To My Old Master (1865) | Hacker News Reader

To My Old Master (1865)

lettersofnote.com

128 pointsjkuria32 comments

The article is a little wrong to link to the Emancipation Proclamation, because Lincoln specifically exempted Tennessee from that. According to the easiest links to dig up on Google [1,2], Tennessee was the only state to free its slaves by popular vote and didn't do so until February 1865, less than six months before Jourdon dictated his letter and certainly well after he had left the farm, since the letter makes clear that was 1864 at the latest. That explains why Anderson (the master) shot at him when he was leaving: he hadn't actually been emancipated yet. What it doesn't explain is how he got his "free papers" in Nashville in 1864. Since Nashville was obviously in Tennessee too, why would he have been any more emancipated there? My bet is it had something to do with joining or supporting the war effort. Tennessee was under Union control.

Another thing I didn't know: the Governor of Tennessee at the time was Andrew Johnson, who became president after Lincoln was killed.

1. http://www.tnhistoryforkids.org/stories/emancipation — this web page says it's "for kids"; one wishes all web pages were so informative.

2. http://www.afrigeneas.com/states/tn/

I thought he actually wrote the letter and was impressed how well written it was for someone who had no formal education.

It was dictated, so not written alone, obviously.

This one is also worth reading. In fact, it's hard to forget.

http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/11/wretched-woman.html

Great, great read.

Priceless. He was such a gentleman on the letter.

Was there ever a response?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_Anderson#Aftermath

Wow, the relatives are still angry he didnt come back. What the heck is wrong with those people? :O

He asks for almost $12000, in a lump sum, with interest added, in 1865 dollars, which is roughly $200k in 2013 dollars.

As a lump sum.

In recompense for 32 years of chattel slavery, any dollar amount would be a laughable pittance.

Actually, 52 years since he is including 20 years for his wife as well. Comes out to $3846/person/yr in today's dollars if the above calculation is correct, which is considerably lower than what I'd sell myself into slavery for.

But, and this is where it gets really messed up - $4k/person/year is significantly more than current global median income. Last I checked (around 2007), this is about $850/year. (Yeah, if you're reading this website, you are insanely lucky).

Of course, this doesn't take into account things like income disparity between countries and so on - that is, median income in Bangladesh is very different than the US today, but this was Antebellum south, at a time when America was still a developing country.

All this to say - maybe $4k/year was a "fair price."

I'm from a developing third-world country. $4k/year is our minimum wage. It's hardly a fair price for 32 years of service.

It's meant to highlight how ridiculous the Colonel's own request was.

that reminds me my ex-boss tiring to hire me again and the of $4250, he cut back from our salaries, during dotcom bust. He promised to pay back when the time comes...

I wonder what it would come to with room and board subtracted. Considerably less I'm sure.

Since, as he mentions in the letter, room and board were included in the wage he uses as a reference, there is no need to deduct them from the wages his former master owes.

Oops, missed that point.

If someone offered to pay you $200,000 now, but in return you have to be his slave for 32 years, would you do it?

So you would work for 520$/month? Wow.

I never said I would :)

Why is this on hackernews?

Because it's damned interesting.

I would guess the new Django Unchained movie brought this subject to light again.

Because it teaches you how not to treat your workers.

Are you saying it's not good to think of your workers as being more like server hardware than like founders?

That's exactly what it sounds like

I think that any comparisons between wage labor and slavery are simply category errors.

Ok, many people think otherwise and have written at length about it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wage_slavery You can't simply label something a category error and call it a day.

"I think". That many people think that there is a fruitful analogy to be drawn between chattel slavery and wage labor has no bearing on whether I think it's a sensible comparison to draw.

It's MLK day today.

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