The Slave Community by John W Blassingame

¶ … Slave Community: Plantation Live in the Antebellum South by John W. Blassingame. Specifically, it will contain a review of the book. The author's thesis for this book is the discussion of the lives of typical black slaves in the American South. Up until the time this book was written, little had been written about the lives of slaves, therefore his thesis shares new historical information while addressing a new area of interest, and opening up a new side to the study of southern history.

Because this was such a new topic at the time, the author had to use all evidence available to him to prove his thesis. Much of this evidence came from autobiographies written by slaves themselves. He notes, "Autobiographies are especially important in any study of the slave's personality development" (Blassingame, 1977, p. 227). However, the author uses so many sources in the course of his research that he actually includes an essay following the text discussing his sources. While his research focused mainly on slave narratives, he also consulted white autobiographies, and many historical journals. He even utilized psychology (personality development) texts for insight into how the slave's personality came through in their autobiographies. The author uses dozens of published and unpublished documents, books, journals, articles, and essays in his search for information, and the footnotes in this text indicate the depth of his research. He used autobiographies, but he also delves into African history, psychology, and other areas to round out the book and give his details depth and credence. His research is lengthy and credible.

Does the author's research prove his thesis? Yes, it does. It indicates that slave life in the South was a rich mixture of cultures, created to give some type of meaning to their lives and their enslavement. The book goes into great detail about the slave's homes, the influences in their lives, and their outlook on life. He writes of their quarters, "The social organization of the quarters was the slave's primary environment which gave him his ethical rules and fostered cooperation, mutual assistance, and black solidarity" (Blassingame 41). This book is important because so much of black history centers on the experience of being a slave, rather than the experience of living together with others slaves and the development of culture and tradition. This book shows how black American culture really originated, and that the lives of slaves were incredibly hard, but enriching in their own right. The author's exhaustive research gives the reader a real glimpse into the everyday life of slaves, and indicates that they had a rich culture, appreciated their families, hoped desperately for freedom, and lived desperately hard lives. Even though their lives were difficult, they held on to hope and faith, which gave them the courage to continue. His research brings the slaves to life and makes the reader appreciate just how strong they had to be to survive.