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Letter to Editor

Smithville Review -Letter to the Editor

 

The recent article by LeAnn Judkins ``Color makes no difference" must be addressed. In her article she states that `'According to Thomas G, Webb, county historian, there were no slaveholders, as most families only owned three or four slaves." lf you own one slave, you are a slaveholder, so there must have been quite a few slaveholders in the county. She misquotes him. In his book DeKalb County, he states that "less than one family in six owned slaves". She quotes him as saying that they were just like family members and treated exceptionally well, again, not an exact quote. Slaves were not allowed to come and go as they wished or be educated like `'family members'', they were considered property. She states '`the ``whipping" of slaves in DeKalb County, there is not much evidence". It was not against the law in those days to whip slaves, to whom would a beaten slave report such an assault? She writes about a local slave recounting that she has a ``good log house, bedd.ing and plenty to eat''. A slaveholder would do a cost benefit analysis and know that in order to maximize labor he needs to keep his slaves healthy and well fed. He is not doing this out of any generosity of spirit. This myth that slaves were ``family" and taught skills they would be able to benefit from is a fallaey. In his book, Thomas Webb tells of a 5 year old girl sold on the DeKalb Courthouse steps for $250 to pay a debt. Furthermore the skills taught were for the benefit of the owner, not chosen by the slave. I was horrified that she chose to write this article during Black History Month.

Gloria Cantrell

 PO Box 194

 Smithville, TN 37166

615_215_2085