WOMEN IN SLAVE-HOLDING COUNTRIES.
A separate article is appropriated to this subject, because slavery everywhere produces nearly the same effects on character; but the story is briefly told, because the details of that system are alike discreditable to man and woman. A recent writer who defends slavery has said that in slave-holding countries “women are not beasts of burden.” This is a gallant phrase to apply to all those ladies who live in countries where the traffic in human beings is not introduced, like a plague-spot, into the social system; but the chief fault to be found with it is, that it is founded on the common mistake of leaving out of the estimate all those whose complexions are not perfectly white. In all slave-holding communities, colored women are emphatically “beasts of burden;” yet, under kindly influences, they are capable of the same moral and intellectual cultivation as other human beings.
One of the worst features of this polluting system is that female slaves are neither protected by law, or restrained by public opinion. Their masters own them as property, and have despotic control over their actions; and such is their degraded condition, that to be the mistress of a white man is an object of ambition rather than of shame. The same result would be produced upon any class of people under similar circumstances. They are taught from infancy that they have no character to gain or to lose; and their whole moral code consists in one maxim—obedience to the white men. The personal kindness of their masters, though founded on the most impure feelings, is likely to shelter them in some degree from harsh treatment, and to procure for them those articles of finery upon which all ignorant people place an inordinate value. The idea of obtaining money to purchase freedom is likewise a frequent incentive to immorality. It is not proposed to disgust the reader with a recapitulation of facts in proof of these remarks. It is sufficient to say that female virtue is a thing not even supposed to exist among slaves; and that when individual instances of it occur, it sometimes meets with severe castigation, and generally with contemptuous ridicule.
It may well be supposed that those who are delicately termed “favorite slaves,” sometimes become very pert and impudent, in consequence of their situation in their master’s family. A female slave in Baltimore was, for obvious reasons, very odious in the eyes of her mistress, who let no opportunity escape of getting her flogged for some misdemeanor, real or pretended. The master, for reasons equally obvious, was always reluctant to give orders for her punishment; but he was sometimes obliged to do so, for the sake of domestic peace. On such occasions, the slave flounced about the house, and boasted that every whipping he ordered her should cost him a handsome sum for broken china.
Stedman relates that Mrs. S—lk—r, of Surinam, having observed, among some newly imported slaves, a negro girl of remarkably fine figure and expressive countenance, immediately ordered the poor creature’s mouth, cheeks, and forehead to be burned with red-hot iron, and the tendon of her heel to be cut. These cruel orders were given from mere prospective jealousy of her husband; and to gratify this wicked passion, the unoffending girl was maimed and deformed for life.
One of the most observable effects produced by this system, is that it invariably induces the habit of not considering a large number of men, women, and children in the same light as other human beings; hence the most common maxims of justice and morality, recognised in all other cases, are not supposed to apply to slaves. The dimness of moral perception and the obtuseness of moral feeling, produced by this state of things, sometimes come out in forms very shocking to those who are unaccustomed to the system. Miss G——, of South Carolina, being on a visit to an intimate friend of the writer, certain ladies, who were present, began to talk on the never-failing topic of domestics. “You do not have the trouble of such frequent changes,” said one of them to Miss G——; “but I should think you would find it very disagreeable to be surrounded by so many slaves.” “Not at all disagreeable,” replied the lady from South Carolina; “I have always been accustomed to blacks; I was nursed by one of them, of whom I was very fond. As for good looks, I assure you some of them are very handsome. I had a young slave, who was an extremely pretty creature. A gentleman, who visited at our house, became very much in love with her. One day she requested me to speak to that gentleman, for she did not wish to be his mistress, and he troubled her exceedingly. I did speak to him, begging him to change his conduct, as his attentions were very disagreeable to my slave. For a few weeks he desisted; but at the end of that time, he told me he must have that girl, at some rate or other; he offered me a very high price; I pitied the poor fellow, and sold her to him.”
Miss G—— was an unmarried woman, with correct ideas of propriety concerning those of her own color; but having been educated under a system that taught her to regard a portion of the human race as mere animals, she made the above remarks without the slightest consciousness that there was any thing shameful in the transaction.
Pinckard, in his Notes on the West Indies, speaks in terms of strong disgust, of the entire want of modesty evinced by women in cases where their female slaves were concerned. “It is to the advantage of the hostess of a tavern,” says he, “that the female attendants of her family should be as handsome as she can procure them. Being slaves, the only recompense of their services is the food they eat, the hard bed they sleep on, and the few loose clothes which are hung upon them. One privilege, indeed, is allowed them, which you will be shocked to know; and this offers the only hope they have of procuring a sum of money, wherewith to purchase their freedom: and the resource among them is so common, that neither shame nor disgrace attaches to it; but, on the contrary, she who is most sought becomes an object of envy, and is proud of the distinction shown her.
“One of our attendants at table appeared, both from her conversation and behavior, to be very superior to her degraded station. She had nothing of beauty, nor even prettiness of face, but she was of good figure, and of respectable and interesting demeanor, and, in point of intellect, far above her colleagues. Together with gentleness of manner, and an easy, pleasant address, she possesses a degree of understanding and ability which claim respect. In principle and in sentiment she appeared virtuous; and, from the frankness of her replies, it was evident that she knew no sense of wrong in her conduct. We could not but lament, that the imperious habits of the country did not allow of her being placed as a more respectable member of society.
“This woman is the great support of the house—the bar-maid, and leading manager of the family. Her mistress had refused to take one hundred guineas for her; which, she assured us, had been offered by a gentleman, who would have purchased her. She has a very lively, interesting little daughter, a Mestee, about four years old. Of this child she spake with great tenderness, and appeared to bear it all the fond attachment of an affectionate parent. Yet, as the infant was born in slavery, should the mother by any means obtain her freedom, she cannot claim her child, but must leave it, still the disposable property of her mistress, equally liable to be sold as any other piece of furniture in the house.”
This same habit of putting slaves out of the pale of humanity, leads to great carelessness in sundering the ties of domestic affection. The slave mother and her little ones are advertised for sale “either singly, or in lots, to suit purchasers.” If the will of the purchaser separates them, the wretched parent in vain shrieks, “I can’t leave my children! I won’t leave my children!” With all the kind instincts of human nature strong within her, she is an article of property; and resistance is useless. In old times, when slavery was sanctioned in Massachusetts, a wealthy lady residing in Gloucester was in the habit of giving away the infants of her female slaves, a few days after they were born, as people are accustomed to dispose of a litter of kittens. One of her neighbors begged an infant, which, in those days of comparative simplicity, she nourished with her own milk, and reared among her own children. This woman had an earnest desire for a brocade gown; and her husband not feeling able to purchase one, she sent her little nursling to Virginia, and sold her, when she was about seven years old.
People who have never been under the influence of this system, are reluctant to believe that slave-owners make no scruple of selling their own mulatto children; but those who have long resided in slave countries know perfectly well that it is a fact of frequent occurrence. One of the most singular instances of this kind occurred a few years since. Doctor W—— went into one of the south-western of the United States to settle as a physician. In one of the families where he visited in the course of his practice, he saw a girl in a humble situation, who was very handsome in her person, and modest in her manners. He became in love with her, and married her. Sometime after, a gentleman called, and announced himself as Mr. I—r—, of Mobile. “Sir,” said he, “I have a trifling affair of business to settle with you. You have married a slave of mine.” Dr. W—— was surprised and indignant; for he had supposed his wife to be perfectly white. But Mr. I—r— brought forward proofs of his assertion, and the unrighteous laws of the land supported his claim. After considerable discussion, the young man found he must either pay eight hundred dollars, or suffer his wife to be sold at auction. He paid the money. When Mrs. W. was informed of the circumstance, she was in deep distress, and apologized to her husband for the concealment she had practised, by saying, “As Mr. I—r— is my own father, I did hope when I had found an honorable protector he would leave me in peace.”
Another great evil resulting from this system, is the tyrannical habits and impetuous passions that are unavoidably developed by early habits of despotic sway. The manner of speaking to a slave is almost universally haughty and contemptuous. Delicate, languid, and graceful ladies, who would cherish a lapdog, and shrink from harming a butterfly, will, in a moment of anger, seize the whip and chastise a slave for the slightest fault, and sometimes for errors, which in their calmer moments they discover were never committed. If all history did not prove that the possession of absolute power is apt to produce a species of insanity, it would be difficult to believe the occasional demonstrations of vindictive passions in slave countries.
A young man from Missouri lately related, at a public meeting in Ohio, the following circumstance which took place in his own state. A young slave, who had been much abused, ran away, after an unusually severe whipping. She returned in a few days, and was sent into the field to work. In consequence of excessive punishment she was very ill; and when she reached the house at night, she lay down on the floor exhausted. When her mistress spoke to her, she made no reply. She again asked what was the matter, but received no answer. “I’ll see if I can’t make you speak,” exclaimed she, in a rage; and she applied red-hot tongs to her limbs and throat. The poor girl faintly whispered, “Oh, misse, don’t; I’m most gone”—and expired.
Such cruelties probably are not of common occurrence; but the habits of indolence, acquired by having slaves to obey every look, are universal. Ladies thus educated consider it a hardship to untie a string, or pick up a handkerchief that has fallen. A slave must be always near them to perform such offices. Even after the family have retired to rest, some of their locomotive machinery must be within call. A lady, having heard surprise expressed at this custom, replied with much earnestness, “Mercy! what should I, or my husband do, if we happened to want a glass of water in the night, and there was nobody near to bring it!” A little girl, whose parents removed from Massachusetts to South Carolina, complained that she had an utter aversion to going to school, it was so fatiguing to carry her books. All the other little girls had slaves to carry them.
Among the women of slave countries there is a tendency to mental as well as physical indolence. They are often more elegant and graceful than ladies educated under a more healthy system; but they are far less capable, industrious, and well-informed.
The slaves themselves are brutally ignorant. In several of the United States, there are very strict laws to prevent their learning the alphabet.
Early habits of allowed profligacy in men form a bad school for the domestic affections; and a wife who sees herself neglected for others, with a great deal of unemployed time on her own hands, is placed in circumstances where she has need of great strength of principle. According to Stedman’s account, these influences have produced a lamentable effect on the character of women in Surinam; though there are there, as elsewhere, honorable exceptions to the general tone of manners and morals.
Human beings are generally merry and thoughtless in proportion as their wants are merely animal; and slaves are light-hearted, both by habit and natural temperament. The memory of suffering soon passes away; and during every interval of labor they will sing, dance, and laugh, as if the world had no cares for them. Pinckard, speaking of the British West Indies, says: “Sunday is a day of festivity among the slaves. They are passionately fond of dancing; and the Sabbath, offering them an interval from toil, is generally devoted to their favorite amusement. Instead of remaining in tranquil rest, they undergo more fatigue, or at least more personal exertion, during their gala hours of Saturday night and Sunday, than is demanded of them in labor during any four days of the week. They assemble in crowds upon the open green, or in any square or corner of the town, and forming a ring in the centre of the throng, dance to the sound of their beloved African music, consisting of a species of drum, a kind of rattle, and their ever delightful banjar. The dance consists of stamping of the feet, twisting of the body, and a number of strange, indecent attitudes. It is a severe bodily exertion, more bodily indeed than you can well imagine, for the limbs have little to do with it.”
The clothing of slaves is generally the slightest possible, and of the coarsest materials. Pinckard speaks of seeing old women at Barbadoes washing clothes in the river, with no other covering than a piece of blue cloth fastened round the loins, after the manner of savages. He says “their bodies bore the crowded and callous scars of repeated punishment.”
In the West Indies, the negro women carry their babes across the hip, as in Africa.
Small rude huts are appropriated to the field slaves, where they live much after the fashion of pigs in a sty. Those who are kept for house-servants generally lie down upon the floor, wherever they happen to be when the labors of the day are over. A person rising earlier than usual, is liable to stumble over them in the entries. Female slaves toil in the fields, under the lash of the driver, as laboriously as the men; and, generally speaking, no difference is made in the mode or severity of punishment. A little patch of ground is usually assigned to each slave family, where they may raise vegetables for themselves, in addition to the tasks performed for their masters. Many of them spend their leisure moments in making baskets and brooms to carry to market, and thus procure a little money.
The negroes believe they shall return to Africa when they die; and this idea has often led to suicide. They follow a friend to the grave with every demonstration of joy; and when the ceremony is finished, sing: “God bless you, Jenny—Good-bye—remember me to all friends t’other side of the sea—tell ’em me come soon—Good-bye, Jenny.”
The influence of slavery is in every sense injurious to the slave. As they derive no benefit from being industrious, they try to evade labor, under all manner of false pretexts; and the more time they can waste, the more they think they have gained. They do not, like free laborers, fear to be dishonest, lest they should lose their character and place; but the compensation which is not given they conceive themselves at liberty to take. It is a common thing for them to say, “Me no steal him; me take him from massa.” Persons who are most kind and indulgent to their slaves are often liable to be served in the most negligent manner. Some have unjustly ascribed this to the bad disposition of the Africans; but the fault is in the pernicious system, which removes all salutary moral restraints, and healthy incentives to exertion. No human being will work from a disinterested love of toil; and slaves soon learn that they gain nothing by industry, and lose nothing by laziness; in either case they get something to eat, and something to cover them—and their greatest exertions will do no more. Under a severe master or mistress, they will work, from fear of the whip, which a driver is paid to hold over their backs; but when this is removed, no other inducement to industry remains.
In all slave countries, there are many honorable exceptions to the character implied in the preceding remarks—men and women who conscientiously endeavor to mitigate the condition of their slaves, as far as possible. Instances of strong mutual attachment sometimes occur, between masters and their dependents, as there did in the proud old feudal times. The negro nurse is called “mammy,” by those whom she tended in their infancy, and is sometimes treated with so much tenderness, that her young master and mistress will resent it if an unkind word be spoken to her. The negroes are of an affectionate disposition, and are often devoted to their foster-children with all the strength of maternal affection. During a tremendous earthquake in St. Domingo, when others were saving themselves with all haste, a young female slave remembered a white infant, forgotten by its own mother. She hastened to her nursling, and placing herself in an arch over its body, was killed by the tumbling walls of the house; but the little object of her solicitude was safely restored to its agonized parents.
But although there are here and there spots of sunshine and verdure in the dark picture of slavery, the natural tendency of the system is to turn any form of society into a moral desert. Christian nations are beginning to be aware of this; and the hand of Divine Providence is now visibly seen removing this “costly iniquity” from the face of the earth.
The mother of Washington receiving Lafayette in her garden.