Why Pennsylvania still had slaves until the Civil War

Lumenarium

Commenting on Central Pennsylvania African American history--The voice of the Afrolumens Project on the net.

Critics constantly take me to task for stating that Pennsylvania still had a few slaves up until the Civil War, and actually had hundreds in the decade prior to the war. Armed with rudimentary knowledge of the Pennsylvania Gradual Abolition Act of 1780, they apply simple arithmetic to conclude that slavery disappeared in this state by the late 1820s or early 1830s.

What they forget to do is factor in human greed.

The 1780 Gradual Abolition Act set March 1, 1780 as the cut-off point. Anyone born prior to that date would remain a slave for the rest of their life. Anyone born of a slave mother after that date would be enslaved until their twenty-eighth birthday. It sounds very simple, and it was intended to phase out slavery within a generation, while protecting the human property interests of slaveholders.

So, assuming that a slave born just prior to the cut-off date bore children into her mid-twenties (let's say in the year 1805), those children, indentured until age 28, would be freed no later than the year 1833. Decreasing numbers of slaves enumerated in the federal censuses in Pennsylvania for 1830 and 1840 seem to support these calculations.

This is where the first point of contention usually arises. I count the children of slaves, those held to servitude for 28 years, as slaves. The term favored by the courts of the time, indentured servant, doesn't cut it. To me, an indentured servant is someone serving a term, usually less than seven years, to pay off debt or to learn a trade. It was the second lowest class of labor in colonial America, next only to slavery, and to all of those, white and Black, who suffered through an indentured servitude, often the difference in treatment from slaves was negligible. Still, it was not quite slavery; the terms were significantly shorter and usually the servant was erasing a debt, or learning a trade.

Legally, however, those Blacks who were manumitted under the 1780 law were considered indentured servants. But what did they have to show for it? Twenty eight years at hard labor generally used up a person's best years and often destroyed their spirit. Three decades of forced labor, with no power to control your own life, to me, is slavery. The accepted terminology for this class of labor now is "term slave," to distinguish it from lifelong slavery. Because census takers were instructed to record these term slaves as servants, their true numbers are lost to us. They recorded as "slaves" only those aging persons who were born prior to 1780. Naturally, then, the number of slaves in the official records were dropping rapidly.

In 1850 the ability of census takers to record slaves in Pennsylvania was cut to zero: for the first time there was no column for slaves on the census form. Most other states had columns to records slaves, but not Pennsylvania. As a result, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania recorded zero slaves for the first time in its history. Of course there were still slaves around--this was only 70 years after passage of the Gradual Abolition Act. Most county histories have anecdotes about aged former slaves dying at grand old ages well into the 1880s. Regardless of the truth in those stories, it is clear that the existence of slaves in Pennsylvania during the two decades prior to the Civil War was ignored or, worse, covered up.

The second point of contention stems from a failure to understand how, in the 1830s and 1840s, there were still so many term slaves around. By my estimate, there were still thousands of Pennsylvania term slaves in the early 1830s and at least several hundred through the 1840s. If you take the example in the paragraph above and assume most slaves were freed by 1833, my estimates seem preposterous. But wait! We must still factor in human greed.

Slaveholders registered, as required by law, the children born to their slaves for life. But when that generation of term slaves grew up and began bearing children, many slaveholders then kept on registering those children as term slaves as well. This was clearly illegal, as it violated not just the letter of the law, but the spirit of the law as well. By this practice, slaveholding in Pennsylvania could be sustained indefinitely with each generation.

Fortunately the courts eventually caught on and put a stop to the practice, but not before many hundreds of children had been unjustly condemned to years of slavery. The courts also addressed only the cases that were brought before them. How many legally free Black children were enslaved by unscrupulous slaveholders because their parents and family were ignorant of the law?

More than forty years ago this subject was well researched by Penn State college professor Stanley I. Kutler for an article published in the scholarly journal Pennsylvania History. "Pennsylvania Courts, the Abolition Act, and Negro Rights" documented case after case of slaveholders who attempted to keep their human property well beyond what the law allowed. Writing in 1963, in an era when African Americans were fighting to establish their constitutional rights, Dr. Kutler showed the painfully slow development of Black legal and human rights in an earlier century.

Among the abuses documented by Dr. Kutler was the practice of bringing young slaves from other states into Pennsylvania, manumit them into a term of servitude until age 28, and sell their terms to Pennsylvania owners. It's a practice I have documented several times on the pages of the website. It also greatly increased the numbers of young slaves in the commonwealth, slaves who were not counted as such on census forms, for reasons already explained.

There were other ways to keep a person beyond the original limit, some legal, some very illegal. In all, they highlight the very dark and seamy side of our early history; a side that is more comfortably left unexamined, for many folks.

George Nagle

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, US

Carribean Genealogy Search--here we come!

Sources Specific to Caribbean Ancestry

Caribbean GenWeb

http://www.rootsweb.com/~caribgw/

Cyndi's List

http://www.CyndisList.com/hispanic.htm

AfriGeneas Carribean Research Forum

http://www.afrigeneas.com/forum-carib/

Afrolumens

The Afrolumens Project exists to promote the collection, study and interpretation of African American history in Central Pennsylvania, and is dedicated to the idea that all Pennsylvania residents share a common history regardless of race, belief or gender. A vital part of our mission is to encourage the participation of individuals, groups and organizations in this project by contributing stories and materials from their own experiences.

In addition to being a repository and interpreter of historical data, the Afrolumens Project seeks to facilitate communication among scholars, educators and researchers by making the collection accessible on the Website without cost, to everyone interested. We also strive to be a forum in which persons and organizations may ask questions, post comments, provide details about their work, and post contact information.

ALLEGHENY COUNTY Societies and Archives

Allegheny-Kiski Valley Historical Society,
224 East 7th Avenue, Tarentum, PA 15084-1513;
telephone (724) 224-7666,
http://www.akvhs.org
e-mail: akvhs@salsgiver.com

Elizabeth Township Historical Society,
Coates House,
5811 Smithfield Street, Boston, PA 15135
telephone (412) 754-2030
http://www.15122.com/ETHS
e-mail: eths@icubed.com

Historical Society of Carnegie Pennsylvania,
1 West Main Plaza,
(mailing: P.O. Box 826), Carnegie, PA 15106
telephone (412) 276-7447
http://www.rootsweb.com/~pahsc

Historical Society of Green Tree,
Green Tree Municipal Center,
10 West Manilla Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15220
telephone (412) 921-8013
http://www.einetwork.net/ein/greentree/histsoc.html

Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania

Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center
1212 Smallman Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222;
telephone (412) 454-6364;
http://digital.library.pitt.edu/hswp/
e-mail: library@hswp.org

Homestead and Mifflin Township Historical Society
c/o Carnegie Library of Homestead
510 Tenth Avenue, Munhall, PA 15120
http://www.hmths.org

Jewish Genealogical Society of Pittsburgh,
c/o Julian Faulk,
2131 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219
telephone (412) 471-0772, fax (412) 471-1004;
http://feefhs.org/jg/frgjgspi.html

McKeesport Heritage Center
1832 Arboretum Drive, McKeesport, PA 15132
telephone (412) 678-1832, fax (412) 678-7130
http://www.15122.com/MckHeritage/info.htm

e-mail: mckheritage@yahoo.com

Monroeville Historical Society
2700 Monroeville Blvd., Monroeville, PA 15146
telephone (412) 856-1000
http://monroevillehistorical.com

Sewickley Valley Historical Society
200 Broad Street, Sewickley, PA 15143
telephone (412) 741-5315
http://www.sewickleyhistory.org/

e-mail: sewickleyhistory@verizon.net
fax (412) 741-8806 "call ahead!"

Tarentum Genealogical Society,
c/o The Community Library of Allegheny Valley,
315 East 6th Avenue,
Tarentum, PA 15084;
http://www.einpgh.org/ein/alvalley/society.html

Tarentum History & Landmarks Foundation
(mailing: P.O. Box 1776)
Tarentum, PA 15084-1776
Tarentum Times

Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society
4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-4080
telephone (412) 687-6811
http://www.wpgs.org
e-mail: info@wpgs.org

Jots from the Point

Wilkinsburg Historical Society
605 Ross Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15221
telephone (412) 244-2940 (WPL)

God puts the lonely in family....

I think that I shall never see A poem as lovely as a tree. A tree where thirsty mouths are pressed Against the earth's sweet flowing breast. A tree that may in summer wear A nest of robins in her hair. Upon whose bosom snow has lain Who intimately loves the rain. Poems are made by fools like me But only God can make a tree.

Joyce Kilmer

Name Dropping

Following the name through the Black family tree can be a tricky thing.
Since the day of Adam and Eve, the authority to name another living thing is the exercise of subjective power and authority.
During the diaspora, Blacks were stripped of their original names and labeled by people who considered them property. Renaming could come about at anytime by way of sale or designation of particular behavior.
Black slaves may still have name their own, giving their children the only thing they could. Such names would not be used for the masters, but reserved as a hint for connecting families despite separation and sales.
Following emancipation, now freeman choose their names. Frequently, we assume those names came from their owner's. But sometimes they didn't.
Lincoln and Freeman became particularly desirable. As did names of neighbors or whites who had left an impression on those previously enslaved.
Censuses and other records which record names are often recorded according to the phonetic spelling of the clerk. Check for you names under every possible spelling--then look for variations. Names sometimes drop syllables, or take on new forms.
Look intently at the date of birth and time line to help verify identity. Also, pay attention to the location, other family members and friends of your subject. Consider nic-names and abbreviations too.
My great-great grandfather's name changes in three consecutive census from Tump to Tuck, to Trump. His son, and my great-grandfather Walter becomes Arthur in some of the local directories. His son and my grandfather, is born Douglas Peeler, marries and Bick Peeler and enlists as Walter Peeler.

from Black Genealogy, by Charles L. Blockson

Black genealogy is the ultimate puzzle, an adventurous journey through a very personal history. For that reason alone, it's probably infinitely more rewarding if you decide to "do it yourself." Each puzzle, insignificant by itself, takes on an added meaning as part of the emerging whole. The "parts," in this case, are the genealogical chart you're going of learn to construct, tracing your family from you father and mother, through their fathers and mothers and so on, as far back into history as you can go. But the sum of your search can be far greater tan the parts alone.

Pennsylvania Department

Since its conception in 1895, the Library has made an effort to build an extensive collection of materials on the history of Pennsylvania. In 1928 these materials were consolidated to form the Pennsylvania Department.

I've often made the trek down to the Pennsylvania Room at the Oakland branch of the Carnegie library for some of my research. I enjoy working in an area where I am surrounded by resources and folks eager to assist in genealogy searches.

Only recently have I noticed that the Ancestry library is available at other Carnegie locations. So if you are looking to use the Ancestry.com online site, you do not have to go as far as Oakland.
Contact your local library for details.

What to Look for in Genealogy Software

Whether you're a weekend genealogist or a professional researcher, selecting the right genealogical software can make all the difference in how much satisfaction and information you will derive from your research. Accessing, recording and reviewing data should be easy, as well as fun. Below are the criteria TopTenREVIEWS used to evaluate genealogy software.

• Ease of Use – One of the most important features in genealogy software is its user-friendliness, meaning it's easy for beginners and experienced computer users alike. The program should be well organized and easy to navigate.
• Ease of Installation & Setup – The software should be straightforward and simple to install and setup on your computer, without any errors or confusing steps.
• Feature Set – Genealogy software should include all of the features necessary to research and organize your family tree including reports, charts, searching capabilities, web access and insightful ways to store data.
• Help/Documentation – The genealogy software developer should provide ample help in the form of FAQs, and phone support, online course and product tutorials so anyone can learn to use the program and conveniently access customer support.

Check it all out at the genealogy software 2007 report.

Post Gazette: Sunday, July 1, 2007

Sunday Forum:

Pittsburgh's shame

African Americans here have fallen behind even our most recent immigrants, and it's long past time to do something about it, say social scientists LARRY E. DAVIS and RALPH BANGS

Larry E. Davis is the dean of the School of Social Work and founding director of the Center on Race and Social Problems at the University of Pittsburgh (ledavis@pitt.edu). Ralph Bangs is the associate director of the Center on Race and Social Problems (rbangs@pitt.edu). The center's report, "Pittsburgh's Racial Demographics: Differences and Disparities," can be found at www.crsp.pitt.edu.

...click here for the full story.

President Lincoln freed the Slaves; George Pullman hired 'Em!

When a Pullman Palace Car was leased to a railroad, it came staffed with highly trained porters to serve its travelers. Pullman Porters worked graciously receiving passengers, carrying their luggage, making up their rooms, serving foods and beverages and keeping the guests happy throughout every excursion. Emancipated blacks found work with the newly formed Pullman Palace Car Company as porters immediately following the civil war. By the year 1920, Pullman Company employed more black workers than any other corporation in the United States.

The Pullman Porter was a highly respected within his neighborhood. His steady income, travel and exposure to the rich and famous made him an icon among his peers. He was a source of information for the black community as he carried culture, stories and opportunity from the north to south, and east to west. However his 400-hour per month work schedule and increasingly degrading working conditions drove him to seek better treatment.

In 1925 the Pullman Porters formed the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters; the nations first black labor union. Over the next several decades, the Brotherhood would work on behalf of the porters for higher pay and better working conditions. Labor rights gave way to the Civil Rights Movement; the Labor Rights Movement empowered Blacks with the money to do the things that the Civil Rights Movement made legally possible. The same leadership from Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters would years later help to plan the March on Washington of 1963 where Martin Luther King delivered his immortal speech, “I have a Dream.”

Have a Pullman Porter in your family tree? Please register them at the A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Musem.

Census Search

Census searches are available through on closed records from 1910-2000. For about $65 you can request a transcript plus $10 more for a schedule.

  An official census transcript will list the person’s name, relationship to household
       head, age at the time of the census, and state of birth.  Citizenship will be provided
       if the person was foreign born.  Single items of data such as occupation for Black Lung
       cases can be provided upon request.  If a person is not found, a form will be sent with
       that information.

You must know the street your ancestor lived on in that time period.

Please go to US Census website for more information.

Independence Day!

Some say that the brewing of the Civil War began when Americans sought freedom and independence from the British through the Revolutionary War. In a few short weeks Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence, which in its original draft, included the freedom of all. However in order to gain the support of the founding fathers, that idea was scratched yet it still encompassed the liberty and freedom beginning with the infamous first lines:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."


Though himself a holder of 187 slaves (including Sally Hemmings--his wife's half sister who mothered at least one of his children), Jefferson would encourage the abolition of slavery through the government. Yet still he held to the belief that blacks were in no way equal to whites. And in the event that freedom would come to them, could not exist within one government.

Jefferson's words would become the banner by which this government was founded, and the motto by which America became its own.

Gradual emancipation acts and manumissions would sweep across the northern states at a slow pace, with age contingencies and laws of discouragement and fear. Freedom for all would not be legal until the union was reinstated with the return of each southern state.

Minority Report on Tavis Smiley

MINORITY REPORT
Tavis Smiley: Blacks too 'emotional' to obey rules
Democrat debate host says audience couldn't control itself

________________________________________
Posted: June 29, 2007
6:50 p.m. Eastern

© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

The moderator of Thursday's Democrat presidential debate said he did not ask the mostly black audience to refrain from applauding candidates' answers, because blacks are too "emotional" to obey such a rule.
Asked by C-Span host Brian Lamb why he didn't enforce a no-applause rule for his PBS-sponsored debate like other debate formats, moderator Tavis Smiley explained: "Because black people are an emotional people. I know it wouldn't have worked."
Smiley says the black audience attending the 90-minute session at Howard University would not have listened or complied with such a request for silence, suggesting African-Americans are unable to control themselves.
He made the remarks on Friday morning's Washington Journal program aired on C-Span.

The nationally televised debate featured eight Democrat candidates, including Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois.
Smiley, a black talk show host and liberal political activist, made the observation in the wake of widespread violence during Juneteenth celebrations across the nation.
Police reported stabbings, shootings and beatings – including the fatal mob beating of a Hispanic man – at festivals commemorating the black holiday in Milwaukee, Wis.; Austin, Texas; Syracuse, N.Y.; and other cities