¶ … Peculiar Institution: Slavery in the South
According to the historical excerpt, "A Planter Instructs his Son," the Southern attitude towards slavery was considerably more complex than a modern reader might hope to believe. Rather than simple hatred of African-Americans, the author of this treatise evidently viewed his slaves, not as the subjects of simple racist vehemence, but as economic entities that were necessary for his survival and the survival of his plantation. This set of instructions is emblematic of the fact that many antebellum Southerners viewed slavery as not only an institution, but as an integral aspect of their way of life. The author of the letter is passing down instructions to his son, not simply out of malice, but out of a desire to see the boy govern his property in an effective manner, according to the Southern tradition.
Governing property in an effective and even a traditional manner, of course, can be something to be commended. However, when property is viewed not only in terms of land but also in terms of human chattel, the relationship between reader and historical author becomes considerably more complex. If one were to search for an analogy from modern life to describe how slave owners viewed their human property, the most available one might be how farmers view their livestock. This is also seen in the work of J.H Hammonds. His writing is entitled "Instructions to His Overseer 1840-1850."...
The author is not placed in a position of beleaguered defense, as Hammonds might be if he was writing an essay in the defense of slavery to an individual outside of the Southern states. Instead, he merely wishes to counsel the overseer in the best way he knows how, to effectively manage slaves and estate.
The author does not counsel cruelty nor condone malice on the part of the overseer. However, every instruction he bids to his overseer is designed to extract the maximum amount of labor from slaves. Much like an owner of an animal might wish to extract the maximum amount of labor from an individual beast of burden, so did the owner wish his overseer to treat his slaves. However, the owner is not unaware of the fact that slaves, unlike animals, have the reasoning capability of a human being. With this awareness, the owner counsels the overseer to engage in acts of subtle torture of psychological reasoning as well as brute force. This is done to enable the overseer to encourage slaves to work hard, with little complaint and with as little damage to the owner's physical property, the slave's body, as possible.
Always, this document suggests, in the back of Southerner's minds, was the fear of a slave rebellion, or that plantation…
