Turner
In America, slavery prevailed during both the 17 th and 18 th centuries. African slaves characterized the workforce that facilitated the construction of the new country, developing it to become an economic powerhouse that produced highly valuable crops like cotton and tobacco. However, during the 19 th century, the expansion of America to the west and the birth of the abolition movement resulted in debates about slavery, which threatened to divide America and possibly result in a gruesome civil war. Therefore, divergent views on slavery among the American people set the platform for the end of slavery in America, which was initiated by the Emancipation Proclamation and later officiated by the 13 th Amendment. Regardless, the slavery legacy continued to impact America’s history from the Reconstruction period to the era of the Civil Rights movement, which achieved the most significant social and political wins for blacks. Therefore, considering that slavery highlights a critical period in America’s history, different authors have sought to explore America’s past, in relation to slavery, through both fiction and factual accounts to provide present-day readers insights on America’s heritage.
The Underground Railroad Review
The Underground Railroad is a fictional account of slavery in America documented by Colson Whitehead. The protagonist in the story is a woman named Ajarry, who was kidnaped from her African country and brought to America to work as a slave. On arrival, she was sold severally before she ended up on the Randall plantation. She takes three husbands and has five children, but only Mabel survives. Mabel is Cora’s mother and Ajarry’s granddaughter that lives to see freedom (Whitehead, 2016).
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Cora is forced to grow up by the circumstances around her. Like Ajarry, she lives on Randall where she tends to a garden that Mabel inherited from her mother. Now that Mabel escaped from the plantation and left her daughter behind, Cora is tasked with caring for the garden and protecting her family’s legacy. After Mabel’s disappearance from the plantation, Cora becomes “a stray” and is moved to live in the Hob, a housing unit for the “wretched women.” Soon after she moves to the Hob, a man named Blake tries to take away Cora’s inheritance, but the young woman viciously defends what is hers. Unfortunately, she is later gang-raped by four enslaved men (Whitehead, 2016).
On the Randall plantation, some slaves, like Jockey, experience little pleasures like being allowed to choose a birthday, which often coincided with a Sunday, when the slaves worked for half days. During Jockey’s birthday, a young man approaches Cora asking her to escape from the plantation with him. His name is Caesar. Initially, Cora dismisses the idea, but after the beatings she receives when trying to defend a young boy called Chester, the death of James Randall and the brutality that Big Anthony is subjected to when he is recaptured after running away, Cora agrees to plot an escape with Caesar. The two make plans to escape together, but Lovey, Cora’s friend, follows them. Realizing they cannot send her back, they allow her to be part of their escape journey. Shortly after they have left the plantation, they meet hog farmers that were looking for them based on an alert of their escape. Caesar and Cora are fortunate to escape, but Lovey is captured and dragged back to the Randall plantation (Whitehead, 2016).
Fletcher is the first man that aids Cora on her freedom journey outside Randall, who introduces both her and Caesar to Lumbly, a guardian of an Underground Railroad station. Caesar and Cora travel to South Carolina where they change their names to mask their identities with the help of Sam, an Underground Railroad agent. Cora becomes Bessie and works for the Anderson’s as a nanny for their two children. Both Cora and Caesar settle into their new lives in South Carolina and are in no hurry to leave (Whitehead, 2016).
Soon, Cora is allocated a new job in a museum where she poses as art in three different settings. When she is medically examined, Dr. Stevens suggests that she undergoes sterilization as a way of controlling her future, but Cora does not agree. Sam informs her that the doctors have been infecting some of the black inhabitants of the dormitories with syphilis as part of a study while other black community members were being sterilized to manage the growing black population. Ridgeway, a renowned and feared slave catcher obsessed with finding Cora on realizing she is Mabel’s daughter, establishes Cora’s whereabouts. She heads to the Underground Railroad for redemption (Whitehead, 2016).
Her freedom journey leads her to North Carolina, where she meets Martin Wells, who is not expecting any arrivals because the station is closed. He shows Cora the Freedom Trail, evidence of the prohibition of black inhabitation of North Carolina. Martin and his wife Ethel take the risk of housing Cora but after a while patrollers, Ridgeway, among them search the house and capture Cora, and the Wells are punished for their treachery. As Ridgeway’s prisoner, Cora travels to Tennessee, where she is rescued from her captor by three free black men that ambush them at night. Then, she goes to live on the Valentine farm, among blacks of a free community in Indiana. However, the community on Valentine debates about moving further away from the slavery plagued regions, and during a meeting, Ridgeway and a gang of white men interrupt, kill and then recapture Cora, who is instructed to lead them to the Underground Railroad (Whitehead, 2016).
As the events unfold, Cora finds out that her mother Mabel had died shortly after leaving the plantation from a snake bite, right after she had resolved to end her escaping mission and go back to her daughter. Nonetheless, Cora leads Ridgeway and Homer, Ridgeway’s slave, to the Underground Railroad station, where she pushes him down the stairs. As he dies from the injuries of his fall, he asks Homer to write his last words while Cora boards a handcar at the station and begins to convey herself to freedom. Eventually, she reaches the end of the tunnel and from the sunshine can determine that she has made it to the North (Whitehead, 2016). She accepts the help of an elderly black man named Ollie, and her life as a free woman begins.
Comparing The Underground Railroad and New York Burning
The first mention of New York in The Underground Railroad is in Chapter 3. Whitehead depicts it as Ridgeway’s residence before his father’s death, who disagrees with Ridgeway’s line of work as a patroller. Ridgeway is a slave captor who is known and feared. Even in New York, where Whitehead expresses that abolitionist activity is on the rise, restricting the recapture of free black men and their subjection to slavery, through bribery and swift operations, Ridgeway still captures escapee slaves in New York and returns them to their masters. The author indicates that Ridgeway’s slave capturing operations were carried out at night, allowing him to fulfill his mission, “before the abolitionists had even gotten out of bed” (Whitehead, 2016). Therefore, it becomes evident that New York may have been an anti-slavery state, but not all white inhabitants supported the course. Those that were pro-slavery aided Ridgeway in his quest to recapture slaves and ship them back to their masters, mainly because the abolitionists were not strictly committed to their mission of freeing slaves. The abolitionists allowed enough room for Ridgeway’s operations to continue; a factor that justifies the questioning of New York’s commitment to stopping slavery.
On the other hand, in Lepore’s New York Burning, the author talks about the fear that ruled Manhattan in 1741 due to the random fires that burned all over the island. The suspects of the heinous acts were the slaves in New York, who were arrested and more than 100 exiled, hanged, or burned (Lepore, 2016). Lepore highlights that the story she covers about New York is one that underscores episodes in New York’s history that are often disregarded, a factor that would explain why Whitehead in The Underground Railroad depicts the state as “haven” for the slaves in America.
Lepore goes on to explain that the random burning of Manhattan was not a just a plan put together by grieved slaves, but was instead the slaves’ attempt to get the freedom that was promised to them by the Spanish who had dictated that their ticket to liberty was the abandonment of their white masters. However, further investigations depict that the previous explanations fit into a larger plan that hinged on religious disparities. The Roman Catholic crusade sought to enlist slaves to kill their Protestant masters, giving rise to what the author refers to as the ‘ Spanish and Popish plot ’ and expresses, “What can be expected from those that profess a Religion, that is at War with God and Man?” (Lepore 2006). Based on the account that Whitehead provides of New York, Lepore’s events may be justified by the possibility of disgruntled slaves occupying New York. Ridgeway’s activities may have gone unnoticed among the white abolitionists, but not among members of the tightly knit black community. Thus, it would have been possible that the blacks in New York, who the abolitionists claimed to protect, may have yearned for ‘real freedom’ since they were still living in the grasp of the white men, most of who did not support their freedom.
Additionally, in Chapter 10 of The Underground Railroad , the author talks about a character named Royal, who is the first freeborn black person that Cora meets. His parents were both freeborn from New York, and they are optimistic about the abolishing of slavery in all American states. At the age of 18, Royal participated in abolitionist activities in Manhattan, which led to his involvement in the operations of the Underground Railroad. The author states, “Royal lit out for Manhattan at eighteen, and his first sight of the majestic city from the rail of the ferry confirmed his fate” (Whitehead, 2016). Hence, Whitehead’s and Lepore’s depictions of Manhattan differ as the former portrays the town as a haven for the blacks while the latter paints it at the center of the black rebellion, ridding it of any positive associations with the slaves in the US. When Lepore compares the events in New York to the Salem witch-hunt that that took place in 1692, characterized by false accusations and implications, she expresses, “what happened in New York was worse, and has been almost completely forgotten" (Lepore 2006). Thus, the comparison of Whitehead’s and Lepore’s accounts of the role that New York played in America’s slave history differ. However, because Lepore emphasizes that the history of New York she unearths goes beyond the conventional representations of the state in ancient times, Whitehead’s fictional account is inaccurate possibly due to the basis his narrative on the accounts of New York’s history that bury the state's involvement in slavery.
Comparing The Underground Railroad and Fredrick Douglas
Fredrick Douglas is a memoir written by a former slave named Fredrick Douglas. In his narrative, he explains that he was unsure of his birthdate, like many other slaves (Douglass 1982). Whitehead in The Underground Railroad also highlights the same concept of slaves not knowing their birthdates, with only those that had kind masters like James Randall being allowed to randomly select and celebrate birthdays, like was the case with Jockey (Whitehead 2016). Additionally, Douglass also talks about his separation from his birth mother upon whose death he admits, “I received the tidings of [my mother’s] death with much the same emotions I should have probably felt at the death of a stranger” (Douglass 2016). His separation from his mother at birth depicts the making of slaves right from their birth by denying them familial relations as well as through the distortion of social bonds and natural processes.
Similarly, Whitehead explores similar accounts of separation like is the case with the black woman screaming “My babies! They’re taking away my babies!” (Whitehead, 2016). Like Douglass and his mother, the woman is separated from her children. Moreover, Cora is also separated from her mother at a young age, not by the direct force of a white man taking her away from her mother’s arms, but from the indirect effects of the white man’s brutality that make Mabel long for freedom and choose to seek it. The author explains, “Once Mabel ran, Cora thought of her as little as possible. After landing in South Carolina, she realized that she had banished her mother not from sadness but rage. She hated her” (Whitehead, 2016). Unlike Douglass, who has no feelings towards his mother, Cora, on tasting the perks of freedom, feels hatred for her mother who she presumes chose to leave in misery at the Randall plantation. In both accounts of the life of a slave, Douglass and Whitehead agree that the slave owners in America tore slave families apart as an indirect manner of subjecting them to horrific conditions that accustomed them to being self-centered individuals that were driven by fending for themselves alone
Furthermore, in his memoir, Douglass recounts how his master’s wife, Sophia Auld, had begun to teach him how to read before her husband ordered her to stop claiming that literacy among slaves made them hard to manage. Douglass asserts, “Whilst I was saddened by the thought of losing the aid of my kind mistress, I was gladdened by the invaluable instruction which, by the merest accident, I had gained from my master” (Douglass, 1982). From Mr. Auld’s proclamation, Douglass confirmed that slavery was not natural and through deduction, he resolved that his freedom was tired to his education. Whitehead’s narrative appears to support Douglass’ proposition as the author talks about Cora remembering Connelly gouge out the eyes of a man that looked at words. Nonetheless, when in South Carolina, Cora enjoys the privilege of learning to read, but her teacher, Miss Handler, informs her, “In North Carolina,” she said, “what we are doing is a crime” (Whitehead 2016). Thus, both Whitehead and Douglass highlight that education was a privilege among the slaves in America, which they were denied to confine them to slavery by illiteracy shackles.
Douglass also covers a crucial aspect of slavery regarding the breaking of slaves’ spirits and will through the physical torture they were subjected to. He explains, “The cheerful spark that lingered about my eye died; the dark night of slavery closed in upon me; and behold a man transformed into a brute!” (Douglass, 1982), as he recounts his stay with Edward Covey who was known for ‘breaking slaves.’ Also, Whitehead talks about the beatings that slaves underwent and the way they were forced to witness the brutality to which runaways were subjected. Some were broken to the extent that even when freed, they chose to remain in their slave positions, like is the case with Homer who Ridgeway explains chooses slavery over freedom because, “He’s seen enough to know a black boy has no future, free papers or no. Not in this country” (Whitehead, 2016). Regardless, both authors agree that there was still hope for the slaves as some were able to master their courage and choose freedom over slavery, despite having full knowledge of what the journey would entail. Douglass says, “In coming to a fixed determination to run away, we did more than Patrick Henry, when he resolved upon liberty or death” (Douglass 1982). Moreover, Cora having endured the freedom journey explains, “They were free and black and stewards of their own fates. It made her shiver” (Whitehead 2016), highlighting the new reality that awaited the slaves that chose freedom. Therefore, Whitehead’s fictional account depicts the reality of the lives of slaves in America, as evidenced by the similarities with Douglass’ memoir on his life as a slave.
Comparing The Underground Railroad and Nat Turner
In Nat Turner, the importance of literacy among slaves is emphasized through Turner, who valued literacy. His ability to read and write allowed him to view the world from a different perspective and create metaphors concerning his surroundings (Styron 2010). The same is emphasized in The Underground Railroad with the author highlighting the link between literacy and freedom. Upon reaching South Carolina, Cora gets the opportunity to learn how to read and write, an occurrence that she disassociates with slavery. Miss Lucy, Cora’s teacher, commends her student for her learning progress by stating, “And making splendid progress!” (Whitehead 2016). This depicts that Cora’s freedom came with the perks of being literate, an aspect that was crucial in facilitating free thinking. Similarly, Turner’s literacy allows him to successfully execute a revolt that results in the death of about 50 white masters. Had he not been literate, he would not have mastered the precision of successfully implementing such a plan, let alone the courage to go against the white masters.
Additionally, Styron highlights the emotional extremities that plagued the lives of black slaves in America. He talks about Turner hearing a woman’s voice from his prison cell the night after his trial. The woman is singing but from her voice, Turner thinks she is, “grieving, yet somehow unbending, steadfast, unafraid” (Styron, 2010). The emotions in the woman’s voice are elicited by the events occurring following Turner’s slightly successful revolt. Before the militia stopped Turner’s operation, the slaves that had heard about it were hopeful that their liberation was near. However, upon his capture and impending death, the hope turns to grief, but the slaves remain unafraid because they understand that Turner has paved the way in the pursuit of their liberation.
Whitehead expresses the same when he recounts Cora’s journey from the plantation until she reaches South Carolina. She is happy that she is finally free, but she grieves over the loss of her friend Lovey. Worst of all, thoughts of her recapture and shipping back to Randall scare her and when Mr. Fletcher stops the cart, “Cora expected the blanket to be ripped off the next moment and made a portrait of the ensuing mayhem” (Whitehead, 2016). It becomes evident that the life of a slave is characterized by immense emotional turmoil. Hence, seeing that Whitehead’s and Styron’s account of the characteristics of a slave’s life align, it is possible that the documentation of a slave’s lifestyle in The Underground Railroad is accurate.
Conclusion
The presentation of America’s history, especially concerning slavery in the region, depends on previous documentation of the same, upon which fiction authors, and sometimes factual ones, base their representation of the American heritage. Hence, the validity of the accounts is relative to the nature of the literature upon which an author draws their facts, because even personal accounts of the life of a slave, like that which Fredrick Douglass provides, are subject to bias based on the perception of the narrator on the events that transpired. Thus, the similarity of accounts across extensive literature is what can justify the accuracy, or lack, thereof of publications on America’s involvement in slavery.
References
Douglass, F., (1982). Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. 1845. The Classic Slave Narratives , 323-436.
Lepore, J., (2006). New York Burning: Liberty, slavery, and conspiracy in eighteenth-century Manhattan . Vintage.
Styron, W., (2010). The Confessions of Nat Turner: A Novel . Open Road Media.
Whitehead, C., (2016). The Underground Railroad .
