Have you heard of the Stockholm syndrome? That is when people who are 
imprisoned, and brain washed identify with their captures. It is too bad 
that the only recountings you have are those, happy former slaves. Maybe 
they were recounting the events to whites and were being guided, I don't 
know.

One of my ancestors was an Indentured Servant to George Washington's family 
for almost forty years. She did not leave a written account, but her actions 
spoke louder than words.  She ran away from that place at least three times. 
Mind you, she was to be freed after thirty years, and she still ran away. 
The Washington's were thought to be, "Good Slaveholders", but my ancestor 
preferred freedom to servitude. She was born free and lived free for seven 
years of her life, so she did have something to compare it to.

Another ancestor lived twelve years of her life free, and was enslaved and 
sold to South Carolina. From 1830 until the Civil War, she suffered 
horribly. She bore children by the man who owned her, endured whippings, and 
then saw her children sold away to Savannah. She lived to be ninety seven 
years old, and talked about the horrors of slavery to anyone who would 
listen.  Maybe you should read her accounting of slavery and slave masters.

Anita


>From: [log in to unmask]
>Reply-To: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history         
>      <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Madison's slaves (and black descendants?)
>Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2007 17:33:31 EDT
>
>They were comparing slavery to their life in America in the 1930's in
>freedom.  Many preferred the latter.
>
>J South
>
>
>
>************************************** See what's free at 
>http://www.aol.com.

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