One Man's Letter to his Former Master
I am often fascinated by history. I came close to majoring in it before deciding to pursue political science. Yet even as I went the way of politics, history was evident in much of undergraduate and graduate research and papers. I love history and have even thought about returning to obtain a graduate degree. (I couldn’t decide between ancient and West Indian history. Weird.) Therefore, when I came across a letter written by Jourdon Anderson, an emancipated slave to his former master, I was interested. Then I started reading and after the second sentence interested changed to riveted. The letter is calm, polite and rather subtle in some areas. But make no mistake, there is an underlining sense of anger and disbelief that this man, his former master, would have the nerve to ask that he return to the plantation.
I see this as a reminder that in the grand scheme of history, it has only been very recent that slavery has been internationally outlawed. But knowing this is not enough because every day on every continent at this very moment there is someone working in abject slavery.
Here is an excerpt of Jourdon Anderson’s letter:
Dayton, Ohio,
August 7, 1865
To My Old Master, Colonel P.H. Anderson, Big Spring, Tennessee
Sir: I got your letter, and was glad to find that you had not forgotten Jourdon, and that you wanted me to come back and live with you again, promising to do better for me than anybody else can. I have often felt uneasy about you. I thought the Yankees would have hung you long before this, for harboring Rebs they found at your house.
Read the entire letter here: Letters of Note
I would be interested to hear your thoughts on the letter.