Working with the documents - Infering and corroborating evidence about life for slaves (Activity III)

[John Lee]

This is the third of three activities that use the SCIM-C method to explore resources on the Plantation Letters website.

Activity III

Your task in this part of the exploration is to identify a topic using an interactive interface built into the Plantation Letters website for selecting letters on specific topics. To access this interface, click on "Search Letters" on the left and then "Document Viewer." You should chose one topic and read as many letters as time permits. As you read, use the SCIM-C strategy. The SCIM-C questions are included below. In addition to using the SCIM-C strategy, try to develop a brief interpretation about a question that you see as related to the topic. For example, if a topic said automobile (of course this topic is not listed), you might ask how common was it for slaves on the Cameron plantations to ride in automobiles?

As you develop your responses, you should attempt to find multiple sources that support your interpretation. This process is corroboration. Again, refer to the questions below as you complete this task.


{from David Hicks and Peter Doolittle - http://www.historicalinquiry.com/scim/index.cfm}


Summarizing
Summarizing is the first phase of the SCIM-C strategy and begins with having students quickly examine the documentary aspects of the text, in order to find any information or evidence that is explicitly available from the source. Within this phase students should attempt to identify the source's subject, author, purpose, and audience, as well as the type of historical source (e.g., letter, photograph, cartoon). In addition, the student should look for key facts, dates, ideas, opinions, and perspectives that appear to be immediately apparent within the source. The four analyzing questions associated with the summarizing phase include:
1. What type of historical document is the source?
2. What specific information, details and/or perspectives does the source provide?
3. What is the subject and/or purpose of the source?
4. Who was the author and/or audience of the source?

Contextualizing
Contextualizing begins the process of having students spend more time with the source in order to explore the authentic aspects of the source in terms of locating the source within time and space. The teacher needs to emphasize that it is important to recognize and understand that archaic words and/or images from the period may be in a source. These words and/or images may no longer be used today or they may be used differently, and these differences should be noted and defined. In addition, the meanings, values, habits, and/or customs of the period may be very different from those today. Ultimately, students and teachers must be careful to avoid treating the source as a product of today as they pursue their guiding historical question. The four analyzing questions associated with the contextualizing phase include:
1. When and where was the source produced?
2. Why was the source produced?
3. What was happening within the immediate and broader context at the time the source was produced?
4. What summarizing information can place the source in time and place?

Inferring
Inferring is designed to provide students with the opportunity to revisit initial facts gleaned from the source and to begin to read subtexts and make inferences based upon a developing understanding of the context and continued examination of the source. In answering an historical question and working with the primary source, sometimes the evidence is not explicitly stated or obvious in the source, but rather, the evidence is hinted at within the source and needs to be drawn out. The inferring stage provides room for students to explore the source and examine the source's perspective in the light of the historical questions being asked. The four analyzing questions associated with the inferring phase include:
1. What is suggested by the source?
2. What interpretations may be drawn from the source?
3. What perspectives or points of view are indicated in the source?
4. What inferences may be drawn from absences or omissions in the source?

Monitoring
Monitoring is the capstone stage in examining individual sources. Here students are expected to question and reflect upon their initial assumptions in terms of the overall focus on the historical questions being studied. This reflective monitoring is essential in making sure that students have asked the key questions from each of the previous phases. Such a process requires students to examine the credibility and usefulness or significance of the source in answering the historical questions at hand.
Ultimately, monitoring is about reflection, reflection upon the use of the SCIM-C strategy and reflection upon the source itself. The SCIM-C strategy is recursive in nature and thus revisiting phases and questions is essential as one begins to create an historical interpretation of a source in light of one's historical questions. The four analyzing questions associated with the monitoring phase include:
1. What additional evidence beyond the source is necessary to answer the historical question?
2. What ideas, images, or terms need further defining from the source?
3. How useful or significant is the source for its intended purpose in answering the historical question?
4. What questions from the previous stages need to be revisited in order to analyze the source satisfactorily?

Corroborating
Corroborating only starts when students have analyzed a series of sources, and are ready to extend and deepen their analysis through comparing the evidence gleaned from each source in light of the guiding historical questions. What similarities and differences in ideas, information, and perspectives exist between the analyzed sources? Students should also look for gaps in their evidence that may hinder their interpretations and the answering of their guiding historical questions. When they find contradictions between sources, they must investigate further, including the checking of the credibility of the source. Once the sources have been compared the student then begins to draw conclusions based upon the synthesis of the evidence, and can begin to develop their own conclusions and historical interpretation. The four analyzing questions associated with the corroborating phase include:
1. What similarities and differences between the sources exist?
2. What factors could account for these similarities and differences?
3. What conclusions can be drawn from the accumulated interpretations?
4. What additional information or sources are necessary to answer more fully the guiding historical question?

[Kimberley Thurston]

Childbirth

How was childbirth handled on the plantation?
Summarizing:
1) These are letters from Lewellynn to Cameron.
2) I read 6 letters. The first tells that Lewellynn is chopping cotton. He is working on the plantation and keeping up with his work. He is updating Cameron on how the plantation is. He tells Cameron of a runaway slave. He also informs him that Salby had a baby girl and Aggy had a boy. He also mentions an accident with a horse. He lets Cameron know that the plantation received the supplies he sent. The second letter is also from Lewellynn to Cameron. He is again updating Cameron with the current state of the plantation. He updates him on the crops and expresses concern for the cotton. He mentions that there are a few sick slaves and also a new son was born to Diley. The third letter is pretty much the same. He assures Cameron that there is enough Fodder and oats. He also updates him on sick slaves and mentions that Polly had a baby girl. In the fourth letter, Lewellynn expresses concern for the cotton. He updates Cameron on the sick slaves and mentions another birth. Mary had a baby girl. The fifth letter mentions that both Eliza and Liddy each have a baby girl. The sixth letter tells the current state of the picked crops and the sick slaves. It also tells that Sally gave birth to a baby boy.
3) The purpose of these letters is to give Cameron an update on his plantation.
4) The author is Charles Lewellynn and his audience is Paul Cameron.
Contextualizing:
1) All letters are dated for the year 1846 except letter one which is dated for 1845. They are written on the plantation.
2) Theses letters are intended for Cameron in order to update him on the plantation.
3) Slavery was obviously going on. He is expressing some concern for the cotton which gives evidence that it is not a good time for cotton. They are a lot of childbirths on the plantation.
4) The dates of the letters, the crops being produced as well as the tools used.
Inferring:
1) The source suggests that not all of the crops are doing well. It also suggests that there are a lot of childbirths. The letters also suggest that Cameron has a trusted slave in Lewellynn.
2) Lewellynn and Cameron were on good terms, slaves are being impregnated often, and slaves on the plantation are sickly.
3) The sources provide the slave perspective but more so the slave owner’s perspective. Even though the sources are written by a slave, the slave is speaking from a slave owner’s perspective by giving an update on the plantation.
4) Even though there is mention of the childbirths, there is no explanation of how it is handled. This may mean that childbirths were not a big deal. There is also an absence is Cameron’s rely letters, so maybe things were addressed in his letters back to Lewellynn.
Monitoring:
1) Cameron’s letters or letters from other slaves.
2) I really didn’t find anything.
3) Not very good. Lewellynn only mentioned when a child was born and no additional information. I think that Cameron’s reply letters are necessary.
4) What inferences may be drawn from absences or omissions in the source? I think that this question needs to be revisited because the sources themselves do not provide enough information therefore inferences must be made.
Corroborating:
1) All of the letters provide Cameron with an update on his plantation. They all mention how the crops and slaves are doing.
2) I think that the only purpose of there letters was to let Cameron know how is plantation was back home.
3) One interpretation is that Cameron trusted Lewellynn. Another is that slaves had a lot of children. Cameron must have been busy because he didn’t write Lewellynn back; maybe they weren’t that close after all.
4) Definitely other letters, letters from Cameron and maybe other slaves. Maybe plantation population graphs that would show the increasing (or decreasing) population on the plantation. autobiographies would really be helpful.

[Alexandra Morgan Teich]

Question: Was the supply of food a constant struggle for both slaves and their masters?

Summarizing
1. The letters are a primary source written by Paul Cameron.
2. letter one Paul details the food and cost of taking slaves to Alabama for $6-$7 per head. He talks about bacon being their primary source of food for this trip.
letter two Now he is talking about struggling with food supplies hoping that he will not run out of money to buy salt for perishables and other necessary items. He also details all of the expenses that are being paid in order to transport the slaves through Mr. Laws.
letter three Paul talks about the decreasing health among the slaves. He continues talking about the lack of pork and salt and how he doesn't have enough expenses to pay for supplies. He is worried that he won't have enough food to feed the slaves.
letter four Paul talks about their diet of pickled pork and how they are growing tired of eating the same thing. They have some vegetables that they are growing. He describes how the children are fat as pigs but the elderly are thin and weary.
3. The purpose of these letters is to have an account of the travels done by Paul Cameron and his slaves. He kept a detailed account of supplies to show the realities of traveling and the relationship with food.
4. The author of these letters is Paul Cameron and he was writing to his father.

Contextualizing
1. The letters were written between 1844-1847. They were written between Alabama and North Carolina.
2. The source was produced in order to relay the message to his father about the slaves travels and their supplies.
3. The Civil War hadn't started yet but the southern states were detached from the union and slavery was still an accepted institution.
4. The price in the letters is a big indication of the time period. Also, the way they traveled doesn't indicate any tecnology.

Inferring
1. It is suggested that traveling during this time was hard and strenuous. The supplies don't seem to last the full exrent of the trip.
2. It is inferred that the slaves endured most of the hardships and that money was tight.
3. The only point of view is through Paul Cameron who is the author of the letters.
4. The health care wasn't mentioned even when there was a lot of talk about sickness and death. I can infer that Paul Cameron didn't care much about the well being of each individual slave just as long as he got enough to Alabama to work. This indicates difference in priority between the slaves and the masters.

Monitoring
1. It would be important to know the traveling conditions in the late 1800s and the precautions many slave owners have to take in order to transport slaves. I would also want to know if relocation was a prominent practice of the families that owned expansive plantations.
2. I need to get the image of farming in the late 1800s. I'm not familiar with gin houses and seed. I don't know how big this is so a reference point would help me picture the scenery more effectively.
3. These letters answer my question very well. Paul outlines, by number, the supplies that he has, what he needs, and what he pays for them. For the most part, I am able to get a good depiction of how supplies affected the group of travelers and what was most important when they were traveling.
4. I think that contextualizing is an important section to revisit. More specifically, I think that question four in contextualizing lays a foundation for the historical time period in which the letters were written. Before something so specific is being investigated, it is important to include background information as well.

Corroborating
http://www.hal.state.mi.us/mhc/timetraveler/travel1840s/index.html
http://www.teachushistory.org/detocqueville-visit-united-states/art...
1. The letters were a primary source of information that indicated personal struggles. A lot of the information that I found relates to the historical documentation of the road and the supplies that were used. The similarities were the supplies that were used and the difficulties that people had to endure traveling in the 1840s.
2. The main factor was the difference in primary vs. secondary sources.
3. I concluded that the leaders of the travels never had enough supplies. They always endured more hardships than they expected but there was always a goal in mind when traveling. It usually wasn't for leisure.
4. I would've liked to read other accounts of slave owners relocating in order to get the facts from those that experienced it. I would've also liked to see maps of roads and have a visual of their travels.

[Christine Fischer]

Theme: Punshiment
Were slaves often punished? Would they have to do more work? Were they beaten by their masters?

Summarizing:
The three sources that I read under the topic of punishment were letters from the overseer in AL, Charles Lewellyn, to the Plantation owner (Master) in NC, Paul Cameron. These letters were all written in the late winter and early spring of the year 1847. All three letters are very straightforward. The overseer tells Mr. Cameron about the crops on the plantation (cotton and oats), the weather (and how it affects the crops), health, his receipt of supplies, and how/when he has to punish the slaves.

Contextualizing:
The sources were produced in Greene County, Alabama. The letters were mainly sent to Mr. Cameron to update him about the mechanics and operations of his plantation. The overseer, Mr. Lewellyn, wanted Paul to know about which slaves had been "good" and which ones had to be punished. He talked about the relative health of the slaves as well as the residents of the home. He also wanted him to know of his failing crops (because of bugs/lice and the weather) and the actions that he was taking to revive the crops. Around this time, the Fugitive Slave Law was under consideration by congress but would not be passed until 1850. In 1847, abolitionist David Putnam Jr. was sued by Virgina Plantation owner George Henderson for the loss of nine slaves that Henderson claimed Putnam influenced to run away. A lot of activity was going on (esp. in the South) about slaves, plantation owners, acts against slavery, the Underground Railroad, abolitionists, etc. It is very obvious that the letters were written during this time because of the talk of plantations and the whipping and punishing of slaves.

Inferring:
The letters suggest that the slaves were indeed punished on the plantations but not necessarily by their masters. The overseers were allowed to do the punishing and reported back to the masters. It also suggests that they were not always punished harshly OR right away, depending on the circumstances. The slave mentioned in the letters, Milton, was apparantly being "lazy" on the job and was whipped, however, when he returned from running away he was very ill. The overseer decided not to whip him until he was better. The letters don't provide the rest of the story so the reader is unsure whether or not he was eventually punished for running away. In another letter, Milton has a fight with another slave and they are both handcuffed as punishment. From these letters in particular, I am inferring that Paul Cameron's practice was not to punish his slaves often. However, I do not assume that it was like this on every plantation. The point of view is Mr. Lewellyn's and his point of view seems to be very submissive to Mr. Cameron. He wants to make sure that Mr. Cameron is pleased with how he has punished the slaves. The reader can tell that Mr. Cameron does not want Mr. Lewellyn to punish them often or very harshly. However, it COULD be inferred that Mr. Lewellyn did not write about how harshly he punished the slaves because he did not want Mr. Cameron to know about it.

Monitoring:
I think that more sources would be required to go into an in-depth answer of the question at hand. These sources (letters) were only about one plantation, one overseer, on master, and virtually, one slave being punished. Mr. Lewellyn did not mention any other slaves being whipped or harshly punished besides Milton. In order to collect more information to answer my question, I would need to read about more than these few accounts of slave punishment. It would also be good to read about accounts from the slave's perspective and not only the perspective of the overseer or master. Like I said previously, we never knew if Milton was whipped later on, after he recovered from his sickness. Also, what were the terms of his escape? Was he violent? Did he just try to run away? Did someone find him or did he come back willingly? What happened after Milton and Tony were handcuffed? Were they made to do any extra work? Many of these questions are not answered in the letters. Therefore, the source was not very useful for it's intended purpose in answering the historical question. Even if questions from the other stages were revisited, I don't think that just these sources can give us an accurate representation of slave punishment.

Corroborating:
All three sources had a very similar description of slave punishment on the Cameron plantation. All three perspectives were that of the overseer, Mr. Lewellyn. He seemed very lenient when it came to slave punishment, He wasn't harsh with Milton after he came back to the plantation because he was very sick. This leniency remained constant throughout the letters. It was also illustrated when he only handcuffed the two slaves for fighting instead of beating or whipping them. The credibility of the sources seemed legitimate because there were not any contraditions when I was searching for an answer to the historical question. The main factor that accounts for a strong similarities between the sources is that they are all letters written by the same person (Mr. Lewellyn), to the same person (Paul Cameron), on the same subjects, and about the same plantation and the same slaves. I conclude that these sources are credible sources of what slave life was like on the Cameron Plantation. However, as previously stated, I do not think that they illustrate what slave life was like on other plantations in the South. I have posted more sources that may help to answer the historical question:

website: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USASwhipping.htm
American Slavery: http://www.amazon.com/American-Slavery-1619-1877-Peter-Kolchin/dp/0...
Memoir of Pierre Toussaint: http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/leehf/leehf.html

[Jena Smith]

The topic of my letters was Punishment:

Summary: These three sources are all historical documents that are gathered under the common subject of punishment. Each letter provides a description of the type of punishment and the reason behind the act. The purpose of these letters is for Mr. Lewellyn to inform Mr. Cameron of the recent activity on his plantation, and how he is handling situations related to the behaviors of the slaves.
Contextualizing: These three sources were produced by Mr. Lewellyn in order to inform Mr. Cameron of the on-goings on the plantation. These letters were produced in order to keep Mr. Cameron aware of the behavior going on, on his plantation. Mr. Lewellyn is stating what happened, and what action was taken to prevent it from happening again. During the time of these letters, there was a lot of rain fall, and the insects/worms were beginning to take over many crops. The state of the plantation seems to be somewhat chaotic with things not going exactly as planned, due to outside events. The crops being planted during the time of the letters were cotton, corn, and oats.
Inferring: These sources suggest that, for the most part, the punishments on the plantation are simply a direct result of a behavior that slows down production. For example, in Lewellyn’s third letter during this time period written on, May 21, 1847, he states that he had to whip Milton for his carelessness and laziness. In his second letter during this time written, March 23, 1847, Mr. Lewellyn states that he hasn’t whipped Milton for running away yet, because he is giving him time to rest from his journey. My interpretation, especially from the second letter, is that punishment was not necessarily something Mr. Lewellyn enjoyed. Rather, it was something that had to be done in order to enforce the idea that production must not stop, no matter what. Since Milton’s view is absent from the letters, I guess that Mr. Lewellyn also does not feel sympathy for him, in terms of understand why he has run away or is being careless and lazy. Rather, I simply view Mr. Lewellyn as a business man with one thing on his mind: running the plantation.

Monitoring: When looking at these letters, one big question that comes to mind in terms of the idea of physical punishment, is the question of what is gained by inflicting physical harm (which ultimately affects a slave’s performance) when a slave isn’t performing his duties to the best of his abilities—isn’t this essentially slowing down production? I think that in order to answer this question there needs to be more evidence of the reasons for punishments, or if punishments vary. For instance, is there a different type of punishment for running away than for simply being careless; because there was no difference in these letters, and if not, why isn’t there a difference in the caliber of punishment? Overall, these sources is useful in the sense that it gives some perspective around the idea of punishment. From these sources, it seem just and somewhat fair, given the circumstances.
Corroborating:
As far as the similarities between the sources in terms of punishment, they are pretty much the same. The overall reason behind the punishment seems sustainable given the time and the place. One big similarity is the fact that in all three letters, Mr. Lewellyn never seems eager to do the punishing. Rather, he seems to have some sort of respect for the idea of punishment. I say this with regard to his second letter, about letting Milton rest from his trip (even though he was a runaway) before his punishment was to happen. I think that the additional information of punishment of other slaves and the punishments they experienced would benefit when expanding upon this topic.

[Julie Cox]

Topic: Death

Summarizing:
1. These are letters that were written by Paul Cameron to his father and Charles Lewellyn to Paul Cameron.
2. The letters provide information on the health of the family, friends, and slaves of the writer. Most of the deaths that are reported by either writer are those of the slaves that have died from "chills and fever".
3. The purpose of the letters is to inform the reader of the condition of the plantation. The writer of each letter provides information on the supplies that available on the plantation and the health of the slaves. Many of the slaves grow sick and several died.
4. It can be assumed that many of the slaves became sick or died because of their poor living conditions. Most of the slaves existed on the bare minimum, which did not allow them to lead healthy lives.

Contextualizing:
1. The letters were written between January 4, 1845 and November 28, 1847.
2. The letters from Lewellyn were produced to inform Cameron of the condition of the plantation. The letters from Cameron to his father were produced to keep in touch and keep Cameron's father informed of his family life and condition of the plantation.
3. Paul Cameron owns the plantation, while Lewellyn oversees the land. At this time, slavery was being practiced in the southern United States. Slaves were forced to work in the fields as well as in the homes of plantation owners and overseers. They had no rights and were viewed as property. While slavery was practiced and accepted by many during this time, abolitionists campaigned for equal rights and worked toward banning slavery in the US.
4. We can tell where and when these letters were written by analyzing the topic of slavery in the text and by looking at the language used. The dates are also noted on each letter.

[Julie Cox]

Inferring:
1. It is suggested that Charles Lewellyn works under Paul Cameron because it seems that it is his job to write to Cameron to inform him of the happenings on the plantation. It is also suggested that the slaves' living conditions were terrible and that they were frequently in poor health. We can tell this because in many of the letters it is stated that some of the slaves have been out of the fields due to illness and several slaves died.
2. We can assume that the health of the slaves is important to both Cameron and Lewellyn because the slaves work in the fields and in the homes on the plantation. The slaves are a source of income for both, therefore they would want the slaves to remain in good health.
3. The letters contain the perspectives of two white men who are probably well-to-do because they make money from the crops produced on the land.
4. In the letters, the writers inform the reader of the death(s) of the slaves, but do not discuss the impact of death on the slaves' family. They do not mention any plans for burial or a funeral, and do not discuss how the death will impact plantation life. This leads me to believe that Cameron and Lewellyn did not dwell on the deaths of slaves and did not hold any type of memorial service in the event of a death. This reflects the way many slave owners felt about their slaves. Unfortunately many whites during this time looked down upon African Americans and viewed them as possessions rather than individuals.

[Julie Cox]

Monitoring:
1. In order to find out how slaves' deaths were treated during this time, we could look at the perspective of a slave. It would be interesting to read a letter written by the slave's family member sent to another family member after the death.
2. It would help to understand Cameron and Lewellyn's feelings in regard to slaves dying. They write about it in a very matter-of-fact way, without giving any clues to their thoughts or emotions.
3. It is not useful in answering the question of how slaves' deaths were treated. The writers of the letters plainly state that a slave has died and don't give any detail.
4. We must revisit the question: what perspectives are indicated in this source? We must realize that the writers of these letters are white slave owners who probably don't give their slaves a proper funeral or memorial service.

[Julie Cox]

Corroborating:
1. Each of the sources contain material that is simply informational. This material includes matters of money, materials, and land. Each of the sources also contain some sort of indication of the health of family, friends, and slaves. The sources differ because the letters from Cameron to his father contain love and affection, while the letters from Lewellyn to Cameron are more business oriented.
2. The similarities in the text can be explained by the fact that each writer is a white plantation owner/overseer, therefore matters of land, crops, and slaves are the most important things to them. The difference in the sources is due to the fact that Cameron is writing to his father, and Lewellyn's letters are to Cameron, who he seems to work for.
3. We can assume that each of the men is focused on the condition of the plantation and the condition of the slaves. They must make sure that they have supplies and physical labor (slaves) in order to make money. It seems that the men are not emotionally attached to the slaves based on the way they write about a slave's death.
4. Additional information: What were the immediate steps taken after a slave passed way? How were slave families treated after the death of one of their family members? Additional sources: A document written from a slave's perspective. Historical text explaining what happened after the death of a slave.

[Julie Treadwell]

Doctors
What was the purpose of doctors in relation to slaves in 1846?

Summarizing: The three letters I read were written by Lewellyn in 1846. All of the letters are to the point. They are from Lewellyn to Cameron updating him on the status of his plantation especially the health of his slaves. He gives specific names and in some cases problems that the slaves are encountering with their health.

Contextualizing: The letters written from Lewellyn to Cameron are from an employee to a boss. Lewellyn is writing from Greene County, South Carolina. Each letter was sent to inform Cameron of the happenings of his plantation, which includes sick slaves. In this time period slaves were not looked upon as humans and the doctor that came out to the plantation for the slaves did not give them the same care as the their owners.

Inferring: The letters are all written from the perspective of the overseer, Lewellyn, who does not make a deal over the slaves health. He lists each slave’s sickness as if they were an animal who had the vet come out. This is a sign of the times and the way the slaves were treated. Lewellyn would probably be seen as a good overseer because he sent for a doctor and purchased them medicine in some cases.

Monitoring: It would be helpful to know what sort of things doctors usually did to help slaves. Lewellyn is very matter of fact about the death of a slave, the hurt foot of another and the sickness of many slaves. He mentions the doctor’s presence but never elaborates on what he did. Considering slaves back then were like investments to their masters, I feel as though the owner would like to know what steps were taken to help heal his “property”. I think inferring could be looked over again to try and answer some of these holes in the letters.

Corroborating: Each of the three letters lists what is wrong heath-wise with the slaves side by side with what is wrong with the crops. None of the letters are very personable between Lewellyn and Cameron, most likely because it is a work related relationship. The letters are all updates about the plantation. These similarities are most likely because although I read three letters, they were all to and from the same person and regard the same issues with the same tone. I can conclude from all of these sources that doctors were sent out to the plantations, but if they could not help the unhealthy slave he or she was written off the same as bad crops were. To answer my question better it would be helpful to read letters from other people besides Lewellyn. It would also be helpful to read a letter of some sort from a doctor.

[Brian Carnesecchi]

Topic: Trade

Question: Did slave and plantation owners distinguish a difference in trade between slaves as humans who had emotions and thoughts, and all other tradable goods that were inhuman and able to be dealt with as products or goods. Did they have any thought or premonition that trading slaves was wrong or questionable, and did they ever think that the trading of slaves as something to be owned would cease in their lifetime?

Summarizing:
I looked at two letters regarding issues of buying and selling things. The first letter was almost entirely about buying and selling land. The second letter was entirely about buying and selling slaves. I also looked at an account written by a man who used to be a slave who wrote about it in 1937.

The first letter was from a man named Ogden to Duncan Cameron proposing that Cameron purchase a large tract of land in Louisiana. This letter provides information on the cost of the land and how much crop the land produced in years past. The purpose of the letter is to attempt to convince Mr. Cameron to consider purchasing the land

The second letter:
This is a letter from Francis Cameron to Duncan Cameron. She is asking for help in the form of a loan to purchase a male servant that has asked her to purchase him. He greatly desires to purchase him but cannot afford it. She speaks of his cost and why he is being sold.

Third source:
I read through an account written by an ex slave of Paul Cameron’s. He refers to his relationship with his master in such a way that he doesn’t seem to question the rightness of being enslaved by others, and he does he even seem to mind. He mentions one point where his father was sold to Paul Cameron and his ex master felt bad that he separated father and son and they somehow ended up together again.

Contextualizing:

The source was produced because the owners of the land were in debt and needed to sell the land quickly. If you think about the context of history in general, the letter was written in 1847. The Civil War took place in the 1860’s. We know that a lot of alienation was built up between the South and the North leading up to the Civil War. Great Britain had just abolished slavery in 1834. It could be that plantation owners, in a gradually increasing alienated South with a growing industrial North, and Great Britain having abolished slavery some seventeen years prior, are beginning to be more apprehensive to purchase huge lots of land that could only operate at a profitable level with the help of slave hands.

The writer of the second letter wrote the letter from her home in Hillsborough, NC where she just moved. She wrote to Duncan Cameron because he is a man with a lot of money. She desires to purchase this servant because she only has one female servant right now and claims that she really needs a male servant to help around her home.

Third source:

The source was produced decades after the events that are discussed in the source. This may warp some of the memory of the author. However, there is also specific knowledge of life as a slave on Paul Cameron’s plantation that indicates it is authentic information.

Inferences:

The most obvious thing to pull from this letter is that it takes a very wealthy person to own a plantation, banks and the financial system are controlling the economy as noted in this letter that the reason for the sale is that the current owner of the land is in too much debt. It would furthermore seem that slaves, or people who were enslaved, were treated only as a commodity to be traded for, or bought and sold, with no regard for their humanity.

Second letter:

The perplexing thing about this letter is that Francis refers to this servant for sale in a way that she respects him and knows he is a human with desires and emotions. But she still refers to him as property. These two things seem to contradict as true as they both seem to be.

Third source:

It seems that slavery was deep in the fabric of Southern culture that it wasn’t questioned by slaves or owners very regularly.

Monitoring:

Slaves are mentioned in this letter, but not with much detail. I would want to know more about how the people who use and refer to slaves think of them. Do they have any regard for them as humans with emotions, feelings, and needs of comfort? This source is not the most useful to answer my historical question.

Second letter:

I would need to see how Francis interacts with her servants, how she treats them, provides for them, listens to them. I would need to get a better understanding about the justification in perpetuating a system of owning people that seems to go against the fabric of human intuition.

Third source:

The main information I would want to gain beyond what is offered in this source is how the author personally feels about being enslaved versus being free. Did he mind being enslaved? Did he know of his ancestors to long for freedom, or were they complacent regarding their situation? Did the practice of being buying and sold ever seem harshly abnormal or unnatural to him or his friends and family.

Corroborating:

The similarities between the three sources are that all three sources refer to the trade of slaves as no different in nature than the trading of other commodities. The one unique difference which I discovered in the second letter, the one from Francis to Duncan about a loan to buy a servant, is that Francis seems to regard her servants with a certain level of compassion and humanity. Also, similar to the second letter, the author of the narrative account references a slave owner feeling guilt that he separated father and son slaves in the sale of the father. This obviously indicates a certain level of compassion.

The first letter about the land for sale in Louisiana only mentions slavery as a tool to bring in more profit by producing more crop. I suspect this is the common and motivating force behind how most plantation slaves were treated, whether good or bad, only a tool to gain profit.

I must conclude that buyers and sellers of slavery had a struggle in their heart about the immorality of slave trading. The conviction that it was wrong obviously must not have been very prominent and obvious to them, for they refer to buying and selling humans as slaves the same way they refer to any other trade. However there is a consistent mention of the needs of the slaves and the emotions of the slaves. So there must have been some amount of compassion for them as humans.

I would like to know how evident the abolition of the slavery system was to slave owners in the mid 19th century. Did many of them have secret guilt and convictions that what they were doing was wrong? I would love to see journal entries about this topic by various slave owners.

[Kevin Cave]

Topic Child Birth
Summarizing
each of the documents are letters written by Mr. Lewellyn to Mr. Cameron, dating from May 11, 1845 to March 23, 1847. in each of the letters Mr. Lewellyn is describing the condition of the crops on his farm, the condition of his slaves, and the births of children to his slaves. The purpose of all of these letters, except the last two, is to let Mr. cqameron know that most of the slaves have been ill with chills and that the illnesses and persistant rain has jeopardized the crops. He also is keeping Mr. Cameron aware of the children being born and the sex of each child.
Contextualizing
The eight letters Mr. Lewellyn wrote Mr. Cameron spanned from May 11, 1845 until March 23, 1847. Each letter was written in Greene County, Alabama and sent to Mr. Cameron in Stagville, North Carolina. The letters were produced to allow Mr. Lewellyn to inform Mr. Cameron about the state of his plantation in Alabama. At the time these letters were being wrote, Mr. Lewellyn was dealing with a great number of illnesses to his slaves, as well as many of the slave women having child birth.
Inferring
These letters are suggesting that what occurs at the Greene County, Alabama plantation is very important to both Mr. Lewellyn and Mr. Cameron. It is also suggesting that bad weather and illness to the slaves is destoying the crops of cotton and oats on the plantation. Finally, that the births that the slaves are having are equally important to Mr. Lewellyn and Mr. Cameron. Each of these letters is taqken from Mr. Lewellyn's point of view of what is occuring on the plantation. because mr. Lewellyn is in charge of the plantation he has intimate knowledge of what is going on at the farm. the letters do not specify exactly why all of the information that Mr. Lewellyn is supplying to Mr. Cameron would be important to him. However for this much detail to be of importance to Mr. Cameron one would think that Mr. cameron has a stake in the farm or owns it, with Mr. lewellyn being the boss of it.
Monitoring
What exactly is the relationship between Mr. Lewellyn and Mr. Cameron? The letters never specify exactly how these two men knew each other or why the information that Mr. lewellyn was supplying was of any relevence to Mr. Cameron. It would be beneficial to find a letter or some type of document that explains these two mens relationship and why the child births would be of importance to both of them. These letters are significant in how Mr. lewellyn kept Mr. Cameron up to date on everything that occured on the plantation from the crops to the health and birth of slaves.
Corroborating
According to the Washington Post article childbirth was a difficult thing for slaves to deal with. the article describes children as having a rough upbringing because of the slave owners. however, in the letters between Mr. lewellyn and Mr. Cameron there is no such mention of any difficulties. In several of Mr. Lewellyn's letters he evnen states the strength of the child or the beautifulness of him/her. A reason for this difference could be the slave owner themselves. You get the sense that both Mr. Cameron and Mr. Lewellyn know the importance of their slaves, thus do their best to take care of them and build their strength. It is known though that many slave owners may have not been the same and persacuted their slaves and wore them out. you do not get that same feeling from Mr. Lewellyn who even states he did not beat one of his slaves that tried to escape because he did not see it right because he just had a long journey and was wore out. Not all slave owners would have had the same response. To get a full interpretation of this we would need to have commentary from the slaves of Mr. Lewellyn and from Mr. Lewellyn himself.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/books/chap1/sto....

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