The first contact between Union slaves and troops was rather lackluster than its significance in American history would suggest. As the four million slaves of the South were liberated, slave owners often tried to portray Yankees as men with, “long horns on their heads and [pointed teeth] in their mouths.” (Davidson 171) This image supposedly cast a shadow of fear through slave populations, one said to his master, “Wen I see dem coming I shall run like all possess.” However, once the whites left the picture the slaves jumped ship, saying, “We’s gwine to run sure enough … and we runs that way [to the Yankees].” (Davidson 172) This double faced attitude reveals a lot about the relationship between slave and master, showing how slaves are all too
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While today, the population generally believes that the North was in fact against racial inequality in all forms, many Northern citizens still held prejudices against blacks. In the words of the author, “Antislavery forces [had] a strong dislike of slavery, but also an equally strong desire to keep freedpeople out of the North” (Davidson 177). Many Unionists didn’t care for slaves at all and fought the war for the Union, “not the ‘cursed Nigger.’” Take even field officer’s example of their treatment of blacks. Blacks were paid nearly 30% ($10/$13) less than whites and often were looked down upon by other recruits as unfit for service. These attitudes couldn’t be overcome easily; Laura Towne, a Philadelphia missionary remarked how, blacks “answered intelligently despite my expectations” (Davidson …show more content…
The geographic imbalance of the interviews towards the Deep South, with only 6% of the total being from border states. Also, many of these interviewees were elderly; and with the average slave life expectancy being on 50 years old, the survivors likely were treated better than average and thus the accounts omit especially poor treatment. Also, since racial tensions were still strong during the 1930s, many accounts may be skewed because of the interviewer being white. This is notable even by the way in which blacks and whites refer to each other in interviews, as mister or
While today, the population generally believes that the North was in fact against racial inequality in all forms, many Northern citizens still held prejudices against blacks. In the words of the author, “Antislavery forces [had] a strong dislike of slavery, but also an equally strong desire to keep freedpeople out of the North” (Davidson 177). Many Unionists didn’t care for slaves at all and fought the war for the Union, “not the ‘cursed Nigger.’” Take even field officer’s example of their treatment of blacks. Blacks were paid nearly 30% ($10/$13) less than whites and often were looked down upon by other recruits as unfit for service. These attitudes couldn’t be overcome easily; Laura Towne, a Philadelphia missionary remarked how, blacks “answered intelligently despite my expectations” (Davidson …show more content…
The geographic imbalance of the interviews towards the Deep South, with only 6% of the total being from border states. Also, many of these interviewees were elderly; and with the average slave life expectancy being on 50 years old, the survivors likely were treated better than average and thus the accounts omit especially poor treatment. Also, since racial tensions were still strong during the 1930s, many accounts may be skewed because of the interviewer being white. This is notable even by the way in which blacks and whites refer to each other in interviews, as mister or