Deborah:  I think that the "whiteness" of slavery is one of the least
studied facets of the period.  I remember looking at a early photo of a
freedman's school and having an initial reaction of surprise that the
class was  integrated: black & white students together -- but of course
it was not integrated; the white students were former slaves.  I have
long wondered how members of the master class actually viewed such white
slaves.  Intellectually, we discuss their racist racial theories of blood
and fractions, but what did they see when looking at an individual?  And
what does slavery's white face say about the connection between race and
slavery in the long run?

Respectfully pondering,

David Kiracofe
Coll. of Charleston

On Tue, 02 Apr 2002 10:59:58 -0700 Deborah Byrd wrote:

> This rehashing of the Jefferson-Hemmings issue has caused me to
> wonder about social changes.  In early Virginia, it was not uncommon
> for whites and people of color to have relationships which resulted
> in children.  Miscengenation included mixing of white with black and
> indian.
>
> One of my aunts in the 1770's had a relationship with one of her
> father's slaves.  We don't know if the person was black or indian.
> She stayed at home and raised her children.  When her father died and
> she attempted to recieve her inheritance one of her brothers took her
> to court to block the inheritance on the basis of having two children
> whose color was an insult to the family.  Her daughter married white,
> her son married into another mixed family.  By 1800 she could have
> had children that were 1/8 black/indian (octoroon) descendants.  By
> Virginia Law, the 1/8 black was considered white.
>
> By 1800 many slave owners would be owning white men and women.  I
> wonder if that sudden awarness that their slaves were white could
> have changed the attitude from general tolerance or recognition that
> miscengenation existed and was part of social makeup to one of
> aborence and denial that it existed or was accepted as part of life.
> Deborah Byrd
>
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David Kiracofe

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