Aspects of Slavery and Freedom Seeking in North Carolina
Earth-Life-Measuring Intellect and Morality
Enslaved people found dignity in doing good work, and blacks, “as an agrarian people, were gratified by watching the products of their hands grow and flourish.” Moreover, they found some freedom in their labor because their freedom did not require abusing or robbing humans to achieve their goals.
To that point, enslaved people found themselves morally superior to whites. Because whites, in particular, white Christians, allowed and supported slavery, they could not be looked upon as gospel carries. Blacks believed themselves to be true believers.
Intellectually, they felt themselves to be the equals of their masters. Without formal education, “slaves believed they held the secrets of the soil and of nature and harbored an abundance of mother wit that few whites could equal.” Enslaved people battled with the negative self-images of their intellectual capacity, which were impressed upon them by the greater institution of slavery and dominant culture. Yet, it is important to note that enslaved persons knew that they were highly skilled and educated in ways that could only be understood from the perspective of the enslaved.