My thoughts exactly.  I think that terminology and exhibits should
accurately relate to one another when representing history.  Anything else
would be putting a sort of futuristic slant on the exhibit.  Certainly
during the time that the exhibit is to represent, no-one was calling these
folks enslaved African Americans.

Jennifer Jordan
Student Appalachian Studies
Appalachian State University
----- Original Message -----
From: Hayes, Michael (Dann) <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, November 06, 2003 10:02 AM
Subject: Re: "Enslaved"


Just one thought in the discussion.

If you are presenting an historical item on slavery, shouldn't it be
presented as it was in the time period where the event took place?

Once we start putting 20th century (21st century?) outlooks on what was
going on moe than 100 years ago, then we have lost the reason for developing
the exhibits in the first place.

You can have some kind of scenario where the reference is discussed, today,
but I think it would be more worthwhile to use the basic terminology that
was used in the era you are looking at.

Dann Hayes
Grinnell College
Grinnell, Iowa


> ----------
> From:         Deb Fuller
> Reply To:     Museum discussion list
> Sent:         Thursday, November 6, 2003 5:31 AM
> To:   [log in to unmask]
> Subject:      Re: "Enslaved"
>
> Hi Jay,
>
> --- Jay Heuman <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> > One poster provided a great example (Amistad) of how the slave trade
tried to
> > change those who were "enslaved" into "slaves."  Enslavement is a
process;
> > slaves are usually the result of the process.
>
> That was a good point. But if slaves were born and raised in slavery, were
they
> ever technically "enslaved"? I doubt slave owners went around and said
"*poof*,
> you're a slave." It also implies that these people were free to begin
with,
> which they weren't. Thus using the word "enslaved" seems to give them a
status
> which they did not have.
>
> For example, a Roman legion captures and enemy city and all those who
weren't
> killed were enslaved. There I can see using the term "the enslaved Gauls"
which
> implies that at one point they were free.
>
> But on a plantation where all the slaves probably had been slaves all
their
> lives, using the term "enslaved" gives the impression that they were
something
> other than slaves, which they weren't. I can see using the term for early
> American site where blacks were brought over from Africa and enslaved. But
was
> a slave born to a slavery ever really "enslaved" at one point? Certainly
not in
> the way the first Africans imported to the colonies or a conquered people
were.
>
> > Looking at the etymology of "slave" (below), one sees the assumption
that
> > slaves are inherently 'lesser than'.  To "enslave" is the attempt to
impose a
> > 'lesser than' status.
>
> Another good point, but again, you can't have a lesser status if you never
had
> a higher status to begin with.
>
> Deb
>
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