The North Carolina Whig, Proclamation on Northern Blacks, November 18, 1862

The North Carolina Whig, Proclamation on Northern Blacks, November 18, 1862

A short article from the Whig detailing the thoughts of a slave. This short and simple piece can explain a different side to certain assumptions. The African American that the writer described was loyal to the Confederacy and the south. Whether or not he was a slave, this African American cherished the southern culture; this man was probably a slaveholder himself. The Emancipation Proclamation offended him and/or his friends and wanted to impose it on African Americans up north. This showed that not all African Americans had the same train of thought. Not all hated the institution of slavery.

The second section of the article alluded to the appalling conditions of refugee African Americans or “contraband” due to their freedoms from the war. Under slavery, slaves were taken care of to ensure they could provide the maximum output of work. The war disturbed this process and now free African Americans had to find food, clothing, and shelter by themselves. This was especially hard due to the large numbers of refugees including Blacks and Whites.

The North Carolina Whig

The North Carolina Whig, November 18, 1862

1862-11-18

Ballentine, Jay

Still Image

Charlotte, NC
Mecklenburg County, NC

Newspaper Article

A negro proposes that President Davis should-retaliate upon Lincoln’s proclamation, by declaring all the Northern negroes slaves after the first of January next.