave-society before, during, and
after its establishment. Slavery’s
Constitution, African American Voices, Buffalo
Dance: The Journey of York, and passages within Major Problems in African American History all take different
approaches in attempting to give a voice to the individuals who were silenced
throughout history. The people who lived their lives in bondage in early
America held a place in the nation’s founding; as such, their culture holds a
place in American history today.
In
his book Slavery’s Constitution, David
Waldstreicher explains how artfully the constitution was written. Without
mentioning slavery, the constitution successfully ensured that the status quo
would not be jeopardized[1].
It’s frequently forgotten that slavery was inherently an economic institution.
When America was founded, its fate rested in slave-made exports. This is not to
say that elites such as Washington and Jefferson were entirely unaware of the moral
injustice intrinsic to human bondage. In fact, Washington did express concerns
about the morality of the institution[2].
But, Washington’s concerns did not change the wording of the constitution.
Ultimately, the nation’s founders chose not to abolish an institution that
could mean hope for future economic success. As a result, slavery was
effectively built into the structure of American society. In practice, this
meant that slaves in America would continue to live their lives day in and day
out as human property.
Commodification did not end once
Africans made it to North American soil; it was an ongoing process[3].
Without shackles and an endless body of water physically keeping the Africans
in place, slave-owners had to find a way to guarantee that their property would
not try to escape. Yet, as discussed in Major
Problems in African-American History, African slaves developed ways of rebelling
by creating a shared culture. Despite certain tactics used in vain by
slave-owners to prevent their slaves from revolting, the Africans developed new
ideas of kinship and community. They used music, rituals, and language to form familial
ties[4].
In fact, African slaves even used Christianity, a religion meant to keep them
in their place, as a way of organizing themselves[5].
Not all slave rebellions reached violent heights; some rebellions were quieter,
more purposeful. As described in Buffalo
Dance, “nobody choose to
slave. Them choose to hold on to what little family them got. Them choose to be
sure somebody still here to tell our side to tell the whole truth when it all
said and done.”[6]
Although the preservation African-American
culture was successful in many regards, many details are left out in American
history books even today. The famous individuals in American history are still
largely white men. The slaves that helped grow the American nation, that fought
in the revolutionary war, that ensured the continuation of the American way of
life, are rarely mentioned at great length prior to the civil rights area. As a
result, it is difficult to fully understand the slaves as individuals, because
they rarely were able to leave a written record. Buffalo Dance: The Journey of York, provides one account of a forgotten
individual. As a slave of William Clark, York provides an unconventional
perspective on the Lewis and Clark expedition. However, York’s perspective is
also a universal one. Throughout the text, as York grapples with his place, the
inhumanity of slavery becomes so incredibly apparent. York’s experiences are
basic human experiences. Within the poetry, York touches on the realities that
he had to operate under; he details the moment he was ordered to prepare for a
journey that he had not signed up for; he characterizes the way in which the
masters treated their female slaves; York even grapples with the idea of
freedom. York is hyper-aware of his place in society[7].
Sentiments similar to York’s are
echoed in the passages within African
American Voices. For many enslaved individuals, freedom was something that
had to be demanded[8]. Despite the
fact that for most American slaves, the end of slavery was not seen in their
lifetimes, their efforts did not go unnoticed[9].
There was a very clear tension between the ideals laid out in America’s
founding documents and the daily realities of American slaves. While history
books may obscure the roles of African-American slaves in the creation of
American identity, it must be made clear that individuals such as York were not
unique in their ideas. American slaves shared human experiences in the process
of commodification. American slaves organized; they created communities and networks
of kinship. Music, language, and basic rituals were just some of the tools used
to help slaves make sense of their environments. They developed small means of
rebelling. Although American slaves were in bondage during the nation’s
founding, it is imperative to remember that they were there; they were actively
present in the creation of our nation.
[1] David
Waldstreicher, Slavery’s Constitution (New
York, New York: Hill & Wang, 2010), 104.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Charles
McKinney, “Masters and Slaves: The world they made together” (lecture, Rhodes
College, Memphis, TN, October 9, 2014).
[4] Thomas C.
Holt "The Origins of African American and the Continuity of African
Culture.” In Major Problems in African-American History: Documents and
Essays, 110-156 . Vol. 1. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000), 111.
[5] Charles
McKinney, “The Crucible of Black Culture” (lecture, Rhodes College, Memphis,
TN, October 7, 2014).
[6] Frank X.
Walker, Buffalo Dance: The Journey of
York (Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky, 2004), 68.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Steven
Mintz, African American Voices: The Life
Cycle of Slavery (St. James, New York: Brandywine Press, 1993), 94.
[9] Ibid, 95.
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