One of the recurring intersections in early southern writing involves class, race, ethnicity, (and sometimes even gender). Rather than formulating distinctions among these elements based on a verifiable construct, early South watchers and commentators drew on traditional notions, ideologies , (perhaps even myths) to justify class and racial superiority of their particular social group or ethnicity and correspondingly the inferiority of persons of color or other marginalized characters (Native Americans, African Americans, persons of low socio-economic class and circumstances, and women). The purpose of this blog is to have you address some of these ideas and their implications to the formation of the ideological construct known as the “South.” Include in your response at least 2 different texts from the assigned readings in the course through Thursday, January 21. Your blog, which must identify you as the author, should not exceed 250 words and must be posted NO LATER THAN SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, AT 9 AM.
Ed Piacentino
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Ok so I guess I'll get this thing started. There are many streotypes that have been formed about the idological construct known as the "South." Having lived in North Carolina my entire life, I have seen justification both for and against many of these stereotypes. As Dr. Piacentino has stated and we all know, these stereotyoes and themes often center around the struggle of certain social groups. (i.e. people of different race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and faith from the historically "superior" white, straight, protestant male.) So much of those current negative stereotypes stem from actions then considered common practice, now currently viewed as injustices.
ReplyDeleteThe readings we have looked at so far have started us in looking at the misrepresentation of the New World (America) by European explorers. We saw in the John Smith’s account in his The General Historie of Virginia of his treatment by the Powhatan natives and his obvious bias against them in his description of them as “devils,” with “hellish voyce and rattle in his hand.” To be sure, John Smith’s bias was not favorable toward the natives. This is a representation of the beginning of the ideal of white superiority above other races which led to the destruction of the Natives way of life and opened the door to seeing African Americans as slaves fit to be owned.
In the “Letter from Benjamin Banneker to the Secretary of State” (Thomas Jefferson), Banneker openly discusses the mistreatment of slaves and the fact that Jefferson himself owned slaves despite his penmanship in the creation of our Constitution that “All men are created equal.” Banneker pleads with Jefferson to do what is right and asks him to consider the recent predicament America was in with England as a backdrop for the cruelties of slavery. Despite these pleas, history shows us that Jefferson did not change his ways and the injustice continued through the civil war, through the civil rights movement and some would add continues today in prejudice and bias. These are the stereotypes the South has been labeled with, maybe rightfully so, but how has the south changed since then?
Andrew Woods
When people think about the early "south" they tend picture slavery and the discrimination them as well as against Native Americans. Since African Americans first took step onto United States soil, they have been enslaved by whites and whites have always been cruel to the Native Americans, who were here first. Almost all whites were mean and cruel to both African and Native Americans. African American slaves were beaten and given harsh living conditions. While Native Americans on the other hand where stripped of their land. It was William Byrd II who spent a lot of time with them that called the Native American "Heathens," in his writing "The History of the Dividing Line." Whites were mean and demeaning to the Native Americans. There were certain people such as Benjamin Bannecker who stuck up for African Americans, as he was one, by trying to get them their proper rights. He wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson, The Secretary of State, about this issue. As time went on slavery finally came to an end. The "south" today is very much similar to the early "south." Now everyone has equal rights and there is no slavery, but there is still a lot of discrimination and hatered among fellow Americans.
ReplyDeleteWhen people think of the early "south" the first thing that comes to mind is slavery and the oppression of African-Americans. People view the treatment slaves as inhumane. Looking back on the stories of southern writers, they portray African-American slaves differently then how we might have viewed them. In "The Mullatto" by Victor Sejour, the main character is an African-American slave by the name of Georges. He is dedicated to his work and is willing to put his life on the line for his master, who is also his father. When a group of bandits tries to come and kill his master, Georges attacks the bandits and saves his masters life. This was not an order given by his master, and it shows the slaves loyalty to a master who did hardly anything in return for him. Another account of an African-American slave risking his life for his master is in The Yemassee by William Simms. The slave, Hector, saves his masters life by killing a warrior who is about to slay his master, Harrison. Hector comes in at the last second and without orders defends his master. The portrayal of these two African-American slaves goes against typical stereotype of a slave. People today think that slaves hated their masters, but in early southern writings it would appear that the slaves felt differently about their masters.
ReplyDeleteAustin Wilson
As earlier posts have stated, discrimination against African Americans connects with the early South. Whites believed they are superior to them and this resulted in racism. Slavery is also tied in with the early South. In the reading "The Mulatto" by Victor Sejour even the slave admits he is not equal. " society rejects him; men detest him; the laws curse him...." He knows he is not accepted especially by the law just because of his skin color. Sejour also adds in how two white creole children even know he is inferior to them. "" 'Won't that be fine, to see her pirouetting between the earth and the sky,' rejoined the first, laughing as they walked off.
ReplyDelete"Does it surprise you to hear two children, at ten years of age, conversing so gayly on the death of another?" All whites, no matter what age, know to classify African Americans differently and that's because of all the assumptions made in the early South. Racism is still an issue today but nothing like how slavery and the discrimination against them before.
Lauren Kopp
When looking at the Early “South” one comes across many different stereotypes. Once the English came to the “New World,” they already had their own stereotypes. They thought highly of themselves and felt they were more intelligent than the Native Americans already living here. The English basically took over the land, which did not belong to them. Also, they did not agree with the Native Americans way of life and they considered the white race to be superior to Native Americans. This can be seen in William Byrd II’s The History of the Dividing Line, where Byrd calls the Native Americans heathens. He goes on to say the Natives could not trust the English. The Natives felt the English only wanted to take over them and their land. Byrd also says “for the good of the colony-Had they intended either to Civilize on Convert these Gentiles (the heathen). This shows the English wanted to convert the Natives to Christianity and civilize them. Later, African Americans would be viewed as inferior to the white race in the “South” because they worked as slaves on the plantations. They were told what to do and did not have many freedoms. Slaves worked long hours under difficult conditions. Some conditions are revealed in Benjamin Banneker’s Letter to the Secretary of State (Thomas Jefferson). In the letter, Banneker states slavery is inhuman captivity and they should be set free. Jefferson agreed with Banneker’s viewpoint, but did not offer an answer to help the current situation.
ReplyDeleteHeather Mitchell
Being a “southerner” often comes with the stereotypical views of my peers, that the southern manner is ignorant, racist, sexist, etc. A great part of the history here displays those actions perfectly, and I agree with Mr. Woods, that some parts of the south have strayed very little from those original mannerisms dating back to the settlement of the southeast. Reading early southern works from men who witnessed these tragic actions first hand only provides the world a clearer view of where we (southerner’s) come from. My great grandfather was Cherokee, on my mother’s side, and my fathers’ side owned slaves. Growing up with relatives who were racist, sexist, and who would never see black men and women as anything other than laborers and women the child-bearing housewives is difficult. In both the readings, William Byrd II wrote that white men were lazy in the south and the women worked and raised their children. In the Letter from Benjamin Banneker to the Secretary of State, (Thomas Jefferson) he pleads with Jefferson to amend these wrongs with slavery, to free these men and women, because they are Men and Women, they are people too. Yet, racism continued over 100 years after that letter was received. Slavery may not have survived but it left its mark and it did not stop the way people viewed African Americans, especially the south for many years. White supremacy came with the English thought of being better than the natives when they landed. They felt they were more educated, cultured, and that the natives were primitive, and ignorant. This viewpoint set up the standard for what was to happen with slavery, and the color of their skin being darker than that of lily white, automatically rang bells of lower class. Jefferson did nothing to aid this and continued to have slaves until his dying day. William Byrd simply recorded the truth and it still holds accountable today.
ReplyDeleteChristina Ward
The South will always have with it the connotation of slavery. You can mainly thank the modern day media for this tie. Such programs as Roots, seemingly a staple in middle school education of the America South, have influenced this constant connotation of slavery. Yes, the South has itself to blame. But, slavery existed throughout the entirety of the United States, it just seemed more severe in the South because of plantations.
ReplyDeleteAlso, even after the abolition of slavery, the South tried to do everything to keep some aspect of slavery alive. Indentured servitude wasn’t all the difference. Yes, they technically rented the land and farmed on it, but they stayed indebt to the land owner because they never made a whole lot through farming. It was just another way for white former slave owners to own the former slaves and make some kind of money in the process.
Not to mention, you cannot forget the Jim Crow laws. These were simply just set in place in order control what rights black men could and could not have. These included things like the “grandfather clause.” You can only vote if your grandfather could vote. Thus, no freed slave could vote, because his or her grandfathers could not vote.
Unfortunately, slavery is only one stereotype of the South. Others include sexism, anti-Semitism, and antihomosexuality. The latest applies today more so than ever. Much of the south is adamant against same sex marriage, yes other parts of the country share the same sentiment, but perhaps not as much as the south.
I find it rather odd to associate “Southern gentleman” with white men of the old south. Looking up gentleman in an Oxford Dictionary and it defines gentleman as “a courteous or honorable man”. While some of the white men we have read about like Frank Meriwether are courteous men. He’s giving blacks a place to stay, a sense of security, and a job. Sounds like a very courteous man to me. However, Kennedy also mentions a slave named Carey in piece called Swallow Barn. Kennedy calls Carey a “perfect shadow of his master” implying that Carey has no identity or individuality as he has taken on the same characteristics of his master Frank. There is also Thomas Jefferson, one of the brightest and most honorable men of our country. A man who’s thoughts, ideas and writings are enamored to this day. He wrote our Declaration of Independence for crying out loud, where he wrote “All men are created equal”. Mr. Jefferson also wrote Query XIV from Notes on the State of Virginia where he wrote “that the blacks are inferior to the whites in the endowments both of body and mind”. Reading these statements by Jefferson really does hammer in the idea of white supremacy.
ReplyDeleteMike Goins
Having lived in the north my whole life, talking about the south has always been an interesting subject. Seeing as the north is vastly different than the south, it is hard for us “northerners” to picture why the south did what they did. We cannot fathom the need for slaves, seeing as we did not need to harvest as many crops as the south. We would bully the Native American tribes out of the land, but that was to make a living for ourselves. This also happened in the south. The white man came in from overseas and immediately started taking over the land. The land was not theirs to take, but a strategy that has worked for generations is propaganda. This strategy was employed when the white man moved into America. It was William Byrd II who convinced his fellow man the Native Americans were worthless beings. I can be a reliable source to say the north still looks at the south in disbelief, but, in all honesty, how different was the north? The north had the exact same tactics, but is not viewed with such disgust. The United States, as a whole, needed and needs to look at itself. Thus seeing how far we have come, and how far we have yet to go.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI've found that all the readings we have looked at so far, although they speak about the south and have that all in common, the views differ greatly from one author to another. I must say that one of the most surprising pieces of work was that of the letter written to Thomas Jefferson by Benjamin Banneker. Thomas Jefferson was always seen as an amazing leader and we all have been taught to view him as a very important man. I was astonished by the letter that he wrote back to the man basically stating that he felt many of Benjamin's fellow friends and people deserve the rights of the whites, however he was not really going to do anything about it. He did not try and say he would help fix it, but almost just let it go. In a way it showed that even the great men like Thomas Jefferson viewed the African Americans as inferior to whites and fear of repercussion, he would neglect trying to help make a change. I felt that William Byrd II also felt that whites were superior in the way that he put down the Native Americans that were just trying to help him. It is surprising to see these two extremely important men of their time discussing people and treating people somewhat more of objects, solely because of the difference in color. It astonishes me to think that we have tried to put discrimination behind us for such a long time, yet there is still a lot of problems we have in America dealing with the subject. The south definitely has a lot of history and the whites of this time made sure that even in their writings they were superior to all other races, as inhumane as the idea was.
ReplyDeletePaige Coleman
I thought that one of the biggest examples of racial stereotypes in the early south can be shown by the diction used by the slaves in various stories. In most stories of that time period slaves are depicted speaking with a very heavy accent and a dialect. I don’t know if this is an honest representation or how the slave actually spoke or not. However it did create stereotypes and make the slaves seem very ignorant and not nearly as intelligent as a white person. These stereotypes contrived in the proslavery writings of early southerners can unfortunately sometimes be found in the south today.
ReplyDeleteHowever in anti slaver writings the language used by slaves is completely different. In The Mulatto, by Victory Sojourn the slave Georges spoke using proper English. He did not speak in a dialect or use slang. He uses proper grammar that would be expected of any educated individual of the time period. This may seem insignificant however it is very important because it shows how authors can either portray slaves as ignorant beings barely capable of speaking the English language or of someone who is no different from anybody else.
Alex Fisher
William Byrd II and John Smith have the typical views of Native Americans that almost all early settlers had. They both see the Native Americans as savages and heathens. In Byrd's "From the History of the Dividing Line," he describes the Native Americans like someone shopping for meat. He says that they are well-proportioned and tall and that their health and strength make up for their dark complexion. He also says that they should be converted to Christianity so they would not complain about their land being taken away. In Smiths account "The General Historie of Virginia," he uses different parts of a poem to describe what is like with the Native Americans. He quotes that it was like be lead to hell and being amongst the devils to dwell. Smith uses the word devil to describe them instead of heathens and savages. In Smith's and Byrd's accounts, the Native Americans are viewed as inferior to the Europeans because they are of different skin color. In both accounts the Native Americans were forced to live like the Europeans. In Smith's account, they are put to death under Christian law because something they did. In Byrd's account, he contemplates what the children of a mixed couple. It is sad and shameful that the Native Americans were viewed this way based on the way they looked and the way that they lived. It is shameful that the Europeans of the south treated the Native Americans so in humanely when they were the ones invading their home.
ReplyDeleteKristen Whitaker
I have lived in the North my whole life and moving to North Carolina for college was a culture shock to say the least. Like many of the commentators of the early American “South”, I also developed my own stereotypes about what the “South” was and represented. My ideas and their suggestions to the development of the “South,” mostly pertained to class, and race. I can’t even comprehend the mental and physical pain African American slaves suffered due to the difference in the color of their skin. During the days of the early American South, African Americans were classified simply as chattel to be sold as labors and to reproduce children. In the story “The Mulatto,” written by Victor Sejour, the vendor at the slave auction says, “I’ve never sold a sing piece of bad merchandise,” as he refers to a young slave. John Pendleton Kennedy from Swallow Barn talks about the “evils of slavery,” it is amazing that although a select group of individuals realized that in slaving other human beings was “theoretically and morally wrong,” it continued for decades. Although I understand that Slavery empowered the economy of the American South, the division, stereotypes and stigmatism amongst class and race are still apparent today.
ReplyDeleteFaran Brady
I feel that the classism in the south wasn't brought on by a certain event, but a European elitist feeling. The black people had been slaves for many years and I think the Englishmen started to feel as if they were better just because they weren't the ones doing the hard work. The Europeans were the ones who own the black slaves, which means they weren't the ones sweating in the fields, this lazy and self-righteous society creates a holier than thou mind set throughout the new Europeans in America. In the Literature of the American South, Andrews writes, "From Hammond to Simms these intellectuals declared that the upper crust of white society in the South was best qualified to lead, that the enslavement of black people ensured the continuation of rule by the best..." The white intellectuals are assuming that white people are more fit to lead and take control rather than the 'black people.' A prejudice is created by the whites on the basis that the black people were doing the hard work, therefore we are the smarter of the 'two races.' Thomas Jefferson also points out the seemingly pointless attitude towards the black race from Notes on the State of Virginia when he submits the idea of combining the people and eliminating slavery, "Deep rooted prejudices entertained by the whites; ten thousand recollections, by the blacks, of the injuries they have sustained..." The prejudice lessens the power and authority of the black people and assumes the ominisciency of the white people, which leads to the classism that was present in the early American South.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting how most of the Englishmen during the “Early South” would degrade the “others,” such as the Native Americans, African Americans, and poverty stricken groups and then would label themselves as superior to these people. Most of these Englishmen were hypocrites because when they would belittle the “others” for not being well educated, they did not realize and did not want to realize that they were actually the ones that were not well educated. In Lawson’s “A New Voyage to Carolina,” we learn how he felt about the Native Americans in this statement, “The people of this Nation are…Pilferers/They are very poor in English Effects, several of them having no Guns, making use of Bows and Arrows, being a lazy idle People, a Quality incident to most Indians...” Then, in Cook’s “The Sot-weed Factor,” we learn how he felt about the people of the Maryland colony and how he thought he was superior to them because he felt that they were descendants of Cain. He stated, “At last a Fancy very odd took me, this was the Land of Nod; planted at first, when Vagrant Cain.” But, it is ironic how these two men would feel this way towards these humans when they were no better than them because in “The Sot-weed Factor,” we learn that Cook is not educated as much as he should be because he stands up in a canoe and he also was risqué later on, which showed that he was not dignified.
ReplyDeleteElisha Robbins
When looking into the American South during this time, one generally would first think of slavery and the mistreatment of African American's. A theme that is overseen through most of this period also is the degrading of slaves. Throughout the reading there are many examples to show how the whites display their "intelligence" while the slaves (with little to no education) speak with a lesser intelligence. This theme runs within most of the readings. The slaves struggled to survive everyday. “-archetypal themes in American literature, to be sure-are predicted on a detailed account of an individuals slave’s struggle to comprehend his material and spiritual situation in the South and then to escape it.” There are many encounters of how slaves were harshly spoken to and treated poorly. In “The Mulatto” it talks about how Georges saves Alfred’s life when he learns of the people that wanted to kill him. Alfred tells Georges that he will do anything for saving his life, but does not stick to his word. He does this, I believe, because he feels like he shouldn’t have to do anything for a slave. This theme of treating the slaves to these harsh conditions and under terrible circumstances runs throughout most of America Southern Literature.
ReplyDeleteCait Fulcher
http://exploringsouthernliterature.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteDerek McIntyre