House Slaves

In English colonies before the mid-17th century Africans served infrequently as house servants. Roughly around 1650 Black indentured servants were gradually converted to slaves in the South and the North. By the 19th century house slaves accounted for 20% of the slave population and with the highest proportions in towns and cities (Miller, Dic. Afro-American Slavery p 338). They served as nurses, cooks, and butlers -- all of whom were in greater numbers in the big mansions of large plantations. The most special, however, were the "mammies" -- a Southern term for the Black nurse of a White child, who would breast feed (a function of the mammary glands) if necessary. Mammy -- ranking in the category of White stereotypes applied to Blacks similar to Sambo and Uncle Tom -- became enshrined in the hearts of Whites following the Civil War as loyal, capable, and forthright (direct and without evasion). If the slave-owner was widowed, a mammy might also provide emotional and physical comfort. All house slaves involved in keeping the big house running efficiently were chosen and trained with care. The wide range of chores and lack of labor-saving machines required all house slaves to perform numerous tasks. Most labored singly or in pairs, especially around the house, as in gardening, milking, tending chickens, and even working .during the peak seasons of planting and harvesting. Likewise, in-house men often filled numerous roles -- a butler doubling as coachmen or gardener; a waiter working as a footman (e.g. goes with a carriage to open the door while wearing a uniform), handyman, and errand boy. Usually, the only true specialist was the cook, whose special skills required training and practice. For the most part, house slaves were mulatto offspring of the slave-owner (or other White men) and slave women. This mixture enabled them to acquire a distinctive level of living compared with field hands. More value was placed upon White ancestry and the social status resulting from this absurd value. So did the nature of their work maximize distinctiveness. More often than field slaves, house servants were manumitted (Latin, to release from control). A tiny few were able to buy not only their own freedom but also the freedom of other members of their families. Through this process a class of "Free Blacks" became the founders of propertied "aristocracy of color" among Black Americans -- those who owned land or securities as a principal source of money. Although working in and around the house was generally not as hard as field work, house slaves were under such constant surveillance by Whites as to experience great emotional tension. Of course these slaves devised all sorts of public masks to hide their emotions. Hence, many house and field slaves desired to switch roles. Yet, most field slaves, accustomed to the comparatively unconstrained life of their ghetto settlement, detested the close control and careful movements required of the house slaves. They therefore preferred their harder work. Nevertheless, house slaves usually wore good clothes -- those discarded by Whites. They ate what was left of the slave-owners meals and often slept in the mansion on real beds. Special favorable treatment occasionally led to considerable loyalty to Whites and to considerable disdain toward field slaves. As a result, house slaves were the more common informers on slaves planning to revolt or escape. However, others would secretly supply information about the outside world, food, and blankets to field slaves. Obviously, slave communities screened out unreliable members and dealt harshly with informers. House slaves typically copied the speech and manners of their White family. These skills, following slavery, gave them a head start on escaping the traps set for them by White males. Bailey, "Manhood in Black America. website: jablifeskills.com Joseph A. Bailey, II, M.D.

 

< Prev		Next >