Slavery, fatherhood, and paternal duty in African American communities over the long nineteenth century [electronic resource] / Libra R. Hilde.

The God part of him : slavery and constraints on fatherhood -- I liked my papa the best : enslaved fathers -- Blasphemous doctrine for a slave to teach : provisioning -- This great object of my life : purchase and escape -- Tuckey buzzard lay me : slavery, sex, and white fathers -- Mortifications peculiarly their own : rape, concubines, and white paternity -- My children is my own : fatherhood and freedom -- Good to us chillum : provisioning in freedom.

"Analyzing published and archival oral histories of formerly enslaved African Americans, Libra R. Hilde explores the meanings of manhood and fatherhood during and after the era of slavery, demonstrating that black men and women articulated a surprisingly broad and consistent vision of paternal duty across more than a century. Complicating the tendency among historians to conflate masculinity within slavery with heroic resistance, Hilde emphasizes that, while some enslaved men openly rebelled, many chose subtle forms of resistance in the context of family and local community. She explains how a significant number of enslaved men served as caretakers to their children and shaped their lives and identities. From the standpoint of enslavers, this was particularly threatening--a man who fed his children built up the master's property, but a man who fed them notions of autonomy put cracks in the edifice of slavery"-- Provided by publisher.

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