Axar.az presents the article "The happy slaves" by John Samuel Tieman.

Sometimes it helps to have an old coot in the squad. At 72, I am old enough to remember the happy slave narrative in my grade school history text. I close my eyes and still see the drawing of the cheery slaves gathered around their master.

I got an email from a college friend, a Southern woman, who lamented “the rewriting of history”. The “rewriting” she laments is the re-imaging of a genteel antebellum Old South. Such gentility envisions a slavery that was kind, generous, gracious. My friend laments that this “rewriting of history” amounts to a re-imaging in which slavery is viewed as brutal. She's right. Many historians feel it necessary to change the inaccurate portrayal that folks, folks like me, were raised with. Those historians argue now that a reassessment is absolutely necessary. I am one of those historians. But I leave it for you to decide. In the words of the “Declaration Of Independence”, “To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.“

What follows first are excerpts from a textbook, “Virginia: History, Government, Geography” by Francis B. Simkins, Spotswood H. Jones, and Sidman P. Poole. Its initial publication was in 1964, my 8th grade year. This book was typical of the era.

“A feeling of strong affection existed between masters and slaves in a majority of Virginia homes. … It was to [the master’s] own interest to keep his slaves contented and in good health. If he treated them well, he could win their loyalty and cooperation.”

“Many Negroes were taught to read and write. Many of them were allowed to meet in groups for preaching, for funerals, and for singing and dancing. They went visiting at night and sometimes owned guns. … Most of them were treated with kindness.”

“Every effort was made to protect the health of the slaves.”

“The regard that master and slaves had for each other made plantation life happy and prosperous.”

I close with two more excerpts. The first is again taken from the aforementioned Virginia textbook. “Whipping was the usual method of punishing disobedient Negroes. In those days, whipping was also the usual method of correcting children. The planter looked upon slaves as children, and punished them as such.” Now contrast that with what follows.

This last excerpt is taken from “The Narrative Of The Life Of Fredrick Douglass”, first published in 1845. For those unfamiliar with “The Narrative”, this is the witness of an actual slave. Douglass' aunt, also a slave, was whipped because without permission she visited another slave, Ned Roberts. She was sweet on Ned. “Before [the master] commenced whipping Aunt Hester, he took her into the kitchen, and stripped her from neck to waist, leaving her neck, shoulders, and back, entirely naked. He then told her to cross her hands, calling her at the same time a d--d b--h. After crossing her hands, he tied them with a strong rope, and led her to a stool under a large hook in the joist, put in for the purpose. He made her get upon the stool, and tied her hands to the hook. She now stood fair for his infernal purpose. Her arms were stretched up at their full length, so that she stood upon the ends of her toes. He then said to her, "Now, you d--d b--h, I'll learn you how to disobey my orders!" and after rolling up his sleeves, he commenced to lay on the heavy cowskin, and soon the warm, red blood (amid heart-rending shrieks from her, and horrid oaths from him) came dripping to the floor. I was so terrified and horror-stricken at the sight, that I hid myself in a closet, and dared not venture out till long after the bloody transaction was over. I expected it would be my turn next.”