Born in Bondage

Born in Bondage
Author :
Publisher : Harvard University Press
Total Pages : 306
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0674043340
ISBN-13 : 9780674043343
Rating : 4/5 (343 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Born in Bondage by : Marie Jenkins Schwartz

Download or read book Born in Bondage written by Marie Jenkins Schwartz and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2009-06-01 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Each time a child was born in bondage, the system of slavery began anew. Although raised by their parents or by surrogates in the slave community, children were ultimately subject to the rule of their owners. Following the life cycle of a child from birth through youth to young adulthood, Marie Jenkins Schwartz explores the daunting world of slave children, a world governed by the dual authority of parent and owner, each with conflicting agendas. Despite the constant threats of separation and the necessity of submission to the slaveowner, slave families managed to pass on essential lessons about enduring bondage with human dignity. Schwartz counters the commonly held vision of the paternalistic slaveholder who determines the life and welfare of his passive chattel, showing instead how slaves struggled to give their children a sense of self and belonging that denied the owner complete control. Born in Bondage gives us an unsurpassed look at what it meant to grow up as a slave in the antebellum South. Schwartz recreates the experiences of these bound but resilient young people as they learned to negotiate between acts of submission and selfhood, between the worlds of commodity and community.


Born in Bondage Related Books