Regionalism & Identities in Black Communities in the first half of the 19th Century

Regionalism was a major factor which had large impacts on group and personal identity variations between the North and the South. The general group identity of black communities in the North was one marked by unity in their beliefs and their understandings of liberty, and they maintained personal identities which were very much independent of white identities – in which they clearly understood the distance between them and white people, and didn’t feel as if they were a part of this white community. On the other hand, black communities seemed to have less ties in the South, which may have been due to the much more brutal treatment of slaves here, which caused them to have less of a strong group identity as “blacks” and instead caused their personal identities to gravitate towards their obedience toward their master, and caused them to feel like they were, in some ways, part of this white community – although of a lesser status than the white people themselves.

In the North, the white people in general seemed to have a greater belief in morality, which led to better treatment of both free blacks and slaves. The large numbers of free blacks and the large industrial cities brought many slaves and free blacks together, thereby helping them to establish a group identity as a community, and helping the personal identities of each to form a sense of personal independence and of a personal identity separate from that of being owned by someone else (for slaves). Northup’s Twelve Years a Slave provides a perfect demonstration of the role which regionalism played in the formation of a unified group identity of blacks in the North. The industrial powerhouse of the North powered not only industry, but also allowed for the rapid urbanisation of new areas. In turn, this meant that Northup, “While living at the United States Hotel, I [Northup] frequently met with slaves, who had accompanied their masters from the South.” These meetings would have never happened in the South, where most slaves remained on their plantations – instead, they only happened in states like New York where free blacks and slaves from various plantations could be together in a small amount of space. This proximity allowed for increased communication between free blacks and slaves, including those about slavery. By being able to talk to someone who was free and was also black (“Many times they entered into conversation with me on the subject of Slavery”), the slaves and free blacks were able to forge a strong common group identity since they were able to communicate their ideas to each other, and one key pillar of this identity was that of liberty, which almost all free blacks and slaves in the North agreed was an issue of utmost importance. The Narrative of Sojourner Truth expands on the personality identity facet of the issue of slavery. Although masters in the North were generally more benevolent than their Southern master counterparts, the regular meetings with free blacks (as can be seen from the descriptions in Northup’s narrative) was probably a key influencer in how the Northern slaves viewed their own identities. In Sojourner Truth’s biography, the personal identities of each of the slaves (including herself) go beyond their ownership, but instead focus on how “they were still human, and their human hearts beat within them with as true an affection as ever caused a human heart to beat.” This belief in humanity and of a personality and identity which lay beyond the ownership of the slave was a key distinction between the personal identities of Northern and Southern slaves. Both the differences in group identity and those in personal identity express the growing influence which regionalism played in the development of identities within black communities in the first half of the 19th century.

Due to the largely spread out nature of blacks (and their small numbers) in the South, they were not able to form common group identities, and often lacked ties with other members of their community due to early separation by masters. Because of this, they often became more closely attached to their masters (although not necessarily in terms of liking their masters), and a key part of their personal identities became unquestioning obedience and belief in their own inferiority compared to the “higher” white race. Frederick Douglass’ narrative of his life showcases how the harsh treatment of slaves in the South led to the absence of a strong and uniform group identity. As can be seen from when Douglass states that “Frequently, before the child has reached its twelfth month, its mother is taken from it, and hired out on some farm a considerable distance off,” forced separations – a key indicator of the brutal practices of Southern slave owners – played a key role in making sure that ties could not be formed and could at least not be kept. Because of this, forging a group identity as a black community became difficult. In fact, the long and tedious workdays on individual farms often made the creation of a group identity even only among slaves of a single plantation very difficult. Due to the difficulty of forming a group identity with other blacks, some slaves (especially young female slaves) began to form a group identity in which they treated their masters in a way almost family-like (although this was not the treatment they received in return necessarily). As evidenced by Chaney Richardson’s personal interview where Chaney states that “Old Mistress' name was Nancy Rogers, but I [Richardson] was a orphan after I [Richardson] was a big girl and I [Richardson] called her "Aunt" and "Mama,"” the lack of bonds and ties within the black community – either because of forceful separation or other causes – lead many slaves to seek a type of community within the surrounding slave owners and their families. The personal identity of slaves in the South also took great influence from regionalism, as can be seen very clearly from Behind the Scenes by Keckley. Unlike the Northerners who spend most of their time describing their personalities, the slaves in the South – possibly due to the constant reminders of their inferiority from plantation owners – mostly identified themselves by their master and their duties as a slave. Keckley states that “Mrs. Burwell gave birth to a daughter… To take care of this baby was my first duty,” which shows her emphasis on what she has to do and who she must obey, again bringing in the role which the master and the slave lifestyle – instead of individual characteristics and humanity – had in shaping the personal identities of slaves in the South. The ideas of separation from one’s family, the voluntary attempts at integration into the lives of the plantation owner’s family and the definition of oneself by one’s master and one’s duty all played essential roles in personal and group identities in the Southern United States.

In conclusion, the North and South of the United States – two parts of the same country – faced almost completely different group and personal identities in black communities, emphasising the role which regionalism played in black community identity formation in the first half of the 19th century. The North’s group identity was one which centred around unity and a common belief in liberty, while its personal identity was one which believed in humanity and allowed people to define themselves as humans with their own personalities and traits. On the other hand, due to various causes, the South’s group identity amongst black communities was relatively weak, and instead many young female slaves resorted to attempting to integrate themselves into the society of their masters and mistresses whilst still accepting their inferiority. The personal identity of the South’s slaves was also unique, since many Southern slaves defined themselves by their masters or duties, unlike the personality and humanity-focused Northern slaves.

Works Cited

1. Solomon Northup, Twelve Years a Slave (New York: Miller, Orton and Mulligan, 1855), 24-26, https://archive.org/details/twelveyearsasla01nortgoog.

2. Olive Gilbert and Sojourner Truth, "The Auction," Narrative of Sojourner Truth (Boston: J. B. Yerrinton and Son, 1850), http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1674/pg1674.html.

3. Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (Boston: Anti-Slavery Office, 1845), chap. 1, http://www.gutenberg.org/files/23/23-h/23-h.htm.

4. Chaney Richardson, interview, "Oklahoma Narratives," vol. 13, Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938, Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, accessed November 16, 2021, http://memory.loc.gov.

5. Elizabeth Keckley, Behind the Scenes (New York: G. W. Carleton & Co, 1868), chap.1, http://www.gutenberg.org/files/24968/24968-h/24968-h.htm.