The voices of those not usually heard. Todays guest author, Stephanie Jones rogers has done this in her new book, they were her property, white women as slaveowners in the american south. She uses an impressive assortment to piece together the stories of the slaveholders and the enslaved with the oral histories of formally enslaved people, news paper advertisements, slave records sells records, court doctrines and more. Two weeks ago we displayed the d. C. Emancipation act ended slavery in the district of columbia in 1860 two. Among the records generated as a result of this you will find several references to women owners. To come up for example, sot compensation for their freed slaves, one claiming one slave was a gift from her sister and worth 1500. They were her property and received favorable reviews. A writer because at a stunning new book. The New York Times reviewer says as they taught and cogent corrective that examines how historians have misunderstood and misrepresented white
Test. Test. Test. Test. Test. Test. Test. These are just three examples of some of the newspaper advertisements that i collected as part of the research for this book, which reflect a number of things. One, that white mothers were creating such a demand for enslaved mothers services and labor as wet nurses that they were not only putting these ads, placing these ads in southern newspapers, but that also, what you dont see in these, but in others, what also becomes clear is that white women were also some of the individuals who were supplying these white mothers with the enslaved mothers and wet nurses that they wanted, that they were seeking. Here, these three are examples of enslaved wet nurses seeking enslaved wet nurses either to purchase or to hire. And what i found also is that there was a really important intersection and connection between the market in enslaved wet nurses and the slave market proper. So, most of the men and individuals who were offering enslaved women for sale
Gift from her sister, was worth 1,500, they were her property has received a number of highlily favorable reviews. Its called a stunning new book. Paris of the New York Times says its a cogent corrective that examines how historians have misunderstood and misrepresented white women as reluctant actors. In the Washington Post elizabeth bar ren writes jonesrogers has an one that sets a new standard for scholarship on the subject. Stephanie jonesrogers is an associate professor of history at the university of california berkeley, specializing in africanAmerican History, gender history. They were her property won a learner scott prize for the best doctoral dissertation in u. S. Womens history in 2013. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome stephanie jonesrogers. [ applause ] hnch. Thank you so much that are that invitation, and the introduction, david, and thank you for coming this afternoon and spending your lunchtime with me. Its truly a pleasure to be here with you today. So this is James
University of nebraska lincoln Professor William thomas, teaches a class on some of the lawsuits brought by slaves who sued for their freedom during the antibell lum period. He outlines the different legal arguments they used and emphasized how most suits affected not just one person but entire families. Okay, good morning, everybody. Lets get started. So today, our subject is freedom suits. Suits brought by enslaved families, and how they posed a challenge to the constitution, and under the constitution, how they posed a challenge to american slavery. Now, most of us are familiar with dread scott, d. John sandford and you all read chief Justice Roger tawnys opinion in dred scotts case. And you have read that opinion, and its notorious in American History, right . For the blatant racism in it, for the sanction that tawny gives to the concept of human property under the constitution, and for denying black citizenship, not only denying black citizenship, but denying even blacks as free,
The constitution did not go beyond. So about these suits, generally, just broadly, and then were going to look at one in particular here. It is important to recognize everything was on the line here. Black plaintiffs directed these suits, okay . They planned these suits. William h. Williams was one of the most notorious slave owners. He owned the yellow house. It was sometimes called a slave pen. We looked at one case, the film we checked out the other day, and that one was similar in that george Millers Tavern was a slave. He is by the 17 and the single largest slaved jail on the city of washington and its called the yellow house. And james ash was taken there and held there and well see why in just a second in 1839. A few months later a man named solomon northrup was taken to the yellow house. He was the star of 12 years a slave. And solomon who was kidnapped and taken to be sold to louisiana and to the southeast, can he was taken to the yellow house after he was kidnapped, and he wr