The Historiography of Slavery
Ulrich B. Phillips American Negro Slavery (1918) Paternalistic, benign institution Happy slaves, good masters Slavery not $$, but whites did it for blacks’ own good (paternalistic)
Herbert Aptheker American Negro Slave Revolts (1943) Challenged Ulrich’s assumptions about childlike nature of blacks Slaves were NOT submissive people without a culture – two words: Nat Turner!
Kenneth Stampp The Peculiar Institution (1956) Slavery was harsh and abusive…but $$ Cruelty was a common aspect of coercing work Not much of a culture because there was no time/space Slaves resisted most in “little” ways
Stanley Elkins Slavery (1959) Psych/cultural impact of slavery Brutality of slavery similar to Holocaust Black families were destroyed by slavery Separation Strict legal codes Sexual exploitation Sambo created by slavery
Eugene Genovese Roll, Jordan, Roll: The World Slaves Made (1976) Slavery was a southern way of life Afr-Ams used passive resistance to control their lives, develop culture and remain “independent” Slavery was paternalistic and brutal
Ira Berlin Generations of Captivity (2002) Slavery evolved and was different during different times and in different places