Whiteness is Home

Whitenessis Home..

have been made concerning the reliability of these stories but are they valid enough to stop using these stories completely.?

Purpose

Chattel Slavery, a deeply dehumanizing institution that treated black people as property was abolished in the United States in 1865 following the Emancipation Proclamation and the presence of Union soldiers on Southern plantations. By popular belief, this moment is largely a win for the African American community, free from bondage with opportunity on the horizon. But lurking in the shadows, there is a contrary feeling between some blacks, those who found comfort in racial oppression and inequality as a means of survival. Now, they must fend for themselves and grapple with a freedom they never desired or yearned for. This website is intended to share the stories of those who found themselves disenfranchised, unsupported, and struggling after their liberation and their want to return to their previous lives of enslavement where safety and security were provided under their former white owners. Through visual storytelling and discussions surrounding the societal, historical, and economic factors this website aims to examine an unfamiliar opinion within the African American community in North Carolina specifically and prompt further discussion to grapple with these hard realities.

Disclaimer

The following content contains sensitive topics related to stories of enslavement, the Black struggle, and unpopular opinions regarding the continuation of enslavement. These narratives should be handled with care and empathy, recognizing the historical context and the economic, social and political impacts that emancipation bought on to these individuals. Please be respectful of this content and the differing perspectives and refrain from quick judgements.

IssueNo.1865

Thank you, Treasure Rouse

VISION

Hello!MynameisTreasureRouse,thecreatorof“WhitenessisHome.”Iama PublicHistoryMastersstudentattheUniversityofNorthCarolinaatCharlotte.

TheVisionforthisprojectistocreateadigitalscrapbook,somethingthathas beenatraditionformyAfricanAmericanfamilyforgenerations.African Americanfamiliesusescrapbookstokeepmemoriesandemblemsofthepast thusIwanttopresentthistraditionwithinthiswork.

Thepagespresentedinthisprojectwillbeagainsttexturedpaperslikethepages ofaoldscrapbook.Aswellaspicturesheldbytapeandsmalldrawinglike picturesasiftheyarehanddrawn.Reminiscentofascrapbookyouwouldfindin yourgrandmothershome.

https://www.loc.gov/item/mesnp112327/

Year:1870;CensusPlace:Jamesville,Martin,NorthCarolina; Roll:M593_1147;Page:529;Image:365.

N/A.“HistoryofTyrrellCounty,NC.”NCGENWEB.N/A.N/A. https://www.ncgenweb.us/tyrrell/HISTORY.HTM

William Sykes, Age 78. United States North Carolina, 1936. Between 1936 and 1938. Photograph.

William Sykes

William Sykes was born in Martin County North Carolina with his 7 siblings under the enslavement of Joshua & Catherine Long. Sykes remembers playing in the lake, fishing, and having large gatherings filled with music and dance. He was never worried about his next meal, clothes, or living situation. After emancipation, William's family suffered many hardships, mainly food insecurity He states “A whole heap of times I had nothing but one cup of peas and a hunk of cornbread.” At the time of his interview, Sykes was incarcerated for Manslaughter and serving three to five years.

In Sykes's interview, he shows extreme feelings of opposition toward emancipation and black mobility

TEMPIE HERNDON

Tempie Herndon Durham was born in Chatham County, NC under the enslavement of George and Betty Herndon Tempie raves about the good treatment provided by her enslavers discussing their help with her wedding to helping her family move to their own farm Tempie states that enslavement offered much comfort for African Americans especially financially. For her, the only real upside of emancipation was that she was no longer separated from her husband who resided on a different plantation. However, she recognizes that her experience may not be shared among her peers.

Amy Penny

FederalWriters'Project:SlaveNarrativeProject,Vol.11,NorthCarolina,Part2,Jackson-Yellerday.1936.Manuscript/MixedMaterial.https://www.loc.gov/item/mesn112/.

Amy Penny

Amy Penny did not know her age or when she was born but grew up in Boydton Virginia in Mecklenburg County owned by Victor Epps. She states that she was raised by “some might good white people” (160) and that after the Civil War, she endured some of the worst times of her after Emancipation after moving to Raleigh, NC. Amy describes having to deal with a lot of food insecurity but would sometimes receive financial help from her master's in Virginia. While she does recognize that her masters were the exception to the rule she still states that she believes slavery was not such a bad thing compared to her current situation.

Blacktenantsandneighbors eatingtogetherafteraday ofCornShuckinginGranvilleCounty,NC 1939 SchomburgCenterforResearchinBlackCulture,PhotographsandPrintsDivision,TheNewYorkPublic Library."TheNegrotenantsandneighborseatingdinnerafterthewhitemenhavefinished,ondayofcornshuckingatMrs.FredWilkins'home.Tallyho,Stem,GranvilleCounty,No.Car.,Nov1939."NewYorkPublic LibraryDigitalCollections.AccessedMay10,2024.https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47df-f924a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Amy Penny’s enslaver Victor Epps amount of slaves in the 1860's census Blake,Tom,ed.“MECKLENBURGCOUNTY,VIRGINIALARGESTSLAVEHOLDERSFROM1860SLAVECENSUSSCHEDULESandSURNAMEMATCHESFORAFRICANAMERICANSON1870 CENSUS.”MecklenburgCounty,Virginia1860slaveholdersand1870AfricanAmericans,August2003.https://sites.rootsweb.com/~ajac/vamecklenburg.htm.

NorthCarolina from 1865-1938

AftertheendoftheCivilWar,thequalityoflifeforwhitesandblacksin NorthCarolinacontinuedtodecline Thewarcausedmillionsofdollars inpropertydamage,bankruptcy,andalackofjobs.[1]Themajorityof AfricanAmericanssawthemselvesworkingbackontheplantationas sharecropperswhichoftenlimitedtheirsocialmobilityaswhite landownersprofitedoffsharecroppingbyrentingtheirlandatrates thatexceededproduction.

OnMay29th,1865,aproclamationwouldbepassedthatallowed amnestyforthosewhoparticipatedonthesouthernsideoftheCivil War–grantingthemtheirpropertyback,excludingtheirslaves,in returnfortheirloyaltytotheUnitedStates However,thisamnestywas onlygiventoindividualswhowerenotthe“fourteenclassesof individualswhoengagedinthewaragainsttheUnionfromCivilor diplomaticofficersoftheConfederacywhoconductedpiracyagainst Unioncommerceduringthewar ”[2]

By1865theNorthCarolinaBlackCodeswerepassedthatwould severelylimitAfricanAmericanautonomy Thiswouldmakeinterracial marriageacrime,regulateAfricanAmericantestimony,andlimit Americans-'SecondAmendment [1]In1868,freedmenbegantaking officebutatthesametime,theKKKwasjustbeginningtoemerge By 1869,theFreedman’sBureau,afederalprogramthatwasdedicatedto helpingAfricanAmericanswithamultitudeofservicesafter emancipation,wasnolongerfederallysupportedandhadtostop operations By1870,Whitedemocratshadregainedcontrolwithin politicalofficeafterthemurderoftworepublicanleaders,who advocatedforblackrightsandotherassumedscaretactics implementedbytheKKK [3]

Bythetimeoftheinterviewsin1938,notonlyhadAfricanAmericans enduredhardshipsalreadytiedtotheirfinancesbuttheyhadalsojust undergonethedepression.Thismakessenseforwhymanyofthe formerlyenslaveddiscusstheuncertaintiesoftheirday-to-daylives

[1]NorthCarolinaHistoricSites.“War’sEndandReconstruction.”War’sEndandReconstruction|NCHistoricSites. [2]AndrewJohnson, ProclamationofAmnestyandReconstruction, May29,1865,CivilWarEraNC,accessedMay 10,2024,https://cwnc omeka chass ncsu edu/items/show/13

[3]Kelly,Brian,SusanEvaO’Donovan,andJohnWhite “TimelineofReconstructioninNorthCarolina:1862-1876 ” LowcountryDigitalHistoryInitiative d https://historicsites nc gov/resources/north-carolina-civil-war/wars-endand-reconstruction

PictureofJohnWaltersStephen,oneofthe Republicansenatorswhoweremurderedatthe handsoftheKKKinMay1870

Stuart,McIver."TheMurderofaScalawag."AmericanHistoryIllustrated(April1973).12-18. http://ncccha.org/pdf/stephens/stephensmurderarticle.pdf(accessedMay9th2024).

PictureofWyattOutlaw,theotherRepublicansenator killedbytheKKK Outlawhadbeentargetedduetohim outwardlydefendingBlackpeoplewithinthetownof Graham,NorthCarolina Outlawwasfoundlynchedinthe Winterof1870afterbeingaccusedofshootingatthe Klan aftertheyattemptedtointimidateOutlaw Eric,Kerl.“WaronWhiteSupremacy.”RampantMagazine,2020.July9.https://rampantmag.com/aboutrampant/.

To Use or Not to Use

Scholars have continued to argue back and forth on whether the WPA interviews are reliable enough to be used for historical research. Some historians argue that the WPA narratives were conducted during a period of extreme stress and thus the answers would not be in line with the actual views of the participants. In Lynda M Hill’s article “Ex-Slave Narratives: The WPA Federal Writers Project Reappraised ” Hill discusses the interview's lack of authenticity by examining the appraisals done on the physical interviews Hill states that the “variation gives an idea of how the narratives appear to contain multiple voices - most obviously, the voices of the interviewer and the voices of former slaves, but editors' remarks are also visible.”[1]

Other historians such as John Blassingame dismiss the interviews completely labeling the enslaved as untrustworthy critiquing the environment and the lack of skill from the interviewers, the quality of questions, and the old age of the enslaved at the time of their interview.

Others like Stanley Elkins seemed to be plagued by speculations of abolitionist editors crafting the interviews to promote their political views and beliefs. [2] It should be noted that Stanley Elkins was a strong conservative and wrote a book entitled Slavery: A Problem in American Institutional and Intellectual Life however the book contains ideas that do not align with real facts and thus many have argued that the historian has not proved his arguments well and tends to implement his personal beliefs [3]

However, the WPA narratives should be examined as any other oral interview while counting the outside factors rather than discounting these individuals' experiences. This includes the less popular opinion that some ex-enslaved people believed slavery to be a good thing. While the interviews were taken during the great depression, which also was the catalyst for many of the proslavery comments, it was still a very real feeling and opinion that should be discussed in a larger conversation. One can also argue that African Americans are not a monolith and thus the same should be applied to their feelings on emancipation While American enslavement was a horrendous system, many found refuge in the security it gave regardless of their bonded status The implications of using these interviews will always be there but two things can exist at the same time and thus we should not discourage their use in scholarly text but instead highlight the implications of these interviews as well to provide all the facts

[1] Lynda M, Hill. “Ex-Slave Narratives: The Wpa Federal Writers’ Project Reappraised.” Oral History 26, no. 1 (1998): 64–72. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40179473.

[2] William W, Nichols. “Slave Narratives: Dismissed Evidence in the Writing of Southern History.” Phylon (1960-) 32, no. 4 (1971): 403–9. https://doi.org/10.2307/274066.

[3] Bertram, Wyatt-Brown. “Stanley Elkins’ Slavery: The Antislavery Interpretation Reexamined.” American Quarterly 25, no. 2 (1973): 154–76. https://doi.org/10.2307/2711595.

A Road To Healing

To Be Continued...

Bibliography

Photos

Blake,Tom,ed “MECKLENBURGCOUNTY,VIRGINIALARGESTSLAVEHOLDERSFROM1860SLAVECENSUSSCHEDULESandSURNAMEMATCHESFOR AFRICANAMERICANSON1870CENSUS”MecklenburgCounty,Virginia1860slaveholdersand1870AfricanAmericans,August2003 https://sitesrootswebcom/ ajac/vamecklenburghtm

Johnson,Andrews"ProclamationofAmnestyandReconstruction,"May29,1865,CivilWarEraNC,accessedMay10,2024, https://cwncomekachassncsuedu/items/show/13

N/A “HistoryofTyrrellCounty,NC”NCGENWEB N/A N/A https://wwwncgenwebus/tyrrell/HISTORYHTM SchomburgCenterforResearchinBlackCulture,PhotographsandPrintsDivision,TheNewYorkPublicLibrary "TheNegrotenantsandneighborseating dinnerafterthewhitemenhavefinished,ondayofcorn-shuckingatMrs FredWilkinshome Tallyho,Stem,GranvilleCounty,No Car,Nov1939"NewYork PublicLibraryDigitalCollections AccessedMay10,2024 https://digitalcollectionsnyplorg/items/510d47df-f924-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99 WilliamSykes,Age78 UnitedStatesNorthCarolina,1936 Between1936and1938 Photograph https://wwwlocgov/item/mesnp112327/ Year:1870;CensusPlace:Jamesville,Martin,NorthCarolina;Roll:M5931147;Page:529;Image:365

Unknown [cSept1st,1862]NC10¢Note NorthCarolinaStateIssue DocumentingtheAmericanSouthUniversityLibrary,TheUniversityofNorthCarolinaat ChapelHill,1998-2001https://docsouthuncedu/imls/currency/nc1862/nc1862-10aat150html

Manuscripts

FederalWriters'Project:SlaveNarrativeProject,Vol.11,NorthCarolina,Part2,Jackson-Yellerday.1936.Manuscript/MixedMaterial.https://www.loc.gov/item/mesn112/.

SecondarySources

Kelly,Brian,SusanEvaO’Donovan,andJohnWhite“TimelineofReconstructioninNorthCarolina:1862-1876”LowcountryDigitalHistoryInitiativend https://historicsitesncgov/resources/north-carolina-civil-war/wars-end-and-reconstruction

Kerl,Eric“WaronWhiteSupremacy”RampantMagazine,2020July9https://rampantmagcom/about-rampant/

Nichols,WilliamW“SlaveNarratives:DismissedEvidenceintheWritingofSouthernHistory”Phylon(1960-)32,no4(1971):403–9https://doiorg/102307/274066

Spindel,DonnaJ"Assessingmemory:twentieth-centuryslavenarrativesreconsidered"TheJournalofInterdisciplinaryHistory27,no2(1996):247+GaleAcademic OneFile(accessedMarch10,2024)

McIver,Stuart"TheMurderofaScalawag"AmericanHistoryIllustrated(April1973)12-18http://nccchaorg/pdf/stephens/stephensmurderarticlepdf(accessed March13,2013)

RHDC,“MordecaiHouse,”RaleighHistoric,accessedMay10,2024,https://raleighhistoricorg/items/show/13(pictureonthecoverofthemagazine) NorthCarolinaHistoricSites“War’sEndandReconstruction”War’sEndandReconstruction|NCHistoricSites

Wyatt-Brown,Bertram“StanleyElkins’Slavery:TheAntislaveryInterpretationReexamined”AmericanQuarterly25,no2(1973):154–76 https://doiorg/102307/2711595

Continuingthisproject:

AsIcontinuethisproject,Iwouldliketodoafewmorethingstotrulyfinishit.

1)Iwouldliketocontinueresearchingtolengthenmybibliography.Asofrightnow,I have7primarysourcesandsixsecondaryresourcesbutwanttore-evaluatethedirection ofthemagazineasIwantittobemoreconciseandreadableforapublicaudience.In termsofprimarysourcematerial,Iwouldliketoaddmorepicturesoftheoverallsettingof NorthCarolinabetween1865-1938andattempttofindmorephotographsofAfrican Americansandpossiblytheirfamilies.Forsecondaryresourcesfocusingonthehistoryof NorthCarolinabetween1865-1938justbecauseitisabitweakinthissubmissionandI thinkIcanstrengthenitbetter.

2)IcreatedanInstagrampageformyprojectwhereIwillcontinuetopostcontentrelated totheWPAnarratives,thecontinuanceoftheproject,andshorttik-tokvideossimilarto myteaserthatcanengageaudiencesthatmaywanttodigesttheinformationthroughan auditorymediumratherthanjustvisually. Iwouldalsoliketopostsomephotosofthe enslavedjustforthepublictoknowthatthismaterialisoutthereandaccessible.

3)Iwanttocontinueworkingonthedesignaspectofthemagazine.Inthelastfewhours, Iwantedtoatleastgetthebarebonesofmymaterialinthisfinalandthusheldbackon thescrapbookaesthetic.However,IthinktheprojectisgrowingintowhatIimagined, andwithabitmoretimeandalotlessburnoutbelievethatthiscanevolveintoareally beautifulthing.

4)Afterdoingsomelast-minutethings,Irealizedthatthisprojectcouldusea recommendedreadinglist.IsawthatcommonlyasIwaslookingforsourcesandthinkit wouldbeagreatwaytocontinuetheconversation.Maybeevencreatingabookclubvia FacebooktoreadsomecontinuingscholarshiponNorthCarolina,emancipation,andhow thegreatdepressionimpactedAfricanAmericansandtheoutcome.

5)IwasabletouseISSUUaftermyflipbookcrashedmyprojectandrealizedthatIwas justoverthinkingitandcoulduploaditdirectlyonthesite.However,Ididhavetopayin orderforallthepagestoupload.Intermsofotherdigitaltools,Iamunsurewhetherornot doingInstagram,facebookandISSUUissufficientthusImayalsocreateadigital timelinewhenIhavethetime.Duetoextremeburnoutwithschoolandmyjobattheend hereIwasmentallycheckedoutandthuscreatingadigitaltimelinewasjusthonestlynot goingtohappenbeforethedeadlinehowever,asIcontinuetoworkonthisprojectduring thesummeritissomethingthatIplantoimplement.

Continuingthisproject:

WhenworkingwithNarrative,Iwouldliketogobackandmakethisprojectflowmore likeastory.PossiblygoingbackandseparatingitbytimewiththenarrativesofWilliam, Tempie,andAmyattheendratherthanthebeginningtohelpwiththebuild-upandthe storytelling. WhilealsotryingtoexpandtheirstoriesasbestasIcanwiththelimitations athand.

Overall,Ibelievethatmyprojectstillhasalotofworkaheadofherbutbyimplementing thechangeslaidoutinthisplanIthinkthisworkcanmakethisprojectmuchbetter.I apologizeforthisnotbeingmybestworkbutdidtrymybesttogiveitallthatIcouldwith everythingthatisgoingonbuthopethisprovidesagoodfoundationformoreworktobe done.

Editor-n-Cheif, TreasureRouse