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Ridgway and Abington light green stoneware 'slavery' relief jug with hinged metal lid, c1853 design was inspired by the book, 'Uncle Tom's Cabin’ written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, published in 1852. One side of the jug portrays the slave Uncle Tom being auctioned while his slave wife sits with her hands over her eyes holding their slave child. There are other slaves and buyers who are observing the slave auction, unfortunately, waiting for their turn to be sold. The sign reads: "By auction this day a prime lot of healthy negroes."
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Portrait of Gordon American slave, c.1863, Louisiana A reporter for Harper's Weekly Magazine on July 4th, 1863 wrote Gordon's story when he was a slave, then a freeman, then a slave again, and last a free man. The article also has three drawings of Gordon, one as a slave, the one above, and one as a Union soldier. For more information visit: http://museum.gov.ns.ca/blackloyalists/18001900/People1800/gordon.htm |
Above four piece alligator desk set refers to the saying, "Alligator Bait" which started because some slaves became food (bait), for alligators as they crossed southern swaps in desperate search of freedom.
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Buckner Topsy Turvy 1901 doll. Oral history of the doll….....A slave mother designed this type of doll for her child because slave children were not allowed to play with white dolls. This designed allowed the black child to play with the white doll but when a master, overseer or any white individual were present the child could flip the doll and play with the black doll.
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Shackles A large majority of early Black American's were enslaved and forced into giving America almost three hundred years of free labor towards the building of America. There is no other nationality that gave America this many years of free labor. Historically speaking after Black American's fought in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, Black American's have had to die, fight, get bitten by dogs, clubbed by police, lynched, hosed with fire hoses, walk and sing, to receive almost every democracy given right they currently have in America. One very important right that came with freedom, which is still powerful, was the right to learn to read, reading was kept from slaves, slave owner's knew reading meant knowledge and knowledge meant power. Slaveholder's wanted to keep slaves powerless so harsh punishments were the norm if a slave was caught trying to learn to read. To teach a slave to read was against the law in most states, there were slaves who lost their sight and their lives trying to educate themselves. Slaveholding states kept up fable's that slave's were happy some of these myths were, being in bondage meant you were fed, given shelter, and clothed. In the slaveholder's stories of happy slaves some of the cruelties that were left out are most slaves were fed from the bottom of the food chain, lived in a one room run-down shack with a dirt floor, and last given one set of clothes and shoes that had to last a year. Two of the most hideous things about being a slave were also left out of the story, being a slave meant you could be sold from your family and you would get treated like livestock or sometimes worse than livestock One-way history tells us most slaves were not happy but rather very despondent are the stories written and spoken by slaves who ran for freedom and enjoyed some of the fruits of freedom plus the stories told by slaves that were returned to bondage after an unsuccessful undertaking. America still must heal from slavery and the Jim Crow era, two ways to begin this process is for those writing American history for learning purposes begin writing the complete story in history books. And those historians speaking about America’s history must make certain they are truthful and complete when speaking about America’s history. These actions may start up a dialog that America so urgently needs in order to heal from the residue of slavery and other past ugliness. After slavery freed slaves were expected to continue doing manual labor but slaves had other ideas like attending school. One of the first school's Black children attended in Mississippi taught domestic courses for girls and agricultural skills for boys along with reading, writing, and arithmetic (math). Founded in the early 1900's Piney Woods School started with one student under a tree and the founder a black man named Laurence C. Jones. Piney Woods is still located in Piney Woods, Mississippi. Piney Woods is now a charter school and is the largest of the four older existing black charter schools in America. Above is just a tidbit of seldom known history, collecting Black Americana is a way to learn more history about Black American's achievements and struggles in America. There are Black Americana museums throughout America where people can visit and view accumulations of some of these artifacts. A visit to some of these museums allows visitors to see and learn about seldom known contributions to America by Black American's and pride as a Black American can grow from this newfound knowledge. Positive exhibits help people understand America would not be what it is today without the contributions of Black American's. The derogatory and humiliating artifacts illustrate the falsehoods and concepts of Black Americans. If one learns to appreciate and understand strength was required to survive these ugly times in America, the negative images may give people strength needed to survive bad times and appreciate good one's in their own life today.
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