HISTORY 131 Lecture Notes - Lecture 23: Fugitive Slave Laws, Fugitive Slaves In The United States, Pickaxe
17 Dec 2016
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African American History Lecture → 11/28/16
African American Resistance Against Slavery
• Fight against Tyranny, fight for human dignity
• Class warfare, war against excessive exploitation on laboring classes by the elite.
• Race warfare, fight against white supremacy over black bodies
• Political vs. apolitical → did not necessary challenge slavery. Accomdationists
actions.
- Day to day. (Ex. Fugitive Slave Law)
• “Weapons of the Weak” → James Scott thesis. Day to day resistance
constitutes the resistance that is possible under the circumstances. This
type of resistance creates solidary among the oppressed. The snitch
becomes the enemy of the community.
• Day to Day Resistance
• Malingering → Faking an illness.
• Damaging tools and livestock (ie. Breaking a pickaxe)
• Slow downs and shoddy work
• Walking out of the fields → Slaves would just walk out of the fields, or
hide in the woods
• Deceiving and lying
• Theft/pilfering
• Moral Economy of Slaves
• Entitled to more than what they received
• Higher morality of masters for slaves
• Powers were limited by the customary recepricosity
• Southern of slaves underground economy that punished whites for
dealing with blacks
• Genovese → Roll Jordan Roll. Argued that the black economy feeds
the racial notion of slavery even if it goes against the master
• Runaways (Resistance
• Occupied both slave and free, both were neither
• Were both resistance and rebellion
• Maroon communities
• More common in the US then other slave societies
• Estimated 100,000 per year escaped by running away
• Colonies had laws that allowed slaves to be killed if resisted arrest,
and if killed government would reimburse
• 1794 → slave catchers could catch slaves in all states.
• 1793 act, helping an individual escape slavery was a fine of 500
dollars
• Slave acts brought government into the mix, previously hadn’t
• Harder for women to run away then men. Might have had children, or
family to care for. More so just to get a break, not necessary run away.
• Political significance of running away → Fugitive slave issue. Fugitive
slave laws. Broke down comity between north and the south. Informal
recognition of court.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Fugitive slave law: weapons of the weak james scott thesis. Day to day resistance constitutes the resistance that is possible under the circumstances. This type of resistance creates solidary among the oppressed. Might have had children, or family to care for. More so just to get a break, not necessary run away: political significance of running away fugitive slave issue. Broke down comity between north and the south. Informal recognition of court: william and ellen craft, 1848. Ellen pretended to a sick slave holder, and her husband pretended to be a slave. Took a train all the way to penn from georgia: henry box brown 1849. Not only an abolitionist enterprise, but a form of slave resistance. Was a system of many safe havens throughout the north and south leading to the free lands of the north and canada. Secret signs to show routes along underground railroad, safe havens.
