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Born in Bondage: Growing Up Enslaved in the Antebellum South
Each time a child was born in bondage, the system of slavery began anew. Although raised by their parents or by surrogates in the slave community, children were ultimately subject to the rule of their owners. Following the life cycle of a child from birth through youth to young adulthood, Marie Jenkins Schwartz explores the daunting world of slave children, a world governed by the dual authority of parent and owner, each with conflicting agendas.
Despite the constant threats of separation and the necessity of submission to the slaveowner, slave families managed to pass on essential lessons about enduring bondage with human dignity. Schwartz counters the commonly held vision of the paternalistic slaveholder who determines the life and welfare of his passive chattel, showing instead how slaves struggled to give their children a sense of self and belonging that denied the owner complete control.
Born in Bondage gives us an unsurpassed look at what it meant to grow up as a slave in the antebellum South. Schwartz recreates the experiences of these bound but resilient young people as they learned to negotiate between acts of submission and selfhood, between the worlds of commodity and community.
Despite the constant threats of separation and the necessity of submission to the slaveowner, slave families managed to pass on essential lessons about enduring bondage with human dignity. Schwartz counters the commonly held vision of the paternalistic slaveholder who determines the life and welfare of his passive chattel, showing instead how slaves struggled to give their children a sense of self and belonging that denied the owner complete control.
Born in Bondage gives us an unsurpassed look at what it meant to grow up as a slave in the antebellum South. Schwartz recreates the experiences of these bound but resilient young people as they learned to negotiate between acts of submission and selfhood, between the worlds of commodity and community.
- GenresHistoryAmerican History
304 pages, Paperback
First published June 9, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 16, 2020
Contrary to the various and sparse reviews here, I believe this book is a crucial piece of scholarship to the field of Southern history and African American studies.
Firstly, I appreciated Schwartz’ use of sources here, utilizing accounts from both Delta ‘Cotton King’ states and Mid-Atlantic states. I was relieved to know that the author does not dismiss American Slavery as a monolith experience. Nothing seems generalized here.
Secondly and most importantly, this book demonstrates an unrelenting pattern of resistance and the thirst for survival from the slave ship to King in Birmingham.
Firstly, I appreciated Schwartz’ use of sources here, utilizing accounts from both Delta ‘Cotton King’ states and Mid-Atlantic states. I was relieved to know that the author does not dismiss American Slavery as a monolith experience. Nothing seems generalized here.
Secondly and most importantly, this book demonstrates an unrelenting pattern of resistance and the thirst for survival from the slave ship to King in Birmingham.
September 1, 2017
Valuable but not a fascinating or compelling read
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews