The typical response is the "family member" thing, which is a legitimate and common practice by which FPCs with some money were able to effectively manumit family members, but we also have examples of abuse within this practice (such as the wife I mentioned selling the husband that displeased her). We also have examples of wealthy black planters employing 100 slaves or more, clearly not a "family member" situation - these FPCs were often of significantly mixed ancestry, but that does not change the fact that black folks could own chattel slaves, and white folks were de facto slaves in this country under this presumptively "racist" institution.

Again, the institution was strongly mired in racism. But the chicken and egg analysis comes up again and again - condition of servitude of parents had a much, much higher correlation of a child being a slave than skin color.

Take Solomon Northrup (12 Years a Slave) for example - I still haven't watched the feature film, but it was required reading during my college days at LSU-A (the book's 20th century editor and preserver was an English professor of mine). Born free, Northrup was the child of a freed slave and a free woman of color, in NY state. A musician by trade, he was essentially lured into Washington, D.C. on the promise of paying work, drugged and sold (unlawfully) into slavery, ending up going through New Orleans and working on plantations in Rapides and Avoyelles Parishes.

He was ultimately able to get a message out to his family regarding his whereabouts and situation and freed after 12 years of involuntary servitude. This tragic situation illustrates both sides of the argument beautifully and elegantly.

He was born free - his skin color and African ancestry could, in no way, make him a slave in this country, even in the Antebellum South - at least not legally. But, his skin color allowed him to be snared into this system, illegally bought and sold, and illegally held for over a decade, because superficially, he "looked" like a slave and the rights of black folks to petition for redress of grievances - especially in the South - were highly curtailed.

Yet additional example of just how complicated this issue is... (In his experience, you also get the classic comparison of "Good master/bad master").

This post was edited on 2/9/18 at 2:11 pm