An Amazing Book Essay Research Paper Yolanda

An Amazing Book Essay, Research Paper

Yolanda Smith

Mr. Perkins

US. History

An Amazing Book

Been In The Storm So Long, written by Leon F. Litwack exposes the cruel, harsh,

and most disgusting attitudes of humans towards one another. This story is about the lives

of black slaves, slave owners, and the people fighting for freedom during the Civil War

and even after Emancipation. This story reveals the interactions between blacks and

whites and dramatizes their inner dependency on one another. It also divulges the tension

and friction between the two groups. After reading this short summery of Been In The

Storm So Long, I hope one can acknowledge the intentions of this book and perhaps give

one the desire to pick up this book and let the story take one to a place Americans tend to

keep hidden.

As the story begins, it talks about the changes in attitudes of the slaveholders. One

slave by the name of Robert Murray recalls how his .white folks. started to change.

Murray was a young slave that had been treated fairly well and was even taught how to

read, even though it was against the law. Some of the children were even welcomed in

what was called the .Big House. because the children found warmth there. With Abraham

Lincoln.s election as President, things changed for the slaves. The children were not

welcomed in the .Big House. anymore. Robert Murray, along with the other slaves, felt

uneasy because he was being watched constantly. The slaveholders started to wonder how

the slaves continue their chores as if nothing was going on. Mary Chesnut, a South

Carolina slaveholder, wonders, .Are they stolidy stupid or wiser than we are, silent and

strong, biding their time.(4). When the white males of all the plantations go off to war,

they think it will be an easy and short fight. One North Carolinian says, .whup the North.

(5) as if he would be back in time for dinner. Needless to say, many of the white males do

not return and for those who are restored; it was in mangled bodies. Because many

fathers, brothers, and sons do not return, the women left at the plantations became cruel

and cold hearted. Mattie Curtis.s mistress whipped the slaves to the point of unbearable

pain when she received news on the death of her son. Master Charley hit a slave girl

named Missy with a .hot poker. stick and then says, .Free de niggers, will dey. I free

dem.(10), as he gets a gun and heads for the field. Annie Row, the slave girl witnessing

all this, ran and screamed because she had brothers and sisters in .de field whar de niggers

am a-working. (10). The cruel and disgusted treatments did not halt; they continued and

expanded throughout the Civil War.

Even with the cruel and unspeakable treatment the slaves received, some of the

slaves were still faithful and loyal to their masters and mistresses. To .play dumb. was

what most of the slaves did to protect their masters or mistresses from the Yankees. One

slave hid the family.s silverware and even struck his master.s children to keep the

Yankees distracted. The slave .cried like a child. when the Yankees left because he did

not want to hit the children but felt it was necessary to protect the master.s family. One

group of slaves even humiliated themselves to keep their master, John Williams, from

being physically abused by the Yankees. The Yankees had order Williams to dance or

make his slaves dance. When he stood up and looked at the slaves, the slaves started to

dance. The soldiers were then happy and content, and no harm was done to Williams. One

of the dancing slaves said, .We act lak we dancing for de Yankees, but we trying to please

Master and Mistress more than anything, and purty soon he begin to smile a little and we

all feel a lot better. (151). Many slaves lied that their owners were true Union patriots, but

could not show their patriotism because of the Confederates. While some of the slaves

were faithful and loyal, others were called betrayers by their owners.

As the war continued, slaveholders viewed their slaves as back stabbers. The

slaveholders could not realize why the slaves betrayed them when the slaves were

constantly given good care . Of course, the care administered was most of the time severe

beatings confused for discipline. One slave ran to a Yankee solider and told him a secret:

a secret of where there were two .splendid. horses. The solider sat in awe wondering why

the slaved had .betrayed his master.s prize possession,. and the soldier replied, .You

ought to have more love for him to do such a thing.. The so-called .good slaves. and the

.bad niggers. were becoming hard to distinguish. As a plantation owner left for war, he

placed in charge a slave whom was .more as a companion than a slave. (155). The

faithful slave agreed to take care of the place. However; the first chance the slave got, he

fled. On another plantation, a slave woman who was treate

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