Drawing on the federal census, wills, mortgage bills of sale, tax returns, and newspaper advertisements, this authoritative study describes the nature of African-American slaveholding, its complexity, and its rationales. It reveals how some African-American slave masters had earned their freedom and how some free Blacks purchased slaves for their own use. The book provides a fresh perspective on slavery in the antebellum South and underscores the importance of African Americans in the history of American slavery. The book also paints a picture of the complex social dynamics between free and enslaved Blacks, and between Black and white slaveowners. It illuminates the motivations behind African-American slaveholding—including attempts to create or maintain independence, to accumulate wealth, and to protect family members—and sheds light on the harsh realities of slavery for both Black masters and Black slaves.

BLACK SLAVEOWNERS—Shows how some African Americans became slave masters

MOTIVATIONS FOR SLAVEHOLDING—Highlights the motivations behind African-American slaveholding

SOCIAL DYNAMICS—Sheds light on the complex social dynamics between free and enslaved Blacks

ANEBELLUM SOUTH—Provides a perspective on slavery in the antebellum South

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