the sequel of appomattox-第6章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


　political　rights；　and　to　improve　his　economic　and　social　status。　In　1861；　the　American　Negro　was　everywhere　an　inferior；　and　most　of　his　race　were　slaves；　in　1865；　he　was　no　longer　a　slave；　but　whether　he　was　to　be　serf；　ward；　or　citizen　was　an　unsettled　problem；　in　1868；　he　was　in　the　South　the　legal　and　political　equal；　frequently　the　superior；　of　the　white；　and　before　the　end　of　the　reconstruction　period　he　was　made　by　the　legislation　of　some　states　and　by　Congress　the　legal　equal　of　the　white　even　in　certain　social　matters。

The　race　problem　which　confronted　the　American　people　had　no　parallel　in　the　past。　British　and　Spanish…American　emancipation　of　slaves　had　affected　only　small　numbers　or　small　regions；　in　which　one　race　greatly　outnumbered　the　other。　The　results　of　these　earlier　emancipations　of　the　Negroes　and　the　difficulties　of　European　states　in　dealing　with　subject　white　populations　were　not　such　as　to　afford　helpful　example　to　American　statesmen。　But　since　it　was　the　actual　situation　in　the　Southern　States　rather　than　the　experience　of　other　countries　which　shaped　the　policies　adopted　during　reconstruction；　it　is　important　to　examine　with　some　care　the　conditions　in　which　the　Negroes　in　the　South　found　themselves　at　the　close　of　the　war。

The　Negroes　were　not　all　helpless　and　without　experience　〃when　freedom　cried　out。〃*　In　the　Border　States　and　in　the　North　there　were；　in　1861；　half　a　million　free　Negroes　accustomed　to　looking　out　for　themselves。　Nearly　200；000　Negro　men　were　enlisted　in　the　United　States　army　between　1862　and　1865；　and　many　thousands　of　slaves　had　followed　raiding　Federal　forces　to　freedom　or　had　escaped　through　the　Confederate　lines。　State　emancipation　in　Missouri；　Maryland；　West　Virginia；　and　Tennessee；　and　the　practical　application　of　the　Emancipation　Proclamation　where　the　Union　armies　were　in　control　ended　slavery　for　many　thousands　more。　Wherever　the　armies　marched；　slavery　ended。　This　was　true　even　in　Kentucky；　where　the　institution　was　not　legally　abolished　until　the　adoption　of　the　Thirteenth　Amendment。　Altogether　more　than　a　million　Negroes　were　free　and　to　some　extent　habituated　to　freedom　before　May　1865。

*A　Negro　phrase　much　used　in　referring　to　emancipation。


Most　of　these　war…emancipated　Negroes　were　scattered　along　the　borders　of　the　Confederacy；　in　camps；　in　colonies；　in　the　towns；　on　refugee　farms；　at　work　with　the　armies；　or　serving　as　soldiers　in　the　ranks。　There　were　large　working　colonies　along　the　Atlantic　coast　from　Maryland　to　Florida。　The　chief　centers　were　near　Norfolk；　where　General　Butler　was　the　first　to　establish　a　〃contraband〃　camp；　in　North　Carolina；　and　on　the　Sea　Islands　of　South　Carolina；　Georgia；　and　Florida；　which　had　been　seized　by　the　Federal　fleet　early　in　the　war。　To　the　Sea　Islands　also　were　sent；　in　1865；　the　hordes　of　Negroes　who　had　followed　General　Sherman　out　of　Georgia　and　South　Carolina。　Through　the　border　states　from　the　Atlantic　to　the　Mississippi　and　along　both　sides　of　the　Mississippi　from　Cairo；　Illinois；　to　New　Orleans；　there　were　other　refugee　camps；　farms；　and　colonies。　For　periods　varying　from　one　to　four　years　these　free　Negroes　had　been　at　work；　often　amid　conditions　highly　unfavorable　to　health；　under　the　supervision　of　officers　of　the　Treasury　Department　or　of　the　army。

Emancipation　was　therefore　a　gradual　process；　and　most　of　the　Negroes；　through　their　widening　experience　on　the　plantations；　with　the　armies；　and　in　the　colonies；　were　better　fitted　for　freedom　in　1865　than　they　had　been　in　1861。　Even　their　years　of　bondage　had　done　something　for　them；　for　they　knew　how　to　work　and　they　had　adopted　in　part　the　language；　habits；　religion；　and　morals　of　the　whites。　But　slavery　had　not　made　them　thrifty；　self…reliant；　or　educated。　Frederick　Douglass　said　of　the　Negro　at　the　end　of　his　servitude：　〃He　had　none　of　the　conditions　of　self…preservation　or　self…protection。　He　was　free　from　the　individual　master；　but　he　had　nothing　but　the　dusty　road　under　his　feet。　He　was　free　from　the　old　quarter　that　once　gave　him　shelter；　but　a　slave　to　the　rains　of　summer　and　to　the　frosts　of　winter。　He　was　turned　loose；　naked；　hungry；　and　destitute　to　the　open　sky。〃　To　prove　that　he　was　free　the　Negro　thought　he　must　leave　his　old　master；　change　his　name；　quit　work　for　a　time；　perhaps　get　a　new　wife；　and　hang　around　the　Federal　soldiers　in　camp　or　garrison；　or　go　to　the　towns　where　the　Freedmen's　Bureau　was　in　process　of　organization。　To　the　Negroes　who　remained　at　homeand；　curiously　enough；　for　a　time　at　least　many　did　sothe　news　of　freedom　was　made　known　somewhat　ceremonially　by　the　master　or　his　representative。　The　Negroes　were　summoned　to　the　〃big　house；〃　told　that　they　were　free；　and　advised　to　stay　on　for　a　share　of　the　crop。　The　description　by　Mrs。　Clayton；　the　wife　of　a　Southern　general；　will　serve　for　many：　〃My　husband　said；　'I　think　it　best　for　me　to　inform　our　Negroes　of　their　freedom。'　So　he　ordered　all　the　grown　slaves　to　come　to　him；　and　told　them　they　no　longer　belonged　to　him　as　property；　but　were　all　free。　'You　are　not　bound　to　remain　with　me　any　longer；　and　I　have　a　proposition　to　make　to　you。　If　any　of　you　desire　to　leave；　I　propose　to　furnish　you　with　a　conveyance　to　move　you；　and　with　provisions　for　the　balance　of　the　year。'　The　universal　answer　was；　'Master；　we　want　to　stay　right　here　with　you。'　In　many　instances　the　slaves　were　so　infatuated　with　the　idea　of　being；　as　they　said；　'free　as　birds'　that　they　left　their　homes　and　consequently　suffered；　but　our　slaves　were　not　so　foolish。〃*

*　〃Black　and　White　under　the　Old　Regime〃；　p。　158；


The　Negroes；　however；　had　learned　of　their　freedom　before　their　old　masters　returned　from　the　war；　they　were　aware　that　the　issues　of　the　war　involved　in　some　way　the　question　of　their　freedom　or　servitude；　and　through　the　〃grapevine　telegraph；〃　the　news　brought　by　the　invading　soldiers；　and　the　talk　among　the　whites；　they　had　long　been　kept　fairly　well　informed。　What　the　idea　of　freedom　meant　to　the　Negroes　it　is　difficult　to　say。　Some　thought　that　there　would　be　no　more　work　and　that　all　would　be　cared　for　by　the　Government；　others　believed　that　education　and　opportunity　were　about　to　make　them　the　equal　of　their　masters。　The　majority　of　them　were　too　bewildered　to　appreciate　anything　except　the　fact　that　they　were　free　from　enforced　labor。

Conditions　were　most　disturbed　in　the　so…called　〃Black　Belt；〃　consisting　of　about　two　hundred　counties　in　the　most　fertile　parts　of　the　South；　where　the　plantation　system　was　best　developed　and　where　by　far　the　majority　of　the　Negroes　were　segregated。　The　Negroes　in　the　four　hundred　more　remote　and　less　fertile　〃white〃　counties；　which　had　been　less　disturbed　by　armies；　were　not　so　upset　by　freedom　as　those　of　the　Black　Belt；　for　the　garrisons　and　the　larger　towns；　both　centers　of　demoralization；　were　in　or　near　the　Black　Belt。　But　there　was　a　moving　to　and　fro　on　the　part　of　those　who　had　escaped　from　the　South　or　had　been　captured　during　the　war　or　carried　into　the　interior　of　the　South　to　prevent　capture。　To　those　who　left　slavery　and　home　to　find　freedom　were　added　those　who　had　found　freedom　and　were　now　trying　to　get　back　home　or　to　get　away　from　the　Negro　camps　and　colonies　which　were　breaking　up。　A　stream　of　immigration　which　began　to　flow　to　the　southwest　affected　Negroes　as　far　as　the　Atlantic　coast。　In　the　confusion　of　moving；　families　were　broken　up；　and　children；　wife；　or　husband　were　often　lost　to　one　another。　The　very　old　people　and　the　young　children　were　often　left　behind　for　the　former　master　to　care　for。　Regiments　of　Negro　soldiers　were　mustered　out　in　every　large　town　and　their　numbers　were　added　to　the　disorderly　mass。　Some　of　the　Federal　garrisons　and　Bureau　stations　were　almost　overwhelmed　by　the　numbers　of　blacks　who　settled　down　upon　them　waiting　for　freedom　to　bestow　its　full　measure　of　blessing；　and　many　of　the　Negroes　continued　to　remain　in　a　demoralized　condition　until　the　new　year。

The　first　year　of　freedom　was　indeed　a　year　of　disease；　suffering；　and　death。　Several　partial　censuses　indicate　that　in　1865…66　the　Negro　population　lost　as　many　by　disease　as　the　whites　had　lost　in　war。　Ill…fed；　crowded　in　cabins　near　th