Quote by William Cullen Bryant, 1843
The blacks of this region are a cheerful, careless, dirty, race, not hard worked, and in many respects indulgently treated. It is of course the desire of the master that his slaves shall be laborious; on the other hand it is the determination of the slave to lead as easy a life as he can. The master has the power of punishment on his side; the slave, on his, has invincible inclination, and a thousand expedients learned by long practice... Good natured though imperfect and slovenly obedience on one side, is purchased by good treatment on the other.description of slavery in the South; unsympathetic toward Blacks
Summary
This quote describes the condition of slavery in the Southern region, where the African American population is characterized as cheerful yet careless and dirty. The author argues that slaves in this region are not overworked and are often treated relatively indulgently by their masters. While it is the desire of the master for the slaves to be hardworking, the slaves strive to lead an easy life. The master holds the power of punishment, but the slaves possess a strong inclination and various learned tactics to navigate their circumstances. The slaves' good-natured but flawed and disorganized obedience, in this context, is exchanged for relatively good treatment from their masters. The quote presents a somewhat unsympathetic perspective towards the challenges faced by slaves.
Topics
Slavery
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