Federal Writers' Project – Life Histories/2021/Fall/Section018/Isaac Slaughter

Overview

This is an interview of Isaac Slaughter conducted by Jennie Sue Williams In Bridgeport, Alabama.

Biography

Early Life

Isaac Slaughter (1845-Unknown) was a Slave of John I. Slaughter during the Civil War time period . Isaac was born on March 15th, 1845, in Greensboro, Georgia with his two sisters and two brothers. Isaac was separated from his family when he was sold and never was able to reconnect with them during his life.

Career Life

When Isaac lived near the Flint River in Georgia, he witnessed men die in the war. Isaac was sold to John I Slaughter and moved to Dadeville, Alabama with them to continue work on their farm. In 1861, after the war ended, Slaughter moved to Fort Payne, Alabama, and worked on railroad construction that had been halted during the war. After working on the railroad, Isaac had to find work elsewhere which lead him to get a job working at a slaughterhouse for a man by the name of Mr. Cider. Isaac lived in Mr. Ciders slaughter pen where he raised and butchered livestock. For many years Isaac Slaughter worked as a butcher for multiple different people and became a well known figure in the community for his blood stained clothes as well as his name that people thought his name "Slaughter" was derived from his job as a butcher and not his past slave owner. Isaac continued his job as a butcher up until he was no longer was able to physically take on the labor.

Later Life

After halting his career, Isaac and his daughter, Tura, lived together in her husbands house where he tended to his own garden and grew many different vegetables and cotton for the remainder of his life.

Social Issues

Family Separation During Slavery

The disastrous consequences of slavery were long lasting due to Africans being stripped of their identity and cleaved from their cultures. Slaves were auctioned off and separated from their families. They could no longer see or speak to one another and took on the name of the master who bought them. The separation of Africans from their families led to cultural genocide. Slaves were forced to assimilate into white dominant culture, religion and practices removing them from their own cultural heritage and identity. Even though the Civil War abolished slavery, the lasting impacts of broken families and lost traditions still affect African American communities. Black and brown communities suffered cultural trauma from near complete subordination that white communities never experienced.

“ Enslaved mothers and fathers lived with the constant fear that they or their children might be sold away. ” — Borwn, 2018, para. 4

Former Slaves During the Reconstruction Era

After the Civil War, when the United States defeated the Confederate states and slavery was abolished, many former slaves had to reestablish themselves without the identity of their former owners. This was difficult because slaves were deprived from many resources such as education, jobs, houses, and income, making it almost impossible to rejoin society as a "free" man. Segregation was still prevalent and Black and Brown people were still being treated as second class citizens and humans. The animosity they faced made it hard for them to find work, buy land, and settle down. Though there were institutions, such as the Freedman's Bureau, that offered resources for former slaves, progress was slow because of a culture of pre-existing racism. Former slaves were hindered from learning to read and write; consequently, they lacked many of the skills needed to interact with other members of society. This made it even more difficult to find work because they weren't able to communicate with whites effectively and didn't have the skills necessary to hold a job position. Furthermore, the establishment of Jim Crow laws during the Reconstruction era nullified efforts to assimilate African Americans into post-Civil War society. For example, marriage between a white American and an African American was prohibited. Such laws propagated existing hostility towards African Americans and suggested the idea that races could not mix.

“ Congress and the army and the Freedmen’s Bureau were groping in the dark. They created the precedents. ” — The Freedmen’s Bureau and Reconstruction, 2018, para. 8

References

• Brown, DeNeen L. 2018. ‘Barbaric’: America’s Cruel History of Separating Children from Their Parents. The Washington Post.
• Eyerman, Ron. 2001. Cultural Trauma: Slavery and the Formation of African American Identity. Cambridge University Press.
• History.com, ed. 2018. Freedmen’s Bureau. History.com.
• Span, Christopher M. Post-Slavery? Post-Segregation? Post- Racial? A History of the Impact of Slavery, Segregation, and Racism on the Education of African Americans. Teachers College Record Volume 117 Number 14, 2015, p. 53-74
• Tischauser, Leslie V. 2012. Jim Crow Laws. Landmarks of the American Mosaic.