The slave community

by John W. Blassingame

This volume is one of the first historical studies of slavery in the United States to be presented from the perspective of the enslaved. This work contradicted those historians who had interpreted history to suggest that African American slaves were docile and submissive who enjoyed the benefits of a paternalistic master-slave relationship on Southern plantations. Using psychology, the author analyzes fugitive slave narratives published in the 19th century to conclude that an independent culture developed among the enslaved and that there were a variety of personality types exhibited by slaves. He asserts that by concentrating on the slave owner, historians have presented a distorted view of plantation life that "strips the slave of any meaningful and distinctive culture, family life, religion, or manhood." "The plantation was a battlefield where slaves fought masters for physical and psychological survival. Although unlettered, unarmed, and outnumbered, slaves fought in various ways to preserve their manhood." This impressive and original study views the institution of slavery from a new perspective- that of the slaves themselves. The author challenges the timeworn stereotype of the slave as a passive and docile creature who lacked drive, purpose, and responsibility. He traces the development of the slave's personality traits, analyzes the patterns of resistance within the sla