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Freedom

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Slaves No More

The chapter opens with a thanksgiving note from a man of faith who had persistently prayed to

God about his tribulations as a slave (p.660). The year is 1865, April 2nd. Tidings of the end of

slavery spread among slaves. Jubilation reverberated through the town of Richmond, which had

been abandoned by Confederate soldiers and taken over by Union soldiers, whom the

southerners dubbed ‘Yankees’. Lumpkin, a slave lord, was stranded with a consignment of slaves

whom he had just shipped in, and who were soon released from the slave cells. The Yankees

stayed on for weeks. But whether the slaves were free was grey. Though Lincoln made the

Emancipation Proclamation, it seemed to preclude some slaves, and neither was it recognized or

honored by white slave masters. Many feigned ignorance, while others treated it as a rumor from

the Yankees (605). When the Yankees departed, it was payback time for the slaves who had

collaborated with them. Many were killed, and others subjected to torture. Only a year after the

Proclamation did the slaves have freedom at last. Jubilations rented the air in the cities of South

Carolina, Missippi and Lousianna. The Union soldiers celebrated with the slaves. But the white

masters were gripped with fear and felt they had changed places with the slaves. Though they

surrendered human property, the ideology of slavery remained firmly entrenched in the minds of

the slave masters (608).

The night of April 2

nd,

1865, witnessed massive destruction: arson, looting, and burglaries (660).

The poor whites who lived in the dilapidated shanties of Richmond, black slaves, and freemen

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were bound by a common purpose: freedom and abundance. Slaves collaborated with the

Yankees, giving them all the information they required about the white masters. Jubilation

behooved the next few days. White masters stayed behind bolted doors and wondered at the

sanity of the war (601). However, soon, confusion reigned among the black slaves. Their

freedom was not written in black and white, and only depended on the presence of the Yankees

(606). The Union soldiers said they were free, but the confederate soldiers said the Yankees had

no power to set them free (607).

The sound of freedom was the best news slaves had received in many years. When President

Lincoln opened the slave pens, emotional moments ensued as families reunited, some having

been separated for up to twenty years. But the freedom of the slaves only depended on the

presence of the Yankees. When the Yankees departed, fear gripped slaves, especially those who

had pillaged the white stores and had evidence of their misconduct. In retaliation, the masters

hanged many slaves, and others were tortured in public in order to serve as a lesson to those who

may choose to collaborate with the Yankees when they resurfaced. The suffering was so severe

that the slaves feared even the mention of the word ‘freedom’, some of them abandoning the

very idea, all for survival. Racial tensions heightened.

The return of the Yankees after a year breathed hope into the disillusioned slaves. But the slaves

begged to leave with the Yankees if they were departing. They recounted horrid stories of what

had become of them the previous year. But this time, freedom was guaranteed. The war was

over. Richmond had fallen, and the Confederacy collapsed. The just free slaves and the Union

soldiers were one in jubilation. The U.S. flag was raised over the ruins of Fort Sumter.

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Surname 1 Student’s name Professor Course Date Slaves No More The chapter opens with a thanksgiving note from a man of faith who had persistently prayed to God about his tribulations as a slave (p.660). The year is 1865, April 2nd. Tidings of the end of slavery spread among slaves. Jubilation reverberated through the town of Richmond, which had been abandoned by Confederate soldiers and taken over by Union soldiers, whom the southerners dubbed ‘Yankees’. Lumpkin, a slave lord, was stranded with a consignment of slaves whom he had just shipped in, and who were soon released from the slave cells. The Yankees stayed on for weeks. But whether the slaves were free was grey. Though Lincoln made the Emancipation Proclamation, it seemed to preclude some slaves, and neither was it recognized or honored by white slave masters. Many feigned ignorance, while others treated it as a rumor from t ...
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