Background of the Book
Deborah White’s retrospective on the lives of black women during the times of slavery provides an important framework for understanding both the past and the present. The book examines the stories history of the plantation south, connecting the notions of racism, sexism, and social expectations with the heavy burden millions of black women had to undertake. As a piece of analytical work, it is extremely important and worthwhile to engage with this text, as it is able to put many historic records, events and recollections into an arranged narrative, one that explains the difficult situation black women found themselves in today. In the modern society, scholars and everyday individuals work hard to deconstruct or challenge existing ideas of manhood and womanhood, including the specific notion of black womanhood. In order to do so, however, it is important to understand the origins of many of today’s customs, recognize the ultimately harmful perceptions society holds against black women. White’s book organizes a chronological timeline of how the idea of a “black woman” during the antebellum period. The author explains how perceptions of black culture contribute to false understanding of women, and how their subsequent treatment sought to reinforce existing stereotypes.
Significance of the Book
As mentioned in the introduction, this book is an important resource for any readers, including both students and scholars. As a learning resource, it is able to engage with existing material and provide its own value, bringing attention to some of the less widely known aspects of black womanhood. For those that are trying to thoroughly make sense of history for the first time, it can be a great way to explain the specific issues of women in the South, one that also gives a cursory look on the issues of all slaves during that period. It frames the discussion in a way that makes the progression easy to track, providing students with ample ground for thought and further research. For scholars, the book also serves as an opinion piece, providing a historical retrospective to explain current events. For individuals that are already invested into the way history has shaped society, or seeking to further analyse the effects historic events had on particular groups of people, this book is an invaluable source of knowledge. The unique struggles of black women are shown as a product of their surrounding society, the unfortunate consequence of defining womanhood within very tight and specific sets of norms. The work highlights the plight of the black population, and references many contemporary accounts in order to support its assertions. Even if the scholars disagree with the central premise of the book, they will be able to find its primary sources to be useful in investigating the subject themselves.
Effect of the Book on My Understanding of History
I feel that this book has helped me understand the history of the antebellum period in much more nuance. While I was able to recognise the unique position of black people in slavery-driven society, I was not capable of thinking about the problems of women in such detail before. Specifically, I think that one of the first ideas expressed by the book, pertaining to black women’s unique place in society, stuck with me. Due to a combination of their race and gender, black women were unable to enjoy any of the privileges presented either to white women or black men. Their identity, and its contradictory nature, deprived black women of the same consideration other groups could receive. This message is communicated most aptly by the author of the book, when White states “The impossible task confronts the black woman. If she is rescued from the myth of the Negro, the myth of woman traps her. If she escapes the myth of woman, the myth of the Negro still ensnares her” (White 51). The description perfectly encapsulates the main challenges faced by black women, and an idea that can often be difficult to grasp. I found this particular quote to be very eye-opening, as it gave me the necessary context to understand how American society treated (and still treats, to an extent) black women. In addition, I think that this idea provides a compelling explanation of where the stereotypical image of a “self-reliant” and “strong” black woman came from. To me, this concept now appears as an obvious extension of how black women had to appear in order to obtain any form of recognition in society.
Analysis and Interpretation of Sources
The book masterfully uses primary sources to its advantage, often quoting from other resources and materials. Most of the transcripts provided in the work pertain to real-life records, or retellings of the black living during slavery. For the claim of women’s treatment during auctions, the author uses “Twelve Years A Slave”, a retelling of a slave’s life from 1853. In similar contexts, she also quotes from other accounts, retaining the original grammar and structure. Instead of simply presenting information from existing sources, however, White works to analyze them and present a complete narrative. The idea of black women being more free to experiment with acts of intimacy, for example, is not taken as proof of their promiscuous nature, or a simple fact of living (White 161). Instead, it is framed as a rejection of puritanical values of white culture, and the inability of white people to consider black women as women. Similarly, other examples of history are taken, quoted, and expanded upon in order to enrich the narrative.
Author’s Argument
As mentioned previously, the author’s main argument is that the lives and experiences of black women are distinctly different from the two other groups they can be associated with – black men and white women. The combination of objectification, traditional, puritanical values, sexualisation and othering contribute to creating an image of a woman that is unlike any other. Antebellum America was categorically incapable of providing black women with the same protections, benefits or considerations as any other group. As individuals more closely seen as animals than people, black women were striped of their dignity and modesty, imbued with an inherent connection to sensuality. As white describes it, black women were seen as separate from white ones and did not deserve respect: “The slave woman’s body, however, commanded no such respect. Just as with reproduction, that which was private and personal became public and familiar” (White 57). In their positon in a slavery society, they were also deprived of the capacity to act as free as their male counterparts, often receiving severe punishments and used. Even in times of the Civil War, the opportunities and abilities of black women were not expanded, instead suffering at the hands of both the north and the south.
Implications for Today
Today, many of the problems of the past have passed, and both black men and women have managed to secure legal rights and freedoms. However, some issues of the past find their reflections in the modern society, especially when it concerns black women. Stereotypically, many of them are seen as different from white women, and their claims to femininity are challenged. The persistent image of a black woman as superhuman, one which emerged in response to unjust treatment, is often considered normal. The perceptions of womanhood that accompany black people are destructive and limiting to the capacity of women to express themselves. Therefore, it is crucial that they are capable of expressing their identity in a far more diverse manner. In order to ensure this, studying the past, and the origins of current ideas is a necessity. For this purpose, Deborah White’s book is extremely important.
Works Cited
White, Deborah G. Ar’n’t I a Woman?: Female Slaves in the Plantation South. W. W. Norton & Company, 1999.