Ohio Narratives, Volume XII (1937): Ben Brown. Ex-slave - 100 years old.
Account available here - http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=mesn&fileName=120/mesn120.db&recNum=14&itemLink=D?mesnbib:3:./temp/~ammem_99Lw::
The account from Brown, much like every other slave account, is one of heartbreak and anguish. He speaks of his family, living conditions and the work he had to do, as well as the treatment he received from his owner. Below are some notable quotes from the piece.
"It wuz a tough life. I don't know how old I am, dey never told me down dere..."
The fact that he didn't even know how old he was shows how deprived of the basic things that everyday people take for granted he was. This perhaps could be because no one actually did no precisely, but one would think the owners or even his family would have a rough estimate of his age.
"It wuz jus work, eat an sleep foh most of us, dere wuz no time foh play."
This quote is the prime example of how slave life was in its most basic form. He also mentions that those who did try to sing or pray simply got too tired to and had to sleep. It shows that these people were mentally and physically pushed to their limits to work.
"I missed mah sistah terrible...ran away three times..."
"Dey start home on horses pullin de rope tied to mah hands. I had to run or fall down an' be dragged on de groun'. It wuz terrible."
Brown states that his sister was sold at an auction. This shows that families were torn apart for business and to make money, exemplifying just how little the traders thought of them, if at all. Brown would try and visit his sister, but every time he tried, he would get caught by his owner. The way he was just tied to a horse and had to keep up is brutal, again showing that no remorse was giving by his owner.
"She told me nevah, nevah to tell about it and I nevah did until now."
The former quote is about Brown having to hide a box of valuable items in the ground from the Northern armies and demonstrates just how much power the owner had. Brown to that day never said anything about it. It could be simply because he made himself forget, however it could also be that he was still to scared to say anything about it. The latter quote just shows an abuse of power. The fact he was never even told he was free is plain evil, just to ensure he kept working, showing that the owner obviously believed the slaves didn't deserve it and were too stupid to do anything about.
"De slaves wuz not allowed any learnin..."
"I wanted some learnin but dere wuz no way to git it until a white man cleared a place in de woods..."
These quotes again support the view that slave owners didn't want any equality at all between themselves and the slaves. Slaves were forbidden to learn or even attempt to better themselves. The latter quote carries some interesting connotations as it was a white man that helped them. This shows an attitude change from within the South as some actually wanted to help, however it's also important to say that Brown says there "wuz no way", implicating that the blacks could not do it themselves, again showing a dominance and power with the whites.
"Some nights I dream about de old slave times...an' I wake up cryin'."
This just shows the lasting effects of slavery and the lives they all lived, there was and still is no way to escape from it. It's something that can never be forgotten.
"I'm sure glad it's all over." - Ben Brown.
No comments:
Post a Comment