I understand that there are differing interpretations of this matter, but I think
Bill Russell is right in his interpretation. See, for example, Barbara
Fields, Slavery and Freedom on the Middle Ground (Yale U.P.
1986) about similar developments in Maryland after emancipation.
One thing to remember is that a lot more whites than blacks died
in and because of the Civil War. There were, therefore, fewer black
orphans. Moreover, black extended family structures made it
highly unlikely that a black child had no kin to care for her or him,
unless they had all been sold away.
The Freedmen's Bureau records, much now on microfilm, records
this complex subject in great detail. We do not have to guess
which white families were generous and which were greedy,
because this matter tends to be detailed case by case in the
BRFAL records.
Harold
Date sent: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 19:11:25 -0500
From: Anne Pemberton <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Generalizing Problems
To: [log in to unmask]
Send reply to: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history
<[log in to unmask]>
> Bill, Thanks for an explanation to a puzzling post.
>
> Anne
>
> At 04:03 PM 2/12/02 -0500, you wrote:
> >In a message dated 2/12/2002 1:23:59 AM Eastern Standard Time,
> >[log in to unmask] writes:
> >
> >
> > > That made the one shelf in the huge space attractive. When I
> > > started going through those records, they dated to just after the
> > > close of the Civil War. They were all neatly folded and bound into
> > > stacks.....bonds placing orphaned black children with white families
> > > to be cared for, taught a trade, and educated through an elementary
> > > level. Many of the children were very young. The white families who
> > > took them in had to put up bonds with the court to guarantee delivery
> > > of the obligations to the orphans.
> > >
> > > It was a very sobering experience to read these bonds and think
> > > about all the young black children left homeless by the war. How was
> > > it different than the young white children left homeless by the war?
> > > It led me through some very interesting thought processes. Many
> > > people were left homeless;
> > >
> >
> >Orphans? This is an example of what I am talking about of the difference
> >between memorizing facts and thinking about those facts. Large numbers of
> >oprhaned black children taken in by their white neighbors? Frankly, I
> >think that what you are looking at are indenture/apprentcie bonds which
> >may have been an end run around the aboiliishment of slavery and the
> >reinstitution of involuntary servitude. Large number of black adults did
> >not suddenlt die at or beforew the end of the war. Large numbers were
> >freed and became an economic burden to their former masters who had been
> >getting the labor free previoulsy. These freed slaves were left without a
> >means of providing for their families and placed the children under an
> >indenture so they could at least be fed. The willing white families again
> >got unpaid labor. This is what I think your facts mean. I would have to
> >look at the record further, but it sure seems that way to me.
> >
> >Bill Russell
> >
> >To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions
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>
> Anne Pemberton
> [log in to unmask]
>
> http://www.erols.com/stevepem
> http://www.geocities.com/apembert45
>
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Harold S. Forsythe
Assistant Professor History
Director: Black Studies
Fairfield University
Fairfield, CT 06430-5195
(203) 254-4000 x2379
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