Working with documents - Contextualizing historical information about life for slaves (Activity II)

[John Lee]

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

Activity II

In this activity, you will contextualize a narrative from Doc Edwards a former slave and “domestic servant” on a North Carolina plantation belonging to Paul Cameron as well as secondary sources on the general topic of domestic servants. We are reading these materials to learn something about the African American slaves who lived and worked on the plantations.

First, read Doc Edwards’ narrative located at the original typed version from 1937 / a transcription (easier to read). Summarize the document and after you have completed this task, read the following exempted passages from John Blassingame’s book The Slave Community and Jean Anderson’s book Piedmont Plantation. In these passages, Blassingame and Anderson make claims about what life was like for domestic servants on slave-based plantations (including the Cameron plantation) in the American antebellum south. Reconcile these various primary and secondary accounts of the life for domestic servants and post your thoughts about the context of the Edwards narrative in your reply. Use the questions at the bottom of this post to scaffold your work.

“…the domestic slave formed part of the plantation elite. They usually ate better food wove, ,and wore better clothes than the field slaves because they received leftovers from the planter’s larder and hand-me-downs from his wardrobe. In spite of this, their position was not sinecure. They ran errands, worked as part-time gardeners, cooked, served meals, cared for the horses, milked the cows, sewed simple clothes, cared for the master’s infant, carded and spun wool, did the marketing, churned the milk, dusted the house, swept the yard, arranged the dining room, cut the shrubbery, and performed numerous other tasks” (Blassingame, 1972, p. 250-251).

“At the beck and call of his master day and night, the domestic servant had no regular hours. Added to the long hours was the discomfiture of constantly being under the watchful eyes of the whites and being subject to their every capricious, vengeful, or sadistic whim” (Blassingame, 1972, p. 251).

Quoting from Suffering, a published narrative written by an ex-slave named Lewis Clarke in 1845, Blassingame presented a view of the domestic servant that contrasted with the stereotype of the domestic slave as being privileged. In Clarke’s narrative he wrote,

“We were constantly exposed to the whims and passions of every member of the family; from the least to the greatest their anger was wreaked upon us. Nor was our life an easy one, in the hours of toil or in the amount of labor performed. We were always required to sit up until all the family had retired; then we must be up at early dawn in summer, and before day in winter” (Clarke, 1845 p. 17).

“The house servant would have been close to the white family and under their supervision most of the time. Treated almost as members of the family, they probably were dealt a share of verbal chastisement and criticism because of their proximity, but there is no evidence of their having been mistreated. They would have also received better food and clothing than field hands; left-overs from the whites’ table and castoffs from their wardrobes. Family letters frequently contained affectionate comments about them and their faithful performance of their duties” (Anderson, 1993, p. 96).

“The whites in general considered the house servants superior to the vast rank and file of the black force and probably chose them for their intelligence and dependability. The Cameron papers confirm this impression though nowhere is it actually stated. Children of the house servants became in turn house servants, perpetuating and accentuating through the years the qualities their masters desired in them” (Anderson, 1993, p. 96).

References

Anderson, J. (1993). Piedmont Plantation: The Bennehan-Cameron family and lands in North Carolina.

Blassingame, J. (1972). The slave community. New York: Oxford University Press.

Clarke, L. (1999/1845). Narrative of the sufferings of Lewis Clarke, during a captivity of more than twenty-five years, among the Algerians of Kentucky, one of the so called Christian states of America. Dictated by himself. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Chapel Hill, NC. Retrieved September 1, 2008 from http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/clarke/clarke.html


{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?

[Lauren Bass]

Here is the first part.

Summary:
-Doc Edwards was born in Staggville, NC in 1863 to Murphy and Judy McCullers. His birth name is never mentioned, but he tells us that he has always been referred to Doc Edwards. He was a slave of Karen Paul Cameron, and grew up working in the house of Paul Cameron’s son, Berehan (I was unable to figure out his name from the document). They treated him well, and things were fine until he got sick. His schedule then changed, sending him to work half of the day in the field to regain his strength, and the other half inside of the house. His owners were good to him, he recalls, throughout this document.
-He also described the conditions and locations of places such as: the big work shop (where wooden tools were made), the blacksmith (who made the nails and picks and hoe’s), the thrashing machine (used to separate the wheat), and the shoe shop (where his shoes were made with a combination of maple and ash wood, with iron around the soles to keep them from splitting). He also mentioned the changing of the seasons, and how the slaves had a regular place to do different work when this occurred.
-Doc Edwards also talked about how the slaves had to do most of their hauling with the help of oxen, mules, and ox-carts. He also mentioned the arrival of the Yankees, and how they did nothing to the slaves but call them “free n-----s.” His biography concludes with compliment about his owner, Paul Cameron, and how he continued to live on the plantation even after his release. With his gardening he tried to earn a living, and that combined with the pension he was provided by the law, he was able to get by as needed.

Summary Components:
Subject: Doc Edward’s Biography about his life on Cameron Plantation
Author: Written by Doc Edwards
Purpose: To inform about everyday slave life on the Cameron Plantation
Audience: Anyone curious about what times were like as a slave in the late eighteen hundreds to the early nineteen hundreds
Type of historical source: Interview by Daisy Wheley

Four Analyzing Questions Associated with the Summarizing:
The four analyzing questions associated with the summarizing phase include:
1. What type of historical document is the source?
-This source is an interview of slave Doc Edwards by Daisy Wheley.
2. What specific information, details, and/or perspectives does the source provide?
-The source provides many details about his life. He not only talks about his work on the plantation, but he also describes other places, workers, and trades. He specifically talks about the workshop, the blacksmith, the thrashing machine, and the shoe shop.
3. What is the subject and/or purpose of the source?
-The subject is a biography of the life of Doc Edwards. Its purpose is to inform interested parties about slavery and slave life on the Cameron Plantation.
4. Who was the author and/or audience of the source?
-Doc Edwards spoke about his life in this account, in an interview by Daisy Wheley.

[Lauren Bass]

Here is the second part.

Contextualizing Questions:
1. When and where was the source produced?
-This biography was produced in Staggville, N.C. when the Ex-slave (Doc. Edwards) was cited as 84 years.
2. Why was the source produced?
-This source was produced to tell about the life of an ex-slave living on the Cameron Plantation. It was written to serve not only biographical purposes, but also to tell more about daily life for slaves.
3. What was happening within the immediate and broader context at the time the source was produced?
-The only date I could find dating the document was August 6, 1937. This is located on the top, center, of the first page. What does not make sense, is that taking this date, and subtracting the year of Doc Edward’s birth, there is a difference of only 74 years. This is a discrepancy between the 84 years that the document suggests. From my calculations, this piece would have had to be written in 1947 for Doc Edwards to be 84 years old. The only other think I can deduce is that August 6, 1937 is not the date that this was written, rather it was as date used for categorical reference.
4. What summarizing information can place the source in time and place?
-Talking about everyday life on the Cameron Plantation and working for Paul Cameron’s son make it feasible for an audience to research the approximate time for when this piece was written. You could also look at the specific workshops and the materials Doc Edwards says were used to get a sense of whether or not this piece took place within the correct period.

[Julie Caddy]

1. This interview was produced August 6, 1937, as told by Doc Edwarsds.
2. This source was produced to show contrast from the common view that all slaves were field slaves, as Doc Edwards was a house slave. Also, it shows how the planation was almost a mini villiage, with a cobbler, blacksmith etc.
3. This experience occured just as the slaves were being freed. Doc decided that he would stay to earn a little, which suggests that he was loyal to his owner and also did not have that bad of a life at the planation.
4. It said near the end that the slaves were told they were free.

[Sandy]

Doc Edwards (not his real name) describes life as a house slave and then part- time field slave (when he became sick).
He relates how the farm was run and the specialization into trades: blacksmith, cobbler, . . . . Doc Edwards says there
was not much personal knowledge between the owner and slave. Although when he dies and goes to heaven, he
will see Marsh Paul again (as if he wants to). So the relationship was somewhat complicated. Loyalty, dependence,
confusion. . . .

[Melissa Whitfield]

This is a narrative. It details the life of Doc Edwards, a slave belonging to the Cameron Family. The purpose of this narrative is mostly to inform the reader, whoever it may be, about his life as a domestic slave.

This was produced during the WPA projects in Staggville, NC

This source was produced as a govermment project to collect the stories of former slaves. Within the document Doc Edwards explains that he belonged to Mrs. Paul Cameron in the house, however when he was feeling sick he would work outside to feel better. He described all the tasks he was assigned to.

The language used can place his narrative as well as the tasks that he describes.

[Amanda Waldroop]

Summary: Doc Edwards was a slave on the Cameron plantation. Cameron had so many slaves he didn't know which ones belonged to him. Edwards worked mainly in the house, cooking for the Cameron family, but was often sent to the fields to work because his health wasn't very good.

All tools were made at the plantation. The plantation grew wheat and the slaves worked with a hand thrashing machine to prepare the wheat to be sent to the mill and ground. Edwards gives a step-by-step description of this process. His clothes were made by hand. In the Fall when there wasn't outdoor work to do, slaves would weave the cotton into cloth. Their shoes had wooden soles with a thin strip of iron around them so they wouldn't crack. Slaves had to haul things with oxen and a cart.

When Edwards was told he was free, he didn't want to leave the plantation. In fact, he still lives there and makes a living doing a bit of farming. The government will help him out financially as he continues to age.

Contextualizing: Edwards was only 6 years old when the Civil War started. I would imagine his feelings of affection for home and the Cameron plantation are linked to his childhood. He says his master was very good to him.

[Debbie Easter]

Doc Edwards was born to Murphy and Judy McCullers. We do not know his birth name. He was a slave of the Cameron family who treated him very well. He became sick and in order to regain strength, he went to the fields to work. He describes the different types of work they did. He recalls that the Yankees came and told them they were free. He stayed on the Cameron plantation until his death.

[Daniel Simmons]

Summarizing
1. A narrative by Doc Edwards, an 84 year old ex-slave, to Daisy Wheley, a WPA worker on August 6, 1937.
2. Doc Edwards talks about his life as a slave, a "houseman" for "Marse Paul's son" Marse Benehan. He discusses that the slaves made their own shovels and rakes. Nails and picks were made by the blacksmith. He relates that the cobbler made their shoes with wooden soles and that the slaves made their own clothing on weaving looms.
3. The purpose of this document to compile information on the activities and duties of a "houseman."
4. The document was created by Daisy Wheley through an interview with Doc Edwards. The audience is anyone interested in learning about life as a slave in America.

Contextualizing
1. The source was produced on August 6, 1937 as a WPA project.
2. To preserve an important portion of American history. To put oral history into writing.
3. The U.S. was experiencing the Great Depression, in which 1out of 3 people were unemployed. The WPA was created to employ artists, writers, etc. to record American history, music, literature, so that it could be preserved for future generations.
4. Doc Edwards descriptions of his life and his activities as a "houseman" help place this source in time. We know that he lived during the Civil War because the Union soldiers liberated him and his fellow slaves.
3.

[Joy King]

This is an interview of Doc Edwards on his slave story. He gives such details as his owner having so many slaves that he didn’t even know how many he had or which ones were his. He would sometimes give a slave a dime for helping. He also provides information about his clothing and shoes. On the plantation, their clothes and shoes were made, although he does not provide if this came at a cost of their own, or if the owner let this happen for free.

The Blassingame and Anderson sources were produced in 1972 and 1993, respectively, while the interview with Doc Edwards was done in 1937, probably shortly after he no longer worked for the family. It is important to remember that the most recent sources were produced after the Civil Rights act, which could have influenced the material. The period difference in the three sources is important to note, especially when taking into account the recent events that surround the new sources and the events that did not surround the older interview. The two more recent sources should be treated as secondary, while the interview should be treated as a primary source.

[Laura Smith]

Summary:
1. Interview
2. Specific information about ex-slave Doc Edwards. He talks about where he was from, he his owners and parents, and work on the plantation. He went into a lot of detail about the work shops and the tools they made.
3. The purpose of the interview was to get information about Doc Edwards life as a slave.
4. Author was Daisy Wheley

Contextualizing:
The Blassingame and Anderson sources were produced in 1972 and 1993, and the Doc Edwards interview was done August 6, 1937. The Blassingame and Anderson sources provide information about the life of domestic servants on plantations. They said that domestic servants did many jobs including cooking, serving meals, caring for the horses, sewing clothes, etc. Both authors said that domestic servants were treated better and had easier lives than other slaves who worked in the fields. The time period that the Blassingame and Anderson sources were written may have affected their opinions. While most of the information they present may be true, it is better to trust Doc Edwards interview because it is a primary source.

[Allen McNeill]

In this primary source document, Doc Edwards discusses what his life was like as a slave at the Stagville plantation. Doc describes the kind of work that he did which consisted of mainly working in the house for Paul Cameron. However, Doc Edwards also mentions how he would get sick working in the house and go work in fields for a couple of hours in the afternoon until he felt better. This is a rather odd statement as most slaves would prefer to work in the house as opposed to working under harsh conditions in the fields. Doc Edwards goes into detail about the workings on the plantation, primarily focusing on the use of the wheat thrashing machine. He also talks about who and how their clothes and shoes were made. Doc Edwards briefly mentions when he was freed by the North during the Civil War and how he still resides at the Stagville plantation.

This source was produced on August 6, 1937 by Doc Edwards with the help of a member of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The source was produced in order to get a firsthand account from a slave perspective of what life was like in the antebellum South. At the time that this source was produced the United States and the rest of the world were experiencing the Great Depression. With many writers out of work President Roosevelt began the WPA in order to put many writers to work. One of the assignments of the WPA was to go around and interview slaves about life on the plantation, which is the reason we have this document from Doc Edwards.

[Emily Hurr]

Summary of Doc Edwards narrative:
This is an account of Doc Edwards, who we find out is actually a McCullers. From this account, we find out who his parents were, that he works for Paul Cameron, and he was mainly a house servant. He lists some of the work done on the plantation (harvesting wheat, weaving cotton and yarn for making clothes, plowing). He notes interaction with Paul Cameron (that he had so many slaves, he couldn’t tell them apart or if they belonged to him). He describes when the Union Army came through and freed the slaves, and he notes that he stayed on the plantation after the war. He seemed to have wanted to stay there, and he seems talks about Cameron as his caretaker—not a man he is eager to get away from.

Summarizing Questions:
1. What type of historical document is the source?
Narrative of an ex-slave
2. What specific information, details and/or perspectives does the source provide?
It provides information about Doc Edwards’ life on the Cameron plantation. The source offers the perspective of an ex-slave and seems to be a perspective of compliance and even respect for the plantation owner.
3. What is the subject and/or purpose of the source?
The subject is the life of an ex-slave. The purpose is to inform about that life.
4. Who was the author and/or audience of the source?
The author was Doc Edwards; recorded by Daisy Wheley. I don’t know the audience.

Contextualizing:
When and where was the source produced?
It was produced in Staggville, NC in 1937.

Why was the source produced?
The source was probably produced to inform about Doc Edwards, the Cameron Plantation/Family, and the daily life of slaves.

What was happening within the immediate and broader context at the time the source was produced?
The source was produced in 1937 in North Carolina. This was a time of development and modernization in the South. The reconstruction period had come and gone. NC was starting to compete economically on a national scale. With Doc Edwards as an example, we see that former slaves were aging, and soon would not be around to give accounts of their lives. No doubt, researchers took an interest in this population and focused on documenting their history for future reference and study.

What summarizing information can place the source in time and place?
Edwards notes that he was born in Staggville, NC in 1853. That gives us time and place. Other detail in the narrative add to our understanding of what the place during that time looked like—tools and materials used, crops harvested, working conditions, etc.