Slavery

4 Pages 940 Words

Reading Response on: “Black Masters” and “The Slaveholders Dilemma”
When the “Old South” in taken into consideration, generally one may think of large plantations, cotton, and African slaves that worked the land. Many people only associate the cruel treatments and slave holdings with the white plantation owners and white slave traders. Very rarely, if ever, does one hear about any slave holders or slave traders being of black or mulatto skin. This fact, however, seems to be a relevant part of history that is neither taught nor brought into the public eye. However, during the period of the “Old South”, although not as widely spread as white plantation owners with slaves, there were blacks that indeed did own slaves themselves. If fact in Charleston during 1860, 125 freed black slaves owned black slaves themselves; and six of them owning 10 or more. In fact, it is also said that of the $1.5 million in taxable property owned by free Negroes in Charleston during this time, more than $300,000 of that land represented slave holdings (Black Masters 62).
During the period of the Old South, there is a very important story of a black man by the name of William Ellison. Ellison, which was initially named April (they were usually named after the month of the year in which they were born) was born in the late 1700’s, and was bought by a white slave owner, by the name William Ellison, between 1800 and 1802. April was of mulatto skin, so it is thought that his mother was black, and that is father was most likely a white slave owner (Black Masters 5). By the age of 12, April was taught the trades of carpentry, blacksmithing, and machining, as well as how to read, write, cipher, and to do basic book keeping. On June 8, 1816, when April was 26 years old, he and his owner, William Ellison “appeared before a Fairfield District magistrate and five freeholders from the neighborhood” in order to petition his freedom (Black Masters ...