[Vision2020] Slave Narratives
DonaldH675@aol.com
DonaldH675@aol.com
Tue, 14 Oct 2003 13:35:15 EDT
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Dear Visionaries:
=20
The collection of slave narratives, a public works project sponsored under=20
the umbrella of the New Deal, is a rich source of first person accounts of t=
he=20
slave experience. However, the majority of interviews (with the notable=20
exception of Virginia) were conducted by locally prominent, white,=20
Democrats/Dixiecrats, their wives, their daughters, and their out of work br=
others-in-law. The=20
collection was drawn almost entirely from residents living in former=20
Confederate states. Thus, interviews with African-Americans who had left th=
e South=20
and were at liberty to offer a different perspective were not conducted.
=20
The African-Americans interviewed lived under the jurisdiction of the=20
segregationist Southern political machine composed of =E2=80=9CHeroic=E2=
=80=9D (to some Moscow=20
residents) Christian gentlemen who denied African-Americans the vote, the ri=
ght to=20
an adequate public education, and access to routine medical and dental care=20
while concurrently lynching, beating, and economically marginalizing =E2=80=
=9Cuppity=E2=80=9D=20
blacks. The interviews took place in 1937 and 1938 with aged informants who=
=20
had skillfully negotiated the rocks and shoals of the post-reconstruction=20
south. Ask yourself if, when questioned about slavery by the wife of the ow=
ner of=20
the local credit-providing grocery store, how you would frame your answers=20
when pressed to describe how well you were treated by your former owner, AKA=
the=20
grandfather of the current police chief, who is himself a member of the Klan=
. =20
I think we can all agree that survival skills include the ability to read=20
your audience correctly and the gift of giving the =E2=80=9Cright=E2=80=9D a=
nswers. =20
=20
In fact, under comparatively trivial circumstances, we have some interesting=
=20
local examples. We can easily understand that it behooves Nate Wilson and B=
en=20
Merkle to toe the party line regarding slave owners and the living condition=
s=20
of African-American slaves. It=E2=80=99s their job =E2=80=93 their duty=20=
=E2=80=93 to maintain and=20
advance in the family business....and what daddy says goes.
=20
History, like any academic discipline, is nuanced and complex. It is useful=
,=20
indeed imperative, for a historian to seek an understanding of cultural=20
context in order to adequately evaluate historic documents. Nonetheless, yo=
u don=E2=80=99t=20
have to be a historian, an academician, or even an 8th grade graduate to=20
understand that ownership of another human being, regardless of the quality=20=
of=20
living conditions provided, is loathsome and inhumane. All the half-assed=20
biblical justifications and quasi-qualifiers proffered by Doug Wilson and St=
eve=20
Wilkins can=E2=80=99t change that conclusion. Owning another person is a cr=
ime against=20
humanity.
Best,
Rose Huskey
=20
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<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style=3D"FONT-FAMIL=
Y: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>Dear Visionaries:<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style=3D"FONT-FAMIL=
Y: Arial"><o:p><FONT size=3D3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3D3><SPAN styl=
e=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The collection of slave narratives, a public works=20=
project sponsored under the umbrella of the New Deal, is a rich source of fi=
rst person accounts of the slave experience.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes=
"> </SPAN>However, the majority of interviews (with the notable except=
ion of </SPAN><st1:State><st1:place><SPAN style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Virgi=
nia</SPAN></st1:place></st1:State><SPAN style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">) were=20=
conducted by locally prominent, white, Democrats/Dixiecrats, their wives, th=
eir daughters, and their out of work brothers-in-law.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spac=
erun: yes"> </SPAN>The collection was drawn almost entirely from resid=
ents living in former Confederate states.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">&=
nbsp; </SPAN>Thus, interviews with African-Americans who had left the South=20=
and were at liberty to offer a different perspective were not conducted.<o:p=
></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style=3D"FONT-FAMIL=
Y: Arial"><FONT size=3D3><SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p=
></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style=3D"FONT-FAMIL=
Y: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>The African-Americans interviewed lived under the j=
urisdiction of the segregationist Southern political machine composed of <SP=
AN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>=E2=80=9CHeroic=E2=80=9D (to som=
e Moscow residents) Christian gentlemen who denied African-Americans the vot=
e, the right to an adequate public education, and access to routine medical=20=
and dental care while concurrently lynching, beating, and economically margi=
nalizing =E2=80=9Cuppity=E2=80=9D blacks.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">&=
nbsp; </SPAN>The interviews took place in 1937 and 1938 with aged informants=
who had skillfully negotiated the rocks and shoals of the post-reconstructi=
on south. <SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Ask yourself if, wh=
en questioned about slavery by the wife of the owner of the local credit-pro=
viding grocery store, how you would frame your answers when pressed to descr=
ibe how well you were treated by your former owner, AKA the grandfather of t=
he current police chief, who is himself a member of the Klan.<SPAN style=3D"=
mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I think we can all agree that survival skil=
ls include the ability to read your audience correctly and the gift of givin=
g the =E2=80=9Cright=E2=80=9D answers.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">&nbs=
p; </SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style=3D"FONT-FAMIL=
Y: Arial"><o:p><FONT size=3D3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style=3D"FONT-FAMIL=
Y: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>In fact, under comparatively trivial circumstances,=
we have some interesting local examples.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">&=
nbsp; </SPAN>We can easily understand that it behooves Nate Wilson and Ben M=
erkle to toe the party line regarding slave owners and the living conditions=
of African-American slaves.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>=
It=E2=80=99s their job =E2=80=93 their duty =E2=80=93 to maintain and advanc=
e in the family business....and what daddy says goes.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPA=
N></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style=3D"FONT-FAMIL=
Y: Arial"><o:p><FONT size=3D3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style=3D"FONT-FAMIL=
Y: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>History, like any academic discipline, is nuanced a=
nd complex. <SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It is useful, ind=
eed imperative, for a historian to seek an understanding of cultural context=
in order to adequately evaluate historic documents.<SPAN style=3D"mso-space=
run: yes"> </SPAN>Nonetheless, you don=E2=80=99t have to be a historia=
n, an academician, or even an 8<SUP>th</SUP> grade graduate to understand th=
at ownership of another human being, regardless of the quality of living con=
ditions provided, is loathsome and inhumane. <SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: ye=
s"> </SPAN>All the half-assed biblical justifications and quasi-qualifi=
ers proffered by Doug Wilson and Steve Wilkins can=E2=80=99t change that con=
clusion.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Owning another perso=
n is a crime against humanity.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style=3D"FONT-FAMIL=
Y: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>Best,<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style=3D"FONT-FAMIL=
Y: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>Rose Huskey<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style=3D"FONT-FAMIL=
Y: Arial"><o:p><FONT size=3D3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P></BODY></HTML>
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