Slavery: American Frontiers and Sensations of Freedom

America is often associated with a proud sense of freedom alongside “frontierism” and the sensations of self-reliance and exploration that are attached to this idea. From expansion to the west, pioneers received sensations of freedom from their skills of survival and self-sustenance. Even decades later, when the frontier had long been closed and urban centers became crowded, middle-class folk sought to move away from the “claustrophobic” and “dangerous” urban life and into the “safe” and more spacious suburbs. Even America as a nation sought frontiers through space exploration, spurring the surge of science fiction in the 1940’s and 50’s. Just as these forms of frontiers were used to acquire sensations of freedom, so too did those in the white community use slavery as a frontier.

            As we discussed on October 2^nd, slaves were used as cultural, economic and even social capital. Soul by Soul presents the experience of a first time slave owner in order to highlight this process. Johnson describes how slave auctions fostered a certain sense of community amongst the owners. As buyers looked at slaves, they communicated with each other and predicted the values of slaves much like the way financial investors discuss stocks today. Once someone acquired a slave, they were able to use their experience as an owner to take part in this community. Owning a slave worked as a transformation process for the owner which allowed them to take part in a higher social community. Describing this transformation Johnson states the slave owners buys his “way into the class of men who were responsible for themselves rather than to others.”¹

            Another sensation of freedom white owners received was from the economic presence of slavery. Just as pioneers dreamed of moving out west, or urban dwellers dreamed of moving to the suburbs, white owners dreamed of using slaves to increase their economic status. As a white owner acquired slaves, they continuously dreamed of acquiring more to reach the next socioeconomic “category.” Although large plantations were not truly as apparent as they are depicted in today’s media, many slave owners received sensations of freedom from the dream of owning a large plantation.

            Because this frontier takes form of human capital, we can analyze the resistances of the slaves to look more deeply into the way Whites had to use force to acquire sensations of freedom. One example presented in Soul by Soul is the reaction of the community to someone who could not control their slave. According to Johnson, even if someone buys a slave, society would not view him or her as an independent and participating member if they could not force their slave to behave and produce. Similarly, as we have discussed in class, if a slave did live up to their production expectations, or if they refused to produce to desired levels, owners would beat their slave not just because they may have been fooled by a slave seller, or because they could be making more money, but because the slave did not fit in with the dreams the owner had previously constructed. If a slave could not fulfill their owner’s dreams of independence and freedom, they would be beaten until these dreams came to fruition.

WC: 533

1. Johnson, Walter. Soul by soul: life inside the antebellum slave market. New York: ACLS History E-Book Project, 2005.