History Essay

Historian Eugene Genovese’s book Roll, Jordan, Roll is an analysis of the lives of Southern Blacks during the time of slavery. One of his main arguments is that while black men and women sometimes did break down under the pressures of the system, the majority of slaves maintained their pride and their dignity – their humanity.

Your assignment is to read three chapters from this book, the first on marriages, the second on fathers & husbands, and the third on mothers & wives. Then answer the following questions, using specific examples or stories from the book. There are no correct or incorrect answers, what I am looking for you to do is to think about the stories in the chapter, to form your own opinion, and then to defend that opinion by referring to specific stories or comments by the author.

1 – How were slave marriages different from traditional southern marriages?

2 – To what extent were male slaves actually able to fulfill the role of husband and father?

3 – To what extent were female slaves able to fulfill the role of wife and mother?

4 – How accurate or inaccurate were the stereotypes that white slave-owners shared about their slaves?

The answers must be typed, double-spaced, and proof-read. (I will overlook the occasional mis-spelling, but consistent writing errors will result in the loss of bonus points). I expect the papers to be typed (double-spaced) and 2-3 pages in length (shorter and longer papers may receive credit based on the quality of the answer).

A special note: The author of this book frequently uses quotations from the masters’ and the slaves’ diaries, journals, and letters. Some of the language used in their day we would find quite offensive in our own time. These are not the author’s own words. Likewise, as your teacher I did not pick these chapters in order to offend anyone, but to give you a glimpse of what life was really like for the slaves. Some of the stories in these chapters are heart-warming, some are heart-breaking, some are horrifying, but altogether they allow us to understand the victims of the system as more than mere slaves, but as real men and real women